Historical Holey Pockets?

Jeepfreak81

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
334
Location
Northern NH
Hi all, so I'm new to this hobby so forgive my ignorance :D

I know that many people find coins presumably dropped in one way or another. I totally expect that at the beach where people are up and down out of the sand, etc etc. I never expected to find out how many old coins people find at old homesites, schools, and so on.

Was there really that big of a pocket issue back in the day? :lol: I mean, I'm glad that there was cause I can't wait to get out and fond some old coins but as I try and use my critical thinking skills to pick out spots to hunt I just have a hard time wrapping my mind around how coins end up where they obviously do. Guess it's just cause I'm poor and super careful with my money :wow::lol:

What has been your best types of spots for old coins? I live 2.5 hours from any ocean, so beach hunting isn't really on my list. I'd prefer to find older stuff anyway.
 
I think people used to carry a lot more change, right? Change was worth something, so you tried not to lose it, but there was a lot more out on a daily basis, so more chances to lose it... Nowadays, I see kids buying cans of soda with credit cards. Also, people spent more time outside!
 
....What has been your best types of spots for old coins? ....

Stage stops and traveler stopping spots. Where money came out and changed hands .

Old resort and camp spots. Esp. where tent-camping was involved (persons lying prone to sleep at night, is a recipe for coins to come out of pockets)
 
Any where people congregated for anything (sports, dances, picnics, etc) are potential spots to find old coins and artifacts. People are clumsy creatures...they drop stuff all the time. I still get amazed at finding a modern coin in the middle of a crop field. Multiply that by how many years people have lived in the area and you get the idea of what might be waiting for you to find. Enjoy your new hobby...and welcome to the insanity of it all. HH
 
As careful as you are with your money I'm sure there have been times your pulled keys out of your pocket or your phone and dropped a coin or two and never knew it. Think of all the coins that have been minted over the years. Some people estimate a substantial percentage of those are "lost" over the years. Some places you think are going to be great and are duds then you will find a gem somewhere you never expected.
 
I distinctly remember in the late 1950s that my jeans would often develop holes in the pockets. I guess they make the pockets of stronger material these days, since it's not a problem anymore.
 
This area of S.E. KS was settled right after the Civil War. And very soon there were one room schools every couple of miles. I got my first detector (White 6000D) in 1981 and a friend showed me where a couple of the schools had been. Even at that time others had hunted there but they left plenty of coins. I have a collection of just over 30 IHP's that I found at the school sites (7 in one hole) as well as a "V" nickel and a few Barber and Seated Liberty dimes. But now some 35 years later I just got back in the game and those school sites have really been pounded. I have managed one very old wheat penny (date unreadable) in a field adjacent to one school site.
I got a Deus a couple of months ago and am learning what it's telling me, finding very small targets like the lead from .22 bullets so hoping maybe I'll pick up some deep coins with it. Will see.
 
To find where coins are commonly dropped, become a people watcher... AND a speculator. Here are a few locations and why they are significant:
Parking meters on grass.
The verge between a parking lot and a park.
A tree stump perhaps a foot or two or more across, near a school.
A fire hydrant near a school.
An abandoned outdoor drive in movie theater with concession stand and children's playground.

Why?
Parking meters on grass or dirt. People dig for coins for the meter. Drop a penny? Ahh why hunt in the grass? I've got an appointment. Leave it, then.

The verge in a park. Gotta get out my car keys and I have two kids whining for ice cream. Just get in the car, dang it! (coins fall from pocket or purse )
Tree stump? That was once a big tree, and kids probably climbed on it or leaned against it. Ditto for bus stops. Bus is coming GRAB THE MONEY (forget that dime, I gotta get a seat!)
Fire hydrant. Kids LOVE to climb on those things! Coins fall from pockets, rings fall off of hands, you name it.
Drive ins? BONANZA! People dropping coins while buying hot dogs, kids playing on the whirligig or merry go round or swings, EVERYTHING falls out of pockets and in sand, just TRY to find them! The detector has no problem.

Watch crowds. Watch how they move. If you see a place where people used to congregate, a fairground, a church, a totlot (park playground), a jungle gym, a park bench. The world is FULL of people and people love to congregate! Why a church? Little Susie is given a dollar in quarters by her Mom to put in the offering. Church gets 75 cents and years later you find the quarter! ANYWHERE where humans stand in line, sit on bleachers and cheer, jump up and down, climb onto a fair ride, do handstands, sit under a tree you'll find STUFF! Coins roll and bounce, cnecklace clasps break, bracelets fall off, rings come loose, keychains lose keys, pins come off, hair clasps come undone you name it and somebody somewhere has LOST it and you can find it!
HAVE FUN... and happy hunting!

Sage(WOW!!)Grouse
 
To find where coins are commonly dropped, become a people watcher... AND a speculator. Here are a few locations and why they are significant:
Parking meters on grass.
The verge between a parking lot and a park.
A tree stump perhaps a foot or two or more across, near a school.
A fire hydrant near a school.
An abandoned outdoor drive in movie theater with concession stand and children's playground.

Why?
Parking meters on grass or dirt. People dig for coins for the meter. Drop a penny? Ahh why hunt in the grass? I've got an appointment. Leave it, then.

The verge in a park. Gotta get out my car keys and I have two kids whining for ice cream. Just get in the car, dang it! (coins fall from pocket or purse )
Tree stump? That was once a big tree, and kids probably climbed on it or leaned against it. Ditto for bus stops. Bus is coming GRAB THE MONEY (forget that dime, I gotta get a seat!)
Fire hydrant. Kids LOVE to climb on those things! Coins fall from pockets, rings fall off of hands, you name it.
Drive ins? BONANZA! People dropping coins while buying hot dogs, kids playing on the whirligig or merry go round or swings, EVERYTHING falls out of pockets and in sand, just TRY to find them! The detector has no problem.

Watch crowds. Watch how they move. If you see a place where people used to congregate, a fairground, a church, a totlot (park playground), a jungle gym, a park bench. The world is FULL of people and people love to congregate! Why a church? Little Susie is given a dollar in quarters by her Mom to put in the offering. Church gets 75 cents and years later you find the quarter! ANYWHERE where humans stand in line, sit on bleachers and cheer, jump up and down, climb onto a fair ride, do handstands, sit under a tree you'll find STUFF! Coins roll and bounce, cnecklace clasps break, bracelets fall off, rings come loose, keychains lose keys, pins come off, hair clasps come undone you name it and somebody somewhere has LOST it and you can find it!
HAVE FUN... and happy hunting!

Sage(WOW!!)Grouse

Some good things there to think about. I was sort of stuck on the pocket change thing. And it's easy for me to forget that people once carried much more change than they do now. Heck I rarely have cash of any type on my anymore. Great tips and insight Sage(Wise Mentor)Grouse.
 
I once read an article that stated "there are more coins in the ground than in circulation." To illustrate this claim the author used this example (paraphrasing) First, if you make a reasonable assumption that there was a small town whose population was roughly 1000 people and over the years the population remained somewhat stable. The second reasonable assumption is that on average, each person in the town lost/dropped one coin over the course of the year. (both assumptions seem reasonable to me)
Now if this went on for 100 years, we're talking about 100,000 coins in the ground. Remember, this is just a very small town. Expand this out to larger cities and WOW! That's a lot of coins for us to find. The passage of time figures in to the total.
Better stock up on batteries! Hope you find your share! Good luck and Happy Hunting. :D
 
I once read an article that stated "there are more coins in the ground than in circulation." To illustrate this claim the author used this example (paraphrasing) First, if you make a reasonable assumption that there was a small town whose population was roughly 1000 people and over the years the population remained somewhat stable. The second reasonable assumption is that on average, each person in the town lost/dropped one coin over the course of the year. (both assumptions seem reasonable to me)
Now if this went on for 100 years, we're talking about 100,000 coins in the ground. Remember, this is just a very small town. Expand this out to larger cities and WOW! That's a lot of coins for us to find. The passage of time figures in to the total.
Better stock up on batteries! Hope you find your share! Good luck and Happy Hunting. :D
That's an interesting example and makes a ton of sense. I can see that even carrying very little change it's reasonable to assume I drop a single coin yearly. Can't wait to get out there and start finding them

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Just for you young pups

I was around when FDR was president. Synthetic fabric was not. Nylon, Daycron, and others were ideas. Cotton pockets wore thread bare and leaked coins like sand through your beach scoop. You know all those flat buttons you find around Colonial sites? You guessed it, sewn on with cotton thread.
Clothes were washed with some pretty harsh soap weakening the fibers and the threads demise.
 
I was around when FDR was president. Synthetic fabric was not. Nylon, Daycron, and others were ideas. Cotton pockets wore thread bare and leaked coins like sand through your beach scoop. You know all those flat buttons you find around Colonial sites? You guessed it, sewn on with cotton thread.
Clothes were washed with some pretty harsh soap weakening the fibers and the threads demise.
Reagan is the oldest president I remember so I guess I've always had stronger pockets. Another valid addition to how coins from the days of yore ended up in the ground.

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