No such thing as a dollar

[mwaynebennett]

Statistically speaking, if a BH says there is a dollar deep, 99.9% of the time it will be junk.

I'm learning.

Mark
Elite 2200

 

[dave5710]

O ye of little faith.

I belong to a detecting club. We have a couple members who have been detecting over 25 years and they have never found a silver dollar. Just think how big they are. If someone did drop one and not know it surely the next person along would see it lying there. If it fell into some tall grass or flowers it would remain hidden for a while, but what are the odds of that. Talk to someone who has been detecting 35-40 years I'll bet they have found several.

Now where would one expect to find a silver dollar? It would have to be some place old, some place that had alot of activity years ago, but not much since. Somewhere that was a busy location in the 1930's or 1940's. And somewhere that no one has been with a detector hopefully.

Old schools become new housing. Old parks remain old parks. Old churches become new churches.

Research public gathering places from years ago that might be private property now. Where was there a circus, or a fairgrounds, or a race track years ago. Is it a corn/bean field now?

Put some thought into it. Your odds will increase alot.

Dave

 

[mwaynebennett]

Oh I believe they are out there but for each one that is deep, there are 1000 or so buried aluminum beer cans or die cast metal rubbish. My guess is that if my BH says a dollar and shallow, it is likely to be something more like a dollar. Last week I found a 2" dia copper washer at about 1-1/2". My BH said it was a dollar, shallow.

I will continue digging dollar, shallow targets, but when it says dollar deep, it is almost certainly not so.

Thanks,

Mark
Elite 2200

 

[ronaldj2]

It is a good thing to dig all the signals that may be a good target. So what if it is trash, the next time it might just be that silver dollar. Ron

 

[mwaynebennett]

Because to do a neat and clean surgical incision in a well kept park lawn requires about 10 minutes. To dig 999 such holes would take 9990 minutes or 166.5 hours or 4.16 weeks which is about a month of 40 hour weeks. All to get a silver dollar? Not for me thanks. I'll go after better pickins elsewhere.

 

[jim tn]

I am one of those guys that has been detecting for nearly forty years and over that time span I have found several silver dollars. Last year I found 2 and 1 thus far this year. None of these last 3 were over 4" deep, all were found in old parks and even with carefull retrieving, none took more then a couple of minutes to recover and neatly refill the holes. I for one am glad that some detectorists find silver dollars not worth the effort and "go after better pickins elsewhere." I, and quite a few others I know, thank you. HH jim tn

 

[mwaynebennett]

Why are you thanking me? I never said that I would not dig a dollar that was shallow.

Please explain.

Mark
Elite 2200

 

[JJ]

To dig 999 such holes would take 9990 minutes or 166.5 hours or 4.16 weeks which is about a month of 40 hour weeks. All to get a silver dollar? Not for me thanks.

You are basically stating the obvious: There is far more junk in the ground than there are silver dollars. According to your statistics, you have better things to do than go after silver dollars. I also thank you for your lack of persistence. JJ

 

[GoGoGopher]

[size=large]It depends on where I am if I dig dollar signals that are deep...If I am out in the woods (deep woods), and know that kids or others have not partied there, your darn right I am gonna dig that dolar signal at 8". If I am in a park, where I know they sell soda, or allow beer, then I am less likely to dig a deep dollar signal, especially if I have dug up pop or beer cans repeatedly before...It all comes down to experience and common sense...
But you will NEVER hear me say I will NEVER dig a signal...

HH,[/size]

 

[mwaynebennett]

Perhaps Jim tn and JJ don't understand how my Elite 2200 works. It tells me there is a dollar deep even though that is not so. It is wrong 99.9% of the time for such targets. If it said a dollar shallow, I would certainly dig the target.

If you are willing to be disappointed 999 times and spend a month of hard labor to get a silver dollar, then that is GREAT. I on the other hand have a life and other things to do.

Maybe I could get you two to paint my house and in payment, I'll give you each a silver US half dollar. Do we have a deal?

Mark
Elite 2200

 

[jim tn]

My painting days are over, sorry, even for a silver dollar. Regarding my earlier post, first off, I missed your post that you do dig shallower silver dollar readings. My mistake, and I apologize for thanking you. Over the year's, though, I have been rewarded countless times for digging deep, iffy signals and silver dollar readings. And at least 3 or 4, in fact, turned out to be silver dollars and personally, I will continue to dig such readings. HH jim tn

 

[mwaynebennett]

HH Jim tn:

Apology accepted. I too dig shallow dollar indications, however it has been my experience that 100% or so of all "dollar" signals that are 6" and deeper are not dollars but are aluminum or zinc or even corroded iron.

Thanks,

Mark
Elite 2200

 

[JJ]

No, I have never used a 2200. But I am fully aware of how depth effects the "shape and size" of a target response to fool any machine. Not just your 2200. I'm sorry that you live in an area where you can't use a coin probe. That would have been an easy fix to a problem that apparently causes you years and years of needless digging. I still think you are missing the point that even the greatest hunters with the most expensive machines are going to come home at the end of a hunt with a pouch full of junk along with their finds. Its no big secret that you have to dig some junk to find the good stuff. Why do the guys with the high end hot gold machines dig 5,000 pull tabs to find a gold ring? Why do guys with the high end coin machine dig pounds and pounds of rusted iron and rusted nails to find silver? You can keep asking this proverbial question all day, but you will be the one drooling over their finds at the end of the year and still be complaining you only find clad. Time and time again you compare metal detecting to a job. If it really is that frustrating and that much work to you and you don't feel justly rewarded, by all means, find something more enjoyable to do. JJ

 

[mwaynebennett]

Hi JJ:

I don't really see it as a job, but if I wanted to dig thousands of holes with virtually no hope of anything worthwhile resulting, I could do so in my back yard and not put the miles on the car. I understand that not all targets will result in something worthwhile, it is just that I have learned and the BH manual never explained that a "deep dollar" is almost certainly not so. I think the designers at BH should have configured the Elite 2200 so that when the combination of "dollar" and >=6" arises, it should indicate "zinc" or "aluminum." If that were the situation, the BH's batting record would go way up, from wrong 99.9% of the time in this situation to correct 99.9% of the time in this situation. In the alternative, BH could include in the owner's manual a paragraph explaining that in most situations, a "deep dollar" is most likely junk.

Thanks for your input

Mark
Elite 2200

 

[GoGoGopher]

[size=large]I would suggest to you that you get rid of the 2200 and go with something like a White's Classic III with Mr. Bill's Mods, or a Tesoro Compadre...learn to listen to the sounds, and not look at the meter...Since I have switched to the Classic, I have found much better stuff, and My brain tells me what is under the coil, not some meter or LCD...Now VDI #s are another story...If you must have a meter, try a Land Star or a Ace 250.

HH,[/size]

 

[JJ]

but if I wanted to dig thousands of holes with virtually no hope of anything worthwhile resulting, I could do so in my back yard and not put the miles on the car.

Is it honestly your machines fault that you cant put it over a silver dollar? With experience in detecting and research, your hunting spots will get better, resulting in a greater likelihood of yourself coming across a dollar. No sarcasm implied, just stating that you still have to take your machine to where the goods are. Common sense guy also says, maybe just maybe, go down to your local coin shop and GET a silver dollar if you don't already have one. Then maybe plant it at different depths to see exactly how your machine responds. I am going to take a wild guess and tell you that at your machines greatest detection depth, the dollar will read somewhere between 10 cents and 50 cents. This doesn't mean that a deep dollar couldn't ID as a dollar. So why would I dig anything deep that reads a dollar. Because that is where mason jar lids tend to fall. Why would I be looking for mason jar lids. Because sometimes mason jar lids are attached to mason jars. Mason jars full of what you ask? Silver dollars! There are a countless number of peoples personal savings buried on their property and never recovered for one reason or another. Properties have changed hands multiple times since then and nobody today has a clue it is there. It was very common practice in earlier times (and lately). No, you probably won't find somebody's personal savings from 100+ years ago buried at the city park. But a deep, heavy silver bracelet reading like a dollar is not impossible either. As stated before, there are only 9 segments the pointy little ID arrow could land in and 4 tones. There are only so many possibilities to how billions and billions of different possible targets can ID. It is what it is, try to get the most out of it.

I understand that not all targets will result in something worthwhile, it is just that I have learned and the BH manual never explained that a "deep dollar" is almost certainly not so. I think the designers at BH should have configured the Elite 2200 so that when the combination of "dollar" and >=6" arises, it should indicate "zinc" or "aluminum.

As mentioned earlier, you really need to research how depth effects "the shape and size" of the signal received by your machine. You are very quick to dismiss this and insist it must be a problem with the design of your machine. No, you are not swinging a FBS Minelab machine. Yes, there is a night and day difference. Your machine isn't lying to you. It is just telling you exactly what it sees and how it sees it. Honestly, if the digging conditions in your area are as bad as you claim, I can see how discouraging it could be. I imagine it does feel like work. I guess I take for granted my soft, rich mid-western soil and how fast and effortlessly I can go through it. Best of luck, JJ

 

[TABAGO]

Well ! Well ! this is a deep subject, I get a lot of those dollar signals also, an dumb old me ck's them out most all the time, guess what they ain't dollars ! there soda can's, when I purchased my
QD ll, I got ripped off ,they didn't enclose the warranty papers that guarantee the dollars would be there, if I dug A hole. But I do it any way

Now lets get real, I do this, (metal detecting ) for fun add the exercise,
As for those dollar signals , if the soil permits I dig them, or at least a small hole for the pin pointer, if it's a soda can or other junk object the pin pointer will go off,, as it only works on coins at about half inch or less, but will pick up cans an other large objects at about 3 to 4 in. All so with my QD ll I get a large coverage area that's hard to pin point, That tells me it's more likely to be a can, But still I ck. most all of them out, One more thing I have not found any silver dollars yet,, But I will!!!!!
I have found 7 clad dollar coins since march,, six of the gold clad and 1 silver clad 1979,, they did not read in the dollar mark,, they read from the dime to a quarter area, an not AL ways a good repeat
signal either,, I don't think!,, QD ll is working right an one time while i was out hunting I walked up on two five dollar bills folded laying in plain site,,( picture in earlier post ) that QD ll, never beeped at all
should i send it in for a tune up??


Just had to put my dollar's worth in LOL Good luck all One more Thought,,, pick up those soda ,,beer can's they will add up to a dollar sooner or later,, about 50 i gess .

 

[mwaynebennett]

I mentioned the strong "PING" I got over at the local lake. This morning I went and dug it. It registered a "dollar at 6." It turned out to be a 4" dia lead ball with a steel eye sticking out of it. I suppose it was/is some kind of anchor or device to get fishing lures down deep.

Mark
Elite 2200

 

[GRAY GHOST]

wayne, i have been detecting for nearly 28 years, and have seen a lot come and go in that time. you can pretty well name it, and i have found it. jj has made some excellent points. if i had just a penny for every piece of junk i've dug, i'd be a wealthy man. the truth is, if you want to be successful at this great hobby, then you'll dig those signals that sound good, irregardless of what you think it is. metal detectors are not good liars - their job is to locate metal objects below the surface, and they do it well. let the machine do it's job, and get to know it well.
metal detecting is not for everybody. only the patient and persistent who do their homework will be successful. if your're not happy with the results from a particular area, then go to another. there's plenty of good spots to go to - you just gotta get out there and find them. just my two cents, hh!

 

[mwaynebennett]

Yesterday I placed a number of metal targets on the surface of the lawn and swung to determine what each produced by way of signals. Since a gold ring sounds like a nickel which sounds like a pull tab, I should dig all PT and nickel and screw top signals in order to not miss the gold rings. Right?

And since a Mason jar containing gold coins might have a steel top, I should dig all iron signals also. Right?

So that pretty much covers everything except the penny/dime quarter, half dollar and dollar signals, which I should naturally dig. Right?

That covers the entire spectrum. I should dig every signal, from Iron to silver dollar at any depth Is that correct?

Thanks,

Mark