Construction site

[Ken (Australia)]

Had a couple of afternoons at the construction site I mentioned I had permission to hunt in an earlier post. Trouble was by the time I was allowed in the majority of top soil had been carted away and the surface was back to the clay. About a quarter of the area showed signs of ash and broken glass and crockery and this is where I concentrated the search. First two finds were the oldest, two halfpennies 1826 and 1866 and close together at about 6 inches but would have been nearly two feet before the top was taken off. Got a couple of Australian pennies and halfpennies but all coins were in bad condition. Thanks for looking........Ken.

 

[Golden]

Hi Ken, I was thinking that if the top soil was taken off around two feet, before the coins were detectable, then possibly there are more coins to be found. Some may be even deeper. Coins seem to have a way of working their way throught the coins of the years, especially if the soil is soft, and doesn't offer much resistance. Just something I thought might interest you, at some of the beaches I detect at, where the sand gives way to a grey gravelly, thick, smelly sludge, the coins don't sink any further than the top of this layer. At one beach, down about 12 inches, I've been whipping out a myriad of smaller decimal coins, and the coins stop at that layer. So when the tide in low, it's easy pickings. Maybe you've got a beach close by, that the sand is similar in condition, and may yield good targets. Have you ever been down in Vic detecting?
Ang

 

[beachguy777]

Good info there Golden. I read the same kind of info from a buy in one of my beach books, and he said the same thing. If the base is really hard, they can just stay put, and at super low tide or after a storm when the sand washes away, you can have a hay day.

 

[Ken (Australia)]

Hi Golden, I've never been detecting in Victoria. About 20 years ago I worked/lived in Bombala just north of the border for about three years. Didn't detect then but dug a lot of bottles with a couple of mates. Don't have a beach nearby but know what you mean. Around here most places I've been to have a dense clay base about 8 - 9 inches down below the topsoil, a lot of the time I've found that the older coins seem to reach this level and then don't go much further unless its been ploughed............Ken.

 

[Golden]

Did you find your bottles in privy dumps, or elsewhere? Some of my dumps where on a hillside, having been strewn down off house build sites, and the soil had only covered them from several inches to about a foot. Found one dump by fluke with me Quattro, detecting an iron signal I thought was odd to be there. When I dug down to retrieve it, a bottle lay just under the object. As I dug, bottles began surfacing everywhere! I was quite excited at the time. Took me all afternoon to dusk to get most of them out, then went back early next morning to get the rest.
Golden

 

[RandyNorthridgeca]

Nice finds Ken. I'd be looking for the pile of dirt they hauled away . WTG!

 

[Ken (Australia)]

Hi Golden. We dug mainly farm dumps and a few wells. We did a couple of old town dumps. They were the real heartbreakers, hundreds of marble bottles (Codds) with the tops knocked of for the kids to get the marble out but every now and again we'd get a good one...Ken.

 

[Ken (Australia)]

Hi Randy. I reckon there would have been a few coins taken away. I did ask but they seemed a bit relectant to tell me only saying it was taken out of town and dumped in a gully. It might have been a bit hard to detect as there was a lot of concrete on top.....Ken.