FRUSTRATION AT THE PLANTATION

[ModernMiner]

Well, Ridley and I tried a new spot on Saturday. A coworker of mine said we could detect her 2 acre 1804 plantation property, previously owned by a doctor during the CW, who ran a hospital out of the home. It had all the makings of a great site to MD, and dreams of old coins danced in my head for weeks. Those dreams turned to nightmare though when we got there, and a lot of the area around the house was now paved with a huge horseshoe shaped driveway. The house has also had aluminum siding put on it years ago, and the installers had left pieces everywhere. All around the digable areas of the house we kept finding these small pieces. It was heartbreaking! We tried away from the house, and Ridley dug up a nice old button by a huge oak tree. (see his post)
Myself, I found a few relics, and a wheat.
*1941 Wheat,
*Old copper keyhole,
*An old WM Rogers brand spoon that had lost a fight with a mower. It lost it's second fight when I tried to unbend it, and it snapped in two. After doing a quick Google search, it looks like it could be from the late 1800's into the early 1900's.
*A blob of heavy metal that I can't tell if it's lead or silver? It has a bright shine to it.
After our search, the owner showed us some very old pictures of her house. Some had ladies and kids in them in the back of the house (now paved), and the side of the house (not paved). When I build up enough nerve, and the weather gets warmer, I will try it again. I figure with the status of a doctor and a house that big, there HAS to be a coin or two left somewhere.

It was cold and windy, so we cut that search short, and headed to an old school field that Ridley knew of. Since I had been searching my old farm property for so long now, I had forgotten what it was like to dig up clad coins again. I soon found out. I can't believe all the pull-tabs, alum. cans, and pieces of junk buried out there! What a workout.

Sorry, for the long-winded story, but I had to make up for my measly findings.
By the way, each of those clad coins you see were individually handcrafted by a well known coinsmith.
Have a great week,
MM

 

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[doyboy]

Keep your head up, you will strike it!

 

[ModernMiner]

Thanks Dude. I may sell the old 1930's Gold/Diamond ring I dug up a few weeks ago, and buy an upgraded machine with the $. I just get the feeling I'm missing deeper targets & coins with my 1999 Tesoro. Since I'm just getting out of the 8-track tape era, I don't want a machine that I have to spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out & program. Is there such a machine out there? Any suggestions?
-MM-

 

[bongo1962]

MM, where was the glob? near the house? out away in the yard? what kind of gutter is on the house?

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Nice finds but too bad about the state of the house! That glob could be silver, maybe for dental use for example. Any chance at getting to where the outhouses were? HH, Mike

 

[Burdie]

Good post hope you have better luck next time. HH
Burdie

 

[Gribnitz]

I don't want a machine that I have to spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out & program. Is there such a machine out there? Any suggestions?
-MM-

The tejon, cibola or the vaquero. The Cibola would be the easiest to get up and going, but the Tejon and Vaquero may get you extra depth if you need that ground balance for your soil conditions. The vaquero is a little easier to get used too, but the tejon is the better of the two machines in depth and has a few more bells and whistles on it. You have to have the GB set correctly though, or you will lose depth.

 

[Trash Digger]

Thanks Dude. I may sell the old 1930's Gold/Diamond ring I dug up a few weeks ago, and buy an upgraded machine with the $. I just get the feeling I'm missing deeper targets & coins with my 1999 Tesoro. Since I'm just getting out of the 8-track tape era, I don't want a machine that I have to spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out & program. Is there such a machine out there? Any suggestions?
-MM-

Well, I do love my DFX, and I'm sure Ridley loves his, too. The DFX is capable of many things if you want to learn how to tweak it, or you can just select one of the factory settings and turn it on and hunt.

Like you, I'm still in the 8 track era. After owning my DFX since last June, I'm just starting to play around a bit with the programming. All I need to do now is just start getting out more. I've not hunted for several weeks now.

Maybe, just maybe, if you cross his palm with silver or some other bribe, Ridley might let you try his out.

Mike

 

[ModernMiner]

Thanks Dude. I may sell the old 1930's Gold/Diamond ring I dug up a few weeks ago, and buy an upgraded machine with the $. I just get the feeling I'm missing deeper targets & coins with my 1999 Tesoro. Since I'm just getting out of the 8-track tape era, I don't want a machine that I have to spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out & program. Is there such a machine out there? Any suggestions?
-MM-

Well, I do love my DFX, and I'm sure Ridley loves his, too. The DFX is capable of many things if you want to learn how to tweak it, or you can just select one of the factory settings and turn it on and hunt.
Like you, I'm still in the 8 track era. After owning my DFX since last June, I'm just starting to play around a bit with the programming. All I need to do now is just start getting out more. I've not hunted for several weeks now.
Maybe, just maybe, if you cross his palm with silver or some other bribe, Ridley might let you try his out.
Mike

Actually, after watching Ridley use his DFX, and trying to figure it out, that is what scares the heck out of me with that machine. (No offense Dave) He has offered it to me to use numerous times, but it looks very difficult to figure out.
He keeps going back to his old machine when we hunt. He made the comment once that trying that DFX machine on a playground is like driving a Cadillac through a China shop.
I have noticed other folks posting the difficulty in programming that machine also. I'm sure like with any machine, it boils down to practice, practice, practice. I see some fabulous finds with the DFX, and it seems to be a top of the line machine, but it may be too hi-tech for me. Honestly, I don't have that much patience.
-MM-

 

[ModernMiner]

I don't want a machine that I have to spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out & program. Is there such a machine out there? Any suggestions?
-MM-

The tejon, cibola or the vaquero. The Cibola would be the easiest to get up and going, but the Tejon and Vaquero may get you extra depth if you need that ground balance for your soil conditions. The vaquero is a little easier to get used too, but the tejon is the better of the two machines in depth and has a few more bells and whistles on it. You have to have the GB set correctly though, or you will lose depth.

Thanks Grib. I'm kind of swaying towards a Tesoro again. If my $200 Tesoro Cutlass machine can detect as much as it has, I'm hoping their upper level machines should be fantastic.
-MM-

 

[MEinWV]

That blob certainly looks like silver to me. Have it tested and let us know!

HH

 

[tabfinder]

I'm with Grib....the tesoro is hard to beat. I have a Vaquero; and I get GREAT depth out of it! Ground balance and go......light and easy to use....you can swing ALL day and not be tired.

 

[Mirage]

Too bad things didn't work out better. I would highly recommend going back. My mom's house(1853) we have hunted an estimated 100 hrs(combined). There are about 3 acres. It took us at least 50 hours before we found any coin other than a wheat penny. What is amazing is that almost every part of the property that was not "redone" has produced a good coin/token/pin/relic.

As for Tesoro detectors. I know a friend in NY that primarily uses a Quattro in the parks(does very well with it) but uses the Tejon for his "relic" hunting(hunting in wooded areas or places where you are going to dig everything).

BTW- cute doggie.

 

[gold fish]

If you're already using tesoro, why don't you go with a cortez, they get good depth, have a lotta bells and whistles, and a very quick learning curve. I upgraded to one after a month with a bounty hunter, and the cortez seems easier to use. Just make sure when you ground balance, your not doing it near metal.

P.S.- I cannot begin to describe to you my disdain for aluminum siding.

 

[ModernMiner]

MM, where was the glob? near the house? out away in the yard? what kind of gutter is on the house?

Bongo,
The silver blob was away from the house. The gutters are new aluminum. I'm starting to think I may have a silver blob. It cleaned up nicely with a toothbrush, and I tried to bend it to see if it was lead, but it is too stiff. Kind of like lead on Viagra.
I'm taking my ring and bracelets I found at that farm to be appraised this week, so I'll bring this piece in too. Maybe I could hang this bling blob on a necklace?
-MM-

 

[doyboy]

The Ace 150!

 

[ModernMiner]

The Ace 150!

Don't laugh, that's what I had before I bought the Tesoro in 1999. Actually, back then it was an Ace 100.
-MM-

 

[brnn53]

I feel your pain. Here on my farm was a Yankee camp. Unfortunately during WW2 a P-47 crashed right where the best relics are found. The aluminum rings in everywhere from nickel to silver. I used to be fasinated by the pieces of the plane that I picked up as a boy but now...I hate that damned plane! Keep at it and upgrade to a better detector if possible. I use a Minelab XS but have a Tejon on the way.
Mike

 

[Kas]

MM, You're right. Depends on how much effort you want to put into learning a machine.

I bought the DFX last fall. Read every book I could find on it. Got to know it pretty quick, and been doing well with it. Better every time I go out.

Went back to some sites I hunted with my Prizm five.

I found a bunch more stuff that I never even hit on with the old machine.

Now, 9 times out of ten, when I get a reading on the VDI scale I can tell what it is before I dig.

Good luck whatever you decide.

HH
Ken

 

[JerV3]

Nice finds,

Get a mxt. Great unit with alot of sens and depth. The price is right also. Turn it on and your ready to go.

The Dfx takes yrs to master. I love the dfx the best out of all the white's units. But the mxt is very good.

HH Jer