Moonrover
Sr. Member
Still a newbie in the world of metal detecting, but that giant oak tree in the front yard is helping me along. Not long ago we learned that this property had been the site of an estate auction prior to our purchase of the house and land (1973). Former owner was a single woman who was caring for her aging father and aunt.
Judging from the coin and junk scatter pattern, I have pretty much figured out where the auction bake sale/refreshment stand was located. Also from chatting with old timers that were around at the time of the auction, we know the weather on the day of the auction was rainy. Meaning the cars parked in the large side yard may have had difficulty, as in getting stuck. Hence the reason for us finding a long piece of chain and what looks like a license plate bracket buried in the yard. Also lots of clad coins scattered along with a set of car keys (Ford).
Close to the house is a minefield of roofing nails. House was reroofed several times since we owned it and unknown times prior. AT Pro told me to either discriminate the nails or get the heck out of the six foot area near the house. Collection of nails and down spout scrap is impressive.
Farther out in the rear yard I picked up a signal that could not be ignored. No matter what angle I approached it, the signal was confirmed to be as high as 92. Depth indicator when pin pointing said four inches. No big deal. I was determined to dig no matter what the depth reading was. The ground was dry (still is by the way) so digging became a longer affair than I had planned on. Sub soil was powder by the time I scooped it out. The "find" was an elongated aluminum looking thing. Initially figured it was a ripped up pop can. But it had many rows of odd looking holes evenly spaced. After cleaning it in the house, the thing now looked more like a flattened handle for a hair brush. It is silver. Never will again will be repairable however. Stick with me here. Story is just getting flushed out.
The aunt of the former home owner was said to be loony as a bed bug. She would wander out at night and get lost in the corn field to the south. She would take stuff out of the house and hide it. Got this info from the few remaining old timers around here. The family was not well off financially so I seriously doubt that we will encounter anything of real value. Maybe a few trinkets like the hair brush, or table ware. Have not found anything else like that yet.
The coins in the yard that are closely spaced under the huge old oak tree. It had to be the site of the bake sale and refreshment stand. Also the likely site for family reunions of days gone by. Age of most of the coins ... clad. Out away from the base are a scant few pre-65 coins. Not getting rich on those either.
Near the utility pole on the east of the property is a nightmare of tiny copper and aluminum clippings that probably came from utility repairmen. Learned how to "hear" those with the AT Pro so now the hunting requires less knee on the ground time.
Overall, the "treasure" in the yard is not what I'm digging up but the experience I've acquired getting acquainted with the detector. Sort of overwhelming at first with all the noise. The detector now has me trained.
I'm ready to leave the yard and venture out. By the way, wife's promise to dig any worthwhile signal .. not worth the paper it is printed on. <lol>
M
Judging from the coin and junk scatter pattern, I have pretty much figured out where the auction bake sale/refreshment stand was located. Also from chatting with old timers that were around at the time of the auction, we know the weather on the day of the auction was rainy. Meaning the cars parked in the large side yard may have had difficulty, as in getting stuck. Hence the reason for us finding a long piece of chain and what looks like a license plate bracket buried in the yard. Also lots of clad coins scattered along with a set of car keys (Ford).
Close to the house is a minefield of roofing nails. House was reroofed several times since we owned it and unknown times prior. AT Pro told me to either discriminate the nails or get the heck out of the six foot area near the house. Collection of nails and down spout scrap is impressive.
Farther out in the rear yard I picked up a signal that could not be ignored. No matter what angle I approached it, the signal was confirmed to be as high as 92. Depth indicator when pin pointing said four inches. No big deal. I was determined to dig no matter what the depth reading was. The ground was dry (still is by the way) so digging became a longer affair than I had planned on. Sub soil was powder by the time I scooped it out. The "find" was an elongated aluminum looking thing. Initially figured it was a ripped up pop can. But it had many rows of odd looking holes evenly spaced. After cleaning it in the house, the thing now looked more like a flattened handle for a hair brush. It is silver. Never will again will be repairable however. Stick with me here. Story is just getting flushed out.
The aunt of the former home owner was said to be loony as a bed bug. She would wander out at night and get lost in the corn field to the south. She would take stuff out of the house and hide it. Got this info from the few remaining old timers around here. The family was not well off financially so I seriously doubt that we will encounter anything of real value. Maybe a few trinkets like the hair brush, or table ware. Have not found anything else like that yet.
The coins in the yard that are closely spaced under the huge old oak tree. It had to be the site of the bake sale and refreshment stand. Also the likely site for family reunions of days gone by. Age of most of the coins ... clad. Out away from the base are a scant few pre-65 coins. Not getting rich on those either.
Near the utility pole on the east of the property is a nightmare of tiny copper and aluminum clippings that probably came from utility repairmen. Learned how to "hear" those with the AT Pro so now the hunting requires less knee on the ground time.
Overall, the "treasure" in the yard is not what I'm digging up but the experience I've acquired getting acquainted with the detector. Sort of overwhelming at first with all the noise. The detector now has me trained.
I'm ready to leave the yard and venture out. By the way, wife's promise to dig any worthwhile signal .. not worth the paper it is printed on. <lol>
M
