OLD SETTLERS SITE FINDS TODAY

[joe dirt_1]

I went to the old settlers site today to hunt a cornfield where the old 1872 atlas maps show a homesite once stood. The actual grove where the old settlers reunions were held is still grown up in weeds and grass and isn't huntable, but the corn has been picked out of the field and the cornstalks have been tilled under. I knew about where the house sat in the field from research and started a random pattern in the field with my Vaquero. Found a few pieces of big iron from old farm equipment or something then I got a good small coin signal. Isolated it in a dirt clod and broke it open and there was a 1865
2 cent piece ! This makes the 4th one I have found in over 30 years of hunting. Just not a common find for me at least. In a maybe 50 x50 or so sized area I found the following coins: 1865 2 cent piece, 1889 Liberty nickel, 3 shield nickels, 1868, 1870, and 1875, 2 toasted indian head pennies, 1883,
and the other I can't get a date from. Both pennies were toasted so I used a red scotchbrite pad to try to get dates off them. I wouldn't normally use this on coins but it sure wasn't going to do them any damage...lol. Last, I found a disc the same size as the 2 cent piece, but in really rough shape.
I'm almost positive it is a coin but have no idea what it might be. It appears to have a date of 1825 but can't be sure till I get some more crud off it. The Vaquero did a great job today.........I'm very happy with it.......HH.

Roger

 

[wicks]

Nice finds!!

 

[Elton]

Did you get it all ???

 

[deerhunter]

Cool pics Roger, I knew you would find some good stuff. cant wait till spring at the grove.

 

[joe dirt_1]

Elton, nope, there is still more there.....lol

Deerhunter, this is signs of things to come for us next spring. Lots of good finds for us I think.

 

[deerhunter]

Maybe i need to get my tail out of the deer stand and get the detector back out !

 

[joe dirt_1]

that might be a good idea...lol. those coins aren't going anyplace though... go ahead and kill those deer.

 

[grouser]

nice work !!!!! search and seize

 

[Hombre]

Nice finds Roger,

Those shield nickels and 2

 

[joe dirt_1]

Hi Hombre, Those shield nickels and 2 cent piece aren't common finds for me, so I was happy to find them yesterday. The grove where the old settlers picnics were held is in government set aside acres where it is mown once a year. The landowner cut it last spring and can't cut it again until next spring.
I checked the grove out yesterday and the weeds have died off somewhat, but it is still too thick to swing a coil there. So by spring we should be able to hunt the grove with no problems. Any silver found there will be seated. Far as I can tell , it was last used for the old settlers picnics in 1877 when it was moved to the county fairgrounds to the north about 10 miles. My buddy and I are anxious to see what shows up in the grove where about 5000 people attended the picnics from 1870 to 1877. It should be fun hunting an untouched site like this one. Lots of people in a relatively small area should produce
some interesting finds. take care..........

Roger

 

[POLEWAGGER]

That's way too cool!
How many hours was that?
That must be great finding stuff like that without sifting through pull tabs and caps!

 

[mike5853]

Simply Awesome!! The right detector in the right hands. . . Congrats.

 

[joe dirt_1]

Polewagger, I found the coins in a little less than 2 hours hunting.

Thanks Mike, The Vaquero is the perfect detector for hunting fields. While the coins I found aren't worth much to anyone they sure are fun to find.

 

[scox]

Awesome finds. A two center is on my wish list for sure.

Shane

 

[joe dirt_1]

Shane, The 2 cent coins are out there, but seem to be harder to find since they were only minted for a short time. A few years back a buddy found two 2 cent pieces in the yard of an old house we were hunting. Do some research and find the sites likely to produce this type of coin and you
will increase your chances of finding one. Good luck......

Roger

 

[dixiedigger57]

wow! aint nothing like finding history in the form of money! are you running minimal disc? i have found that each time a field is turned under and plowed, its a new field to hunt. looks like you got yourself a regular go to for yrs to come.

 

[joe dirt_1]

dixiedigger57, I wish those coins could talk and tell me their history. I was running my disc just above iron on the Vaquero, just in case there might be a gold coin or gold jewelry in the field. I did dig a few pieces of bigger iron but the Vaquero works very well in this type of enviroment.
This site has several areas to hunt besides the field I found the coins in. There was a train depot, a grist mill, a couple of stores, a blacksmith shop, and the picnic grove itself are all on about 600 acres that the landowner gave us an open invitation to hunt. It took me almost a year of research to locate
this site and get permission from the landowner to hunt , but it should be well worth the effort..........HH

Roger

 

[MIssouri Secessionist]

Roger,

These have got to be some of the most impressive finds to come out of the Midwest, especially, this year.

Now my eyesight is not as good as it used to be, but looking at that coin on the bottom right, it sure looks a lot like a Commonwealth of Massachusetts colonial coin.. Looks to me like a Massachusetts Copper Cent. Do you see the Indian standing in the center? Looks to me like he has a long, upright bow in his right hand, and in his left is an arrow. Now, I can barely make out the date, but it looks like 1788, or, 1786. What do you think?


http://www.coinfacts.com/colonial_coins/massachusetts_coppers/1788_ma_cents/1788_ma_cents_by_variety.htm




You had one heck of a day there, Roger. You know that with the finds that you got there, that there is so much awaiting you next spring. I do not know how you keep from taking a weedeater out there and going crazy right now. As it is, it is something to keep you warm on those winter nights, making plans to hit it and hit it again, come spring.

Those impressive finds. What impresses me even more, is your skill at research, and in discovering that site in the first place.


All the best to you, and,
Happy Hunting in the Spring,

Dex

 

[joe dirt_1]

Dex, I have been trying to figure out what the coin is. Under magnification you can barely make out any details to identify it with, but looking through the Red Book of coins for pictures of colonial type coins that Massachusetts copper caught my eye, but what little detail I can see on the coin don't
match up with the picture. If there is a standing figure on the front of my coin, it is over to the left of the coin and not centered as the Massachusetts coin. The surface of the coin is pretty battered up and very hard to see any details and I may never be able to determine what it was. It is a coin, it is
very old, my oldest find yet. It could be a colonial copper because people came from the east to settle here, so it's possible a coin was brought to Illinois when they settled the area.....not very probable, but hey, it sounds good...lol. The weather is supposed to be decent and I'm going to head back
to the field with another detector and a bigger coil to see what shows up. Hope some seated silver shows up this time.......HH

Roger

 

[MIssouri Secessionist]

Roger,

Just can't get over how great these finds truly are. Be sure to let us know if you discover the identity of that one coin.

If it wasn't such a big plot, one could not blame you for packing a weedeater out there and giving it an early go before it is cut by the land owner early next spring.

Anyway, impressive finds, and plenty of daydreaming ahead, until you are able to hunt the plot early next year.

Oh, by the way. Do you have any impression of the FISHER ID EDGE detector? Saw one for sale, and wondered if it was worth having, or, if the Safari and the uMax are sufficient. Just was looking for your opinion.


all the best,

Dex