SILVER DREAMS: A 99 Year Dime

Zrod87

Jr. Member
Mar 21, 2015
42
56
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Got a good one today.


I had been eyeballing a new place to hunt on my way to a jobsite, and yesterday I got permission. It was an old homestead on top of lake Agassiz gravel shoreline, and I have learned to pick these places along the ridge based on the fact that 6 inches down is literally road gravel and nothing can move deeper. I had about 30 minutes before dark to take a look and my hunch was right, within minutes I had 2 1944 wheats and a few memorials when
BAM my AT PRO went nuts! 2 inches down was a 1961 Canadian Silver Dime!

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Awesome! Who doesn't like finding silver right! But it was getting too dark... so I had to go home thinking of all the wonderful piles of silver that must be there, just waiting for me to come back. I mean, if I found a silver in 20 minutes there must be all kinds laying around.

So there I sat with glints of silver flashing before my eyes, dreaming of my glory to come, planning my every swing. I loaded new batteries, sharpened my shovel, and cleaned out my pack for room for all that coin.

As soon as I was done with work, I rushed over to my mystical dream spot filled with silver dollars and lost gold rings, and there it was ...... NOTHING!

I worked the front yard, the back. nothing.

Under the clothesline, and near the well, where the Canadian silver was. nothing

4 hours in a relatively small area produced only trash and one brass buckle. Finally I found a single penny, which, despite my dire efforts managed to escape down a gophers hole near my hole and into what seemed to be a bottomless pit.

The SILVER GODS HATE ME I said.

This was the last straw - I wasn't going to come back here anytime soon..

Its about 200 yards across a field to where I park my truck. I don't really detect fields much anymore as I hadn't managed to find much with the amount of time a person can spend wondering aimlessly in 160 acre fields, so on the way in I left my machine off.

My frustration was at a peak level after the penny escaped me, and I remember swinging wildly and taking long strides, stomping across the field. since there was so much trash in the field I was basically ignoring the sounds,
doing a routine keep swinging until you just can't any more.

Halfway between the farm and my truck the ground cleared up and I started to listen again. I heard a chirp on the end of the swing, I have learned the AT Pro seems to be able to pick up a certain type of halo effect around coins, and almost seems to draw you right in.

I zone in, its a very nice high clean signal. I thought "Hey Mr. farmer lost a quarter", then "no its smaller that that".


So I dug around it and flipped out the dirt and out rolled my SILVER DREAM!!!

1916 D MERCURY DIME

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Last edited:
Upvote 21

MUD(S.W.A.T)

Gold Member
Apr 15, 2005
8,003
897
Location: Undisclosed
Detector(s) used
I use, Whites MXT and Garrett AT Pro.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Holly crap, the holly grail of silver dimes!! :notworthy: Not only that but its in amazing condition, remarkable !! :occasion14: They are generally very worn !! :thumbsup:

Keep @ it and HH !! :hello2:

PS: Banner vote is in !! 8-)
 

Pointman

Silver Member
Feb 18, 2013
2,575
1,549
Arkansas
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
I’ve used about all modern ones but right now: CTX 3030, White’s MXT Pro, XP Deus, Vaquero, White’s TRX
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Nice find. I think it is one of the better shape 1916-D Mercury dimes I've seen dug. I am going to vote banner, but I think you need to turn the pictures 90 degrees.
 

bobby5

Sr. Member
Jun 19, 2012
251
147
TEXAS
Detector(s) used
Equinox 600, AT Pro, Garrett Propointer, Garrett Carrot, Several Older Garrett Detectors and a Bounty Hunter.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Wow that is an Awesome Dime, Im going with Banner
 

OP
OP
Z

Zrod87

Jr. Member
Mar 21, 2015
42
56
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I took the photos with my iphone and its does that. I will upright the photos.
 

retire05

Hero Member
Feb 16, 2015
634
419
Virginia
Detector(s) used
Garrett 350, AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The fickle Gods of metal detecting love to play with us don't they! Nice find, at last...Brad
 

OP
OP
Z

Zrod87

Jr. Member
Mar 21, 2015
42
56
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
sorry for all the crazy photo action I seem to have an issue with my attachment skills.
 

Pointman

Silver Member
Feb 18, 2013
2,575
1,549
Arkansas
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
I’ve used about all modern ones but right now: CTX 3030, White’s MXT Pro, XP Deus, Vaquero, White’s TRX
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
LOL,

For any pictures you want to remove, you have to go into the advance settings and scroll down where you see the pictures you want to remove and hit the "X" that are on them. Not only that, but you have to delete the pictures in the regular edit setting on the original post.

Anyway, I am a bit jealous. I finally found a 1916 2 weeks ago, but it was a 1916-S. It was in decent shape also.
 

swamp yankee

Sr. Member
Jun 22, 2012
288
117
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
BIG CONGRATS !!!! The find of a lifetime for sure also looks like Full Split Bands for you! Great looking piece now go find some more and older stuff too,we want to see 'em.HH.......
 

DocBeav

Bronze Member
Jul 8, 2012
1,697
3,157
SE Va
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
6
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800, Minelab CTX 3030 (17", 11", 6" coils), Minelab Excalibur 800, Minelab Excalibur 1000 (w/OBN's Remote Pinpoint mod and CTX headphone connector)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
That is a phenomenal find! Congrats! I think that one should be on the BANNER as well!
 

Tnmountains

Super Moderator
Staff member
Jan 27, 2009
18,716
11,709
South East Tennessee on Ga, Ala line
🥇 Banner finds
1
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Tesoro Conquistador freq shift
Fisher F75
Garrett AT-Pro
Garet carrot
Neodymium magnets
5' Probe
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That mint mark is pretty. The Merc has always been a favorite coin yours is extra special. You never know where treasure laysMaybe you need to go back?
 

g-olden years

Silver Member
Nov 10, 2010
3,139
945
California
Detector(s) used
Bounty Hunter Tracker IV
:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: Beautiful! Your persistence paid off, & maybe your grumbling helped, lol. Great story, Great coin! :hello2: :icon_thumright: Andi
 

testing123

Bronze Member
Mar 29, 2009
2,359
1,986
United States
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030, TDI SL
Now that's a banner-worthy find! Looks like a higher grade too. You'd probably get more replies if "1916-D Mercury Dime" was in the title. This is one that you should consider getting slabbed.
 

OP
OP
Z

Zrod87

Jr. Member
Mar 21, 2015
42
56
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Thank you all, To be honest I don't know much about coins. My interest in them is tied to my favorite activity which is detecting. I just google my good coins when i find them. When i found it i was like awesome age and when I looked for the mintmark i was saying be S be S since i had read something that said S mercury dimes were more rare....

As for the comments on the look of the D itself I have to agree it appears quite promenent compared to photos of others on the net. I feel like it has something to do with the strike in this case, like i said i dont even know how these things happen. It seems a little oblong and deeper on one side than the other. After reading it is often counterfeited I have been looking it over very carefully. The chances a real silver fake D made it to the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere just to screw me are pretty remote. Where should i take this thing To make it official?
 

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