My first silver half dollar

Turtleman

Full Member
Feb 8, 2007
156
3
NW PA
Detector(s) used
Ace 250 and Minelab Explorer II
Hello All,
Today was my first hunt in my second year of detecting (I began last year on January 10). I headed out to a local park here near Los Angeles with the expressed goal of finding multiple silver coins. Well, I failed in my goal but exceeded my expectations, nonetheless.
I started by hitting a tot lot in the park. My first signal of the day was a Sacagewea dollar. I found about $2.60 in the tot lot along with four matchbox cars. Then I moved to a section of the park which had quite a bit of action in the 1930's-50's. I had researched this area using Google Earth and had chosen some paths to search along based on the aerial pictures. I was heading toward a large rock outcropping when I got sidetracked by a small stream. The stream had moved a considerable amount of sand over a dirt road from last weekend's heavy rain in SoCal and I searched the sand and ended up meandering up the stream (about a foot across at most places). Part way up the stream I got a half dollar hit on my Ace 250. Those who have the Ace will probably understand this best but I have had hundreds (maybe thousands) of half dollar and dollar signals on the Ace and until today, never had anything of value to show for it. It usually turns out to be deep iron. Well, this time, about six inches in the ground, in wet sand, right in the water current I pulled a Standing Liberty Half Dollar. It is in bad shape but it is my first big silver so I am happy.
I ended the hunt with $4.04 in clad, four matchbox vehicles, a marble, a bullet and the Silver Half Dollar. You won't be able to see from the pictures but the coin has a clear S mintmark on the back and a faint but clear 8 for the last digit. There is a curve in the next-to-last digit so I am concluding that it is a 1928-S (the only other option, by process of elimination, is a 1918-S). I guess I now have 1 of the 1.9+ million 1928-S half dollars ever made.
I didn't reach my goal today but I guess you could punch four dimes out of the silver in the half dollar so I will consider the day a success for sure.
 

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Turtleman

Full Member
Feb 8, 2007
156
3
NW PA
Detector(s) used
Ace 250 and Minelab Explorer II
Front, as found.
 

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Turtleman

Full Member
Feb 8, 2007
156
3
NW PA
Detector(s) used
Ace 250 and Minelab Explorer II
Back, as found.
 

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Turtleman

Full Member
Feb 8, 2007
156
3
NW PA
Detector(s) used
Ace 250 and Minelab Explorer II
Front, cleaned.
 

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Turtleman

Full Member
Feb 8, 2007
156
3
NW PA
Detector(s) used
Ace 250 and Minelab Explorer II
Back, cleaned.
 

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happymikeyone

Jr. Member
Jun 10, 2007
72
1
Detector(s) used
whites dfx
right on its a good feeling to find that silver,, last week i found my first seated half dollar it was an 1876 . and i know the feeling. its a rush...also i get those signals too from my dfx lot of times itll show up as 50 or dollar signal but its usually as you say deep iron. anyways wtggggg
hh
mike
 

buffhunter

Sr. Member
May 30, 2006
275
5
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excalibur 1000
WTG!!! my daughter got he first half dollar today, but it wasn't silver. that will come in time. keep up the good work.
 

Arkie John

Jr. Member
Feb 8, 2007
38
1
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Detector(s) used
Ace 250; Explorer; Excalibur II
Silver is silver

BIG silver is always 'purdy.'

I have not found one in a long time. But the best one I ever found was a 1906 Barber half buried about 5 inches deep in the driveway of an old 1930's house. I tried to imagine the ole' man getting out of his car and flipping his house keys out of his pocket and wa-la, coins spilling onto the drive way in the dark. It paid off.

Wonderful find, even if the ole' gal is a little worse for the wear, it'll always be your FIRST.

HH,

AJ
 

Captn SE

Silver Member
Apr 1, 2007
2,774
13
Southern CA
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer SE; X-1 Target Probe; Pro Coil, 6x8 SEF, Coiltek Platypus Elliptical, Sunray X8, Expl. 1050 coils
Way to go, Daryl. You sounded very excited in your voice message you left me today. I know you had found something good at that park.
Thanks for the real-time report today. I bet there's a few more of those hiding there, along with some other silvers too.

Your persistence paid off.
Hope to hunt with you soon. ;)

CAPTN SE
Dan
 

Ray in CA

Hero Member
Oct 11, 2007
983
16
Quincy, CA
Detector(s) used
Minelab Safari with SEF 8x6; coming soon: FORS Gold+
Awesome find! The lady's a bit beat up, but what does one expect for when rocks have been rolling over her for probably 70 years or more!

If I were you, I'd go back and hammer that area on each side of the stream. I've detected Griffith Park numerous times in the past when I lived in Reseda, hoping to score big silver. But it never happened. Well, at least one of us got to be so lucky. ;)

Ray
 

azmetaldetector

Sr. Member
Sep 22, 2005
374
12
Arizona
Detector(s) used
White's MXT, Tesoro Tiger Shark, Whites MXT Pro
Congrats. I'm still waiting to find my first. Congrats on getting that off your list.
 

moonshine

Sr. Member
Dec 29, 2006
300
7
Detector(s) used
White's 6000 Di/Pro, E-Trac
right in the water huh? thats pretty amazing. you earned that one. good job!
 

TN-Joe

Bronze Member
Oct 8, 2007
1,357
9
Tn
Detector(s) used
Garrett GTA500
That lady has a lot of spunk. Congrad's of an excellent find.
Tennessee Joe
 

Shady Digger

Sr. Member
Jun 21, 2007
266
90
Cool Ridge, WV
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Silver uMax
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
yea i just found my 1st silver ever a couple months ago and it was also a 50c piece dated 1936
wtg and keep 'em comin

RR

(too bad urs wasnt in this good of shape)
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