Moonrover
Sr. Member
The fictional character was a keen people watcher. I do think that method works for figuring out where there are likely hot spots for metal detecting too. One thing I'm thinking about is outdoor farm and estate auctions. If you've ever had the pleasure of being dragged to one of those as I was when I was a kid, you already know how the auction crowd operates. People stand around stomping the grass and if anything like a coin is dropped, it may easily be mashed down into the soil. Especially true if the soil is damp from rain or while raining. Another hot area of the auction location may be around the ubiquitous bake sale and beverage stand.
Information on where such sales have occurred is very difficult to obtain unless you sit down with some old-timers who know the town like their own children. The reason I'm mentioning this auction site idea is that my house and property was the location for just such an estate auction in the fall of 1972. We bought the place one year later and until recently did not know about there having been an auction here.
I've finally located the area that I think was the bake sale stand under the largest oak tree. Logical spot, now that I think about it. Also I'm pretty certain I know where rows of display tables had been. That's where I dug up a crushed Victorian silver brush handle. It must have gotten stomped down in the soft soil. Up close to the house, I'm going batty with hits on roofing nails. No surprise there. Out in the large flat part of what I now call my front yard was probably the parking area for auction customers. There, I'm getting keys, and a few coins. Nothing super old yet. The way I spotted the concession stand area was the massive number of pull tabs about 2" down. I'm still carefully working that area under the big oak tree.
Unfortunately over the years we did some "lawn improvement" which was mostly bringing in top soil to fill up low spots in the front yard. Probably buried a few coins deeper than the detector can sniff out now.
Anyway it is a fun way for a newbie like me to learn metal detecting and not have to worry about being chased off by the cops. My only adversary is my wife who jumped my case about an hour ago concerning holes in the gravel driveway. I'll be filling those in tomorrow.
Merlin
Information on where such sales have occurred is very difficult to obtain unless you sit down with some old-timers who know the town like their own children. The reason I'm mentioning this auction site idea is that my house and property was the location for just such an estate auction in the fall of 1972. We bought the place one year later and until recently did not know about there having been an auction here.
I've finally located the area that I think was the bake sale stand under the largest oak tree. Logical spot, now that I think about it. Also I'm pretty certain I know where rows of display tables had been. That's where I dug up a crushed Victorian silver brush handle. It must have gotten stomped down in the soft soil. Up close to the house, I'm going batty with hits on roofing nails. No surprise there. Out in the large flat part of what I now call my front yard was probably the parking area for auction customers. There, I'm getting keys, and a few coins. Nothing super old yet. The way I spotted the concession stand area was the massive number of pull tabs about 2" down. I'm still carefully working that area under the big oak tree.
Unfortunately over the years we did some "lawn improvement" which was mostly bringing in top soil to fill up low spots in the front yard. Probably buried a few coins deeper than the detector can sniff out now.
Anyway it is a fun way for a newbie like me to learn metal detecting and not have to worry about being chased off by the cops. My only adversary is my wife who jumped my case about an hour ago concerning holes in the gravel driveway. I'll be filling those in tomorrow.
Merlin
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