Statistics

Finnerman

Elite Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2012
Messages
510
Location
Arapahoe, NC
I was wondering today what the odds or ratios of pennies to nickels, to dimes and quarters might be. The reason I ask is that I am starting to find Wheat pennies in my yard from the mid 40s. It would stand to reason that there would be nickels dimes and quarters there too. I am up to 4 Wheaties but am zeroing in on what I think was an old home site previous to my current home (I have an acre and a half). There are many clues that I won't go into but along with the pennies, I found a piece of a gold and silver bracelet from the 40s. It's got me kind of excited that there might be more real goodies right here under my nose. I was just wondering what kind of ratios, loosely, do you guys see, or is it too random to quantify.
 
5 wheats to every silver coin. I find 10 to 20 wheats per silver when the club guys have cherry picked an area to death, sometimes they will leave a few mercs, as those come in like memorials. Wheats come in even lower, and get left behind in droves by this one quick hitter in particular. Out of 48 silver coins in 15 months, I found 3 halves (WLHs), 3 Quarters (1SLQ), 4 silver war nickels, 41 dimes (2 barbers, ~30 mercs, & ~ 9 rosies) and ~ aprox 200 wheats (give or take 50) I have not counted them all since I had 80 or so last fall.

No if you are looking for clad coin stats which I assume you are not, since you mentioned wheats, there are going to be a lot more quarters, probably like 1000 memorials, 120 quarters, 170 dimes, 40 nickels or something like that. The etrac is finding clad quarters and memorials almost as well as it is finding rusty nails, LOL!!!
 
Now that is very helpful! Thanks.

So for every 6 pennies you dig (roughly) you get 1 nickel, 2 dimes, and one quarter. I know its not completely accurate but that gives me a loose idea. Thanks.
 
When it comes to clad I have found that the ratio is about the same as when you save your pocket change in a jar. The ratio of penny's to nickles to dimes to quarters found with my detector is about the same as it is in my jar where I save my pocket change.

I tend to agree with RyanChappell as far as silver goes, but it is hard to say. In one yard I found 7 silver coins and about 18 wheat's so it really just depends on the spot. In another yard I found 3 silver quarters and 2 silver dimes but only 5 wheat's. Then I have gone to some places where I have found 10 or more wheat's and no silver at all.

I will say this though if you are finding any wheat's at all the chance of finding silver is always a high possibility. Cover every possible inch you will probably find silver, be sure to dig all the iffy signals that are 4.5 inches or deeper or you may miss the silver.

My stats are below in my signature and averages bout 6 wheats to 1 silver as RyanChappell stated.
 
While finding the gold and silver bracelet piece in my yard was more than I ever expected, I have more confidence than ever that there is more silver at least. I read a recent tread that stated front yards were generally better places than back and so far that has been very true in mine. There is still plenty of weird stuff there too though.
 
I tend to agree with RyanChappell as far as silver goes, but it is hard to say. In one yard I found 7 silver coins and about 18 wheat's so it really just depends on the spot. In another yard I found 3 silver quarters and 2 silver dimes but only 5 wheat's. Then I have gone to some places where I have found 10 or more wheat's and no silver at all.

Statistics are generally a reflection of what to expect long term, but you can ask yourself why has this sites statistics been skewed
 
Statistics are generally a reflection of what to expect long term, but you can ask yourself why has this sites statistics been skewed

You might like a book titled "The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives" by Leonard Mlodinow.


I track many things in my life, with spreadsheets, notes & journals, et cetera, because I find it enjoyable. Some have suggested that I can be too meticulous. My response is a lighthearted request for their definition of what is 'too meticulous.'

There are many factors that come into play when we interpret the ratios of our finds. There is the amount of time spent detecting, localities detected, history of the region, distractions while detecting, did we have a good meal or enough water beforehand, and the list goes on. The fact that some of us keep track of our finds and then post them (either via signature or in replies to threads like this) is, for some, another pleasurable facet of the hobby.

Another reason I enjoy seeing stats of metal detecting is because I'm rather competitive. I'd bet Jamflicker had no idea I was paying close attention to his signature this year to motivate myself to best him come year's end. Probably not going to happen with regards to total silver coins found, but it's fun to try nonetheless.

Here's a pic of my finds from a wet sand hunt last night and early morning park hunt:

8-15 & 8-16-2012 Finds.jpg

Here are my 2012 stats (clad only) to date [8/16/2012 1508 PST]:

FMDF Stats Post.jpg

Happy hunting!
 
my findings...

I agree very much with the previous post... I find that my order of coin finds tend to be mostly pennies, then dimes, then quarters, and i find the least number of nickels.
 
Idk

I don't know what your swinging. But you can't ignore the penny /dime signals. Silver will fall in that area. If it were me , I would dig anything that has a half decent sound. Sounds like there is potential for more goodies. As for statistics , it seams like 5 to 1 . Five wheats to 1 silver, for me. This means hunting in a spot that is not hit super hard. Obviously, that number changes, the more hunted a place is. I would grid and pick everything.
 
Swinging a CTX3030 but am relatively new. I have wrote about my yard in a thread I started. It is actually one of the most interesting and challenging places I hunt. At 1.5 acres it will keep me busy for a long time. I found my 5th (in my yard) wheaty today so I am counting on my yard being one of those 6:1 places. :) I dig pretty much any thing that has a solid signal and many things that don't. I am amazed at some of the things I find. I am saving it all and plan to post a pic at the end of the year.

@Fred Sanford, it is not possible to pic everything, there is just too much. If I disc out iron and only dig some pull tab signals, I can actually make some headway. I love pennies and dimes so anything that comes even close gets dug.
 
I couldn't tell you the frequency of pennies, nickels, dimes or quarters, as I don't chase clad. I dig it when I come across it...I do get a silver for every 3 or 4 wheats, and seek the wheaties out for that reason:lol:...
 
Still no silver in the yard but I did find a nice gold ring at the beach today. Maybe the mojo worked better than expected! THanks!
 
I checked my 2011 results as I also keep track of the different coins. I think if you compare mine with the others posted above, you'll see some pretty close relationships.
Quarter 1965> 15.47%
Silver Quarter 0.00%
Dime 1964> 26.27%
Silver Dime 0.17%
Nickel 6.59%
Penny 48.98%
Wheat Penny 2.51%
 
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