At what point would you discriminate out pennies?

Woody14

Jr. Member
Apr 3, 2007
91
0
Central New York
Detector(s) used
MXT
NEVER! Heck even some of the newer pennies could be the mother load :)
Such as the 1955 double die'd date. Good condition $825.
So you never know, get em all :)
 

swizzle

Sr. Member
May 3, 2003
457
94
upstate ny
The chance of getting a double die in the field isn't all that great. I think I've seen one post in the last 5 or 6 years where a guy found a double die. And how many of the newer zinc double dies would even be worth picking up in the wet sand, which is primarily where I hunt. I always hunt for double dies by picking up rolls at the bank and searching them with a good magnifying glass. The roll coins will always be in better condition then the ones I've seen come out of the wet sand after only 2 or 3 years of being tossed around by the waves. I'm not condemning anyone for digging up pennies. I'm more concerned with spending the extra digging time to improve my chances of uncovering a pocket of dimes and quarters or even an extra ring by the days end. We have a Walmarts that sells 25 or more detectors a year and it seems like they all hit the closest beach which is 20 minutes away. There's definately competition in the area for finds and the pennies may help to slow them down enough so that they miss the sweet spots I'm looking for. I'm not a speed hunter and I like to cover a decent amount of ground whenever I get a chance. If I was in the woods searching around a cellar hole then I would definately dig the penny signals. I guess its a matter of preferance and location. This year they are draining the lake down to fix the dam and I want to maximize the time I get out to play. It might not be this low again for another 77 years. Swizzle
 

Stainless Steet Rat

Jr. Member
May 15, 2006
60
0
I get readings of 55 to 68 for zinc pennys with most of them reading 62-65. I get high 50s on those thin(corroded) zincs so I don't ever notch them out I just ignore the signal if I am getting a lot of thin ones. Pull tabs are what I get tired of diggin but I like rings and nickels so I just can't ignore them.
 

Jack(IN)

Bronze Member
Jan 20, 2007
2,197
20
Indiana
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer XS-2, Garrett Ace 250
Never, larger gold rings

also hit in the penny range, hate to discriminate a zinc and the fellow behind me dig a mans gold ring!!
 

DFX-SE Gregg

Silver Member
Feb 6, 2007
2,865
251
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800 SE and DFX
Obviously this is a choice for you to make. I dig pennies because I keep a log and want to find over 5500 coins this year. The problem is even the wheats I find are usually in crappy condition. But the problem with skipping them is the penny may be part of a coin spill! There may be quartes, dimes, rings with it.
 

rayray3

Jr. Member
Jan 17, 2006
70
10
Northern WI
Detector(s) used
Minelab EX2, Ace 250, Garrett pinpointer
Funny this was brought up.

I did just this very thing today at a park. This park must have never been hunted. I couldn't take 1 step without finding 3-5 coins. I found so many pennys I decided to pass on em. The dates on all the coins were newer than 1975. It was raining light so i didn't have much time as i though, So i just went to the silver. I found more quarters than dimes and nickles. Pennys were on the surface many times I just gave up and went for the good stuff. Ended up with $5 bucks in change in less than two hours and I still didn't get em all.

So if its all newer change and your time is constrained, i think then as i did today, would discriminate pennies. I wouldn't do it if i had all the time in the world.
 

rcasi44

Full Member
Jul 24, 2006
143
0
NE Illinois
My first 14k man's band read as a zinc penny, around 57 on my MXT. My avatar ring which is really big also was in this range. I don't like the zincs but still dig them. Rob
 

Ray S ECenFL

Silver Member
Feb 17, 2007
2,536
20
East Central Florida WP
Detector(s) used
Whites XLT / M6
Personal choice.. My two cents worth:
If you are hunting a area that may have older coins, dig the pennies. If no olde coins are being found and tons of pennies, then that is the personal choice. Quite often I will pass up the pennies in an area that will not produce older coins, but if my XLT says penny/dime I will dig it. Have found silver ring that showed up as penny/dime. If it says bottle cap/penny, most likely I will not dig it unless it is very slow day.

Just my two cents...

Happy Hunting :D
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top