Curbstrip Indian & Silvers

AirmetTango

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After commiserating with markinswpa over a lack of silver finds in one of his threads on Monday morning (Killin' On Tokens thread), I decided to hit some curbstrips. Looking for a change of scenery, I scouted a nearby town on Google Earth, and I settled on what I figured would be a long-shot - a strip on a cobblestoned street, directly across from an old park. I figured the park had to be pounded to death over the last 3 or 4 decades, so I imagined the curbstrip across the way couldn't be much different. But I figured it was worth a try, and if it didn't work out, I'd just move on to a more "out of the way" curbstrip.

It was a fairly wide strip, requiring three passes to get full coverage even with the stock coil on the EQ8. I ran down the length of the sidewalk side of the strip first, and after the first half hour, I had some clad but nothing of real interest. I actually decided to move to a new area, but since my car was parked a short distance behind me now, I figured I may as well hunt my way back to the car along the curb side of the strip.

I didn't get more than 10' back toward the car, when I hit an odd ball 22-23 signal, almost right up against the curb. Usually a trash number, but it indicated deeper than the clad, so my curiosity was peeked. I was flat out amazed to pop an 1888 Indian out of the hole! I've never had an Indian ring that high - not sure what was up with that, but I sure had a renewed interest in this unlikely little curbstrip!

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Over the next hour, things got markedly better compared to the first half hour - two Wheaties came next, then a 1946 Rosie with a "no doubt about it" solid high tone came up near a tree from about 4-5" down. Not five feet away, I got another unquestionable coin high tone - definitely either a dime or copper penny. I was elated to see shiny again at about the same depth, this time a 1944 Merc! And I was equally amused that I now had a double silver day just hours after bemoaning my lack of silver finds this year! I gotta complain about too few silvers more often!! :lol: A third Wheatie soon followed (dates were 1921, 1936, and 1940). Interestingly, all of these "keepers" were in a short 100' section of the curbstrip, and all were on the street side of the strip. Just makes me wonder if this particular section just kept getting skipped for some reason - the Indian had oddball numbers, but the other coins were all solid, certain signals. Anyway, I continued hunting for another hour or so, and just netted more clad, totalling $1.04 for the day.
 

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Congrats on the Indian head, silver, and wheats! You definitely had a great hunt... nice work! :waytogo:
 
Ben, first great strategy, nice change up and it netted you double silvers. See that, sometimes I think the squeaky wheel does get the grease. lol. Congrats on the silvers and the IHP and wheats. Its been a while since I've dug an Ihp. I think I've had one or two ring in high as 22-23. Under normal circumstances that's a wheatie if the tone is soft, a harsh and louder 22-23 usually a twist cap of some sort. I swear I'm going to start hunting curbstrips. Around here most old curbstrips are in less than stellar neighborhoods. That and the thought of confrontation with property owners is what has kept me from trying it. I might hit an old city park this morning. Good luck and I hope your on a silver streak. HH Mark
 
A double silver smile day. Nice job! šŸ˜€šŸ˜€ I like the way the Wheaties and the Indians clean up so well compared to chemically contaminated black swamp filled coins.
I have no problem walking up to a stranger's door knocking on it and asking permission. But to walk down random curb strips I have no confidence. I tried it once kept looking over my shoulder like I was doing something wrong. Looks like I will have to get over that!
 
Congratulations...regarding curbstrips, my experience has shown me that the outer edges are typically where "the good stuff" sits because of your exact observation. On the flip side I have also found my fair share of "old stuff" smack dab in the center of curbstripsā€¦.everyone's experience may vary:yes:. But I like to think of how some of these goodies find their way to the location of their recovery....was it a lemonade stand? Getting out of an old car...a group of folks conglomerating on a sidewalk "end cap"? Thinking about how the coins found their way is almost as fun as digging them.

Great job!
 
Ben, first great strategy, nice change up and it netted you double silvers. See that, sometimes I think the squeaky wheel does get the grease. lol. Congrats on the silvers and the IHP and wheats. Its been a while since I've dug an Ihp. I think I've had one or two ring in high as 22-23. Under normal circumstances that's a wheatie if the tone is soft, a harsh and louder 22-23 usually a twist cap of some sort.

Thanks Mark! Yep, the louder/shallower 22-23 targets definitely tend to be junk - twist cap, balled up can slaw, etc. This one wasnā€™t very deep (3-4ā€ down), so I strongly suspected junk - I spent a lot of time using my various checking techniques and it passed, but honestly, a lot of aluminum junk slips past my checks, too! Last thing I expected was an IHP - I figured maybe some sort of token or silver ring if it wasnā€™t junk. On a different day, I may well have decided to pass it up for junk! Glad I chose to dig it :cool3:
 
A double silver smile day. Nice job! šŸ˜€šŸ˜€ I like the way the Wheaties and the Indians clean up so well compared to chemically contaminated black swamp filled coins.

Thanks Dan! Iā€™ll take a double silver hunt everytime, for sure! The difference between the field and private yard coin clean up is amazing - not only does the end result look nicer, but it takes far less time to get them there, too!
 
I swear I'm going to start hunting curbstrips. Around here most old curbstrips are in less than stellar neighborhoods. That and the thought of confrontation with property owners is what has kept me from trying it. I might hit an old city park this morning. Good luck and I hope your on a silver streak. HH Mark

I have no problem walking up to a stranger's door knocking on it and asking permission. But to walk down random curb strips I have no confidence. I tried it once kept looking over my shoulder like I was doing something wrong. Looks like I will have to get over that!

I can definitely understand the reluctance to hunt curbstrips - I felt that way too, at first. In my area, Iā€™ve been fortunate I suppose - most folks seem to understand that the curbstrips are not their property. Iā€™ve only been ā€œconfrontedā€ a handful of times, and in each case the encounter ended on friendly terms - and sometimes with a new permission. I did have the police called on me once, by a resident who never confronted me directly except to yell from down the street - admittedly, I looked suspicious because I was hunting at night. The police came, were exceptionally friendly (and amused), and after talking to me for 10 minutes (mostly about detecting) they told me to ā€œcarry on - youā€™re just fine doing what youā€™re doingā€. Certainly, results will vary in other locations. All that said, Iā€™m pretty selective about what curb strips I hit and when, in an effort to minimize the potential for confrontation. I only hunt strips in areas that ā€œfeel friendlyā€ for lack of a better description - kind of a combination of gut feeling and profiling.

As Dan knows, Iā€™m not afraid to knock on doors, and I do it when my time permits. Curbstripping is just a way for me to get some productive hunting accomplished when time is at a premium. Iā€™ve been known to talk with a property owner for an hour or more when seeking permission...and sometimes thatā€™s all I have to hunt! Also, I treat curb stripping as a form of scouting - if I find a particularly productive strip, itā€™s a prime candidate to come back later and seek a full blown permission :yes:

Anyways, I highly recommend giving it a try - but I know it isnā€™t for everyone. And certainly not everyone agrees that itā€™s proper, and thatā€™s ok too :)
 
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