AirmetTango
Forum Supporter
We've had a couple days in a row of scorching heat for this time of year in NW Ohio, but with the day off today, I was determined to do some hunting despite the heat that was predicted for the day.
I decided to revisit a site of a long gone school and church I originally hunted at the end of last year. I did pretty well there before, getting my first Barber dime, a flying eagle cent, an old trade token, and various other neat finds. I figured it was worthwhile to see if I missed anything, but part of my motivation was that I remembered there being enough trees and large bushes at the site to offer some shade!
Well, because of various honey-dos and chores, I didn't get to the site until about 9:45am - the temp was already soaring through the upper 80s, muggy, and not a lick of a breeze. Worse still, there wasn't a cloud in the sky to offer any relief from the sun, and I suddenly realized there weren't nearly as many trees (or shade) as I thought I remembered. I was sweating before I even got my trunk open to pull out my gear!
Digging my first signal, I rapidly discovered that the ground was baked to roughly the consistency of concrete - scrabbling away at that stuff was brutal, and it didn't take long before my sweat was dripping into the hole like an open faucet. I briefly mused that maybe all that sweat would help loosen up the soil...no such luck!
I only lasted about 2 hours, including a good sized break in the middle to re-hydrate myself, before feeling completely wiped out! Temps were easily in the low 90s by the time I stopped. Not a whole lot to show for the effort, but I got a couple of keepers that I missed on the previous trip.
The flat button is blank on the front, but has the words "Double Gilt" on the back separated by small crosses. No manufacturer's name, but I'm guessing late 1800s based on the style.
I also found a lead bale seal or box car seal, imprinted with a stylized "A" on one side, and a "7" on the other. On second look, the front might have the letters "J", "A", and "R" - with the "J" and "R" sharing the A's legs.
I also found a .22 "U" casing, one lousy, crusty Zincoln, and some trash which aren't pictured for obvious reasons
Anyway, after today's hunt, I'm already done with summer...and it isn't even here yet!
I decided to revisit a site of a long gone school and church I originally hunted at the end of last year. I did pretty well there before, getting my first Barber dime, a flying eagle cent, an old trade token, and various other neat finds. I figured it was worthwhile to see if I missed anything, but part of my motivation was that I remembered there being enough trees and large bushes at the site to offer some shade!
Well, because of various honey-dos and chores, I didn't get to the site until about 9:45am - the temp was already soaring through the upper 80s, muggy, and not a lick of a breeze. Worse still, there wasn't a cloud in the sky to offer any relief from the sun, and I suddenly realized there weren't nearly as many trees (or shade) as I thought I remembered. I was sweating before I even got my trunk open to pull out my gear!
Digging my first signal, I rapidly discovered that the ground was baked to roughly the consistency of concrete - scrabbling away at that stuff was brutal, and it didn't take long before my sweat was dripping into the hole like an open faucet. I briefly mused that maybe all that sweat would help loosen up the soil...no such luck!
I only lasted about 2 hours, including a good sized break in the middle to re-hydrate myself, before feeling completely wiped out! Temps were easily in the low 90s by the time I stopped. Not a whole lot to show for the effort, but I got a couple of keepers that I missed on the previous trip.
The flat button is blank on the front, but has the words "Double Gilt" on the back separated by small crosses. No manufacturer's name, but I'm guessing late 1800s based on the style.
I also found a lead bale seal or box car seal, imprinted with a stylized "A" on one side, and a "7" on the other. On second look, the front might have the letters "J", "A", and "R" - with the "J" and "R" sharing the A's legs.
I also found a .22 "U" casing, one lousy, crusty Zincoln, and some trash which aren't pictured for obvious reasons
Anyway, after today's hunt, I'm already done with summer...and it isn't even here yet!
