Geologyhound
Well-known member
It’s been below freezing here for weeks and we probably still have about 6 inches of snow on the ground. So of course I went out detecting. It is not quite as crazy as it seems….
I have permission to hunt a property where new construction just started. They just dozed an area perhaps the size of a couple football fields. In doing so they took off the snow and between 0 to 12 inches of dirt. So, in 22° weather dropping into the upper teens, I went out for a couple hours. Even with the fresh dozing, most of the ground had refrozen. It was tough digging in all but the most recently scraped area, but at least it was possible.
This place has been a farm field for over 100 years according to the maps. The dirt tells a different tale. There’s a large black stained area with lots of iron which I suspect might’ve been a barn. There is at least one other iron patch, which might’ve been a house.
There was more can slaw, thicker chunks of aluminum, and a shotgun slug which are still in my pouch. The pot metal was ringing up in the brass range. With all this trash, the solid green drawer pull (?) was a welcome find. The “hook“ thing appears to be a large square shank nail. I was afraid the penny would just be a memorial, but it is not. I don’t know that I have been so happy to see a wheat penny in my life! I am letting it dry out for a couple days prior to cleaning it for the date.
The forecast is for warmer weather this week with rain possible. Hopefully, we can all get back out soon!
I have permission to hunt a property where new construction just started. They just dozed an area perhaps the size of a couple football fields. In doing so they took off the snow and between 0 to 12 inches of dirt. So, in 22° weather dropping into the upper teens, I went out for a couple hours. Even with the fresh dozing, most of the ground had refrozen. It was tough digging in all but the most recently scraped area, but at least it was possible.
This place has been a farm field for over 100 years according to the maps. The dirt tells a different tale. There’s a large black stained area with lots of iron which I suspect might’ve been a barn. There is at least one other iron patch, which might’ve been a house.
There was more can slaw, thicker chunks of aluminum, and a shotgun slug which are still in my pouch. The pot metal was ringing up in the brass range. With all this trash, the solid green drawer pull (?) was a welcome find. The “hook“ thing appears to be a large square shank nail. I was afraid the penny would just be a memorial, but it is not. I don’t know that I have been so happy to see a wheat penny in my life! I am letting it dry out for a couple days prior to cleaning it for the date.
The forecast is for warmer weather this week with rain possible. Hopefully, we can all get back out soon!
