AirmetTango
Forum Supporter
The beans and corn has started coming down in my area over the last couple weeks, so naturally I took a few opportunities to hunt some new field permissions....and basically found more pull tabs and beer cans than I’ve come across in most parks! Across three days of field hunts, my only keepers literally were a brass buckle (admittedly a pretty cool find) and a 1945 Wheatie.
So when fellow forum member Dan B. gave me the heads up that one of my reliable fields had just gotten chisel plowed, I wasn't ashamed to tuck tail and retreat to the safety of a known producer. The very next day, time was short, but I got out there with a solid 30 minutes to hunt. I usually grid the site, but this time I decided to use the “drunken sailor” technique and just wandered around to get a random sample of how many new targets the plow churned up. Well, for 20 minutes I struggled to get any signals that were even remotely repeatable - unusual for this field. Running out of time, I worked my bumble-bee zigzag line back toward the car. I reached the edge of the field near the road - the farmer seemed to plow just a foot or so more than in previous years, so I worked that line back toward the car.
I soon got over a slamming mid-tone, but bouncy. I learned a long time ago in this field...dig it all. So I did - sure enough, can slaw. Within about 10-15 feet of the road now, that was almost inevitable.
I swung for another few feet, and got over another slamming mid-tone. This one solid in all directions like no other signal in the field so far, a 51-53 on the VDI. And shallow...the sound and depth meter both implied this was pretty much on the surface. Could be a nickel, but just as often those numbers end up being a piece of a can or nondescript bit of metal. Reluctant to dug, I just scuffed away the soybean husks and top layer of dirt with my boot. Swung the coil over it again, and wow! Solid 53 in all directions, and blaringly loud...53 is a classic nickel signal on the Max, but still could be slaw. I knelt down, and the pinpointer sounded off right at the surface...I brushed away some more dirt with my hand, and out popped a coin! An 1889 V nickel, and my 3rd V out of this field this year!
I barely turned around, and hit on another solid tone, this one mostly a high-tone, but teetering on the edge of mid-tone. A quick dig revealed a nice green Indian - it’s a little crusty around the date, but best guess is 1898
The other keeper for the day was the gilt corset fastener, which amused my wife greatly. Earlier this year I found a heel plate that, among other possibilities, could be associated with a “lady of the night”...my wife refers to it as my “hooker shoe” So, with the corset fastener, her reaction was “wow, you’re gradually putting together an impressive metal-detecting girlfriend outfit there”. I guess I better go buy some flowers, eh?? She’s officially jealous of my detector! Anyways, I manage to find an ad from 1908 showing the exact same fastener (see pics below)
The next day I hit the field again with more time, and this time invited Dan B. out with his new Nox. We spent a couple hours in the field and I again struggled to get over any reliable signals. I dug a few small brass, lead, and copper doo-dads, but nothing noteable until time was running out again. I had to pick my youngest up from pre-school, and my alarm had already gone off to signal me that it was time to work my way back to the car. Reluctant to leave without a decent find, I worked that same “extra foot” plow line a short distance past my car, and ended up hitting an inconsistent, bouncy signal that stayed mostly in the high-tone range, but dipped into the mid- and even low- tone range. If it were in a yard, I doubt I’d dig it - but today, in this field, it was as good a tone as any. I dug it, and was pleased to see a crusty green penny sized coin pop out. I quit while I was ahead, and promptly wrapped up! It cleaned up nicely as a worn 1881 Indian
Dan didn’t have much luck this time, either (although this field previously yielded his oldest coin find to date). Don’t feel too bad for him though...he went to a different field after leaving this one, and pulled up a sweet half dime :
My Nox Found A Half Dime thread
So when fellow forum member Dan B. gave me the heads up that one of my reliable fields had just gotten chisel plowed, I wasn't ashamed to tuck tail and retreat to the safety of a known producer. The very next day, time was short, but I got out there with a solid 30 minutes to hunt. I usually grid the site, but this time I decided to use the “drunken sailor” technique and just wandered around to get a random sample of how many new targets the plow churned up. Well, for 20 minutes I struggled to get any signals that were even remotely repeatable - unusual for this field. Running out of time, I worked my bumble-bee zigzag line back toward the car. I reached the edge of the field near the road - the farmer seemed to plow just a foot or so more than in previous years, so I worked that line back toward the car.
I soon got over a slamming mid-tone, but bouncy. I learned a long time ago in this field...dig it all. So I did - sure enough, can slaw. Within about 10-15 feet of the road now, that was almost inevitable.
I swung for another few feet, and got over another slamming mid-tone. This one solid in all directions like no other signal in the field so far, a 51-53 on the VDI. And shallow...the sound and depth meter both implied this was pretty much on the surface. Could be a nickel, but just as often those numbers end up being a piece of a can or nondescript bit of metal. Reluctant to dug, I just scuffed away the soybean husks and top layer of dirt with my boot. Swung the coil over it again, and wow! Solid 53 in all directions, and blaringly loud...53 is a classic nickel signal on the Max, but still could be slaw. I knelt down, and the pinpointer sounded off right at the surface...I brushed away some more dirt with my hand, and out popped a coin! An 1889 V nickel, and my 3rd V out of this field this year!
I barely turned around, and hit on another solid tone, this one mostly a high-tone, but teetering on the edge of mid-tone. A quick dig revealed a nice green Indian - it’s a little crusty around the date, but best guess is 1898
The other keeper for the day was the gilt corset fastener, which amused my wife greatly. Earlier this year I found a heel plate that, among other possibilities, could be associated with a “lady of the night”...my wife refers to it as my “hooker shoe” So, with the corset fastener, her reaction was “wow, you’re gradually putting together an impressive metal-detecting girlfriend outfit there”. I guess I better go buy some flowers, eh?? She’s officially jealous of my detector! Anyways, I manage to find an ad from 1908 showing the exact same fastener (see pics below)
The next day I hit the field again with more time, and this time invited Dan B. out with his new Nox. We spent a couple hours in the field and I again struggled to get over any reliable signals. I dug a few small brass, lead, and copper doo-dads, but nothing noteable until time was running out again. I had to pick my youngest up from pre-school, and my alarm had already gone off to signal me that it was time to work my way back to the car. Reluctant to leave without a decent find, I worked that same “extra foot” plow line a short distance past my car, and ended up hitting an inconsistent, bouncy signal that stayed mostly in the high-tone range, but dipped into the mid- and even low- tone range. If it were in a yard, I doubt I’d dig it - but today, in this field, it was as good a tone as any. I dug it, and was pleased to see a crusty green penny sized coin pop out. I quit while I was ahead, and promptly wrapped up! It cleaned up nicely as a worn 1881 Indian
Dan didn’t have much luck this time, either (although this field previously yielded his oldest coin find to date). Don’t feel too bad for him though...he went to a different field after leaving this one, and pulled up a sweet half dime :
My Nox Found A Half Dime thread
Attachments
-
8F39D863-37C2-4F6C-ABEF-BD759BFEF1DC.jpg98.3 KB · Views: 378
-
CECAD627-74F1-4F29-BA4E-07EA8695402E.jpg95.6 KB · Views: 348
-
404C859F-3D4B-4A96-8E93-8812D957EDEE.jpg87 KB · Views: 362
-
3C185959-317B-4DF6-A63F-15026D571308.jpg86.6 KB · Views: 351
-
31B30725-C942-4044-8F62-67E098139ECA.jpg82.5 KB · Views: 349
-
30E5F240-43BD-4773-A8F2-E121FF01B138.jpg51.8 KB · Views: 352