Finding nickels....
- Thread starter AirborneDave
- Start date
That is true.... Unless you go through my line when I run all my dimes down just so I have to use the nickles in order to open a fresh roll.
rfjuice
Elite Member
First I'll go with the other people and say we just don't use them as often. It's probably the best answer. Second is that they are larger than pennies and dimes. Easier to spot then either of those. Then I find more quarters than I do nickels, so I tend to believe in reason 1.
bamadigtab
Elite Member
I think it is a combination of less nickles given in change along with the fact that the VDI reading on nickles can range from iron to pull tab. I use an XLT and have discovered that some of the deeper nickles around the 5" or deeper mark show up choppy like iron whereas dimes quarters and penny's do not most of the time. On occasion I have dug a choppy signal and discovered a quarter dime or penny, but I have dug more deeper nickles that were choppy than anything other coin denomination.
Personally I love digging nickles more that any other clad coins including quarters, because they don't show up as much. Of course a clad half or dollar certainly will trump a nickel any day.
Personally I love digging nickles more that any other clad coins including quarters, because they don't show up as much. Of course a clad half or dollar certainly will trump a nickel any day.
carcur
Elite Member
dug almost 7000 coins last year 9.2 % were nickles
steve in so la
Forum Supporter
- Joined
- May 9, 2006
- Messages
- 7,545
For me nickels fall into the less discriminated zone - I dig a lot of them. i can always tell if the cherry pickers have been there by the nickels I dig. So far this year I have dug 192, Steve in so az
AirborneDave
Forum Supporter
Ok, so I finally got the bucket dumped and sorted. Here's the totals:
167 quarters, 212 dimes, 71 nickles, 452 pennies.
Based on this, it appears to me that there is a statistical aspect to why nickels are found less often than other coins.
167 quarters, 212 dimes, 71 nickles, 452 pennies.
Based on this, it appears to me that there is a statistical aspect to why nickels are found less often than other coins.
Mtnmn
Elite Member
Over the past 3 yrs. only about 5% of my finds have been nickels. This year my nickel finds are averaging 8%, this being my 2nd year with the Safari. Research shows that the proper ratio of nickels to coins should be about 10%, so many of us are way behind in that dept. Unfortunately nickels fall right on the lower end of the pull tab range, as a result many people won't dig them. By doing so they are also losing out on quite a few gold rings, as approx. 10% of all gold rings fall right in the middle of the nickel range. The remaining gold rings come in both below and above the nickel range or where foil, pull tabs and screw caps are often found.
bergie
Forum Supporter
AT PRO Nickels
I got $2.97 in clad yesterday 12 nickels they id at 51-53 on at pro 1 1950 dime makes 5 silver dimes this year
I got $2.97 in clad yesterday 12 nickels they id at 51-53 on at pro 1 1950 dime makes 5 silver dimes this year
stump
Full Member
I don't find nickels either and just have not figured out why. I use a F4 and the nickel falls right on the pull tab. I do dig those hits, as I just disc iron. But, my hunting buddy Fisher, with his etrac, pulls a nickel or 2 every time we go. He just found another Buff the other day. So, I think the nickels are there. Maybe one day i can save for that etrac....could that be the answer???
biliff1
Elite Member
Good answer, BaldAssCat! I never thought of that. That being said, I have an AT pro and have nickles down to a science. I found that a solid, repeatable 55 on my VDI is a nickle. Once you've found a few, you will know. I like to try to guess what I find before I dig. It's a great way to learn your machine and impress your friends!
kybluegrass
Full Member
Good answer, BaldAssCat! I never thought of that. That being said, I have an AT pro and have nickles down to a science. I found that a solid, repeatable 55 on my VDI is a nickle. Once you've found a few, you will know. I like to try to guess what I find before I dig. It's a great way to learn your machine and impress your friends!
Strange coincidence that a 5 cent coin rings up at a 55 on the screen.
Joves
Elite Member
Well I know I hardly get nickles in change. Think about it change combinations with 5 in them work more towards getting a quarter/s and dime/s to make up the amount. Now I find nickles quite well by sound and most of mine have been 1960s through 70s, I think that is from the good old pop bottle refund days. I remember getting a nickle back for those when I was a kid. But either way I know I get a lot fewer nickles in change.
BlueDuck
Senior Member
Nickels and some pull tabs run pretty close to the same reading. If you skipping pull tabs your probably missing nickels too.
Snoop
Senior Member
Nice observation. This has come up before; seems to be common across the board that people get less nickels than the other coins. I think you have the best answer to the mystery that I've seen. Less nickels used means less nickels loss means less nickels for the MD'er.
40acre1870
Forum Supporter
Nickels do not exist... They are a figment of our imagination, our collective conscience creates nickels, for metal detecting purposes only, but pull tabs, those are real.
coinMD64
Elite Member
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2011
- Messages
- 503
Finds very few nickels while MDing
When MDing on school totslots and old houses and in parks,I often found few nickels but not alot when compared to pennies and dimes and quarters. Yup I see my Ace 150 always showed up nickels as pulltabs. I hate pulling out those small pulltabs out of the ground. In past two days I pulled 3 nickels on 2 school totslots and in a local park. I always pulled lots of dimes and pennies in those places. Yesterday I was in park near my home and pulled out 6 clad coins there. My last coin find was heavily corroded zincoln penny. I threw it away in trash can on way home. I try to find many nickels as I can locate them.
When MDing on school totslots and old houses and in parks,I often found few nickels but not alot when compared to pennies and dimes and quarters. Yup I see my Ace 150 always showed up nickels as pulltabs. I hate pulling out those small pulltabs out of the ground. In past two days I pulled 3 nickels on 2 school totslots and in a local park. I always pulled lots of dimes and pennies in those places. Yesterday I was in park near my home and pulled out 6 clad coins there. My last coin find was heavily corroded zincoln penny. I threw it away in trash can on way home. I try to find many nickels as I can locate them.
MadTownScoop
Elite Member
Tell ya what. On my AT-Pro nickles come up as solid 50-52 sometimes 53 at most. Now As for skipping pulltabs. My friend (madcitydiggers) pulled an early 40's/late 30's gold ring at an old elementary school and it rang up SOLID 68/69 on my AT-Pro. Same as old time pulltabs/twist off bottle tops. So. He's also pulled .925 silver rings that come up as pennies. Basically with your AT-Pro dig everything above 48. Ive noticed that when diggers and I go out he's always got 3x as much trash as me but he also has lots more clad and more "Real" rings. Here's the kicker. When we go out together. His trash to treasure percentages are about the same as mine. That being said. Yeah, He's digging tons of pull tabs and pop tops but he's also getting more rings that fall into that catagory due to their small size or how they are laying in the dirt/sand. Man, I gotta start digging more. LOL. Need to learn from his example. I try to pretend, tell myself, that "I can read my detector, Thats just a pull tab so I'm not wasing my time". Stupid idiot I am. Who knows how many rings Ive passed up. LOL. Boy this is a fun hobby eh? Never stop learning or kicking our own butts. 
P.S. Im digging more nickles by digging the "odd" readings that fluctuate from 47-54. Usually a nickle on side or tilted steeply.
P.S. Im digging more nickles by digging the "odd" readings that fluctuate from 47-54. Usually a nickle on side or tilted steeply.
SpareChangeInPA
New Member
My Change Jar Count
Quarters = 240
Dimes = 163
Nickles = 72
Pennies = way too many to count.
see how many counts come in and compare them all.
Quarters = 240
Dimes = 163
Nickles = 72
Pennies = way too many to count.
see how many counts come in and compare them all.
MadTownScoop
Elite Member
Ok. just sorted and counted.
Total coins. 917
Quarters = 91 for 9.9%
Dimes = 187 for 20.39%
Nickles = 85 for 9.2%
Pennies = 554 for 60.41%
Grand total of $51.24. This doesnt include badly corroded pennies I've discarded due to zero value. Not worth the effort to clean them and doubt the bank will give me anything for them.
Thats just for this year but then again. Ive had a 94 penny day and a 62 penny day. This is detecting mainly schools, Middle, elementary and one High School. Thats a good reason for all the pennies. Young kids dont carry much clad. Pennies for me come up as either 74-76 for copper ones and 80-82 for zinkies on my AT-Pro.
Total coins. 917
Quarters = 91 for 9.9%
Dimes = 187 for 20.39%
Nickles = 85 for 9.2%
Pennies = 554 for 60.41%
Grand total of $51.24. This doesnt include badly corroded pennies I've discarded due to zero value. Not worth the effort to clean them and doubt the bank will give me anything for them.
Thats just for this year but then again. Ive had a 94 penny day and a 62 penny day. This is detecting mainly schools, Middle, elementary and one High School. Thats a good reason for all the pennies. Young kids dont carry much clad. Pennies for me come up as either 74-76 for copper ones and 80-82 for zinkies on my AT-Pro.
