My oldest coin so far

[cheese]

I just came in from a late night hunt on a new site...an old homesite. I found a 1919 wheatie. That makes 11 wheats so far, and no silver. I figure it's only a matter of time now. I found the internals and face of an old watch tonight too. The works inside are not even dull looking. They are shiny gold color. Could it be gold?

I also got permission on another old homesite today. The home is gone and no trace is left except for the great big stump where the big old oak tree was next to it. At least it is a yard, and I won't have to contend with underbrush. I love it when I ask for permission and they say "anytime...just come on over and don't worry if I'm home or not".

I hunted an old schoolyard saturday and found 2 wheaties there.

 

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[bergie]

Cheese,
Sounds like you are in the right spots. I hate pennies, but love wheaties because silver is potentially nearby. I'm sure it's just a matter of time. You won't believe the feeling when you hit that first silver.

 

[Lowbatts]

Alrighty! Any readable print on the watch movement? Mfr.? Serial #? Nice digs!

 

[coinshtr]

Keep at it Cheese. you must be hitting the right spots if wheats are turning up. Bergie is right. There is no better feeling then your first silver. You will hold it in your hand thinking what a beautiful coin it is. Keep it up. It'll come. Mine didn't come until I was at this for 6 months.

 

[JohnW (upper E. TN]

My first silver was a 44 Merc. What an awesome experience it is to find that first silver coin! It will happen when you least expect it, but what a rush when it does!

Work the ground slow. If you're finding wheats, the silver is in there somewhere. HH.

 

[Copper]

About that watch, don't think just metal. There are collectors out there looking for this type of thing. I once found a Rolex watch and threw it away because it didn't work. Dumb!!!!!

While the gold in that ca. 1910 watch was worth maybe $50 or so, collectors of old Rolex would have paid me $$$. I'll bet on ebay I could have easily gotten $300 to $500 for that broken watch. I've learned this by selling lots of antiques on ebay for the past 5 years.

The whole game is to find the market. Almost anything you dig up, someone out there would love to have it. Your job is to post it on ebay so that two such people in the world see your item and bid for it. That's called SWEET for you.

I once purchased a children's 78 RPM record from a local library. My kids used it for a Frisbee for a couple years. Finally I posted it on ebay. I got $365 for it. It turns out it was a very rare Vogue record.

If your watch should turn out to be a rare or unknown type, you could be talking bigger money than you'd believe.

 

[distelrath]

hmmm let me count my finds so far...

As of today I have found 42 wheat/indian cents and 11 pieces of silver (one of which is a paratroopers pin and one more which is a 3d embossed barber dime) That makes about 1 silver per 3.8 old pennies. That is a great number (I never realized my silver to copper ratio... it is higher than the average, which is about 1 silver to 7 coppers).. anyways, just keep diggin.. it is going to come sooner than you think!

Best of luck to ya!

Ryan

 

[wodd]

CHEESE,
Cool find, still trying to get finds like that. I will soon I hope. If you don't mind me asking but how far down was your wheatie and what kind of detector your using... just curios...
WODD......

 

[Darod]

Great Job Cheese!

I got a question for ya,....what/how do you get permission? What do you say exactly to people? How do you ask them? I have found tons of old homes in my area but I don't have the guts to ask permission mainly because I'm not sure how to even approach them

Tell me how you do it?

Rod

 

[Lowbatts]

Geez Rod, you'd think you were just dropped off! Your posts always demonstrate a sensitivity and good nature that most people enjoy discovering. Be yourself. You are not just making a sale, you are talking to people about one of the most invasive things possible, having a stranger in your yard poking around. So first, let's get rid of the stranger. (I have a hard tme with that since few are stranger than I)

You know there are several yards on the block (pick a block) you want to detect, work the parkway during the weekend, Saturday afternoon when folks are home and one or two are outside and you can engage them in casual conversation regarding your hobby. Don't look at it like a "sale" and you won't look like you're selling anything. And yes, when talk gets around to the possibility of things in everyday yards like their's tell them you'd be happy to look around their yard, maybe an old family heirloom or ring lost while gardening or kid's toy or whatnot waits in their yard. You're in it for the coins. No biggie. Let the neighbors talk about you also, GIVE them something to talk about. Not expectations of sudden wealth, just friendly conversation and fun in the sod.

Yep, the one thing to remember is not all neighbors get along. Went into a block doing this a few years back and hit the wrong house first. Rest of the block was willing to give me pain and grief but no workie-workie their yard for sure. It is neighborhood dependent also so be aware of those possibilities. If you're offered a glass of ice tea, watch out! You'll wake up in a bathtub in an abandoned house with an ice pack on the side where one of your kidneys was removed! Darn black market organ doctors.... Doh!

 

[Darod]

lol

Sometime you kill me Lowbatts. The organ thing was good.

I'll tell you what though, your right on the money. Some of the neighborhoods that are old in my area, are also crack neighborhoods SO, I won't be detecting in there. For obvious reasons,.....my detector will be in a pawn shop before the next morning and someone will be high as a kite!

I'll find a nice area and give it a try soon. I guess I having a hard time with it because I know I really don't care about their family heirlooms I'm just after the old coins and I know it! Kinda makes me feel guilty, greedy, and cold. Hey,.....I am all those things What am I waiting for

Rod

 

[nick1878]

I love the wat silver looks coming out of the ground. No matter what ground conditions or type it is, siler just shines like new

 

[treasure_lady]

Congratulations on that wheatie.. I know you were thrilled!

 

[cheese]

Lowbatts, No print on the watch at all, not even the name on the face. TThe numbers aren't numbers either. They're just faceted pieces of brass or something similar. I guess not brass though, because they're not corroded. The Iron screws are so badly corroded that the rust has bubbled over onto the internals, but the gears are just as shiny gold colored as if they were new.

Ryan, Glad you're finding it! I'm sure mine will come along sooner or later. Maybe I'll get close to your ratio one day, lol!

WODD, It was only 3 or 4 inches down I guess. I'm using a Fisher CZ7.

Darod, Most everyone I've asked so far are people I know. I live in a relatively small town, and own my own business. My business requires me to go to peoples homes to perform service work. So, I get to see their places and how old they are. I am almost on a friend type basis with most of my customers, so I just ask if their place looks good. I have some spots in mind that I don't know the owner, but right now I have lots of spots to go on that I haven't even begun to scratch the surface on, so I haven't asked permission on those spots yet. Tell you what, show up with one or both of those boys you got, and ask if you and your kids can "play" with your metal detectors in their yards, and you probably won't get turned down. Ask if they have lost any personal items that they would like back too. That might be the clincher. You look like a friendly guy anyway... (saw your pic on the mugshot forum).

Gotta go, while I still got both kidneys

 

[Copper]

With small churches it's always the pastor you need to see. Go to his door and talk to him face to face. The only thing that would get you turned down would be if there's concern about holes being dug. Most pastors are great guys and love people. But, the boards sometimes can be rather strict. You know, the senior deacon on the board carried the first shovel full of sand into the valley. He thinks he owns the place.

If you get permission, be very careful and don't leave a mess. Also, I'd hunt at times when you'd be least seen. Remember a lot of churches have meetings Wednesday evenings and of course Sundays.