Ya'll have helped me with bottle caps and nickels...how about IH pennies?

[beez0404]

I've been hunting a mill town with most of the homes built right around 1900. I am finding that many of the homes have already been metal detected in the past. But as we all know it's like looking for gold. Nobody gets it all. A top priority for me, actually there are two, is to find an Indian head penny and a buffalo nickel. I had been having problems finding nickels. The TID charts said they would ring up at 55 so I was digging the few targets with a TID of 55 but finding only pull tabs. Several experienced Deus users suggested I start digging the 52-54 signals as well because they found many of their nickels in that range. Well I did and have begun finding some nickels.

I found a 1911 Liberty V nickel just last night. Also found a 1944 Canadian quarter and a coin from Brazil dated 1871. Photos here somewhere.

Today I am seeking your help with Indian head pennies. The TID charts say they will ring up (the newer ones) in the 77-79 range. Do you guys agree these numbers are consistent with what you hit when you find an IH penny? Should I be digging other TID numbers looking for them?

Once again your experience and willingness to share is greatly appreciated.

 

[beepsilver]

With a few exceptions, in my short experience with the Deus, you can't rely upon the numbers coming from the ground to ID many coins. I coinshoot predominately in 4Khz--nickels seem to hit like a penny at times and IHPs fluctuate so much that I can't pin down a good TDI range for you. Your best option is dig those coin-sounding targets at depth (and shallow, site depending) and you'll eventually meet your goal. Good luck, and nice finds!

 

[CZconnoisseur]

I dug an Indian cent the other night while in 4 Khz...it came in around "55" if I remember correctly. Indian cents and some early Wheat cents have varying amounts of tin and zinc within the alloy, and the percentages vary depending on the quality of planchet material received at the time they were minted. Most of the 1950s Wheat cents are close to 95% copper, and the higher the copper percentage, the higher VDI these coins register on the Deus.

Slightly older Wheats from the 1930s and 1940s have a little less copper, and many of the 1910s Wheats - the ones that come out of the ground a nice deep shade of green - have even less copper content.

Probably the best advice when hunting an area that may contain Indian cents is to NOT notch them out. Zinc cents will ID almost exactly like Indian cents sometimes, so be sure your notching allows for this. Not sure what freq/program you are running, but at least in 4 kHz zinc cents register from 49 (these are the severely corroded zincolns) to 63 (brand new). That's quite a large range for the software, but keep in mind, too, that many cool tokens, scrip, and medals can register in this region as well. KNOW YOUR SITE and what targets MAY be present...and allow for it in your hunt!

Good luck!

 

[DukeOBass]

I just dug an 1884 Indian head penny on Saturday. I don't what the Traget Id number was. I was in 4kHz and a very nice deep signal that sounded good in both direction.

As far bottle caps go, I've found that they don't sound like a good target in 4kHz. If you question what the target might be, switch frequencies and it will generally give you the extra information you need to decide if it's trash or not.

 

[goodmore]

Here is the deal. Unless you are hunting in a very trashy area you need to dig more targets. Stop watching those numbers and go by the tone. Set a high tone for indian on up and get digging. You have found some old coins. That proves that you have a good place to hunt. That was the hard part. Do a certain amount of area each hunt and dig. Target ID numbers can be pulled down by surrounding targets. Do what those hunters in Europe do. They set up their detector with the remote then they turn it off and put it in their pocket. Ok maybe you don't have to get that drastic, but number watching will cost you targets. Metal detecting is always done with the ears first. The ears never lie to you. Your eyes will.

 

[Deusdigger]

Here is the deal. Unless you are hunting in a very trashy area you need to dig more targets. Stop watching those numbers and go by the tone. Set a high tone for indian on up and get digging. You have found some old coins. That proves that you have a good place to hunt. That was the hard part. Do a certain amount of area each hunt and dig. Target ID numbers can be pulled down by surrounding targets. Do what those hunters in Europe do. They set up their detector with the remote then they turn it off and put it in their pocket. Ok maybe you don't have to get that drastic, but number watching will cost you targets. Metal detecting is always done with the ears first. The ears never lie to you. Your eyes will.

Goodmore hit it right on the head! Anything next to the coin will drag the id number down. Take a penny and swing over it, then put a nail or two next to it and swing again and watch the numbers change. Until you get a good feel for the tones you will never unleash the full potential of the Deus. Good luck!!

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

if you digging by #'s your missing good stuff. ALWAYS dig by audio. Repeatable audio is a for sure dig. AUDIO AUDIO AUDIO!

 

[Ism]

Don't forget early Indians pre-1865 are copper/nickel and will ID about 10 points lower than a standard Indian.
Of course, all the above advice is paramount. Unless you are searching a very clean area, you cannot count on ID's being accurate.

 

[rks1040]

Put the little sheath that came with your Deus to use! Set up the machine with the control pad,then put it in the sheath,and use the clip on it to hook it to your belt,or waist band. You will be suprized at how well you will do,plus if you just can't stand to NOT see the numbers,the sheath folds out to let you peek at them,then just flip it shut!