Buried Mason jars question…?

[Limitool]

I went to MI. last week and stayed at an old home in Otsego. I'd MD'd this yard some last year. At that time I dug up some coins, tokens and an old Cleveland railroad button from the 1920's & 30's. Really didn't find anything of value at all but had a lot of fun with son and grandson. Then I got a strong hit right on the back corner of the house. At the time we dug down about 8-9", hit a large rock and removed it. Just below the rock was a zinc canning jar lid. We started to dig out around it but soon discovered the jar was broken in many places. We removed the pieces, lid and all loose debris. I re-MD'd and got nothing at all. The ground there was VERY wet and soft due to a gutter dumping right on this spot. This all happened last summer. The soil around there is very sandy.

Early this week I was MDing this old yard again. And… again I was finding mostly just old junk. I did find an old aluminum "Good Luck Token" from the 20's. It had Geo. W. Heene Cleveland, OH on one side and George Dewey on the other along with an American flag in the center of the star. I also found many coins but none were really old at all. Then I got a strong hit out by the driveway. Dug down about 6-7" and hit a rock. Removed rock and found another zinc canning jar lid. Same thing again. Broken jar w/lid and then nothing. Moved to center of yard and again got strong hit. Dug down, hit a large flat rock, removed and ANOTHER zinc canning jar lid (see photo). Went and got camera this time. We dug around jar and again the jar was broke. But this time no glass except where the zinc lid screwed onto the glass jar. I re-MD'd and got nothing…AGAIN!

QUESTION: I wonder if mother nature (frost line-water) broke the jars up and if they contained coins they "sank" into the soft soil deeper than my MD could pick up….? I probably should have just dug 18"-24" down and re-MD'd then. Doesn't it seem weird finding 3 jar lids each lying flat with a rock on top of each? I should probably have my son go out and dig deeper. Any ideas?

 

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[Limitool]

If! If it were a quart mason jar buried lid up. The bottom would be 6-8 inches deeper than lid. Unless you have a super deep detector it would not pick up what was in the jar. Everyone asses the jar would be full. Usually there not. Digging deeper is what I do when I find a mason jar lid. I then use pin pointer. And I have found two caches doing this. Both were nails though. But I keep hoping one day they will be something. Dig- dig and dig.

Yea I agree with ya.... If there was some coins I double my detector would go deep enough without some more serious digging. I didn't dig past the lid on any of them after I discovered the jar was broke and the MD didn't "hit" any more. I'm having my son re-dig the last hole Sunday to see if he finds anything.... probably won't but got to try!

 

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[huntsman53]

Brad,

Glad to see you on Treasure Net! I have apparently missed seeing a lot of your postings on here. It's been awhile since we talked and I hope you, Bonnie and the whole family is doing well!

If there ever was anything of value in the jars, it was probably cash as RBowtie97 noted, rotted away and is long gone. It is very doubtful that there were any coins deeper in the holes as I am sure that if there were any significant amounts such as the jar being one quarter or one half full of coins, your' XLT would have pinged on them. One or two coins down 8 to 10 inches might be hard for your' metal detector to pick up but dozens to hundreds of them, the XLT could surely pick them up at 14 inches deep or even deeper due to the large signal field they would likely produce. Have your son check around any old large trees that are in sight of the master bedroom window or kitchen in the home as this is quite often where old timers buried there valuables.

Take care my friend and say hi to everyone for me!


Frank

 

[Limitool]

Brad,

Glad to see you on Treasure Net! I have apparently missed seeing a lot of your postings on here. It's been awhile since we talked and I hope you, Bonnie and the whole family is doing well!

If there ever was anything of value in the jars, it was probably cash as RBowtie97 noted, rotted away and is long gone. It is very doubtful that there were any coins deeper in the holes as I am sure that if there were any significant amounts such as the jar being one quarter or one half full of coins, your' XLT would have pinged on them. One or two coins down 8 to 10 inches might be hard for your' metal detector to pick up but dozens to hundreds of them, the XLT could surely pick them up at 14 inches deep or even deeper due to the large signal field they would likely produce. Have your son check around any old large trees that are in sight of the master bedroom window or kitchen in the home as this is quite often where old timers buried there valuables.

Take care my friend and say hi to everyone for me!


Frank

Howdy Frank.... I did almost the entire yard this trip in 2 days of MDing. I hit all the big trees and building corners hard after finding the 1st. upright jar/rock. 1st. jar didn't have the discolored soil but this area really get drenched with every rainfall hard. But the next 2 upright jars/rocks had the discolored soil below the lids. Guess I'm maybe 80-90 years to late... but it was real fun and exciting. I do believe RBowtie97 is correct also.

222 acres just sold behind me. I met the new owner at my home and he has NO PROBLEM with me hunting, MDing, ATVing. This includes the cave area. Lets get back there and find an old homestead in one of the "open" areas back there. Especially on the ridge top above the cave. That bayou back there on the Duck River would be a days fun also. Just get here.... I'll house, wine and dine ya buddy. You know the routine!!!!!! Later buddy..... Brad

 

[releventchair]

BELIEVE ME buddy.... If I'd have dug ONE horseshoe I would have quit on the spot. I thought the rocks were put there on purpose so it would be a warning that the dig was correct and to protect the jar. I didn't hit one other rock in all the holes I dug in two days. I probably covered 90-95% of the yard. 1st. jar was found right on back corner of house foundation. 2nd. by corner foundation of garage. 3rd. was where a large bush was removed last summer in middle of yard. Just can't figure out the broken jar thing either....? It sure was fun though finding them. Gets your mind reeling.... but what a tease finding 3 of them in one yard that way.

Suggest's n the jars were not buried randomly or discarded jars huh?
Them points where concrete jut out and end?
Make a good spot to be able to make a recovery from efficiently. The distance from those points can be increased though.
Remembering or documenting the distance is required.
I've had to do extra digging and tossed efficient recovery out the window, but in my defense lack of wealth cached about must be factored.
You found jars and lids. With roofs.
Paper would seem to have left some evidence of having been there . Even if integrity of glass was compromised at the depth found,the different color soil noted suggests jar placed after landscaping (how ever temporary over time landscaping is) was complete.
Mi. freeze and thaw affect ,(from an randomly observed theoretical example, or lots of stones and freezes and thaws) a small stone having soil expand and contract around it over time can rise as much as fall.
Soil level seems to travel more than what is suspended in it ;so coins won't really sink below the level of the layer their in when dropped/planted.
Annual leaf fall, where allowed; builds up a depth each year.
(Boy, there's a wild theory...)

 

[braveheart1954]

THIS I JUST WROTE FOR SOMEONE ELSE BUT PERTAINS TO YOU MAYBE. DO ARTIFACTS AND COINS SINK Charles Darwin did extensive research on why artifacts are found at different depths.. its because of earth worms!!! They bring the dirt they eat to the surface and when their burrows cave in the object sinks more and more as they burrow under objects. The most and object can sink is like in a very soft dirt area where there are lots of deep digging crawlers crawlers...usually where the rain falls a lot and the grass is mowed and the mulch becomes food for more worms like in a foot ball stadium. The coins will sink in an area like this 2.3" per decade (10 years)....adjust this 2.3 to your diff. digging conditions. A coin will sink less in areas of sandy soil and dryer where there are not so many earth worms. Also certain trees are not preferable to worms like Adler and Pines..coins will not sink as much. ...leave build up thru the years will cover objects also but only about 1" per decade from regular decaying causes. Archeologists use his findings today to uncover artifacts! Where you are hunting looks good for worms ..so say if it's not the ideal area for deep digging crawlers... say only 2" fer decade..coins lost around that 1898 farm house would be roughly 11 decades which would mean the coins dropped there in 1898 would be approximately 22" deep!!! So I guess I am saying dig the deepest signals you can. USE THIS METHOD IN OLD HUNTED OUT PARKS AND OTHER SIMILAR PLACES! Read Darwin's worm theory..very interesting. I can't wait not to try it! No more ice cream scoops! LOL John 6-26-15

 

[Fullstock]

I hate zinc jar lids, they sound exactly like a buckle. Many years ago I was digging at the site of an old house that was in an area frequented by Civil War troops. I dug two mason jar lids and was about to move on when I got another hit and I thought for sure it was another jar lid, but I dug it anyhow. Out pops a beautiful officers saber belt plate! Moral to the story, dig all of those signals, even if they turn out to be jar lids, you never know.

 

[Limitool]

I hate zinc jar lids, they sound exactly like a buckle. Many years ago I was digging at the site of an old house that was in an area frequented by Civil War troops. I dug two mason jar lids and was about to move on when I got another hit and I thought for sure it was another jar lid, but I dug it anyhow. Out pops a beautiful officers saber belt plate! Moral to the story, dig all of those signals, even if they turn out to be jar lids, you never know.

I did and do.... Glad you got your saber belt plate buddy. The signal on my XLT was strong. I had it in coin mode at the time. And... it fooled me 3 times but I dig all signals. As you say "you never know".

 

[weekender]

Limitool,

Talked to a friend the other day, he found three mason jars underneath a rock, one broken,
2 full of liquid.
Moonshine !
Good luck/Keep diggin'.....

-Weekender