Southwind
Well-known member
Well looks like my season is done for the 2015 year with this last 8" of snow. My years continue to drop in the number of finds but rise in the quality of finds. I attribute it mostly to getting out much less due to age. The days of spending 6-8 hours hunting in a day are over. I think I like the quality over quantity anyway. This year has been another memorable one like prior ones. Seems there is always something magical each and every year. 2015 saw my second piece of platinum in 40+ years as well as one of my oldest coins in many years, one of the best, if not the best, condition old coin and a rare piece of Indian jewelry. Not to mention a pile of wheat and silver coins and jewelry to make any hunter happy.
We were lucky to have a new water park project started in our city park which also happens to be the same area where the old Santa Fe Trail split from following the Arkansas River to heading southwest directly toward Santa Fe. Because of this many travelers would camp here and it was a well known watering hole long before Dodge City sprang up. The excavation turned up some great coins but sadly we were only able to hunt it for a short time before it was fenced off and marked a "construction site" making it no longer public property. Only got in two weekends of hunting but man were they great. I can only image what they have turned up out there.
My oldest coin of the year came from this site and was a 1857 seated dime. Not in bad shape. You can tell it must have sat in water at one time by the crud on it.
Also from the site was this silver & turquoise Navajo Naja from a Squash Blossom necklace. Age is yet unknown but a very interesting piece from a site with lots of history.
Best condition coin of the year was again from the same site. In amazing condition a 1877 seated dime. I have done nothing but run water over it. It also seems to have sat in water at one time because it has a dull coating on it.
In that short 2 weekends of hunting I pulled all these goodies. All Wheats, Indians, Barbers, V-Nickles, Seated's from a relatively small area. My buddy pulled as many or more. I know he got two seated dimes, both 1877's, and two walkers.
My only platinum for the year.
We were lucky to have a new water park project started in our city park which also happens to be the same area where the old Santa Fe Trail split from following the Arkansas River to heading southwest directly toward Santa Fe. Because of this many travelers would camp here and it was a well known watering hole long before Dodge City sprang up. The excavation turned up some great coins but sadly we were only able to hunt it for a short time before it was fenced off and marked a "construction site" making it no longer public property. Only got in two weekends of hunting but man were they great. I can only image what they have turned up out there.
My oldest coin of the year came from this site and was a 1857 seated dime. Not in bad shape. You can tell it must have sat in water at one time by the crud on it.
Also from the site was this silver & turquoise Navajo Naja from a Squash Blossom necklace. Age is yet unknown but a very interesting piece from a site with lots of history.
Best condition coin of the year was again from the same site. In amazing condition a 1877 seated dime. I have done nothing but run water over it. It also seems to have sat in water at one time because it has a dull coating on it.
In that short 2 weekends of hunting I pulled all these goodies. All Wheats, Indians, Barbers, V-Nickles, Seated's from a relatively small area. My buddy pulled as many or more. I know he got two seated dimes, both 1877's, and two walkers.
My only platinum for the year.
