Ronstar
Well-known member
Ok folks, 2-3” snow forecast for tomorrow and its starting to look like more of the same for awhile. Temp staying in mid 30s and lows in the 20s. Since the ground is bare for now thought I would get one last attempt at the old house where I was raised. Thought maybe instead of winning the lottery maybe I would dig a Seated Liberty Half Dollar and the quadfecta of half dollars would be complete. Didnt happen.
Spent a little time with the Sharpshooter rechecking the immediate area where the Barber Half was found. Interestingly there were several hits on some 90 numbers showing 10-12” deep but ground frozen solid and since I can come back in the Spring I wasnt going to chop up the lawn now. Told myself 4-6” max if that section of ground not too frozen.
Did manage to get a wheat at 4” but somehow I nicked it with the trowel and took out the three left numbers, can only read the last which is 4. A couple more memorials but nothing more spectacular.
As I got closer to the area of the Barber I started getting high 80 numbers so hoping quarters etc but most all 8-12” range. Hit one solid 84 at 4” so in I went, biggest intact and actually pretty nice square nail I’ve ever found. In fact dug two so now I know what to be suspicious of number wise. I kept on making a larger arc from the Barber and hit a solid 73 or dime hit at 4”. In I went but a bit surprised to see an ammo casing. It was rimmed and a bit short but looked 38 caliber. Pocketed and kept going, nothing else in that area to dig shallow. When I got home I cleaned it up as best I could, caked dirt inside and she was a bit bent but otherwise in pretty good shape. Worked on the case-head face hoping to reveal a caliber marking but nothing. Lightly took a brass brush and started getting more of the crud and corrosion off, that revealed an H dead center. Wait, shouldn’t there be a primer? My love of Winchester told me that was Winchester Repeating Arms mark before being bought out by Winchester!
I managed to get one larger crud chunk off and to my surprise a rimfire firing pin strike!!!! I was holding a 38 Rimfire casing!! Grabbed my one cartridge book and confirmed and in checking case measurements determined it was a 38 Rimfire Short!!
Its kinda like plucking silver out of the ground for gun nuts and ammo collectors.
Spent a little time with the Sharpshooter rechecking the immediate area where the Barber Half was found. Interestingly there were several hits on some 90 numbers showing 10-12” deep but ground frozen solid and since I can come back in the Spring I wasnt going to chop up the lawn now. Told myself 4-6” max if that section of ground not too frozen.
Did manage to get a wheat at 4” but somehow I nicked it with the trowel and took out the three left numbers, can only read the last which is 4. A couple more memorials but nothing more spectacular.
As I got closer to the area of the Barber I started getting high 80 numbers so hoping quarters etc but most all 8-12” range. Hit one solid 84 at 4” so in I went, biggest intact and actually pretty nice square nail I’ve ever found. In fact dug two so now I know what to be suspicious of number wise. I kept on making a larger arc from the Barber and hit a solid 73 or dime hit at 4”. In I went but a bit surprised to see an ammo casing. It was rimmed and a bit short but looked 38 caliber. Pocketed and kept going, nothing else in that area to dig shallow. When I got home I cleaned it up as best I could, caked dirt inside and she was a bit bent but otherwise in pretty good shape. Worked on the case-head face hoping to reveal a caliber marking but nothing. Lightly took a brass brush and started getting more of the crud and corrosion off, that revealed an H dead center. Wait, shouldn’t there be a primer? My love of Winchester told me that was Winchester Repeating Arms mark before being bought out by Winchester!
I managed to get one larger crud chunk off and to my surprise a rimfire firing pin strike!!!! I was holding a 38 Rimfire casing!! Grabbed my one cartridge book and confirmed and in checking case measurements determined it was a 38 Rimfire Short!!
Its kinda like plucking silver out of the ground for gun nuts and ammo collectors.
