OregonMike
Member
The discovery of my first Morgan Dollar is simply a story of getting a tip and then being in the right place at the right time.
In this case, my wife had been out and about, and had noticed a crew tearing out a sidewalk in an old part of town. Because there was only about an hour of daylight left, I just about dove into the car and took off. Of course, I got behind the world's slowest driver, but once at the site I could see that no one had beaten me to it.
Only two coins showed up. The first made my day, though, because it was a 1939-S Mercury dime in EF to AU condition. It must have been just about new when it was dropped. It was only a couple of inches down. I turned around and headed the other direction, when suddenly the "big hit" came. The detector said "92" and stuck right there. I don't know about folks in other parts of the country, given the differences in dirt and so on, but in my part of Oregon, a "92" can mean a lot of things. I've had nails, lids, and miscellaneous items read like that, but none ever stuck as hard on one number. The depth, according to the detector, was less than an inch, so I thought I'd take a look.
Then came that moment that all detectorists chase--the instant of recognition that you have found something special--something that is out of the ordinary--something that means today is a day you will remember for the rest of your life. A beautiful lady, although with a dirty face. A MORGAN DOLLAR!! It's a 1900-S. Not a rare coin, but still, my first in almost five years of detecting. I went for my cell phone and called my wife with the news. I must have been stammering, because it took her a while to understand what I was trying to tell her, but eventually she got the idea.
I continued hunting until it was too dark to see well or to feel safe, then I returned the next morning but found nothing more. By 7:30 AM, the dumpers arrived and began pouring gravel into the hole. Any other coins will rest there for a few more decades.
This morning, I was notified by White's that they will be publishing my story on their web page!
A note for beginners--notice that these two silver coins were found less than 3 inches from the surface, once the sidewalk was gone. It isn't always necessary to go deep. In this case, the fact that my wife knew to keep her eyes open and tell me what she had seen made all the difference. I didn't find a Morgan Dollar because I was a good detectorist, I found it because I had good information. Cultivate and teach your sources, and sometimes there will be payoffs like this one.
Best wishes and good hunting to all. I enjoy reading about all your finds and am happy to be able to contribute one of my own.
Mike
In this case, my wife had been out and about, and had noticed a crew tearing out a sidewalk in an old part of town. Because there was only about an hour of daylight left, I just about dove into the car and took off. Of course, I got behind the world's slowest driver, but once at the site I could see that no one had beaten me to it.
Only two coins showed up. The first made my day, though, because it was a 1939-S Mercury dime in EF to AU condition. It must have been just about new when it was dropped. It was only a couple of inches down. I turned around and headed the other direction, when suddenly the "big hit" came. The detector said "92" and stuck right there. I don't know about folks in other parts of the country, given the differences in dirt and so on, but in my part of Oregon, a "92" can mean a lot of things. I've had nails, lids, and miscellaneous items read like that, but none ever stuck as hard on one number. The depth, according to the detector, was less than an inch, so I thought I'd take a look.
Then came that moment that all detectorists chase--the instant of recognition that you have found something special--something that is out of the ordinary--something that means today is a day you will remember for the rest of your life. A beautiful lady, although with a dirty face. A MORGAN DOLLAR!! It's a 1900-S. Not a rare coin, but still, my first in almost five years of detecting. I went for my cell phone and called my wife with the news. I must have been stammering, because it took her a while to understand what I was trying to tell her, but eventually she got the idea.
I continued hunting until it was too dark to see well or to feel safe, then I returned the next morning but found nothing more. By 7:30 AM, the dumpers arrived and began pouring gravel into the hole. Any other coins will rest there for a few more decades.
This morning, I was notified by White's that they will be publishing my story on their web page!
A note for beginners--notice that these two silver coins were found less than 3 inches from the surface, once the sidewalk was gone. It isn't always necessary to go deep. In this case, the fact that my wife knew to keep her eyes open and tell me what she had seen made all the difference. I didn't find a Morgan Dollar because I was a good detectorist, I found it because I had good information. Cultivate and teach your sources, and sometimes there will be payoffs like this one.
Best wishes and good hunting to all. I enjoy reading about all your finds and am happy to be able to contribute one of my own.
Mike
