Back to the F75 LTD for the soybeans. Large cents!

[cometguy]

I spent most of the summer hunting grass in an old picnic grove. I liked the simplicity of the CZ3 d. I even got a 1021 late in the season. My LTD pretty much set the summer out. Now that we are into the bean fields and covering a ton of ground I had to get the F75 out. Found this spot on an old map. Map shows a house, no house now. Hit it the first time and found a half of a Civil War era pistol. Went back hoping to find the pieces but found these things instead. It took me 30 years to find my first large cent. Two years to find my second and I got my third the next day. The coins date 1842 and 1847. These are my oldest coins ever. The F75 screamed on these. The green one was eight inches deep. The nicer one, the 1842, was actually lying on top of the ground.
I find a lot of these keys, I think they may have had something to do with our early gas boom. Maybe they turned on gas for a small personal heater or something. Not sure, but they are large, heavy and fairly plentiful. If you have any idea, I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

[shooter]

Nice finds, large cents are always great to .

 

[Elton]

I'm pretty sure those keys were from Gas lights. Every gas light mounted on the wall had a valve.

 

[cometguy]

Hey Elton,
Thanks, I was sure they were something to do with the gas boom in our area. They are pretty big and pretty heavy to be clock keys. Plus I have found a ton of them. I probably have found 20 to 25 of them total.
I wish I had paid more attention to what the LTD did with the large cents. I have no real idea of vdi. The sound was awesome though. There was no doubt that I would be digging.

Thanks, Don

 

[boxofchocolates]

What setting were you running ...nice finds.......hh........
Dan

 

[shooter]

Air test it and post the readings.

 

[cometguy]

I was running BP at 65 sensitivity. My discrimination was at 6. Our dirt ground balanced at about 65. That is about all I remember but it was fairly quiet and the coins and other signals hit hard.


Don
HH

 

[boxofchocolates]

Thanks Don .......what tones.........hh........
Dan

 

[osgood]

congratulations on the finds. Just several hours ago I found a large cent with my ltd and like one of yours it was lying practically right on top of the ground. Isnt odd when they turn up like that? Im soaking it now to get a better read on the date. I cant tell if its an 1838 or an 1888, hopefully a cleaning may solve that mystery. Those keys are little works of art. good hunting, CO

 

[cometguy]

Hey Dan,
Since I bounce back and forth between the CZ 3d and the F75, I pretty much hunt in 4 tone. I have tried the taking the tones down to two in iron. I think we all should look like NFL quarterbacks with all of our combinations on a wrist pad so we can remember what works where. A lot of versatility in an F75. There are times I want to hunt simple and use the CZ but the LTD never disappoints me when I break it out.

Don
HH

 

[dirtdigger08]

Those keys are also used to bleed the air out of the old cast iron radiators and are still in use today in very old homes or restored ones.

 

[boxofchocolates]

LOL DonI know what you're saying......I've run all kinds of setting with the f75ltd.........hh.........
Dan

 

[Jackpine Savage]

Congrats on the LC's! The keys may have been used on gas light fixtures that were common before the spread of electricity.

Tom

 

[cometguy]

Thanks for the input. I was pretty sure the keys had something to do with our gas boom in central Indiana. I went to heaters, not thinking about gas lights. These things are pretty cool to find and come in a lot of styles and patinas.
The iron radiator made a lot of sense too.

Thanks, Don

 

[go-rebels]

congratulations on the finds. Just several hours ago I found a large cent with my ltd and like one of yours it was lying practically right on top of the ground. Isnt odd when they turn up like that? Im soaking it now to get a better read on the date. I cant tell if its an 1838 or an 1888, hopefully a cleaning may solve that mystery. Those keys are little works of art. good hunting, CO

It must be an 1838; small cents were minted in 1888 (unless it was Canadian!)