Seeking Wisdom Here....

mofo5

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Jan 4, 2007
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Hello all,

My first post here.  I have a problem, and I am seeking the collective wisdom of those who gather here.

In 1986, I was 9 years old and a upstart numismatist.  My dear mother bought me several nice coins (a few walking liberty halves, some mercury dimes, buffalo nickles, franklin halves etc. about 10 coins in all)and a few old paper dollars.  I loved and cherished these so much, that I decided to bury them in my backyard.  I put them in a 12"Wx10"Hx5"D plastic miner's box and buried them.  20 years later, I want to dig them up now.  My problem is that I know that the box is buried in my backyard, in 1 of several places.  I am just not sure where exactly.  Does anyone have any suggestions on finding such a thing?

I am fairly ill-prepared to look for this detector-wise.  I am using what I have available, an OLD Jetco GTX Huntmaster.  It has helped me find some large rocks so far, but I'm worried it won't detect the silver that's approx. 15" underground and underplastic.

UPDATE: I just tried simulating the conditions the coins would be buried in (under at least 6 inches of dirt and thick plastic) to see if the Jetco would show anything. Unfortunately, it did not.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks. 
 
Where are you located?, Perhaps a detector in your area with a more powerful machine would give you a hand. Most of us would jump at the chance especially if there's free beer involved :lol:
 
I'm in Wayne County, West Virginia.  I would gladly give someone $50 to scan the areas I believe it's in.  I don't think my Jetco Huntmaster is good for finding anything besides underground pipes and rocks.
 
Im more than happy to help. I am in cabel county in Huntington. As previous poster said, no charge, just beer............I wont post my number here, but PM me, cant be more than a 30 minute drive.
 
50 dollars worth of beer.................J/k..........but you said 15 inches in original post then mentioned 6 inches?
 
Is Wayne County where Logan is located? I used to live in Point Pleasant, and my best friend is from Logan.

Trudy
 
beerdoodle: I honestly don't know how deep it is. I was a kid, and I couldn't have buried it very deep back then, but in 20 years, it could've sank. Just not sure.

Scrltt641: Wayne Co. is northwest of Logan Co. by about 50-60 miles (I think).
 
The Jetco will never find it. They were not very good when they were new back in the 60's and 70's. You will need a decent detector that can run in all metal to get the target that deep. You could run in discrimination first to see if it is closer to the surface or just go right for it in all metal. The size of this target should help since larger targets are usually found a t deeper depthss than a single coin. I would suggest at least a Tesoro Cibola bu the Tesoro Tejon is a great detector also.
 
Mofo,

Why not call a metal detecting club in your area and see if they would be interested in trying to find it for you.
 
Well, I have received 2 offers to help, so I think we'll soon be searching for it. Yes, the Jetco is completely useless, unless you want to find a coin that is on the surface. I am not sure, but I don't think there are any local metal detecting clubs. I will have to research that. Thanks for all the advice, and I'll be sure to post any updates (I hope!).
 
I wish you luck Mofo! On a good note, it is a cool challenge to find what you buried 20 years ago and I can only imagine how delighted you will be when you find it :lol:
 
Today, mxtswinger came by and did some serious detecting (3+ hours in 40 degree weather). He found a LOT of junk where I thought I buried it. I mean a lot of junk. Garden hose fitting, toy gun trigger assembly with the plastic gun attached, an old toothpaste tube, random metal pieces, a couple of matchbox cars and many other strange items. He also found 98 cents (I think, 3 quarters, 2 dimes and 3 pennies). Very very cool of him to come down and look, and I really can't thank him enough.

I really appreciate it mxt! You're a really cool guy!

The search goes on....
 
I was lucky enough to have mxtswinger come down again and give it another shot. We once again found numerous items, however no yellow box. I think my best bet is to set up a 10x10 grid with some stakes and twine, and using a long probe, probe into the ground every 4-5" (as this was the approx. width). If I do this enough, I may just get lucky! :(

Once again, thank you mxtswinger!

When indeed I do find it, I'll be sure to post.
 
Mofo5, I would suggest that you go to the nearest store to you that sells Metal Detectors and
rent one that is powerful enough to penetrate at least two or three foot down.
I have a Garrett machine that will do that with no problem and there are many more on the market that will do it. Also, I do not think that the fact that the coins are in a plastic box will interfere with a good Detector finding them. If you would rather someone else dig your coins up for you, then I would
suggest that you contact the nearest Treasure Hunting Club and tell them what you need.
Just about All Treasure Hunters are Good Ole Boys and they will have your coins dug up and in your hands in no time. Happy Hunting
Texdon
 
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