The Dovetail pulltab. Does anyone know when they came about?

[Dancer]

I'll tell you what little I know. My first memory comes sometime in the early 60's. I even remember a fishing ad using them for lures. Fast track to my beginning in detecting in 2000. Not having any experience, I was let down that my detector was mixing pull tabs with nickels/gold. 14 years later, guess what? Yes pull tabs are still all over, but in my hunts, the dovetails are getting a little scarce. There's a couple of reasons in my mind. At some point they switched to the more modern tabs. And in some areas the switch is to plastic bottles. (This is a huge plus for us) Back to the Dovetail, when I find them usually their deeper, meaning it's a site that hasn't been cleared out. Or if shallow, maybe not hunted well at all.
A personal example I'm getting this year is. I've blundered into around 5 places finding deep nickels. Interesting that very few other coins mixed in with them. Of course there were some pull tabs, mostly Dovetails. So I'm finding that the Dovetail is the modern-day indicator of a older site. Much like running into a patch of Wheats

 

[Hobo lobo]

They were the first cans that did not require a "church key to open em" they came out around 1963, don't remember the exact yr. They are still very ubiquitous where I hunt. Called beaver tails.

 

[D&P-OR]

Ah, those beaver tails--those wonderful pain the b--- beaver tails!---Think your right on their debut time frame Darrel.-----Then their are the MANY variants of the pull tab---their sole existence & all designed with one & only one thing in mind----to DELIGHT the detectorist!

They were the first cans that did not require a "church key to open em" they came out around 1963, don't remember the exact yr. They are still very ubiquitous where I hunt. Called beaver tails.

 

[MarkCZ]

Yes! The beaver tail tabs (pull & toss) were introduced in 1965! thye were in production until 1975, at which time the square "Sta-Tab" was the NEW replacement tab.
Where I'm hunting an area that's old enough I use the tabs and the production times to determine the depth of the coins. Our city park has a bed of the pull & Toss tabs that average 3" to 4-1/2" and that puts the silver age just below that.

Mark

 

[Dancer]

Yes! The beaver tail tabs (pull & toss) were introduced in 1965! thye were in production until 1975, at which time the square "Sta-Tab" was the NEW replacement tab.
Where I'm hunting an area that's old enough I use the tabs and the production times to determine the depth of the coins. Our city park has a bed of the pull & Toss tabs that average 3" to 4-1/2" and that puts the silver age just below that.

Good information.

 

[chuck ky]

the sites with just pulltabs and nickles had the other coins cherry picked out.

 

[D&P-OR]

Yeah----pulltabs, nickels AND some gold (hopefully)-----for the brave sole with a limber back & good knees willing to take on the task!

the sites with just pulltabs and nickles had the other coins cherry picked out.

 

[NiagracountyNY]

If you can find parks/schools that were built or established after they stopped making pull tabs you would have a big advantage finding jewelry /rings at those sites.Alot less digging time wasted for sure.Just have to deal with the occasional tin can that the lawn crew shredded....

 

[chuck ky]

i know you're talking about the tabs you pull off but i'm really surprised at the number of people that rip the square tabs off and throw them on the ground. reads just like a nickle on the t-2

 

[MarkCZ]

n/t