Indian Head Pennies

[alric]

I never dig the zinc penny signals, but given that they traditionally "ring" like Indian head pennies - I went back to a local park where a club member scattered some Indian heads yesterday.

I came home with a pocket full of clad.

So when I got home, I analyzed my one and only Indian head from back in the day, and it is completely different from a zinc signal. On the V3, a zinc rings up like 55-60 and is strongest on 7.5k. And... an Indian head rings up around 33 and is strongest on 7.5k. 33 is usually heavy foil, older pull tabs, or gold rings, which all respond to 22.5k the best. So, 33 with a strongest response on 7.5k should be an Indian head.

 

[Neil in West Jersey]

The early Indian Head cents were made of nickel-copper, unlike later years that were bronze (copper-zinc). The later year IH Cents (1864-1909) will ring up around 48-50 VDI, still a bit lower than Zincolns.

 

[alric]

Thanks, Neil. You are correct.... mine is a "fatty". Do the newer ones still respond to 7.5k the best?

 

[Neil in West Jersey]

I detect in single frequency a lot and 7.5 seems to be the best for all around detecting...still sensitive to gold and coins, but a bit deeper seeking than Best Data. The trade off is that the VDI is not as accurate, but if you dig it all, like I do, then it is worth it!

Thanks, Neil. You are correct.... mine is a "fatty". Do the newer ones still respond to 7.5k the best?

 

[Jim D]

I found a indianhead 5" deep about a month ago with my V3i and its vdi was 80 in the ground but when I laid
it on top of the ground next to the hole its vdi was mid 50,s to 60. CyberSage and some other
members posted that they found Indians and old wheaties up in the 80,s also.
I just found a green indianhead yesterday morning that registered 10" deep. I believe it to be one of the deepest
coins I,ve ever found. Its vdi was 82 to 84. The ground didnt have much mineralization, I was running in 3 freq, 7.5 band,
recovery was 65, the RX 12, all metal 73 and disc at 84. When I got a hit on it and pin pointed I just got a whisper in all metal.
I bumped all sensitivities up a little more and got a better hit. I dug a 6" plug, ck,ed the hole with my pin pointer
and didnt have a signal, I dug a couple more inches and got a small hit with the pointer,I dug on down a couple more
inches and out flopped the green 1895 indian,I was hoping for a early dime but I was really pleased because of the depth.
I also found a 1897 v nickle at 6" that vdi,d 22 to 24.
So as it seems alot of these deeper early pennies and nickles will read higher when they,ve been in the ground along time.

Good Hunting: Jim

 

[Larry (IL)]

There are many factors that will affect the VDI. Some old coins in the right ground will develop a "halo" that makes the target appear electrically larger, thus a higher VDI. Other conditions will make the target appear smaller such as being on edge or at an angle. It is best to put not too much value on the VDI reading, use it as a tool only. If the target sounds right, dig it.