Going Mad?!

[sabertooth]

Hello,
I am a detectorist from south west Georgia. Well treasure hunting of any kind is my thing. I am currently detecting an old farm circa 1875. The thing is I am finding only clad coins from the late 1960's and up. I hunt with a Whites Spectrum XLT and a White's Classic. So I pose a question, a couple actually. Where is the coinage? (Driven me nutz) Also any ideas where around old home sites to look for hidden caches, I know they didnt use banks all the time back then. Any advice or suggestions would be great. Good Hunting.

Saber

 

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[jeff of pa]

You don't say how long you have been detecting, So I'm going to Start
with the Basic Question.

? ? WHAT IS your Discrimination set at ?

DIG everything, no matter How Big or Small,

No matter if it's a Repeatable Signal, Or Broken.

Work VERY SLOW.

 

[Gypsy Heart]

If the house ?or cabin is still standing, go to where the kitchen window is. My grandmother told me that in the old days people hid their money in a spot they could see directly out the kitchen window...because that is where they spent the most time when indoors. Then look to see if there are any landmarks,big tree or rock fence etc directly in that view. People wanted to keep their money safe, but they wanted it within view at all times.
If there is a fireplace hearth, look for loose stones there that could be easily removed. Under stair wells were also a good hiding place.
I have heard alot of people who hid their money in chicken coops. Probally because when anyone walked in ,those chickens are like an instant alarm.
My grandmother also ?said many people hid their money in milk cans in their spring houses ,submersed in water.
Many people also had root cellars,built into the side of a hill, close to their house. Alot of these have had their entrances caved in over the years ?,but are easy to detect by looking for a depression in the side of a small hill or bank.I fell through one about ten years ago..plenty of mason jars ?but no money!

 

[jeff of pa]

Places to look for a cache.

Work from an angle, From every Corner of the House out.

Check directly ?Between large trees or rocks.

Post Holes. and inside any Dirt Floor Out Building. and Ledges above.

AS GYPSY said.
? ?EVERY place you can see from a Window, that can be rememberd by sight.
OR Paced off from a natural or manmade marker

IF there is an outhouse, Look in the Ceiling, & Ledges .

DON'T FORGET Crawl Spaces

 

[IrishCharlieM]

You sound like you are in hurry my freind......

One of the best things about our hobby is peace and relaxation.........


It will come There are people here including me who didn't find what they considered their first COOL find until a good amount of swingin'.

Just slow down and enjoy the hobby Don't rush remember that's how people find those GREAT finds of so called "Hunted out Places"

So ?Enjoy and Happy Hunting ....You have a life time of MD'ing in front of you.

 

[sabertooth]

Yea I did forget to tell you how long I have been detecting. Approximately 9 years off and on, when time and work would allow. I now have time. The home is still standing and is live din by my Mom. The reason it is bugging me so is I have been back to it over and over thinking "Hey there has got to be something here" I even went to the court house and checked the original land deeds and tax on the place. Interestingly enough it was seperated from a larger parcel of land owned by Ball Lumber Company and sold to a Elis Howell for are you ready for this......75 cents. It is 12 acres and has never been split after that. The original plats and deeds say a 1 room dwelling and 1 barn were there in 1875. Unfortunately our courhouse burned in about 1872 , so this may not be the original deeds and etc. But the Deed from Ball Lumber says it is a tract of land that was included in a parcel that was very very large. If I remember it was 19,000 acres. But thats just history on the place.
As for sellars, I wish we had sellars here unfortunately the water table is to high here, If you dig to deep (more than 5 or 6 feet) in some places (10 or 12 feet in others) you begin to hit sludge or just plain ole water. But I will keep it in mind just the same.
Another wird thing is I have even tried to find the privy, I have been attempting this since we moved into the house when I was 15, I am now 32 and I still hunt for the elusive toilet. I have often theorised that the dwellers of this home did not go potty and had no money , but that is just a theory. Recently I assisted in the taking down of a grape arbor located on the land , the vines were huge and old, not sure how old, but the timber used to make the arbor were old fat lighter, kindleing to some of you. I also spoke with my Grand Father who said he remembers the house as a boy, because that is where alot of the men in the area would meet to ride to the terpintine refinery in town, this was the late 30's and early 40's when he lived in that area. He said the house was very old then and he remembers it being only 2 rooms. Anyway. After hunting the land for 17 years you can see why it drives me "Mad" . It has only yielded a V Knickle (some one punched to wear as a necklace) a few wheaties...lotsa newer peenies...another theory is they planted these newer pennies in hopes that money trees would grow. (Actually I think I lost most of the newer coins out of my vehicle as a wasteful teenager.) and lots and lots of wire plow blades and general things as that.
Thanks again.

Saber

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Please tell me you did search the grape arbor area. And heres a consoling thought, with the water tables that high...you know you wont have top dig more than five feet to find it...once you figure out where it is ....the outhouse issue....evidently filled in...they weren't going to run far...my grandmothers outhouse was covered by a grape arbor....but look for the greenest area of grass in early spring ...And I probally shouldn't have to say this, but have you detected the ways and attic space...Good Luck

 

[lerch]

Couldnt you use a metal probe to find the outhouse location? I would think the ground would be allot softer where the hole was.

 

[sabertooth]

Yep searched the grape arbor, found lotsa broken glass and lots of metal junk IE. wire, old top to cans, cans etc but nothing of any report. I have used probes to locate areas where I thought the AH maybe I have a 7 foot and a 3 foot brobe. I located one area I thought may have been the big spot but alas it was nothing...a hole 5 foot by about 4 and around 5 feet deep yielded nothing. Well save a marble found at about 2 feet. Anyway i am off to try again.


Saber

 

[Kent in AL]

Hey Saber,

Jeff already hit on this and it's something I'm sure you've already thought of. If the house was originally two rooms then the newer rooms were built over what used to be yard. Can you fit in the crawlspace underneath the newer rooms and detect there?

 

[Michigan Badger]

Generally speaking old farms don't have many coins. Most of the old coinage today is found around old homes in town. The best are homes near old parks, path of parades, fair grounds, stores, alleys, or old and now abandoned parking lots. Old banks, post offices, houses of ill repute, and hotels are always winners. Any place people gathered in large numbers.

The best place to look for coins, pocket watches, etc., is right in line to where the eves of the original farm house would have stood. Most lost coins by any home new or old are directly under the eves. Roof repair is the reason for the loses.

Most likely the most common coin you'll find will be the Indian cent. These can be difficult to detect. Set your discrimination as low as possible and dig any questionable targets.

Most farm caches were buried just out of sight behind the barn and sometimes within the barn itself.

HH

 

[ZumbroKid]

Ask your ma and grandpa where the garden, chicken coop if they had one, dog houses use to be. As good of places to check as any. Also some people were very careful with their money, maybe they did not lose much.

 

[sabertooth]

Ya I asked my grandpa and he said that the barn was the same one he remembered when he was boy. He also said that the chicken just ran free. Now the crawl space under the house is soon to be gained access to as we are going to remodel it very soon. Its just a labor of love I guess. Ill find something oneday.

Saber

 

[froggy38383]

It might not apply in this situation but often checking under where clothes lines are or used to be can yield finds.

Getting off the topic a bit I know of a detectorist around here who found out from an old timer where a boarding house used to be about one hour's drive from here. He was told that the woman who ran it never checked the pockets of the clothes she washed. The water was always thrown out the back yard, according to him.

This fellow got permission to hunt the site (this took plae many years ago) and he said he found all kinds of coins from the 1920's and 1930's.