The creek was too high so I had to change my plans.

[mr miner/logger]

On Sunday I took my Ace 250 out. I had planned on crossing a creek and hiking a couple miles back in to an old log camp, but the creek I had to cross was too high and swift. Instead I drove about 10 miles away and walked about a mile back in to detect along an old log road. I was pretty successful as I found 2 log chains, the longest being 14 feet. On the way back to my vehicle I detoured to an old mine shaft and piced up a few spikes from the mine rr and a shoe from a mini-horse that used to pull the mine cars. I'll admit it. I'm probably the only odd-ball character on this forum that has absolutley no interest in digging coins. I have only found 4 since I started detecting in 1972.

 

[Dick from IA]

Hey Mr. M/L:

Most of us hunt coins, yes, but I have a great interest in honing my relic hunting skills as time goes by. I've got an Ace 250 on order and will start with coins, but want to find some spots like you describe.

I'd say there are a lot of relic only hunters out there.

Thanks for the pics.

 

[NM5K]

Dunno, I like relics as much as coins. Maybe more, if
the relic is really unusual. I got to practice a bit
more this afternoon. Man, pennys, pennys, pennys, around
here.. Haven't seen much silver around this lot.. But
tons of penny's everywhere. In the backyard, it's like
the penny way galaxie..:/ And almost all are 70's penny's
for the most part. Someone lost a real pants full out there
about 25 years ago..
I know one thing for sure, the ace 250 is one penny sniffing
fool. It's like radar on those things...
I can tell that box is gonna be a good all around coin
sniffer, but I've been digging some iron/tin stuff at times
just to see what it is..
I've been running in all metal mode most the time.
I like to hear everything thats under me. I'm gonna
get one of those bigger coils for open field relic hunting.
MK

 

[DavHut]

I am impressed by anyone who can count his treasures in ways the rest of us don't. That little horseshoe, now, for instance. That is a cool item and makes for an interesting tale. "Mini horses In The Mines - the Untold Story". I like it.

I confess that I wouldnt be overly excited by finding the spikes but that chain has lots of uses. And you no doubt have already considered this: You are never short of targets! I passed over enough iron signals today to likely make your head spin - and dug a few of them myself, I'll add.

If you dont mind, Im gonna give you a nickname: Magneto!
Please show us more pics!

 

[DavHut]

And almost all are 70's penny's for the most part. Someone lost a real pants full out there about 25 years ago...

I read an old issue of the "Lost Treasure" some years ago where they claimed that the average age of coins in your pocket is 8-10 years. Closer to ten, in fact To prove the point, they even offered the challenge that you pull all the loose change you have out of your britches and tally up the average.

Guess what? They were right! AND they made the claim that it has always been so and that, all things being equal, this can help you to date a sites "activity years".

So the coins lost in your "Penny Graveyard" were more likely lost from the LATE 70's thru the mid 80's.

 

[John-Edmonton]

That's why it is so much fun! It's so nice to see people post different types of finds on this forum. Welcome aboard Mr Miner/logger.
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[Ralph Bryant]

Does this mean the handfull of zincs I found this afternoon mostly dating in the 03-05 range won't be lost until sometime around 2010-2012 ??



Ralph

 

[DavHut]

Okay, you got me Ralph! But, take it easy on me. Im sensitive... Try it, though. Pull out all your change and add em up...

 

[Spanky]

Approximately how old do you figure the items are that you found? Would this be in the 30' and 40's ?

Cheers!

 

[ohio fred]

that if I find a building that was built in 1960, there is a good possibility that there would be coins there from the 1950's since the change they would have been carrying in their pocket was about 10 years old? The only other problem is, that in the early 60's is when pull tabs came out and people threw them everywhere. That is why it is always good to find buildings built in the 60's because you have a good chance of finding silver under the trash because they stopped making silver coins around 1964 or 1965. Is this correct?

 

[englishprof]

I'm primarily a relic guy, too. Custer and the Seventh Cavalry were here in s.w. Oklahoma the year before Little Big Horn. I've been going through old records and diaries looking for the locations of minor skirmishes between the Seventh and the Indians before Custer headed north. True story - on the bulletin board in the Cherokee Nation Headquarters in Lawton is a survey (old and yellowed) printed by the gov't printing office in 1972, asking the Cherokees' if they thought America should be in South East Asia. Somebody wrote on the survey that being in Viet Nam was ok, but they thought we should get out of North America.

 

[DavHut]

...thats the general idea, Fred. There are no absolutes, and I wish there were, but you about got it. I always shoot for earlier decades when in search of older stuff, my preferred period being pre-WWII, as I have yet to find an SLQ.

And you just gave us all brief intro into why they developed sniper coils in the first place!

Thanks

 

[mr miner/logger]

Spanky, No they are much older then that. The area that I dug at was logged in the mid 1890's. The land was completely logged over by 1913. The mining site was in the early 1900's I have a map that shows 12 lumber camps in a run that is 9 miles long. So to get to the camps in the center it's a 4 1/2 mile hike in and a lot heavier hike back out with a bag full of heavy iron. Sometimes I wonder why I don't dig coins. So much lighter to carry!

 

[NM5K]

So the coins lost in your "Penny Graveyard" were more likely lost from the LATE 70's thru the mid 80's...........

Yea, I was thinking that exact thing myself. It was probably
in the late 70's when the "big" batch was lost. But very
few are in the 80's. I see a few here an there, but not sure
if related to the 70's batch. I found some real close. One
73 nickle, and a 74 penny were sitting stuck together nearly.
The oldest I've found was a 59, and it was off in a different
place. The house was built in 59, but I'm sure that penny is
not one of the originals...:/ It's too clean I think.. It
wasn't in any worse shape than the 70's batch. Even a 70's
penny in this ground gets pretty corroded. The quarter I found
was pretty stained.
MK

 

[NM5K]

that if I find a building that was built in 1960, there is a good possibility that there would be coins there from the 1950's since the change they would have been carrying in their pocket was about 10 years old?..........

This is one reason why I wanna search the house we had torn
down not long ago. It's in Hot Springs AR.. That house was about
80 years old, and maybe older, as it was added on to at one point.
My theory is...It's quite possible there are some pretty old
coins. Maybe even going back into the 1800's, as like you say,
many coins lost will be older than the actual date lost.
That land was some kind of dairy farm way back, so may be some
older relics and coins from that era.
MK

 

[DavHut]

n/t

 

[Spanky]

I think its fasinating when I look at the items you found. Those items look in great shape for there age. I bet you have a lot of museum quality items. It kind of makes you wonder who used the items and how they were miss placed.
Thankyou for sharing the photos, can't wait to see some more.

Cheers!

 

[Uncle Willy]

To each his own, whatever spins your wheels. Nice collection. Ever hunted for railroad tie date nails? Some fetch a pretty price. Or old telegraph pole insulators. Course you can't pick those up with your detector but they are big enough to see.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Get an ATV.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

That's what makes this hobby so great - the people in it and their individual interests.

Bill