How deep are older coins like silvers and wheats underground

coinman123

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Feb 21, 2013
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I have a Bounty Hunter Pioneer 202 Which can only get a consistent coin signal down to 6". In a month I have found $10 or more in clad, 7 wheats, 1 barber dime and a buffalo. The Barber dime, 1 wheat and the buffalo were in the same hole. A weird thing is I have found two surface wheats and one wheat a inch down in gravel, I assume the surface ones were recently dropped. But what I was really wondering is how deep are those older drops (pre. 1965).PS I live in New England

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Sandman

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Coins can sink or stay on top. Mostly leaf litter composts and just covers them and the depths can vary from location to location.
 

cudamark

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As Sandman said, they can be at all depths. I've poked a seated dime on top of the ground and dug Memorial cents at 10". Type of ground/soil, moisture/rain, temperature extremes, erosion, foot traffic, lawn mowers, aerators, rototillers, gardening, seeding, planting, etc will all have an effect on how deep targets will sink (or rise!)
 

badpenny

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Mar 28, 2013
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Yes, I agree with the above comments too. I dig a lot of coins most fall in the 2" to 4" range and I dug some 1800 stuff too. I can't remember how deep the deepest coin I dug was but I am guessing maybe 8". Funny I checked my backyard today and dug about two bucks, nothing great and I can tell you the deepest was around 4".
 

matrix master DBA

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Jan 29, 2008
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I dug a 1980 Lincoln the other day at 6 inches! I would have bet the farm it was a wheatie. You never know!
 

DeepseekerADS

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It really depends on where (geographically) you are at.

The soil of Ohio & Michigan - I call it black sponge cake. Not unusual to hit 10-12", even on recent coins. Once found an IH at 1" down, and a balled up cigarette pack at 13".

Now, in the red dirt of Virginia & NC, you cut the flap and you're 3" down and facing red clay. Found a Franklin at the bottom of the 3" flap. They don't go far below the sod - rocks & clay below that.

So...... depends on where you are at and what you see.....
 

ClodChopper

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I've been detecting since Feb '13. I dug my first silver within 2 days of detecting...less than 4". I dug my first wheatie 2 days ago at 10". 'Old' does not mean deep! Learn to understand signals.
 

luvsdux

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May 16, 2007
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No reliable answer to this question. Too many variable from location to location. The latest silver dime I've retrieved was just barely under the surface.
luvsdux
 

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