I [size=small]had the chance to do some impromptu experimenting today, and it revealed a lot about the things we may be leaving behind in our searches.
First, let me ask a question. How many of you dislike finding those darned zinc cents? Many consider diggin for the things a pure waste of time, all cruddy and corroded after only a few years in the ground. Am I right?
Well, old Les from Nova Scotia sent me a few goodies from "The Land of the Bluenose" today.** One of the goodies he sent was a 20 Cent Euro coin. Its a pretty brass color and is about the size of a nickel. It isnt something we see much, if at all, I admit. But, guess where it ID'ed at on my Ace 250? Right on the Zc cent notch. I Verified this with a Vaquero as well and against both Zc and Cu cents. Should we care? After all it's not worth much, as coins go. Well, I recall a nice locket I dug not too long ago, that came in right on the Zc notch, too. It was nice. I wouldnt have liked to miss it just because my meter said it was a Zc.
** "The Bluenose" was perhaps the worlds most renowned schooner, by the way.
My second experiment was really a hunt, in the literal sense. My youngest stepson, Tim, has told me a couple of times about how his brother, had lost a gold charm in their yard about 4 years ago. Apparently, Tim and Chris, his brother, had been scuffling about playing football and the charm went flying. Ive known about if for awhile, but as Im the "other husband" I've never really pushed the matter of finding the charm.
But, I had to swing Tim by his dad's house today and while I waited for him, I decided to have a go at finding the scorpion. He pointed and said, "It should be in one area, right there between the mailbox and the bush."
It was a small area about 20x20, carpeted in nice, clipped grass. This would be easy! Indeed it was, too. After less than 10 minutes I had it in hand! Not too hard when you know what you are looking for and where to find it, eh? Here it is:
[attachment 43135 DSCF0009.JPG]
Yet, don't be misled by all this success. The charm was a very "iffy " signal, and under other circumstances, I'd probably write it off. In this instance, I knew what I was looking for and where I could expect to see it ID at, so I had my DISC set just above the iron notch. Even so, this "Gold Bug" was hard to get a clear signal on and couldn't be detected at more than 4" - anything further and it was gone. It ID'd dead on between bottlecap and nickle on the Ace 250 and considering how "iffy" it was, I'm certain I would normally leave it behind as some bit of foil!
As jewelry, it isn't much, really. But, Im going to wrap it up and give it to Chriss come Xmas morning...it's value will surely go up then.
So, there you have it. This trifling bit of testing has had a profound effect on me. I will surely be loading up on foil and Zc's in the future and with any luck, more than a few really good goodies.
MANY thanks to Les and Tim for their part in this.[/size]
First, let me ask a question. How many of you dislike finding those darned zinc cents? Many consider diggin for the things a pure waste of time, all cruddy and corroded after only a few years in the ground. Am I right?
Well, old Les from Nova Scotia sent me a few goodies from "The Land of the Bluenose" today.** One of the goodies he sent was a 20 Cent Euro coin. Its a pretty brass color and is about the size of a nickel. It isnt something we see much, if at all, I admit. But, guess where it ID'ed at on my Ace 250? Right on the Zc cent notch. I Verified this with a Vaquero as well and against both Zc and Cu cents. Should we care? After all it's not worth much, as coins go. Well, I recall a nice locket I dug not too long ago, that came in right on the Zc notch, too. It was nice. I wouldnt have liked to miss it just because my meter said it was a Zc.
** "The Bluenose" was perhaps the worlds most renowned schooner, by the way.
My second experiment was really a hunt, in the literal sense. My youngest stepson, Tim, has told me a couple of times about how his brother, had lost a gold charm in their yard about 4 years ago. Apparently, Tim and Chris, his brother, had been scuffling about playing football and the charm went flying. Ive known about if for awhile, but as Im the "other husband" I've never really pushed the matter of finding the charm.
But, I had to swing Tim by his dad's house today and while I waited for him, I decided to have a go at finding the scorpion. He pointed and said, "It should be in one area, right there between the mailbox and the bush."
It was a small area about 20x20, carpeted in nice, clipped grass. This would be easy! Indeed it was, too. After less than 10 minutes I had it in hand! Not too hard when you know what you are looking for and where to find it, eh? Here it is:
[attachment 43135 DSCF0009.JPG]
Yet, don't be misled by all this success. The charm was a very "iffy " signal, and under other circumstances, I'd probably write it off. In this instance, I knew what I was looking for and where I could expect to see it ID at, so I had my DISC set just above the iron notch. Even so, this "Gold Bug" was hard to get a clear signal on and couldn't be detected at more than 4" - anything further and it was gone. It ID'd dead on between bottlecap and nickle on the Ace 250 and considering how "iffy" it was, I'm certain I would normally leave it behind as some bit of foil!
As jewelry, it isn't much, really. But, Im going to wrap it up and give it to Chriss come Xmas morning...it's value will surely go up then.
So, there you have it. This trifling bit of testing has had a profound effect on me. I will surely be loading up on foil and Zc's in the future and with any luck, more than a few really good goodies.
MANY thanks to Les and Tim for their part in this.[/size]
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