22 wheats and no silver? SILVER TODAY!

Tom Bigbee

Sr. Member
Feb 17, 2009
354
136
Miss/ Ala
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1266X
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I have been hunting a elementary school built about 1960. I have found 22 wheat cents, lots of clad dimes and quarters but not the first silver coin. I have never seen anyone else hunting there. I have never owned a screen machine... one that tells you exactly what the target is. Are there detectors that tell you when you have a silver target? Is it possible someone has searched the school and only dug the silver coins? I'm not sure just exactly what these new machines are capable of. It's kind of hard to believe that those upper class kids didn't loose any silver rosies. I buried a merc about 6'' deep, same depth as most of the wheaties and got a good signal.
 

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TORRERO

30+ YEARS, XP DEUS I & II ARE MY GO TO MACHINES
Nov 17, 2004
1,672
1,074
NC
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Re: 22 wheats and no silver?

Something that I have not seen here, pointed out, and for some reason many treasure hunters I have
spoken with in the past seem to miss or overlook is the fact that Metal Detectors have been around
in the public sector for coin hunting for more than 40 years, and all schools, churches, old home sites,
public building, play areas, picnic areas, etc. etc. etc. have had anyone with a detector open access to these places....
I hear people say "I've never seen anyone there metal detecting" and people assume this somehow means it's a virgin site.
Which I think is laughable....
I have been hunting for more than 30 years, and there are some Churches I hunted 20 years ago where I found some really good stuff, the 2 or 3 times I hunted it....
But if you were to go there today and ask locals, do you really think someone is going to tell you...
I saw a guy 20 years ago dig a bunch of stuff out of here....
Or will they say.. I have lived here for 10 years and I have never seen anyone here with a machine...
My guese is this place has been hunted many times in the past, and a lot of silver and wheats where
dug here years ago, what he is getting now is stuff left behind from those that came before...
Because for me the numbers don't add up....

1960 school in session for 9 months out of the year with hundreds of kids running around ?
there would be thousands of coins and hundreds of wheats....

I say he is just reworking a site aready worked...
and he will eventualy get some silver in time...
 

Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
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Re: 22 wheats and no silver?

I think someone else hit the mark. The school hasn't been there long enough. When I first started I tried a local school built in the early sixties and found only a couple of silver dimes. I hit the old high school/junior high school that was built just before WWII and found several silver quarters and dimes. The ratio was large enough to figure out the difference other than just chance. Monty
 

flakefinder

Bronze Member
Jul 21, 2010
1,151
161
Michigan
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2 Garrett AT Pro
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Re: 22 wheats and no silver?

Tom Bigbee said:
I have been hunting a elementary school built about 1960. I have found 22 wheat cents, lots of clad dimes and quarters but not the first silver coin. I have never seen anyone else hunting there. I have never owned a screen machine... one that tells you exactly what the target is. Are there detectors that tell you when you have a silver target? Is it possible someone has searched the school and only dug the silver coins? I'm not sure just exactly what these new machines are capable of. It's kind of hard to believe that those upper class kids didn't loose any silver rosies. I buried a merc about 6'' deep, same depth as most of the wheaties and got a good signal.
I have a site that was built in the late 1800's and have not found any sliver but clad, but I have found about 30 wheat pennys. I know there is sliver there I will just keep looking and hope I find it.
 

Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
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Re: 22 wheats and no silver?

I am always ssurprised when I strike silver. It is not always expected. If I find wheat pennies I don't necessarily expect silver. But sometimes I do. M :dontknow: nty
 

Sandman

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Aug 6, 2005
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Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
Primary Interest:
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Re: 22 wheats and no silver?

The older detectors might not have had a screen to tell numbers but some had meters with a needle to show signal strength. Back when silver coins went out of production people still lost them. Hunters with those old detectors found silver easy because it was shallow, and highly conductive. We used higher disc so we only heard the silver ones. Still we missed a lot of coins that were on edge or masked by iron. Bush grew up where it wasn't before and the roots are now hiding the silver. Its still there, only it now takes more work to find it and when you do you have really accomplished something. Sorta like getting a smile from the head cheerleader when you were in high school. She still wouldn't go out with you, but you felt better.
 

Monty

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Jan 26, 2005
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Sand Springs, OK
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Re: 22 wheats and no silver?

Speaking of head cheerleader..... I had a long talk with ours at my last class reunion. I had a crush on her ever since 6th grade. I only asked her out once and she said no, but I found out she had some obligations with her family that particular weekend and her parents wouldn't let her go. She said she had a crush on me too, and waited for me to call back but I never did. I didn't because I took it all wrong, I was very shy and, my ego was crushed. She is still very attractive and I really enjoyed her company that weekend and came away with a whole new perspective. But crushes are what they are, just crushes. I married the one I really loved and we have 3 great children and seven beautiful grandkids. Of course I will always wonder what might have been, but that's the mystery of life. I will probably see my old flame again this summer (50 years) if all goes well and once again I will enjoy her company, but as an adult it's quite different. Monty
 

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Tom Bigbee

Sr. Member
Feb 17, 2009
354
136
Miss/ Ala
Detector(s) used
1266X
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Re: 22 wheats and no silver? UPDATE!

When I was in school I was the 4-eyed book nerd that collected stamps :read2:. The cheerleaders wouldn't give me the time of day. But that's OK because I now enjoy the best hobby in the world and speaking of school, I went back to the wheatie elementary school this morning, came up with 5 more wheats and clad. Came home for lunch and was going to watch the race but it got rained out so back to the school I went. I finally found silver! A 1945-S Quarter :icon_sunny:! I went back to a section that I had just criss-crossed before. It was about 4 inches deep and I found it with my Silver Sabre. We all knew it was there, I just had to prove it. That was quite a relief when it flipped out of the ground. Thanks for all of the prodding from everyone! Good Luck to all, Tom
 

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Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
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Oh, more than likely the silver is there. You have just put your probe where it ain't! Now back off and put it where it is! Simple huh? Don't I wish? Monty
 

Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
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ACE 250, Garrett
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Why I'll be darned ,it's right there on the deck where I left it! Think positive! Monty
 

TORRERO

30+ YEARS, XP DEUS I & II ARE MY GO TO MACHINES
Nov 17, 2004
1,672
1,074
NC
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XP DEUS I & II
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Actually this is about right for a hard worked site....
22 Wheats and 1 silver.

Maybe those who doubt the work required to find silver in this day and age can take note
of this mans showing...
 

Cool Hand Fluke

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Nov 28, 2006
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Way to go! I had a feeling one would turn up! How did the silver quarter sound at 4 inches? Was it a strong hit?
 

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Tom Bigbee

Sr. Member
Feb 17, 2009
354
136
Miss/ Ala
Detector(s) used
1266X
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
TORRERO said:
Actually this is about right for a hard worked site....
22 Wheats and 1 silver.

Maybe those who doubt the work required to find silver in this day and age can take note
of this mans showing...
Cool Hand Fluke said:
Way to go! I had a feeling one would turn up! How did the silver quarter sound at 4 inches? Was it a strong hit?

Very well said TORRERO. I actually dug 5 more wheats that morning for a total of 27 before I found silver....... It was a good solid signal with no trash around it. I knew it sounded a little larger than all of the pennies I had been digging. I had lowered my disc. and was digging everything at that point as you can see by the pulltabs. Thanks CoolHand...
 

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