DIGGER27
In Memory Of
The other day I was driving around with the beautiful girlfriend on the way to her mother's house, which is near a park that I hunt from time to time.
I found one of my favorite finds at this park, so far, a large 1922 retail token.
The problem with this park is it is trashy...pop tops, screw tops, tabs and can slaw every few inches in some parts.
Like I said...trashy.
Still hit it, though, cause I figure something good has to be under this blanket of trash in this park that dates back to the early 20's.
Well, the GF and I were driving near there and we passed another smaller park that I did not know of.
Today, I hunted that park.
Took out the F2, I usually use this when I try a new site because it's fast and easy, and I can usually quickly find a bunch of stuff and get the lay of the land, and it has a smaller concentric coil which is a little easier in sites with tons of trash.
I figured this park would be just as trashy as the other one.
Once I figure out what is happening at a new site, I go back with the Vaq with the 12x10 DD and try to see what I can find with that one, too.
So I get out there very early since it gets pretty hot around here as the day progresses.
Parked the truck, took out the F2 knocked out iron only and went to work.
This is not a huge park, but plenty big enough to spend several hours hunting. A nice little place with a few picnic tables, a decent size play field and some good size grassy areas that are used for...whatever.
I started around the picnic table area, since they are under trees and cooler, and I figure people might hang out here a little more than some other areas.
Found some clad, dimes pennies, and I was shocked that there was not a super amount of trash, here.
Some, but actually a lot less than most public parks I usually hunt.
Alright!
Then, about 20 minutes in, I found a 1950's wheatie.
This was great, most of the sites I hit don't seem to have a ton of old stuff, or maybe that kind of stuff is there, but it is very difficult to get down to the area they probably hang out due to the heavy, crazy, mineralization we are unlucky enough to have here.
Even with my Vaq.
I spent a few hours hunting different places in this park and picked up a healthy amount of clad, a few quarters, several dimes, zinc pennies and and copper pennies, too.
A few copper pennies came in pretty high on the F2, 72-73-74, maybe a little higher.
This confused me because they usually come in as a dime signal, but high 60's, once in a while low 70's, but we had a nice rain last night and I have learned that all signals might come in wonky due to soil conditions and other reasons, and I dig all solid signals from foil on up, anyway.
These high number pennies were really, really cruddy, could not tell the year so I just stuck them in my right front treasure pocket and continued on.
I moved, to another section and lo and behold, I spied a small tot lot behind some tall fences that was on the property of a school I didn't even know was next to the park.
Alright again, my favorite place to hunt, especially a new one to me!
I walked around, found an open gate and made my way back to the equipment and started hunting.
Probably, spent an hour here, maybe two, when I am hunting I don't really keep track of time, and I am happy to say I think I found a virgin site because I found several nice trinkets like that big "B" in the picture below, and my last name starts with a B so cool, that military looking nice zinc pin, that copper little thingamajig, and clad.
Lots of clad...and mostly quarters, to boot.
About $6 in quarters as a matter of fact!
That was fun!
One signal, a nickel signal, was shallow and I popped up a ring!
Nickel signal, ring, I immediately thought gold!
Yippee!
However, it came out of the chips dirty like most of my targets do, but it would not clean off.
What the...?
Looked for a mark, but by this time I could see tarnishing and it was missing a stone of some kind but there were no prongs, just a cup.
Who in the H E double hockey sticks would make a ring out of nickel..or whatever this thing was made of.
Wasn't zinc, but it also wasn't gold, so in the pocket it goes and no happy dance for this one.
I was starting to get tired and the heat was coming on so I figured I had done this lot enough for now and I moved back into the park.
Spent a few more hours wandering around and managed to find a some more clad and a few other cool things.
That really old and cool key, that other key that evidently was on steroids, a fancy cap that went to something, and my second Alabama tax token like the one I found last year at another park.
These things were made in the late 30's and early 40's, were in circulation till 1961 when the state government discontinued their use since nobody wanted to hassle with these thing since they made them and put them in circulation.
This was old, and I did find some clad that dated back to 65-67, and a great sign that there might be some silver coins hanging around here.
Didn't find any this time but you know I'm going back here and I will find them one day.
Lack of self confidence has never been one of my problems.
Got home and threw the clad in my tumbler to clean them up a bit while I took a shower.
I always check closely after cleaning because you never know what you might miss in the field when you are in the heat of the hunt.
All I can say it is a good thing I did.
After I took the coins out of the tumbler I had quite a surprise!
Some of you might have seen a post of mine from a couple of weeks ago that had the story of my little CRH episode where I got 4 rolls of pennies from my daily run to the bank to look for wheaties.
I found 199 1943 steel pennies in those rolls, shocking to say the least!
Today, I have to figure that the MD gods seem to want to really make me work for silver and gold, lately, but steel pennies seem to be no problem.
Remember those really high numbers on those really cruddy pennies I mentioned earlier?
Now I know why they came in at those numbers.
I had dug 3 1943 plain steel war pennies!
I don't know about you, but I think this is a pretty neat thing since my wheatie finds are rare, and I have never dug one steel penny before today.
3 in one day from the same site?
Not even near each other, either.
Another great sign there might be some more older stuff hanging around!
I have decided to tell RyanChappell about this place, I am curious to see what his E-track will find here...I will tell him for the right price, that is!
Today's total...over a hundred coins and surprisingly, very little trash...
A new clad record of I believe $10.29...and a ton of fun and and a very promising new site to hunt in the future.
Hope you guys had a great day too!
HH
I found one of my favorite finds at this park, so far, a large 1922 retail token.
The problem with this park is it is trashy...pop tops, screw tops, tabs and can slaw every few inches in some parts.
Like I said...trashy.
Still hit it, though, cause I figure something good has to be under this blanket of trash in this park that dates back to the early 20's.
Well, the GF and I were driving near there and we passed another smaller park that I did not know of.
Today, I hunted that park.
Took out the F2, I usually use this when I try a new site because it's fast and easy, and I can usually quickly find a bunch of stuff and get the lay of the land, and it has a smaller concentric coil which is a little easier in sites with tons of trash.
I figured this park would be just as trashy as the other one.
Once I figure out what is happening at a new site, I go back with the Vaq with the 12x10 DD and try to see what I can find with that one, too.
So I get out there very early since it gets pretty hot around here as the day progresses.
Parked the truck, took out the F2 knocked out iron only and went to work.
This is not a huge park, but plenty big enough to spend several hours hunting. A nice little place with a few picnic tables, a decent size play field and some good size grassy areas that are used for...whatever.
I started around the picnic table area, since they are under trees and cooler, and I figure people might hang out here a little more than some other areas.
Found some clad, dimes pennies, and I was shocked that there was not a super amount of trash, here.
Some, but actually a lot less than most public parks I usually hunt.
Alright!
Then, about 20 minutes in, I found a 1950's wheatie.
This was great, most of the sites I hit don't seem to have a ton of old stuff, or maybe that kind of stuff is there, but it is very difficult to get down to the area they probably hang out due to the heavy, crazy, mineralization we are unlucky enough to have here.
Even with my Vaq.
I spent a few hours hunting different places in this park and picked up a healthy amount of clad, a few quarters, several dimes, zinc pennies and and copper pennies, too.
A few copper pennies came in pretty high on the F2, 72-73-74, maybe a little higher.
This confused me because they usually come in as a dime signal, but high 60's, once in a while low 70's, but we had a nice rain last night and I have learned that all signals might come in wonky due to soil conditions and other reasons, and I dig all solid signals from foil on up, anyway.
These high number pennies were really, really cruddy, could not tell the year so I just stuck them in my right front treasure pocket and continued on.
I moved, to another section and lo and behold, I spied a small tot lot behind some tall fences that was on the property of a school I didn't even know was next to the park.
Alright again, my favorite place to hunt, especially a new one to me!
I walked around, found an open gate and made my way back to the equipment and started hunting.
Probably, spent an hour here, maybe two, when I am hunting I don't really keep track of time, and I am happy to say I think I found a virgin site because I found several nice trinkets like that big "B" in the picture below, and my last name starts with a B so cool, that military looking nice zinc pin, that copper little thingamajig, and clad.
Lots of clad...and mostly quarters, to boot.
About $6 in quarters as a matter of fact!
That was fun!
One signal, a nickel signal, was shallow and I popped up a ring!
Nickel signal, ring, I immediately thought gold!
Yippee!
However, it came out of the chips dirty like most of my targets do, but it would not clean off.
What the...?
Looked for a mark, but by this time I could see tarnishing and it was missing a stone of some kind but there were no prongs, just a cup.
Who in the H E double hockey sticks would make a ring out of nickel..or whatever this thing was made of.
Wasn't zinc, but it also wasn't gold, so in the pocket it goes and no happy dance for this one.
I was starting to get tired and the heat was coming on so I figured I had done this lot enough for now and I moved back into the park.
Spent a few more hours wandering around and managed to find a some more clad and a few other cool things.
That really old and cool key, that other key that evidently was on steroids, a fancy cap that went to something, and my second Alabama tax token like the one I found last year at another park.
These things were made in the late 30's and early 40's, were in circulation till 1961 when the state government discontinued their use since nobody wanted to hassle with these thing since they made them and put them in circulation.
This was old, and I did find some clad that dated back to 65-67, and a great sign that there might be some silver coins hanging around here.
Didn't find any this time but you know I'm going back here and I will find them one day.
Lack of self confidence has never been one of my problems.
Got home and threw the clad in my tumbler to clean them up a bit while I took a shower.
I always check closely after cleaning because you never know what you might miss in the field when you are in the heat of the hunt.
All I can say it is a good thing I did.
After I took the coins out of the tumbler I had quite a surprise!
Some of you might have seen a post of mine from a couple of weeks ago that had the story of my little CRH episode where I got 4 rolls of pennies from my daily run to the bank to look for wheaties.
I found 199 1943 steel pennies in those rolls, shocking to say the least!
Today, I have to figure that the MD gods seem to want to really make me work for silver and gold, lately, but steel pennies seem to be no problem.
Remember those really high numbers on those really cruddy pennies I mentioned earlier?
Now I know why they came in at those numbers.
I had dug 3 1943 plain steel war pennies!
I don't know about you, but I think this is a pretty neat thing since my wheatie finds are rare, and I have never dug one steel penny before today.
3 in one day from the same site?
Not even near each other, either.
Another great sign there might be some more older stuff hanging around!
I have decided to tell RyanChappell about this place, I am curious to see what his E-track will find here...I will tell him for the right price, that is!
Today's total...over a hundred coins and surprisingly, very little trash...
A new clad record of I believe $10.29...and a ton of fun and and a very promising new site to hunt in the future.
Hope you guys had a great day too!
HH
Hey triple, I do the same thing.
