Jason in Enid
Elite Member
A co-worker recently saw me while I out metal detecting a curb strip and stopped to talk. He knew I was a detectorist but stopped to see how the hunt was going. He told me that he had a vacant property right around the corner that was being cleaned up and that I was welcome to come hunt it. I was excited for the chance at a new property but it would have to wait since I was out of time for the day.
I spent some that that night researching the spot. The house was built in 1930 but the other houses around it had been built in the 1920s to teens. More than old enough for silver, and even old enough for gold. It was a small yard, but I have learned over the years that size doesn't really have a bearing on what it holds.
My plan for today was to start out digging just high conductors. This would give me an idea to whether there was promise here or not. I started out on the curb-strip portion which actually comprises about half of the front yard. Immediately I realized that this was going to be a lot of work. The ground was filled with low conductor trash and surface clad. Since there was no rush I began working my way though, overlapping each pass. Picking up all the surface trash as well as digging all the coin signals; always hoping for silver or at least a wheat.
Hole after hole produced and clad. Some of the clad was deep too, which is always a bit worrying. Then I hit the first wheat cent. A 1958 which is barely squeeking under the wire to still be a wheat, but if it had been a dime it would been silver. Hey, you got to keep looking at the positive side! The curb-strip completed, my finds were pretty disappointing. Moving up to the private side of the yard gave up another wheatie in quick order and this one was from the 20s so a very good sign.
A few more feet and I hit a really high VDI, bouncing from a quarter to a half-dollar but it was really shallow. Unfortunately it was really shallow so I was expecting a clad quarter. When I flipped the plug I saw that beautiful silvery-white edge of a coin sticking out of the clod. I was overjoyed when I pulled it out and saw I had a 1939 silver Washington quarter! I was hoping this was a sign of more to come, but I finished the entire front and side yards with only 2 wheats and the silver quarter. Now, any hunt that produces silver is a good hunt in my book, but the old finds were pretty scant and I had hoped for more. My thought is that someone had hit the curb-strip in the past.
High-tone pass completed, I went back and started over, hunting at 90 degrees to the first search and this time digging everything nickel and higher. More trash and more trash, there must have been an entire 6-pack of cans shredded and buried around the yard. As I cleared out more surface trash I began to hear deep high-tones missed before. I began pulling more and more wheaties and eventually hit a 1942 Jefferson nickel and then a 1938 Buffalo nickel.
I finished the hunt with a dozen wheat cents, 1 Buffalo nickel, 2 tokens and the silver quarter. Even though no more silver showed up during the second search, I removed a LOT of shallow trash and clad. I plan on letting the spot sit for a few days. We are supposed to get a couple inches of rain over the coming weekend. I hope to hit the yard again while the soil is good and damp. Maybe it will help reveal more silver. I also plan on going over it with the CTX after I'm done hunting it with the Eqiunox. Different technologies can show different targets so its always good to cross-hunt a site if you have the opportunity.
Good luck and happy hunting! - silverfiend
This blog and all my others on my website. http://thesilverfiend.com/
I spent some that that night researching the spot. The house was built in 1930 but the other houses around it had been built in the 1920s to teens. More than old enough for silver, and even old enough for gold. It was a small yard, but I have learned over the years that size doesn't really have a bearing on what it holds.
My plan for today was to start out digging just high conductors. This would give me an idea to whether there was promise here or not. I started out on the curb-strip portion which actually comprises about half of the front yard. Immediately I realized that this was going to be a lot of work. The ground was filled with low conductor trash and surface clad. Since there was no rush I began working my way though, overlapping each pass. Picking up all the surface trash as well as digging all the coin signals; always hoping for silver or at least a wheat.
Hole after hole produced and clad. Some of the clad was deep too, which is always a bit worrying. Then I hit the first wheat cent. A 1958 which is barely squeeking under the wire to still be a wheat, but if it had been a dime it would been silver. Hey, you got to keep looking at the positive side! The curb-strip completed, my finds were pretty disappointing. Moving up to the private side of the yard gave up another wheatie in quick order and this one was from the 20s so a very good sign.
A few more feet and I hit a really high VDI, bouncing from a quarter to a half-dollar but it was really shallow. Unfortunately it was really shallow so I was expecting a clad quarter. When I flipped the plug I saw that beautiful silvery-white edge of a coin sticking out of the clod. I was overjoyed when I pulled it out and saw I had a 1939 silver Washington quarter! I was hoping this was a sign of more to come, but I finished the entire front and side yards with only 2 wheats and the silver quarter. Now, any hunt that produces silver is a good hunt in my book, but the old finds were pretty scant and I had hoped for more. My thought is that someone had hit the curb-strip in the past.
High-tone pass completed, I went back and started over, hunting at 90 degrees to the first search and this time digging everything nickel and higher. More trash and more trash, there must have been an entire 6-pack of cans shredded and buried around the yard. As I cleared out more surface trash I began to hear deep high-tones missed before. I began pulling more and more wheaties and eventually hit a 1942 Jefferson nickel and then a 1938 Buffalo nickel.
I finished the hunt with a dozen wheat cents, 1 Buffalo nickel, 2 tokens and the silver quarter. Even though no more silver showed up during the second search, I removed a LOT of shallow trash and clad. I plan on letting the spot sit for a few days. We are supposed to get a couple inches of rain over the coming weekend. I hope to hit the yard again while the soil is good and damp. Maybe it will help reveal more silver. I also plan on going over it with the CTX after I'm done hunting it with the Eqiunox. Different technologies can show different targets so its always good to cross-hunt a site if you have the opportunity.
Good luck and happy hunting! - silverfiend
This blog and all my others on my website. http://thesilverfiend.com/
