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why arn't ALL coins on edge,,,
- Thread starter grouser
- Start date
Chris(SoCenWI)
Well-known member
They get buried by plant matter that decomposes. In the midwest agricultural studies show top soil builds 4-8 inches per century. Lots of other factors come into play that can change this, but the idea some have that coins "sink" until they reach density equilibrium is untrue. That works for submarines; and I think that is what etracjoe was alluding to. Not so in dirt. Fill a jar with dirt and put a coin on top and set it in your garage. Coin will still be on top long after you are gone.
Chris
Chris
Larry (IL)
Well-known member
We are not following YOU. As Chris stated and we have explained to you on other forums, coins for the most part don't sink. What you have read on "sink rates" is bogus. This theory has been around for as long as I have been detecting, 30 years........
RandyNorthridgeca
New member
n/t
I have found a lot of 100 year old plus coins just under the leaves on top of the soil in timbered areas where no vegetation grew to make compost to bury them.
On the other hand frost and moles/gophers can cause coins to become deeper beneath the surface as can the treading of hoofed animals like cattle and deer.
On the other hand frost and moles/gophers can cause coins to become deeper beneath the surface as can the treading of hoofed animals like cattle and deer.
-"I have found a lot of 100 year old plus coins just under the leaves,,,,," does not mean they have been in the ground for a 100 years,,,, might have been dropped yesterday
-"I was just kidding around......You said "path of least resistance". That is what the flow of electricity and the flow of water take is the path of least resistance.
",,, I get it now,,, that is funny
-"They get buried by plant matter that decomposes. ",,, to a point I agree with this
-"In the midwest agricultural studies show top soil builds 4-8 inches per century",,, so a coin that has been found at a depth of 12 inches should have been dropped 300/150 years ago,,,,,, how do we hear of finds that are less than 300/150 years old at that depth ? I have found a 1923 wheatie at 8 inches,,,, that would take 200/100 years by this theory,,give or take the variances in numbers
-"Fill a jar with dirt and put a coin on top and set it in your garage. Coin will still be on top long after you are gone.",,,,,, the jar is not a good representation of the earth and weather conditions it would be exposed to,,,
-"We are not following YOU. As Chris stated and we have explained to you on other forums, coins for the most part don't sink. What you have read on "sink rates" is bogus. This theory has been around for as long as I have been detecting, 30 years........" the "theory" (may or may NOT be his own ) is from a NASA engineer,,, not knowing either of you I'm going to take his line of reasoning over yours,,,, and if my thread irritates you please stop posting ,,, I'm here to trade thoughts and ideas with friendly people, so far I am not seeing any credible evidence to dispute it,,, but still willing to hear some !!!!
-"I was just kidding around......You said "path of least resistance". That is what the flow of electricity and the flow of water take is the path of least resistance.
",,, I get it now,,, that is funny-"They get buried by plant matter that decomposes. ",,, to a point I agree with this
-"In the midwest agricultural studies show top soil builds 4-8 inches per century",,, so a coin that has been found at a depth of 12 inches should have been dropped 300/150 years ago,,,,,, how do we hear of finds that are less than 300/150 years old at that depth ? I have found a 1923 wheatie at 8 inches,,,, that would take 200/100 years by this theory,,give or take the variances in numbers
-"Fill a jar with dirt and put a coin on top and set it in your garage. Coin will still be on top long after you are gone.",,,,,, the jar is not a good representation of the earth and weather conditions it would be exposed to,,,
-"We are not following YOU. As Chris stated and we have explained to you on other forums, coins for the most part don't sink. What you have read on "sink rates" is bogus. This theory has been around for as long as I have been detecting, 30 years........" the "theory" (may or may NOT be his own ) is from a NASA engineer,,, not knowing either of you I'm going to take his line of reasoning over yours,,,, and if my thread irritates you please stop posting ,,, I'm here to trade thoughts and ideas with friendly people, so far I am not seeing any credible evidence to dispute it,,, but still willing to hear some !!!!
If you ever get a chance to hunt a great "virgin" site that has not seen any activity since 1918 and has had no fill or dirt work you will realize first hand how little old coins sink or just how shallow they can be.Most deep coins are deep because they were covered up one way or the other.I have found many fairly deep coins in very rocky soil that I know were not able to sink to such depths....
Talk to some of the old timers that were finding hardly worn to mint seated coins and early Indians by the hand fulls at 1" to 4" 40 plus years ago in nice loamy soils.I have a hard time believing so many of the similar coins suddenly sank 8" to 10" in the last 40 years while remaining so shallow the first 80 to 100+ years.
I am sure their were much deeper coins 40 + years ago but we did not have machines that would detect them vary well and I suspect they reached those depth the same way they have at the present.
Talk to some of the old timers that were finding hardly worn to mint seated coins and early Indians by the hand fulls at 1" to 4" 40 plus years ago in nice loamy soils.I have a hard time believing so many of the similar coins suddenly sank 8" to 10" in the last 40 years while remaining so shallow the first 80 to 100+ years.
I am sure their were much deeper coins 40 + years ago but we did not have machines that would detect them vary well and I suspect they reached those depth the same way they have at the present.
I'm not smart enough to explain how things get where they are in all types of soil,,,, and am sure there are some places that are way different then others and defy the norm ( if we knew what normal was). But I do see how when the soil reaches total saturation, if there was an item that was heavier than the mass of the soil, it would sink down. Didn't know I had opened a subject of such passion for some,,,, did not intend to stir up the pot,,, just pondering out loud.
Chris(SoCenWI)
Well-known member
and perhaps a flood could saturate some of the soil enough that coins would sink. BUT... for 99.9 percent of our detecting this is not a factor. When this occurs a lot of stuff besides coins will sink. So if you see an area where the sidewalks and houses have disappeared into the ground I would recommend using a larger diameter coil.
Not trying to poke fun but this whole equilibrium thing and the Loch Ness monster keep showing up. There are all sorts of civil engineering sites on soil stability and top soil formation, etc. for anyone curious enough to do the reading.
And like Ray says, you can use this to your advantage. In forests, on hills, near a building's shade coins can often be very shallow because top soil formation was slow. I've dug dozens of Indian heads less than an inch deep in these conditions. Out in flat, sunny, grassy areas coins will tend to be deeper.
Chris
Not trying to poke fun but this whole equilibrium thing and the Loch Ness monster keep showing up. There are all sorts of civil engineering sites on soil stability and top soil formation, etc. for anyone curious enough to do the reading.
And like Ray says, you can use this to your advantage. In forests, on hills, near a building's shade coins can often be very shallow because top soil formation was slow. I've dug dozens of Indian heads less than an inch deep in these conditions. Out in flat, sunny, grassy areas coins will tend to be deeper.
Chris