CallMeGrey
Forum Supporter
Stopped to ask a permission last night. The place was once the town saloon back in the 1800's. The old guy laughed when I asked. Then he proceeded to tell me about a friend of his who did metal detecting in the 80's till about 15 yrs ago. He said the guy went every evening for 2-3 hours and had "really expensive equipment". The guy did the former saloon about a dozen times. He also told me his dad (born in 1915) would ride with the guy and tell him where old houses used to be and tell him the history of other places. He said the guy did everything in a 30 mile radius that has any history.
Explains why I haven't found anything older than a 1945 penny. We all know that a lot of places have been hit hard in the last 40-50 yrs, but to hear a first hand account of "my" territory was disheartening to say the least. The small rural village (pop of about 1400) I live in was first settled in the mid 1800's and I've hit 5 permissions so far with no results (3 modern coins). (I picked what I thought were the oldest - and turns out all hit by the former detector.)
So now I'm trying to come up with a new strategy. Physical limitations limit me to the immediate area pretty much - and 2-3 hours at a time. Doesn't pay to drive an hour one way, detect for an hour, and drive back for another hour. So I need to find some likely places that aren't good enough to have been on his radar. Would really like to find some old coins.
Also, I'm calling the former guy "Jerry" - just so I can curse him every night!
Explains why I haven't found anything older than a 1945 penny. We all know that a lot of places have been hit hard in the last 40-50 yrs, but to hear a first hand account of "my" territory was disheartening to say the least. The small rural village (pop of about 1400) I live in was first settled in the mid 1800's and I've hit 5 permissions so far with no results (3 modern coins). (I picked what I thought were the oldest - and turns out all hit by the former detector.)
So now I'm trying to come up with a new strategy. Physical limitations limit me to the immediate area pretty much - and 2-3 hours at a time. Doesn't pay to drive an hour one way, detect for an hour, and drive back for another hour. So I need to find some likely places that aren't good enough to have been on his radar. Would really like to find some old coins.
Also, I'm calling the former guy "Jerry" - just so I can curse him every night!