A
Anonymous
Guest
Yesterday, I had about an hour before I had to leave for work, so I stopped at the nearby school where I pulled the bullet from a week ago. Since it's Spring Break, nobody was there. I didn't really have time to do a complete search-and-recovery pattern like I had done that past few times I was there, so I concentrated on deeper coin hits.
It started off with a bunch of early 60's Mem pennies, and even a '59 Mem penny. Where are all the Wheat's? I knew I just had to be patient, and I would pass my coil over one, but time was not a luxury I had.
As I was slowly working a pattern, I got an indicated 6" deep Nickel hit. It was fairly consistent from all directions, with occasional bounces to Iron from the depth and the soil. I almost walked past it, as there are LOTS of nickels here, but lots of beavertails and can slaw as well. But, since I didn't even have much in the way of clad to show for the hunt, I went ahead and recovered the target. When I flipped the plug, I could see the impression of a nickel in the bottom of the plug. I started looking in the hole, trying to find a corroded red-stained Jefferson. I couldn't see anything. I laid out my towel, and started scanning handfuls of dirt. The second handful PING'ed. As I broke open the loose dirt, I suddenly saw something that made my day, the silvery edge of a War Nickel! My first War Nickel this year, and the first War Nickel from that site. Here's a pic:
<center> <img src=http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/1190/20060405warnick8sl.jpg> </center> <p>
I'm not sure what that raised area is on the bottom of the reverse. I don't know if a die-crack had started with that die, or, the alloy used for the coin and the almost constantly moist soil at this location had actually started an electrolytic reaction, similar to the aluminum alloy tokens that we find all bubbled, pitted, and otherwise damaged.
I did actually find a Wheat, a '41, about 5' away, and a good 6" down. I'm going to have to go back and recover all the shallow targets I left behind in my haste at a later time.
Note: the picture(s) might not show up due to bandwidth limitations. If the picture(s) are not there, check back at a later time.
HH from Allen in MI
It started off with a bunch of early 60's Mem pennies, and even a '59 Mem penny. Where are all the Wheat's? I knew I just had to be patient, and I would pass my coil over one, but time was not a luxury I had.
As I was slowly working a pattern, I got an indicated 6" deep Nickel hit. It was fairly consistent from all directions, with occasional bounces to Iron from the depth and the soil. I almost walked past it, as there are LOTS of nickels here, but lots of beavertails and can slaw as well. But, since I didn't even have much in the way of clad to show for the hunt, I went ahead and recovered the target. When I flipped the plug, I could see the impression of a nickel in the bottom of the plug. I started looking in the hole, trying to find a corroded red-stained Jefferson. I couldn't see anything. I laid out my towel, and started scanning handfuls of dirt. The second handful PING'ed. As I broke open the loose dirt, I suddenly saw something that made my day, the silvery edge of a War Nickel! My first War Nickel this year, and the first War Nickel from that site. Here's a pic:
<center> <img src=http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/1190/20060405warnick8sl.jpg> </center> <p>
I'm not sure what that raised area is on the bottom of the reverse. I don't know if a die-crack had started with that die, or, the alloy used for the coin and the almost constantly moist soil at this location had actually started an electrolytic reaction, similar to the aluminum alloy tokens that we find all bubbled, pitted, and otherwise damaged.
I did actually find a Wheat, a '41, about 5' away, and a good 6" down. I'm going to have to go back and recover all the shallow targets I left behind in my haste at a later time.
Note: the picture(s) might not show up due to bandwidth limitations. If the picture(s) are not there, check back at a later time.
HH from Allen in MI