Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

[Cubfan64]

Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

got home from work and was kinda "antsy" so after playing with dog went for a drive. Going through a small rural town I passed a church with a playground out back with wood chips all around. Decided to just hit it for 45 minutes or so until it got dark.

Ended up finding $1.11 in clad - all less than 2 inches down in the woodchips. The unexpected find came when I got a strong hit and went down ~6 inches at which point I hit landscaping fabric but the signal was under it. I cut through to find sand and another inch down pulled out a 1906 indian head penny (soaking in olive oil as it was very dirty so a picture wouldn't look too good right now).

I guess it makes sense that at some point there was ground there that eventually was covered with fabric and wood chips, but the odds of an IH penny being there just seems odd. The church was NOT an old church - looked more like maybe 15-20 years old at the earliest. Guess I have some research to do on the property + about 2/3 of the playground yet to hunt.

Question though - there was nobody at the church to ask permission from, and although I wasn't going to dig anywhere but the woodchips which wouldn't cause any turf damage or anything, I have to say I felt like I was doing something wrong.

What's the concensus amongst my fellow TH'rs - obviously the playground is on private property, but it wasn't fenced in or anything and I'm sure local kids are able to use it. Should I have waited until I got permission, or was it ok to hunt?

 

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[ringding]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

Just go to confessional to relieve your guilty mind. You should be ok, but I ask the pastor before I hunt a church. No biggy.

 

[Michigan Badger]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

You should always ask permission if there is anyone to ask. But, with asking there's always the strong chance of a no answer.

In essence all of us here are treasure hunters. We're sort of an odd group in a lot of ways. You can see this if you follow all the postings here. We're good as gold one minute...childish the next. Treasure hunters need to find treasure. It's in our blood. If we had lived 300 years ago we would have been pirates or worse.

I wouldn't let this thing bug you too much. Next time ask permission and be very clear that you wouldn't cause any damage.

But remember this, way down deep in your heart you're a treasure hunter

 

[MetalFury]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

I've had signals in the wood chips that were under the cloth fabric liner. Never cut the fabric or anything to see what was down there. Hope I didn't miss anything good!!!!

 

[Cubfan64]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

I've had signals in the wood chips that were under the cloth fabric liner. Never cut the fabric or anything to see what was down there. Hope I didn't miss anything good!!!!

Yah, I have to admit, I pondered the decision to cut for a minute or two - especially since I hadn't asked for permission. If the signal had been large I would have left it, but it was just the right size for a coin and seemed to be really close to the fabric by the strength of the signal.

Before I finish the last 2/3 of the playground, I'll ask permission. Deep down I knew it was the right thing to do - otherwise I wouldn't have had that "voice in the back of my head" to even ask here :P

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

Poor, poor, poor Cub fan,

tough year for us.

With no one to ask I would have hunted the
chips.

Have gotten signals under the fabric and have
never bothered with them. When I'm hunting the
chips I'm pulling clad and hoping for a nice piece
of jewelry. Down that deep, fabric, I know its not
recent. Good question, cut or not cut. Could be
you damaged the property. Weeds will be coming
up. Don't know. Sure The Good Lord will let it pass.

Like I said, when I'm hunting the chip I'm not looking
for something old so would not go down that far.

have a good un.............

 

[bookfisher]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

To change the subject. You're up in New Hampshire. There has to be tons of open fields up there, where there used to be dwellings and farming going on. I would concentrate on those open fields. Most pieces of land in old areas were farmed year in and year out, planting and harvesting and lots of coins and relics were lost. Also check your surrounding area for town owned passive parks (no ballfields, swingsets, nothing) and fields and hunt those. My buddy and I hunted a town owned passive park in a very busy area in Huntington, Long Island last year and found 18th century Spanish 1/2 and 1 reales (3), some colonial coppers, about 10 large cents, civil war tokens, a half dime, indian heads and tons of 18th and 19th century buttons.

 

[Cubfan64]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

turns out it's a 1905 IH, not a 1906. Very very pitted after cleaning it up a bit though - too bad nothing can really be done to make it look better, just got the dirt off and this is the best I'll get - it's still my oldest find for the year though.

 

[Nana40]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

Ditto Badger.....and Fury... :P

Still a great find Cubby! Love them Indians!


Nana

 

[1235CE]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

.......coming from a cemetery detecting fan, I think you know my answer.....lol....nice find!

HH all!
Greg

 

[willie d]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

No harm no foul, don't sweat it. If you feel that bad, go back to that church on Sunday and put $1.11 in the collection plate. Keep the indian though.

 

[Cannonman17]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

1235CE- metal detecting a cemetary? Ever find anything- Haven't ever tried it and probably won't but always wondered.

 

[UnknownBounty]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

Truthfully, don't feel guilty. about what? It does depend what the situation is, but there is nothing wrong with detecting there, and especially the woodchips. There are a few though, that feel that metal detecting the property is "raping" it, and making it unpure in gods eyes. I laugh at this, since all the pop cans and litter that is there has already "ruined" it. and heck, god has a path for everyone, mines detecting, keep it up yo.

 

[UnknownBounty]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

Yes the cemetary's too.. I don't care too much about such things, just don't do it right over the graves, or very deep. You'll obtain some sqaure coffin nails! mwhaha. I think cemetary's would be a gold mine to hunt, only hunted one, and may be the only one i do. I believe though, life is life, it doesn't make a difference, if your finding a coin in florida from a shipwreck where many lives were lost. or your finding a 1903 penny lost by someone mourning the dead. The only thing is people who hunt cemetary's can forget its sacred value, always remember the gifts your given.

 

[bazinga]

Re: Short hunt - unexpected find & question...

A few weeks ago I was hunting a local school playground and got a deep signal under the fabric as well. It turned out to be a nice green wheat penny from the teens.

As for cemetaries... I have tried them and never had much luck. All I've ever found are loads of shotgun shells and no coins to date after visiting several of them. But I have heard good stories from those who have hunted them. They always tells me to focus on the walking paths and old parking areas.