The dreaded number 53 !!

thommo59

Sr. Member
Mar 6, 2014
352
210
Australia
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Garrett AT PRO
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bigscoop

Gold Member
Jun 4, 2010
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Wherever there be treasure!
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When in doubt always dig. :thumbsup: Metal detecting is still a long way from being foolproof.
 

mikeraydj

Bronze Member
May 19, 2014
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Montana
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Tough it out. In the States gold can fall under ring pulls, zinc, and foil on my detector+ bottlecaps ring up like our quarters. I find a lot more of those than gold or quarters. I feel your pain, but you gotta keep digging.
 

dirtlooter

Gold Member
Jun 5, 2014
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mid western ARK
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you want the good stuff, you gotta dig the trash! just the way it is and yes it can really get old but the persistence will pay off, eventually!GL
 

OP
OP
T

thommo59

Sr. Member
Mar 6, 2014
352
210
Australia
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Bounty Hunter Tracker IV
Garrett AT PRO
Garrett Pro Pointer
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Yer,
I figured that to be the case, the only problem is the amount of #53's is ridiculous, some spots I could dig 100 holes in 20 square feet.
 

Jeremy S

Hero Member
Feb 27, 2012
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Yer,
I figured that to be the case, the only problem is the amount of #53's is ridiculous, some spots I could dig 100 holes in 20 square feet.


In that case I would find a better spot unless you were determined to eventually clean them all out. Have you tried a sniper or 5x8 coil? They are great for separating close together targets and finding the good stuff in the trash.

Pull rings/tabs can mask out some good targets on old properties so it may be worth digging and removing some there. Right now I am conducting an experiment where I am retrieving most tabs I come across and seeing what my ratio of tabs to nickels to gold is. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/garrett/427103-pro-pull-tab-nickel-gold-ratio-experiement.html

Currently I'm at 378 tabs (old style and new), 74 nickels, and 0 gold. I expect my final numbers to be closer to 1000 tabs to 1 gold. My experiment excludes beach hunting where the ratio is much better.
 

DDancer

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Mar 25, 2014
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I had similar problems around game fields there in Australia using my DFX. Like others are saying there's no good solution to it. What I did was just concentrate on higher tones/VDI's and checked depth on interesting numbers as a lot of the rings, tabs and caps show up pretty shallow. A 5 by 8 DD coil works well. Your silver coins, 5c to 50c, all show up in the junk range unfortunately. My GTI did better with these coins because it could show the size well enough to distinguish between ring tabs and coins~ nickles were a pain though.
Not really an answer for your AT but my experience.
 

madforclad

Full Member
May 7, 2014
195
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Hunting previously pounded sites
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Here in Canada a solid 53 is a nickel. It's also gold rings and some pull tabs. You have to dig it all to be sure.
 

lookindown

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Mar 11, 2010
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You have to pick your battles...some places have too many tabs to make it worthwhile to dig them all.
 

Msbeepbeep

Gold Member
Jun 24, 2012
15,787
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MA
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Dig! Because you don't know what else maybe there with that coin that the detector reads.
 

markbxr400

Tenderfoot
Aug 15, 2014
9
1
Lower Alabama
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Garrett AT Pro
Fisher F2
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I struggle with the same thing with my ATP. Anytime I see a solid 53 I dig. I've dug a million tabs, but recently did dig 2 nickels (first was a 1918 Buffalo nickel), and a gold ring from the same park.

I pulled out my Fisher F2 over the last couple of outings, and had forgotten how good it is at ID'ing coins. With the ATP, with the exception of pennies, I probably dig 5-10 pieces of trash for every coin. With the F2 I probably dig 5-10 coins for every piece of trash. However, I am digging deeper coins with the ATP.
 

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mikeraydj

Bronze Member
May 19, 2014
1,288
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Montana
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When I get a nickel hit I assume it is a pulltab on my F5. I am surprised when it is a nickel. I have to dig them cause gold hits there too. Like others have said , It is the price we pay for the good stuff. If I get too tired, I disc. them out and come back another day to get the rest. Trash is the rule and treasure the exception.
 

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