Scored an 1889 V Nickel with the Safari

[Fletch88]

Went out to a late 1800's house I just got permission to hunt and found my first V nickel. I thought it was a pultab since it was only about 3" deep but boy did my adrenaline start flowing when I saw the V on the back and pre 1900 date on the front!

 

[RHG]

Nice job!!

 

[Champ Ferguson]

Congratulation! I am SO jealous. My oldest V is a 1900.

 

[Fletch88]

This is actually the first coin I've found older than 1900 period! I was using a 12x10 SEF thinking I would find deeper silver at this house built in 1880's. This coin was very shallow and I was actually thinking pulltab or possibly gold! I have found 3 silver mercs within a mile of this area and 2 were less than 5" deep. Maybe there are no deeper coins? Starting to wonder!

 

[Champ Ferguson]

That's certainly possible. Soils develop profiles based on a lot of things (the rocks from which they derive, climate, ecology, etc) not to mention man's alteration of all of that thru time. Many places I hunt have a dense clay layer that (at a minimum) slows the movement of coins once it is reached. Sometimes that is just a few inches and there are Zero targets, good or bad below, that level. I jokingly say that there is a law in TN that when you tear down an old schoolhouse, you have to haul away all the soil down to that clay layer and hide it where detectorists cannot find it. Seems like almost every old school site in my 6 county area has a very shallow soil profile.

On the other hand, I often find silver dimes and quarters in the top few inches where they should have been detected long ago. Even at very public sites. Other than something moving them upward (frost heave, animals, etc), I cant explain how I found them there.

 

[klever]

Sweet find, congrats

 

[Goldstrike]

Awesome find!

 

[RHG]

how did it ring out?

 

[Fletch88]

It rang up a perfect mid tone just like a regular nickel/ pulltab.

 

[Fletch88]

Well I went back to my 1880's permission site wanting to try out the M6 I just got last week. I chose a very trashy area in the back of the house that seems to be where trash was burned based on all the black dirt and debris in the area. After listening to the M6 go crazy over all the trash I quickly stepped over to the truck and grabbed the Safari with the 6x8 SEF. I decide to grid an area that was about 20'x40' right outside the backyard fence. The first pass through I dug several pieces of canslaw, brass fixture pieces, mason jar lids, modern clad, etc. As I about to turn around to grid back the other direction I get a soft, solid repeatable med-high tone 33 on the VDI. I knew it was not copper penny or silver nor a zinc penny but it had such a perfect round sound compared to all the other trash I had just waded through. After digging down 4-5" my X1 starts picking it up. When I saw the 1901 Indian Head on the front I got a shot of adrenaline and gave my wife, who is sitting in the truck by the way, the "hooray" sign. This is my first IH in about 3 years and only my 5th one ever!

 

[kschae4]

Fletch, congrats on the v nickel. I know the few that I've recovered rang in at 14-15 tid (same as Jeffs and buffalos).

 

[sasquache]

Awesome coin finds Fletche

 

[okdirtjunky]

Cool find man

 

[okdirtjunky]

Nice