CZconnoisseur
Active member
Dad and I were finally able to take my nephew out for his first detecting trip today. We have been trying to get toegether and do this since Christmas but between bad weather and time off only today was it a possibility. He is on spring break this week and the weather couldn't be nicer.
I had him warm up in the test garden using his Tesoro Compadre here at the house where, after a couple of minutes, was digging one of my shallow test-garden quarters up from about 4 inches. He worked hard for it, and finally got it - most kids nowadays don't have the patience for something like this and it's great to be able to pass this down to another generation. My youngest daughter turned 4 yesterday and may have interest since she ran up to him and said "Where's the money?" She knew what he was going after and tried to snatch it out of his hand once he recovered it - that's my smallest pirate for you
We debated on where to go on such a fine day; we mulled the possibility of a couple close-in tot lots, but figured they'd be packed today with other familes, so we decided on my old apartment complex built in the late 1940s which will ALWAYS keep you busy - there's plenty of clad available and the digging is easy, and I know a good portion of the tenants - so it was a win-win-win for all of us!!!
We got there exactly at 1:00 this afternoon, and the nephew and I started hunting in the middle of the commons area, where people have been taking their laundry adjacent to the coin-operated machines for at least the last 55 years or so. Right off the bat he gets a quarter, and I started off with two nickels. Dad found two stacked quarters in the same hole and Aidan was working on another signal when he asked to use my janky ProPointer. I told him how to use it and he quickly took to it, and wanted it for every signal for there on out. Figured it was no problem since I only started using one about 18 months ago, and did very well without it up until that time, and besides, it's his first hunt so why not!!!
I walked along the commons sidewalk and found a bottlecap, halfway rusted and nearly gone, but right next to it I got a good "silver dime" indication, thinking it was another bottlecap. At 5" deep I saw a rim, and STILL thought it was a bottlecap, but the sunlight showed me a reeded edge. Aidan was 20 feet away working on a dime signal, and I called him over to see the silver. Dad came over too and we discovered the worn 1939 D quarter that somehow escaped both of our detectors missed in previous years, and I KNOW both of us hunted that same spot at least TWICE, yet we didn't dig that particular signal. Just goes to show you that masked targets are a very strong possibility, especially at public places!!!
Went and had lunch and got back for Round 2 before calling it a day around 5:30 or so. I went back to the same commons area in 12 khz, to a place where earlier today I found 3 nickels very close to one another, less than 6" between all three coins. I remember getting a "50-52" in 12khz, which is almost perfect nickel range, and the audio stated about 2-3" deep. Cut a plug and saw the thin band and at that moment, I knew what it was. Called dad and Aidan over and we all shared in the excitement! It has a little heft, and after all the snow and rain and ice, this little gem was patiently waiting to get back to its owner probably close to 30 years. There are three clear engraved letters inside the ring, and I plan on finding the owner starting tomorrow. It is a 10K gold class ring from 1984 with two diamond chips flanking a pinkish cabochon-type central stone. It is in nearly perfect condition - it escaped the lawnmower and Lesche, and isn't squashed or otherwise damaged. Aidan rescanned the hole where the ring came from, and got two soft signals that IDed around "nickel" not far from the hole. At 5" or so he pulled two crusty nickels away from a large iron bolt - I must say the Compadre saw those nickels around the iron - very impressive!
Aidan went on to find several more quarters, and he and Dad both ended up with more clad than I did. Dad is still learning the AT Pro, and we checked some signals together - that Pro has fast recovery speed with good depth - certainly a step above most detectors in its price range! With the amount of nickels we found, I'm sure more jewelry awaits us at those apartments - just have to get the coil over it!
I had him warm up in the test garden using his Tesoro Compadre here at the house where, after a couple of minutes, was digging one of my shallow test-garden quarters up from about 4 inches. He worked hard for it, and finally got it - most kids nowadays don't have the patience for something like this and it's great to be able to pass this down to another generation. My youngest daughter turned 4 yesterday and may have interest since she ran up to him and said "Where's the money?" She knew what he was going after and tried to snatch it out of his hand once he recovered it - that's my smallest pirate for you
We debated on where to go on such a fine day; we mulled the possibility of a couple close-in tot lots, but figured they'd be packed today with other familes, so we decided on my old apartment complex built in the late 1940s which will ALWAYS keep you busy - there's plenty of clad available and the digging is easy, and I know a good portion of the tenants - so it was a win-win-win for all of us!!!
We got there exactly at 1:00 this afternoon, and the nephew and I started hunting in the middle of the commons area, where people have been taking their laundry adjacent to the coin-operated machines for at least the last 55 years or so. Right off the bat he gets a quarter, and I started off with two nickels. Dad found two stacked quarters in the same hole and Aidan was working on another signal when he asked to use my janky ProPointer. I told him how to use it and he quickly took to it, and wanted it for every signal for there on out. Figured it was no problem since I only started using one about 18 months ago, and did very well without it up until that time, and besides, it's his first hunt so why not!!!
I walked along the commons sidewalk and found a bottlecap, halfway rusted and nearly gone, but right next to it I got a good "silver dime" indication, thinking it was another bottlecap. At 5" deep I saw a rim, and STILL thought it was a bottlecap, but the sunlight showed me a reeded edge. Aidan was 20 feet away working on a dime signal, and I called him over to see the silver. Dad came over too and we discovered the worn 1939 D quarter that somehow escaped both of our detectors missed in previous years, and I KNOW both of us hunted that same spot at least TWICE, yet we didn't dig that particular signal. Just goes to show you that masked targets are a very strong possibility, especially at public places!!!
Went and had lunch and got back for Round 2 before calling it a day around 5:30 or so. I went back to the same commons area in 12 khz, to a place where earlier today I found 3 nickels very close to one another, less than 6" between all three coins. I remember getting a "50-52" in 12khz, which is almost perfect nickel range, and the audio stated about 2-3" deep. Cut a plug and saw the thin band and at that moment, I knew what it was. Called dad and Aidan over and we all shared in the excitement! It has a little heft, and after all the snow and rain and ice, this little gem was patiently waiting to get back to its owner probably close to 30 years. There are three clear engraved letters inside the ring, and I plan on finding the owner starting tomorrow. It is a 10K gold class ring from 1984 with two diamond chips flanking a pinkish cabochon-type central stone. It is in nearly perfect condition - it escaped the lawnmower and Lesche, and isn't squashed or otherwise damaged. Aidan rescanned the hole where the ring came from, and got two soft signals that IDed around "nickel" not far from the hole. At 5" or so he pulled two crusty nickels away from a large iron bolt - I must say the Compadre saw those nickels around the iron - very impressive!
Aidan went on to find several more quarters, and he and Dad both ended up with more clad than I did. Dad is still learning the AT Pro, and we checked some signals together - that Pro has fast recovery speed with good depth - certainly a step above most detectors in its price range! With the amount of nickels we found, I'm sure more jewelry awaits us at those apartments - just have to get the coil over it!
...thank you!
That is one super nice looking gold class ring.