Railroad Pennies

davedude · Dec 3, 2019

There is one spot by some railroad tracks where I find what looks like pennies that have been put on the track and smashed flat. Been there twice and found two each time.

Oh but wait---there is something still legible on this one!

The edge really gives it away--someone put a dime on the track!

SoOregonMd · Dec 3, 2019

Cool .. I love finding railroad pennies..
Once found a railroad Dime !

davedude · Dec 3, 2019

SoOregonMd said:
Cool .. I love finding railroad pennies..
Once found a railroad Dime !

Some of the oldest ground in this area is alongside railroad tracks laid down in the 1800's. But the modern trash is just sooooooooooo dense there its frustrating. At least the railroad pennies/dimes keep my hunts there from being a total disaster. The two that look chewed on were thrown into a gravel parking lot and run over a couple times. The nice flat ones I found in grassy areas.
I'm actually planning on going back there with my new-to-me nox800 and see if I can do better, maybe find a railroad quarter.

KOB · Dec 3, 2019

As a kid growing up on the beach in the 60s we would put a few pennies on tracks. We would probably retrieve about half of the flattened out ones. It was exciting !

jimther · Dec 4, 2019

I have a couple of railroad Jefferson nickels, but no pennies or dimes.

Skwerly · Dec 4, 2019

haha, we used to do that as kids. Dad taught us the trick.

GKL · Dec 4, 2019

What are the dates ? …...you didn't tell us any dates ! :laughing:

(just being funny :lol:

)

jack&jill · Dec 4, 2019

Those are neat finds Dave. I have never found a Railroad Penny but did dig a Railroad Jefferson Nickel. Trapper

davidlhyde63366 · Dec 4, 2019

railroad pennies

davedude said:
There is one spot by some railroad tracks where I find what looks like pennies that have been put on the track and smashed flat. Been there twice and found two each time.

View attachment 454603

Oh but wait---there is something still legible on this one!

View attachment 454604

The edge really gives it away--someone put a dime on the track!

View attachment 454605

I recall doing that as a kid :laughing:

davedude · Dec 5, 2019

KOB said:
As a kid growing up on the beach in the 60s we would put a few pennies on tracks. We would probably retrieve about half of the flattened out ones. It was exciting !

I did that too but never found one afterwards.

I have a couple of railroad Jefferson nickels, but no pennies or dimes.

I dont know why but I always thought just pennies were put on tracks. Got my two brain cells going again and now remember putting small rocks on the track in a long line and seeing them destroyed in puffs of dust... makes sense now for anything to be tested.

haha, we used to do that as kids. Dad taught us the trick.

Cool Dad!

What are the dates ? …...you didn't tell us any dates !
(just being funny )

19xx?

Those are neat finds Dave. I have never found a Railroad Penny but did dig a Railroad Jefferson Nickel. Trapper
12-04-19 04:06 PM

Thank you Trapper. I would love to see a nickel done so, am going to have to go back there now and see if I can find one! :-)

I recall doing that as a kid

Me too.

KOB · Dec 5, 2019

None of us would put anything over a penny on the tracks , that was too much $ back then. We would stand about 8' away as the train passed and watch where they would land. Amazed I wasn't sucked into the train ! Maybe I was and didn't know it....lol....

Wolf-Dog · Dec 5, 2019

Those are cool finds! :grin:

davedude · Dec 9, 2019

KOB said:
None of us would put anything over a penny on the tracks , that was too much $ back then. We would stand about 8' away as the train passed and watch where they would land. Amazed I wasn't sucked into the train ! Maybe I was and didn't know it....lol....

I heard that, me neither. Glad you did not have contact with the train too.

Those are cool finds!

Thanks WD.

My curb strip hunt this past saturday was a total bust, beyond miserable but I did find dollar coin #14 FTY. My back up honey hole had about a million people on it so I went back to the train tracks just to see if I could find another one.
Took about 5 minutes.

This one is different, it's bigger than a penny or dime.

Weighs about what a clad quarter weighs.

Check that edge. A railroad quarter!

After I found that I of course went looking for more. Did not find any but sure did think I found a Morgan silver dollar a couple times only to dig up a chuck of copper or aluminum. Dang. There is serious industial trash along a railroad track for sure.

GLASSHOPPER1955 · Dec 9, 2019

I like filming trains. I recently put a penny on the track and after the train went by I couldn't even find it. Maybe I should tape it down, lol. :lol:

davedude · Dec 10, 2019

GLASSHOPPER1955 said:
I like filming trains. I recently put a penny on the track and after the train went by I couldn't even find it. Maybe I should tape it down, lol.

Thank you glasshopper, made me laugh! :laughing:

I never found one I put on the track either. I'm thinking maybe put 15 or so on and have your detector ready. Should turn up one or two maybe?

You know I'm betting somebody squashed some silver by train back in the day...

k2gleaner · Dec 10, 2019

If it was a dime, then it was a wealthy kid, you know, from the right side of the tracks.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

mitch333 · Dec 10, 2019

I lived a half block from the tracks and we did it all the time. What I don't understand, is how you can not find them after being run over. We knew all the drivers tho, they knew we were doing it and the train was barely moving cause they were switching cars in that area, they'd even give us rides. But, doesn't it make it hard to find them with all the iron in the same location?

diggin4clad · Dec 11, 2019

Kids did that even back in the old days when I was a kid. I had very little money then so I never put any of my coins on the tracks.

mitch333 · Dec 11, 2019

Kids did that even back in the old days when I was a kid.

It was pre 1954 when we were doing it.

GLASSHOPPER1955 · Dec 11, 2019

mitch333 said:
What I don't understand, is how you can not find them after being run over.

When the train is flying at 40+mph with 100 cars, the coins fly off the track and end up somewhere in the rocks or somewhere. It's a cross-country route and these trains usually are really moving.

Railroad Pennies

davedude

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SoOregonMd

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davedude

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KOB

jimther

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Skwerly

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GKL

jack&jill

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davidlhyde63366

davedude

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KOB

Wolf-Dog

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davedude

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davedude

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GLASSHOPPER1955

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