Dating a site by coin dates

[Dancer]

Few days ago I came across an area at a Little League complex and park. Was told there was a pistol range once along side this hill.
There are still feint lines where the shooting tables where subported by posts and also for the target line. Ok, so I dug 26 quarters from this area. The dates ranged from a 65 & a 69 some from the 70's & 80's but the bulk were from the ninetys the latest 97. Now we all know these dates are still carried , lost and found everyday. So was the 97 lost in 1997 ? Doubtfull. But why weren't any newer dates found. Truthfully the 65 & 69 could have been lost last. The range was torn down for the baseball fields. These fields have been updated a couple of times. Now you guys who dig the good stuff must come across this too. Finding older dates mixed with a few newer ones. The coins I found had been buried for some time because they sure were tough to clean up. Thats my story.

 

[Danbythecreek]

Have you found any wheats? They're good indicators

 

[Highlifter1000]

If your digging older quarters from the 60's it could be that the silver might be at another level. Its funny how a couple more inches open up new finds especially when wheaties start being dug. I done a small test over a period od of a month. I started dating some of my parks with the type of pull tabs and bottle caps I was finding a lot of the clad I was finding also fell in that year range

 

[Dancer]

As strange also, found only 2 empty brass, half dozen shot lead. Only pennies found that day were not in this area. Maybe six tabs. It's like everything was dug except the clad. And we're all sure that didn't happen. Got to find a local who knows more about this.

 

[jim tn]

If all I'm recovering from a spot is brown money and no wheats are showing up in the dug cents, I will pretty much write it off. As an old coin hunter, that are the types of coins I am interested in. If, however, I am in an area of a town that has some age and thus potential for older coins, I'll give digging clad a little more time. If the spot is heavily clad laden, sometimes chunks of clad need to be removed to get down to the older stuff.

One of the more interesting facets of this hobby is that nothing is cast in stone, so to speak. I frequent a old high school that was built shortly after World War 2 ended. And the occasional silver coin, wheat cent and clad and modern cents showing up all indicate the site has been in use since the middle 1940's. Save, however, for that 1840 Seated half dime I recovered one evening from a curb strip in front of the school. Where did that come from? The oldest other silver coin I have ever recovered from the spot was a 1914 Barber dime.

Anyway, not trying to highjack the thread, but just trying to convey why I pay little attention to the dates of modern clad. HH jim tn

 

[Danbythecreek]

Like Jim I don't pay attention to dates on clad. But when I start digging wheaties I get a little excited knowing I might be in the right area. When the wheats are in the 20's & 30s then I KNOW I'm in a good area

 

[utmike]

When I was a kid, I worked at a gun club. I stayed active as a shooter there for years. Eventually, developers came in and the club was closed. A lot of dirt was hauled away due to the possibility of "lead contamination". Most everything that could be found there now is from drops after that time.

 

[Ronstar]

I figure if I know the age of the property I’m on then its no huge surprise if I dig that era. What is a surprise is when I still find coins to this date that support that. The area of the university I’m on now has history to the 1880s and I have found two 1890s coins to date. In the 1980s a gunsmith from a nearby town ended up with almost exclusive permission to detect the big lawn we’re on now, I would love to know what he recovered back then and how much. I figure if you know when property was developed (so to speak) then it shouldn’t be a surprise when you find supporting evidence.
Finding an shallow 1897 Barber dime in an 1980s developed soccer field that would have been outside the city back then tho was a head scratcher……

 

[Missouri -- Ma Betty]

If all I'm recovering from a spot is brown money and no wheats are showing up in the dug cents, I will pretty much write it off. As an old coin hunter, that are the types of coins I am interested in. If, however, I am in an area of a town that has some age and thus potential for older coins, I'll give digging clad a little more time. If the spot is heavily clad laden, sometimes chunks of clad need to be removed to get down to the older stuff.

One of the more interesting facets of this hobby is that nothing is cast in stone, so to speak. I frequent a old high school that was built shortly after World War 2 ended. And the occasional silver coin, wheat cent and clad and modern cents showing up all indicate the site has been in use since the middle 1940's. Save, however, for that 1840 Seated half dime I recovered one evening from a curb strip in front of the school. Where did that come from? The oldest other silver coin I have ever recovered from the spot was a 1914 Barber dime.

Anyway, not trying to highjack the thread, but just trying to convey why I pay little attention to the dates of modern clad. HH jim tn

Cars are parked along curbs & PPL lose keys & change when getting in & out of their car; so a later or earlier dated coin could be lost --even someone rushing across the curb could lose coins trying to get their key out for opening building or car doors faster because of excessive hot or cold weather!

Here is a story from a man who delivered my brother's full oxygen tanks & received the empty ones! He parked along a curb for a delivery & in the process of locking the Company's Van Door in a BAD neighborhood he had to take off his gloves as it was COLD & had snow on the ground, he lost his two men's large size expensive beautiful Gold & Diamond rings, which I had complimented him on many times --he knew they had to be in the snow; so was digging through the snow when someone approached & asked if they could help & he told them that he had lost his keys & said, No Thank you & then found his rings--one very happy Christian man, who happened to be black & in love with Jesus--so no matter race, color, gender or creed, there are GOOD PPL & also BAD PPL!

He was blessed that with snow covering the rings that they weren't found sooner by a passer-by! I believe God was allowing the snow to continue falling to keep them covered until he finished loading & unloading his oxygen tanks! He was one of the nicest men I've ever known & stopped delivering when my brother had to be on 11 mili-meters of OXYGEN & was admitted into St Anthony's Hosp on July 21st, one day before my birthday & I visited him everyday but one before he died on the morning of Aug 12th! I didn't get there in time to see & encourage him before his dying & it hurt me terribly not to be there with him! I miss both my brothers--the younger one, Larry, (my sister's twin) died in 2007 from suicide & my brother Cliff from PAH, 1 & 1/2 years youger, passed in 2009--I only have my sister, Carolyn (twin sister to Larry) still living (age 75) who has Dimentia! Ma

 

[Dancer]

Oldest coin I've ever found was a Indian Head. Found it laying on top of fresh bark mulch at a Elementary school. Nice coin but under the circumstances, didn't make my day.b

 

[miserman]

I have found coins that outdate the site I'm hunting by almost 100 years. Many sites such as curb strips and such had fill dirt brought in from other older sites when they were constructed. I think this is how many of the "out of context" coin finds happen to be in an area that you wouldn't expect them to be.

 

[jim tn]

Schoolyards in particular seem to collect fill dirt in certain places and in general are highly suspect for old coins and other unusual items as a lot of schools used to have "show and tell." Kids might bring to school a couple of dads unique coins and during recess rough housing they would't get back home with the kid. One never knows without some serious checking what may have gone on on the grounds before a school was built and became a school. I now know, as an example, that the old high school I mentioned above had a plantation house on the spot back in the middle to late 1800's. As the city moved outward the land changed hands and eventually became a park and school. So, one just never knows what any piece of ground is capable of giving up. HH jim tn

 

[pulltabfelix]

Oldest coin I've ever found was a Indian Head. Found it laying on top of fresh bark mulch at a Elementary school. Nice coin but under the circumstances, didn't make my day.b

most likely kids getting into dad's or grandpa's coin collection. Once found three wheats at a tot lot within 2-3 inches of each other.

 

[jkline]

My kid has found two surface IH's in different areas of town. How does that happen?

 

[pulltabfelix]

My kid has found two surface IH's in different areas of town. How does that happen?

You got a smart kid, looks at the ground. Boys like to find things!