Old Old Farm Homes Produce No Old Coins!

[rluna]

This past week I had the opportunity to hunt 3 old farm homes dating back to 1890.
One use to be a church a long time ago.

Between all three homes I found one wheat penny!
Is it possible that there is so much iron in the ground because it is a farm
that my Etrac is not detecting it. These farm houses have been family farms
for generations and the owners said they have never been detected.

I found clad up to 4 inches down but that’s about it as far as coins go.
About 2 years ago I detected a farm house from 1869 with my F75se and
got the same results

I find older coins all the time in older homes that are not farmstead or old farm
houses.
Is there a reason for this that I'm just missing or am I just unlucky and found 3
farm homes with no old coins?

Rand

 

[OregonMike]

So many things could have happened:

1--Farmers didn't have many coins and were careful with what they had. Didn't drop many.
2--Someone hunted it already
3--Property was flooded, and scrubbed, or flooded and silt deposited on it beyond the depth of the detector
4--Farmers moved or removed soil in order to make room for buildings, crops, etc., so whatever might have been there isn't there anymore

It's just hard to know.

I've found several places like this. Here is western Oregon, it's usually flooding that's the culprit.

Good luck,

OregonMike

 

[ChicagoJohn]

I agree with Orgeonmike! one time I went with my friend in Ohio to look for old coins at very old farm house. We don't find anything! JUNK! Farmer might have no money and careful with money. Cachet is POSSIBLE! I went to 1830's cellar hole in woods and I don't find any coins but I found an old button! You can see train in button. 1830's people in that place might have no money so hunt for food! I will come back because you never know! Large cent is possible but I don't think silver out there!

 

[bootyhoundpa]

Hmmmm... ive had simular results before...could be there just wasnt much going on at these locations... if you are not finding old junk then i would say the yards have been filled with newer soil... if there is so much junk and tiny trash intermingled amongst the soil then masking certainly could be an issue...might actually do better with a single frequency machine with a smaller coil if these places are trashed... also some people think their homes are older than they actually are..... perhaps soil mineralization could be an issue too... better luck next time...

 

[Goldstrike]

It's very unusual to not find anything at all but it's sometime's like when you come across the 'perfect' fishing hole or stretch of prime stream or river. Your soooo excited because there HAS to be big fish in there. After trying every fishing lure and bait that you have and every set up that has worked for you in the past, you come away fishless and discouraged Maybe that stretch has been poisoned with fertiliser from a nearby field? or a predator/pike that's decimated the stock of fish? or some other reason??? There's maybe no answer to why you couldn't find a fish from that stretch of river or awesome fishing hole!. So it is sometimes with that prime looking stretch of beach or those ancient looking old woods etc; etc; The only way to find out if there is anything to be found is to detect with different set ups i.e. different coils, different sensitivity settings detecting the likely hiding spot's for caches and in different places around the spots until you feel confident that it's clean and then move on. Best not question too much and move on to another location.

P.s. There are a few books on where the best and likeliest places for caches may be like near a chicken coop, fence post, at the back of the property very near the back door/stoop where people cannot see you hiding items, under an old tree, behind a loose brick in a root cellar and many other particular places around old property.....and again, a cache can consist of just a small amount of money, not necessarily gold or silver bars!!! BUT among that small amount of money, there could be some highly collectible valuable coins or paper money!

 

[BarberBill]

My finds in similar locations has been heavy to relics or junk, very sparse on coins, newer or old. I think the most likely reason is for a lot of those folks, money was tight and therefore watched more carefully. As I write this it also comes to mind that even smaller denominations would buy much more in those days so losing even a quarter was more painful than in more recent times.
BB

 

[Elton]

Yet the next old place you hunt may have a bunch of old coins... I have had it go both ways..

You might try all metal detecting and dig all targets.. You could get some surprises..

 

[Cliff KS]

I have hunted old farmsteads in Kansas. Most of them were sites that were occupied in the 1860's to 1880's and then abandoned. I hunted those types of sites because I could get permission to hunt them and thought I might find a few old coins. I have not found any coins at those sites, just iron relics like broken ax heads, pieces of farm implements, nails, screws, etc; occasionally some bullets or small pieces of copper or brass like pieces of old broken pocket watches (no gold watches here! lol) The only ones where I have found coins are farmsteads that were occupied almost continuously from that time up until today and even then, there are few coins. All I can figure is that those farmers were poor and damn careful with what money they had. I related this to the owner of a detector shop in my part of the state and he said he had similar experiences. His advice was for me to "get my ass to town" and get permission to hunt yards in old neighborhoods of the towns, because "the towns have more things that were lost and are there for you to find, because that's where the people were concentrated, so the targets are more numerous and concentrated." I have asked permission to hunt rural and town properties from homeowners where the homes are still occupied. Most of them turn me down. Their usual response is "Why should I let you hunt it and find whatever valuable items that may be there. I kind of plan to buy a detector and hunt my yard myself someday". You know -- their attitude seems to be that you may get some coin or something that is valuable and they are entitled to that because they own the land, but the truth is, most of them will actually never follow through, buy a detector, take the time to learn how to use it, and then make the effort to do a proper search of their property, yet just because they perceive there is a small chance of you finding something "valuable", they don't want you there because they want to keep it all to themselves, even though most of them will never make the effort to get it no matter how long they live there.

It's kind of like hunting. When I was young, I hunted quail. Back then, very few farmers ever said no when you asked for permission to hunt and they wouldn't even think of asking you for money to be able to hunt their land. Over the last 30 years, it has become the opposite. Very few farmers will say yes when you ask them to hunt, even though very few of them hunt themselves or have family that hunt. The usual reason they give for turning you down is that "I'm saving that for family", but some of these properties I drive by almost every day during hunting season and I never see anyone out there hunting that land. Some will lease their land out for hunting, so if you have big money, you could hunt there, but I don't make the kind of jack that would enable me to lease enough land for quail hunting, so I have been reduced to either hunting limited public hunting areas that are overcrowded by others who are in the same boat I am, or just not hunting --- so I just don't hunt much anymore.

 

[After-1-]

I can relate to all the above post. I enjoying the hobby and to have permission to hunt these place, I hope there will be some great finds and find nothing. I can't wait to go back and try a different area or other settings. There is something in the ground and it does not have to be coins. First time out to hunt a 1830s farm, I'm hunt in the front of the house,most traffic and thinking most drops,I found nothing. I go out the next day and before hunting I talk to the owner and he tells me his Dad filled in the front of the house to make it somewhat level with the road some 50yrs ago and the front door hardly gets used. So, I ask how much fill we talking about to level the front? His reply 3ft , but the other side of the driveway is original.-----after1-

 

[thump7]

Old farms have been hit and miss for me. I try 3 places, if there are no decent hits, I walk away.
1) path to the barn / chicken shed and 15ft to either side of it.
2) 10ft area all around the house including either side of the driveway where they park to get out.
3) front yard where they play ball or whatever.

If there are no decent hits in these areas I won't waste any more time there. This will tell me pretty quick what type of people lived here or if it's been detected before etc. lots of variables, still, if there is nothing here just move on.
If I start finding valuables or coins I'll make my way over to any flower beds and the chicken shed listening for deep big signals, maybe behind the shop if there isn't too much junk. any big old trees or stumps etc, if I can tell where all these spots once were that is.
Good luck.

 

[fowlercharles]

Hi Rand, Folks on the "Older farm places" did not have many coins or valuables to loose but those they had were usually in a special place, and not always in their pockets. Work clothes, especially on the farm were prone to get holes in the pockets and everywhere else. I, think both men and women were more than likely, but not always, to have carried their money in a small coin purse. Those were lost sometimes but not often and you can be sure every thing on the farm shut down until it was found ! Special places (hiding) were either some where in the house or barn, hen house ,smoke house or maybe under the main house etc. There were no "yards" as areas around the house were fenced and hoed of all grass. At a time when there was no electricity,no indoor plumbing /water, gas, there was only kerosene lanterns, candles, a chamber pot under the bed,(my Grandma called it the Blue Goose") for night time use, a wood stove/fireplace, for cooking, bath(wash) tub was on the back porch and was usually brought out once a week , one size usually fit all, and the toilet was out back just far enough to be "far enough" and is the Second place you need to detect. If they were packing coins and in a hurry to get loose from overalls, well that speaks for itself. First place is where the house was if it is gone. Many old houses burned,and "stuff" does survive a fire! Next would be where the Big Oak or barn was, but especially the Big Oak(Southwest quadrant) Those folks worked hard long hours to stay self sufficient. They went to bed early and got up early. Sure. they had money but not much loose money.Money was brought out on the rare trips to town (when there was one) by horse and wagon. Be sure that when folks did travel, and especially longer trips than to town, they had more than a little money with them! They "had to have" money for corn and feed for their horses/whatever, that was bought from farmers along their way when it could be had, money for ferries, lots of whiskey, and in many cases emergency items for wagon repairs. They camped by springs or creeks and slept on the ground many times., and lost stuff doing it. It is still fun to hunt old farm sites, and that's what detecting is all about, but I find" for me" it a bit more fun, and "exciting, coin /button wise" by researching and hunting the old travel roads/ trails, river/creek ferries,and camp sites that took those old farmers to where they lived their lives out. Most all the old diggers on these forums can identify with life on the Old Farm as I described it because they have lived it in the their younger days. Sorry for my ramble but that becomes the nature of many of us old diggers. Its just another way we enjoy detecting /digging when we ain't actually doing it!! HH, Charlie

 

[GeorgeinSC]

I recall that my Grandfather carried his coins in a small coin purse. My Grandmother had a larger purse that she carried her coin in. He would have taken offense at it being called a purse. I doubt that they ever lost a coin. Money was hard to obtain on those old farms so I do not think that it is unusual that you did not find any old coins. Some of the junk around those homes could be masking good targets.

 

[doc holiday]

FowlerCharles thanks for the trip down memory lane--On PawPaw's farm this was the way life was when I was a kid.As far as losing a coin when I was a kid I honestly don't remember EVER losing a coin because I never had more than 1 at a time. These Fatty kids now days spend all their time looking at their stupid phones.

 

[rluna]

I started this thread and forgot to check the "Email me about replies" box.
So I never knew there were responses until tonight when I was looking through
the forums...lol
What a bunch of great informative responses...thanks guys!

I'll still hunt the old farms but wont spend as much time if I'm not getting
anything after 30 - 40 minutes of hunting the obvious spots

Rand(nightdigger)