Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
What was the most widely circulated gold coin in the U.S.?
- Thread starter KurtB
- Start date
For some reason, the $5's seem to be the most commonly found denomination, of any date range. I've found 12 gold coins, and of those six were $5's, for instance. This seems to bear true for others that find them too.
And I don't think it's a function of discrimination either (ie.: that perhaps people miss the smaller TIDs of the $2.50s, and $1's) because the statistics hold true even for places where guys hunt with no disc. at all (barring perhaps knocking out only iron). Ie.: beach hunting, relicky sites where guys dig-all-except iron, etc...
Not sure why the $5s are the most commonly found, because when you look at the mintages, they have no higher, or lower, mintages, when compared to the other denominations.
And I don't think it's a function of discrimination either (ie.: that perhaps people miss the smaller TIDs of the $2.50s, and $1's) because the statistics hold true even for places where guys hunt with no disc. at all (barring perhaps knocking out only iron). Ie.: beach hunting, relicky sites where guys dig-all-except iron, etc...
Not sure why the $5s are the most commonly found, because when you look at the mintages, they have no higher, or lower, mintages, when compared to the other denominations.
Larry (IL)
Well-known member
One thought on the gold $5 coin is that during that period of time, many workers were paid a dollar a day and come to the end of the 5 day work week, the $5 coin was an easy way to take care of the payroll. Many still did not trust paper money, especially on the West coast.
Joel-Winnipeg
New member
Only know of one person finding one.
When they pulled out the old sidewalks in the older part of the city to renew them
When they pulled out the old sidewalks in the older part of the city to renew them
A gold coin would be a great find and so would gold jewelry. Mostly I find clad coins and a lot of metal and junk. I hope to one day join the group of metal detectorists who find a gold coin or ring. HH
A quart jar full would be even better, but I would just settle for one gold coin at the time. lol
A quart jar full would be even better, but I would just settle for one gold coin at the time. lol
MNCoinhunter
Active member
We better start diggin' those pull-tab signals and never look back...
Larry (IL)
Well-known member
There is a lot of truth in your statement Dave. There are some hunters who discriminate out all higher VDI coins and focus on the gold range. Those hunters probably have the best return of dollars per hour hunting than most of the others. Digging up a piece of history like an old dime or quarter is quite a thrill and even a hundred of them in a year is pretty impressive, but when you figure that all of that silver can be purchased with just one nice gold ring find that was sold for scrap puts a different twist on things. A hundred silver dimes can be purchased for $200............
I focused on the deep old coins last year and did quite well and had a blast hunting, but my gold jewelry finds really suffered over previous years. It might be time for me to change my ways this year. The elusive gold coins are very rare but if you dig possible gold jewelry, the chances for a gold coin showing up are much better.
I focused on the deep old coins last year and did quite well and had a blast hunting, but my gold jewelry finds really suffered over previous years. It might be time for me to change my ways this year. The elusive gold coins are very rare but if you dig possible gold jewelry, the chances for a gold coin showing up are much better.
Kurt, the recipe of turning down the disc, and digging pulltabs till your arms fall off, is not the answer to finding a gold coin. The much bigger part of the formula, is where you're hunting. You simply have to be at a location where coins from 1900 or earlier, or prolific. You know, like sidewalk tearouts, relicky sites like old stage stops, old-town urban demolition sites, etc...... And yes, once there, of course dig all conductors. But to simply say "lower your disc." and waltz out to blighted inner city turfed parks, will net you only pulltabs, at the ratios of millions to one.
Also, be aware that it's only $2.50 and $1.00's that you'd miss if you truly tuned out pulltabs. You can still get $5.00s, $10.00s and $20.00s when knocking out pulltabs. I got one of my $5.00's while having tabs nixed out, when hunting under a stadium bleacher demolition project (where an ocean of pulltabs kept me from "being a hero" and so I only was after silver, in the short-span-of time that the earth was exposed). In fact, in that particular case, I was using a Whites eagle, and had chosen 45 as my cutoff point in disc, because about 45 was where the beefier square tabs start to cut out at. Imagine my surprise when a $5 gold piece turned up amidst the silver and wheaties I was finding! At first I thought "wait a second, I thought I had gold nixed out?". So I air-tested it, and it came in about 47-ish. PHEEEWW!! If I'd had my disc. a hair higher, it too would have been nixed
Point is though, that's still well above round tab.
Also, be aware that it's only $2.50 and $1.00's that you'd miss if you truly tuned out pulltabs. You can still get $5.00s, $10.00s and $20.00s when knocking out pulltabs. I got one of my $5.00's while having tabs nixed out, when hunting under a stadium bleacher demolition project (where an ocean of pulltabs kept me from "being a hero" and so I only was after silver, in the short-span-of time that the earth was exposed). In fact, in that particular case, I was using a Whites eagle, and had chosen 45 as my cutoff point in disc, because about 45 was where the beefier square tabs start to cut out at. Imagine my surprise when a $5 gold piece turned up amidst the silver and wheaties I was finding! At first I thought "wait a second, I thought I had gold nixed out?". So I air-tested it, and it came in about 47-ish. PHEEEWW!! If I'd had my disc. a hair higher, it too would have been nixed
Point is though, that's still well above round tab.Joel-Winnipeg
New member
I have never found that gold coin yet not that I disc out those VDI lower signals.
That can slaw ,most of it will register in the gold range.
Found a womens14 k engament ring with ice ,VDI reading of 20
another mans 10 ring at 32 last summer.
MXT with the9.5 coil used at the time.
That can slaw ,most of it will register in the gold range.
Found a womens14 k engament ring with ice ,VDI reading of 20
another mans 10 ring at 32 last summer.
MXT with the9.5 coil used at the time.
If coins being worn down (to lower grades) is any indication, the $5.00 gold is it.
Wanted to add too...same holds true for Europe. A 20 Frank gold was "used" heavily. (That range of gold value must have been the "sweet spot" where large and small transaction needs "met".) Looking through old sales catalogs, a lot of "major common needs" merchandise was at that price point too.
Wanted to add too...same holds true for Europe. A 20 Frank gold was "used" heavily. (That range of gold value must have been the "sweet spot" where large and small transaction needs "met".) Looking through old sales catalogs, a lot of "major common needs" merchandise was at that price point too.