It pays to go slow as proven by a 24 button day + colonial copper & silver coins

[Bill D. (VA)]

After this morning's rain I was able to make it back out to my new site for the 3rd time. I wasn't expecting much as I had already hit the small iron patch area pretty well, or so I thought. I started out randomly scanning around the perimeter of the hotspot trying to dig a stray find but wasn't having much luck. At that point I decided to venture back into the area that had given up so many buttons and coins during the 2 previous trips, and immediately got an obvious hit that quickly put a button in my pouch. I got to thinking that during the first 2 hunts I had been a little anxious, and was probably swinging a bit too fast, especially considering that a lot of the targets were deep. So I decided to begin methodically hunting at 90 degrees to my previous passes, and slowed WAY DOWN. I couldn't believe all the signals I had missed, and the buttons and other relics started popping out left and right. About halfway into the hunt I thought I had unearthed another of those large buttons that usually read in the 60s, but got caught off guard when I saw another half reale laying there in the dirt. It was another 1772 just like I recovered on the last hunt. What are the odds of that? A bit later I thought I had a big green button, but got fooled again as it ended up being another Va halfpenny. I also dug a cool looking piece to a colonial watch winder. And near the end of the day I got fooled for the 3rd time when I was absolutely sure I was holding a tarnished piece of cut silver in my hand. But when I brushed the dirt away I quickly saw that one end had a long point protruding off to the side, and it was unfortunately just a broken button. I finished the day by zig-zagging around the entire perimeter of the site a bit more, but could only come up with one more button making my final count for the 4 hour hunt a whopping 24. Overall this site has produced 50-60 buttons and 5 colonial coins (see last 3 pics for site totals), but I'm even more proud of the research effort that led me to this totally undocumented and unhunted site. It's also interesting to note that the dates for all 5 coins dug at this site fall into an extremely narrow range (1772-1775) which is highly unusual.

 

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[SouthJerseyJim]

Way to go Bill. Low and slow!

 

[Rivers rat]

Well done that man!!!!!!!




RR

 

[Carolina Tom]

Congrats Bill. Those Spanish silvers are just awesome. Congrats on all of the great finds. GL&HH.

 

[metalev4]

Awesome hunt Bill, nice looking silver. Hope you get another before that site dries up.

 

[Vino]

Nice way to pick through Bill.
Thats the biggest whatch winder handle i have seen..
George

 

[bill from lachine]

Bill,

Nice selection of old finds....low and slow can usually turn up some unexpected surprises.

Regards + HH

Bill

 

[Ahab8]

What a day!!!! Happy for Ya buddy. Must have felt so good to nail keeper after keeper. I love those hunts where you're killing the buttons and you get a surprise coin every so often. That's a fun day right there. It certainly pays to slow waaaaaayyyyyy down when you're in a proven hot spot. I walked right through one at a site and luckily got a button at the far edge. Went back and pulled 32 buttons and a couple coins along with a couple shoe buckles and silverware. I often wonder how many people just fly right over a great spot. It's easier to do than folks think. And yes having success at a spot that was found with nothing to go on feels great. Keep it up buddy. You can squeeze in a couple more

 

[halfdime]

Awesome! It's so hard to be patient and thorough but it pays off.

 

[WHADIFIND]

Looks like a really nice spot!

By the by, when you say you slowed way down. What do you mean exactly? The actual swing or more the speed you were walking? I'm curious.
You see, I tried the field once more today and it didn't matter where, how fast, what settings, etc. No matter what I tried, there just weren't any semi decent hits.

Just not a field walker I guess.

 

[DigIron2]

More nice colonial silver.That V.A. Halfpenny looks like it still got some detail too.another example of patience and persistence paying off.Very nice haul!What is that top left in the grouping,some kind of dagger guard?

 

[Tnmountains]

Wow. It is hard to give up on a spot like that.I am glad that you did not.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

More nice colonial silver.That V.A. Halfpenny looks like it still got some detail too.another example of patience and persistence paying off.Very nice haul!What is that top left in the grouping,some kind of dagger guard?

Its a colonial sword guard I found earlier this week.. Check on my post from Monday for more info and pics.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Looks like a really nice spot!

By the by, when you say you slowed way down. What do you mean exactly? The actual swing or more the speed you were walking? I'm curious.
You see, I tried the field once more today and it didn't matter where, how fast, what settings, etc. No matter what I tried, there just weren't any semi decent hits.

Just not a field walker I guess.

I'm talking about both swing speed and walking speed, and scrubbing the coil on the ground. Doesn't hurt to overlap your coil coverage too.

 

[46Wheat]

Thank you for sharing your hunt and those pictures with us

 

[WHADIFIND]

I'm talking about both swing speed and walking speed, and scrubbing the coil on the ground. Doesn't hurt to overlap your coil coverage too.

Just wanted to be sure. That's what I do when I normally hunt. I have more of a lateral pattern then a "Z" swing too.

 

[The Patriot]

Fantastic hunt and you were wise to slow it down…especially around the iron…. congrats

 

[Steve in PA]

Nice digs Bill. The age of that site is more inline with the type of sites I get into up here. Not 1600s but I'm sure you're not complaining

It's easy to get anxious and speed up when you walk into a new site with your digging partner and you're both racing a little bit to cover ground. When you go back by yourself, there is no pressure and it's easier to slow down.

 

[joeyfresh]

Way to go Bill! You're getting closer to that 200 mark.

Just to be clear, your not doing the slow methodical thing in a random part of the field, right? You're doing it in or near an iron patch or where you think a house site was, correct? It would pain me to think of someone walking a 200 acre field covering a foot per hour, lol.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Way to go Bill! You're getting closer to that 200 mark.

Just to be clear, your not doing the slow methodical thing in a random part of the field, right? You're doing it in or near an iron patch or where you think a house site was, correct? It would pain me to think of someone walking a 200 acre field covering a foot per hour, lol.

You are correct Joey. I would never hunt areas well away from the iron patch in a methodical fashion unless I found a 2nd hotspot. And that does happen sometimes.

My worst fault as a hunter is swinging too fast, and a lot of that comes from the need for speed when covering these huge fields we like to hunt. That practice is so ingrained in me that its hard to slow down even when in the iron patch, and even when I force myself to do that its usually not slow enough. I seem to keep having to learn that lesson over and over again, but then I seem doomed to repeat it at the next site. I guess it's a wonder I find anything ....