Need Help from M-6 users

[bigmike]

I have not had much luck finding indian head pennies,I tried three different indian heads in my yard and they had VD readings of 45,55,and 70 their dates ranged from 1875,1880 and 1905.What 'VD readings have you experienced? thank you

 

[gregl01]

All over the place!!!! I've tested different ones and VDI# have been from 35-70 on all of them and usually jumping around.Thats a tough one to nail down for sure!!!

Greg

 

[Monte]

I have not had much luck finding indian head pennies,

I hear that a lot of times every year. When I do I have a question or two and a comment or two I'll share at this time:

Question: Are you searching old sites that date back into the late 1800's to early 1900's?

Question: If so, are the sites you are searching the type that would have seen ample activity that could have generated coin loss, and for a prolonged period of time?

Question: Are you using a proper search coil for the site conditions, along with a lower Discriminate setting and recovering all potential targets?

Comment: I have hunted a favorite ghost town since May 4th 1969, and I have hunted it a LOT!! Through the years I have made use of better detectors for working that old town site that is loaded with both iron and not-iron junk. For the most part I have used minimum discrimination when I didn't have the ability to adjust lower, and right where I just barely knock out an iron nail when I have been able to. The town got its start in about March 1869, a hundred years before I started working it, and the hey-day of its life was from later in 1869 thru about 1906, and then it was still relatively 'active' (but dying) thru the early-to-mid 1920's. For the most part it was struggling to stay alive thru the 1930's and into the '40s, but when the tracks were taken up for the war effort in 1943 that was the end. By 1951 the two or three remaining structures were nothing exciting and one served the western Union linesman who still made the rounds checking on the line. That only lasted for a few more years.

I have found my one and only Flying Eagle cent there, and Indian Heads, that were identifiable, from 1864 (both 'fatty' and bronze) thru 1908. Most have been from the 1880's and 1890's. However, I would guess that I have found almost an equal number on early 'wheatback' cents as I have Indian Heads. Probably something like 55% Indian Heads to 45% Wheaties.

During this same period of time, however, I have found more small silver (half-dimes, Seated & Barber dimes) than I have pennies. This particular site served me well in silver coinage, but I have also hunted an old picnic grove that was turned into a campsite for a few years and used heavily from the 1880's thru 1830's where I would recover perhaps 2 Indian Head cents for every silver coin of any kind. Every site is different.

Comment: If you're fortunate enough to be hunting a site that has seen NO human activity for the past 75-100 years, then the advantage is favorable to find the Indian Heads, but, if it's an old park or old school site and it has seen activity in recent years or even today, then there are two problems. One, you have an abundance of modern day trash which is higher conductive than we used to deal with and target masking can be a big problem. You'll have to dig more trash out of the way.

But if it is not a private site that has never been detected, then the odds are a lot of the Indian Heads and other oldies are just .... GONE!

I tried three different indian heads in my yard and they had VD readings of 45,55,and 70 their dates ranged from 1875,1880 and 1905.What 'VD readings have you experienced?

ALL coin-type targets can give a bit of range in their VDI's depending upon what they are made of and if they are not placed 'flat' when doing some testing. Canted coins can read 'off' a bit,

As for Indian heads and early wheatback cents as well, you can have differences based upon the amount of wear of the coin, but the biggest difference is due to impurities in the alloys used. Not all sources for the copper used were of the same purity, to be sure. A general rule-of-thumb is that most Indian Heads, and some early 'wheatbacks' to about 1920 or so, will display conductive properties very similar to a modern US 'zinc' cent.

Dig more and rely on a 'lock-on' less if you're after Indian heads, and make sure the location(s) hold the potential.

Monte

 

[Monte]

While silver coins are typically rather 'tight' in their VDI range, copper-based coins are not. Not Indian Heads or wheat-back pennies, and they can be degraded by ground minerals to the point where they can 'read' all over the place. If they are rather 'clean' and not too worn, then they usually 'read' like the modern zinc cents as I have mentioned.

Monte

 

[texastreasures]

n/t