West Jersey Detecting
Gold Member
![10417510_10153857345014878_1059236235366555133_n.jpg 10417510_10153857345014878_1059236235366555133_n.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149957-c91fc8c3445a6881e89980809e1978c7.jpg)
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I haven't posted much recently because I don’t have the chance to get out detecting nearly as much as I once did! But I finally got an opportunity to detect a site that I’ve known about for around 10 years. It’s a site, with about two acres of farmland and some surrounding woods. I didn’t know anything about the history of the site, but I had a hunch it was a good one. The previous owner had the land for sale but wouldn’t grant permission to detect it when I asked some years back, because “his insurance company wouldn’t allow it”. I offered to sign a “hold harmless” waiver of liability, but he still declined. I closed the door on that deal when I told him that he was poor old sod for letting his insurance company control who he allows on his property.
Fast forward to November, 2015. I was driving past the property when I noticed that the “for sale” sign was no longer there. With a little time and research, I finally got the go ahead I was looking for!
It’s a small field, only around 2 acres, and not as old as I would have liked, but on my first “reconnaissance” outing of about an hour I dug these four mid-19[SUP]th[/SUP] century buttons all well preserved. I knew right then that I needed to spend more time here and made sure I had plenty put aside for the next weekend.
![IMG_20151122_182049-2 - Copy.jpg IMG_20151122_182049-2 - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149649-9e7a091b9c47dcea6cf5ff6eb66b979b.jpg)
I arrived around 8 AM on day 1. The temps were unseasonably mild and I was in short sleeves. My first good target came in less than an hour in, an 1874 Indian Head Cent. I was off to the races! After a few minutes of working the area, the targets started coming quickly; a beautiful copper broach, followed by a large, ornate button, a cut copper, a thimble and an awesome padlock. I hit pay dirt! I then decided to wander the field for a bit. There were few targets. Mostly just junk and a Mercury dime so I made my way back to the small area that had been producing the good finds. As I neared the area I got a jumpy signal on the T2. It could have easily been a piece of can slaw, but to my surprise I got Spanish silver, my first in over a year! It’s holed and smooth with virtually no detail, but I’m able to make out enough of the top right lion’s foot to get a positive ID on it being a half reale. Less than 15 minutes later I got another “junk” signal that turned out to be another keeper for sure, a very nice 1863 “fatty”. After that I dug two more crusty Indians and had to call it a day, but there was no question that I needed to return asap!
![IMG_20151128_091252 - Copy.jpg IMG_20151128_091252 - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149665-00a02c93a423459ffc869e73ae889a2e.jpg)
![IMG_20151128_093647 (1) - Copy.jpg IMG_20151128_093647 (1) - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149687-81fa94dfe5efca0a2ad812ecf60e637b.jpg)
![IMG_20151128_101650 (1) - Copy.jpg IMG_20151128_101650 (1) - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149700-6fc646024d3a1399dfe087720a2efad5.jpg)
![IMG_20151128_112356 - Copy.jpg IMG_20151128_112356 - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149709-9a450e38c6d90be0cc9cff1c51572fda.jpg)
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It was a full week of restless sleep before I was able to make it back to the site, but it felt like a month. This time it was a cold morning with a strong wind from the west, making it feel even colder. I started swinging the coil in the same area I had left the week before, but it was more than an hour before I got my first signal worth checking out. It was a very questionable target mostly in the iron range, bouncing to the pull tab range. I decided to dig because I’ve learned not to take chances, especially on deep signals. Glad I did, because at a depth of 10+ inches was a Flying Eagle cent with some great detail! I dug a few buttons and then, about 15 minutes later dug a great looking Indian Head cent. Another hour and a few more buttons in my pouch before I got a solid pull-tab signal at around 6 or 7 inches and got my second Flying Eagle of the day! This one looked great right out of the hole! After digging a few more buttons, I really needed to get home to take care of some errands. It was with great difficulty that I powered off my T2 and left the site. It wasn’t until much later that I realized it was a key date, 1870, and probably the best looking Indian I’d ever dug! I just carefully cleaned it with a little compressed air and then Vaseline and a toothpick and swab to remove loose dirt. If it wasn't for a tiny bit of verdigris, this would be an AU key date coin!
![IMG_20151206_092725 - Copy (2).jpg IMG_20151206_092725 - Copy (2).jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149719-b9acc47feaaa9e78afd44a6331feaabc.jpg)
![IMG_20151206_094347 - Copy - Copy.jpg IMG_20151206_094347 - Copy - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149734-940eba66b0b36eee04a8e9bbd647bea8.jpg)
![IMG_20151206_105905 - Copy - Copy.jpg IMG_20151206_105905 - Copy - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149757-7117d31568e6dde6fa32e9abfbf7616b.jpg)
Here they are after cleaning
![IMG_20151206_135507.jpg IMG_20151206_135507.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149979-d9e03bda3e74f3ba409a31aaded135e4.jpg)
![IMG_20151206_135608~2 - Copy (2).jpg IMG_20151206_135608~2 - Copy (2).jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1150/1150008-b5639ac0adda8d2e5ea516c8db822dc2.jpg)
![IMG_20151218_222952 - Copy.jpg IMG_20151218_222952 - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149802-e6f7c6505de1b45a799f35ff0e5b546b.jpg)
![IMG_20151218_222829 - Copy.jpg IMG_20151218_222829 - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149810-6db2108923c04fc3fa6f13ebdaede05e.jpg)
By the time I returned to the site again, the temps had warmed up to a balmy 70 degrees, Thank you El Nino! I wasn’t there long before I got a good solid hit and dug an old zinc religious medallion, some thimbles, followed soon after with a beautiful old cupboard key, a few more flat buttons, and then a great looking (but slightly dented) NY Militia button! I was just getting warmed up! A while later, another deep questionable signal at around 11 inches and what a beautiful site! An 1851 Large Cent, and great detail!!! After replacing the deep plug, I swept the coil one time and got another deep signal that sounded very similar, this one reading 13 inches on my display. Could it be another LC? I dug a huge plug and there was no target in the hole, but the signal had cleared up to a nice copper / silver reading. Deep iron? There’s always the chance of iron on those deep ones, but at more than 15 inches I felt a round object in the bottom of the hole. I carefully dug around it with my Lesche and out of the ground came a large crotal bell. I later was able to match the makers mark to William Barton, one of the first American bell maker.
![IMG_20151213_105407 (1) - Copy.jpg IMG_20151213_105407 (1) - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149833-46b51097c0c59e714dfcf67f4a0e4cfd.jpg)
![IMG_20151213_184648 - Copy.jpg IMG_20151213_184648 - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149855-a69ce3b55634729abd59296f785ce0ac.jpg)
![IMG_20151213_185102 - Copy.jpg IMG_20151213_185102 - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149863-9efd24a579149085d17f8acd672fa7e7.jpg)
![IMG_20151213_185121 - Copy.jpg IMG_20151213_185121 - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149865-16821eacd8b914d2277b467d215241d3.jpg)
![IMG_20151214_140619 - Copy.jpg IMG_20151214_140619 - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149876-0213e427214aa4bfc7267baaa1ef693b.jpg)
The next few outings were equally as amazing with two “modern” silver Barber Dimes stuck together 1894, 1901 (both New Orleans mint), some more Indians, including two 1864, one clearly a pointed bust “L” variety, two semi-key 1869 (one is bent), a half dime and a Braided half cent in awesome condition! You won’t see many later date Braided Hair half cents dug. Most were cashed in for new small cents and melted down as a result of the Coin Act of 1857 when they became obsolete. I ended my last hunt with an awesome brass 1814 Friedrich Wilhelm III Jetton!
![IMG_20151225_130404 (1) - Copy.jpg IMG_20151225_130404 (1) - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149891-8e58c2cc7783d61993530de2c376665d.jpg)
![IMG_20151225_143110-2 (1) - Copy.jpg IMG_20151225_143110-2 (1) - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149900-cfcabe697427ed975fc89e19b6d22e50.jpg)
![IMG_20151225_143144 - Copy.jpg IMG_20151225_143144 - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149908-384e2f614f4685b9784866e05c2ddc94.jpg)
![IMG_20151227_132831 (1) - Copy.jpg IMG_20151227_132831 (1) - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149920-f885cc61e3cabefa16d28e51a880b414.jpg)
![IMG_20151227_132858 (1) - Copy.jpg IMG_20151227_132858 (1) - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149930-ee8f75044284fd9b3de8cada6597dbba.jpg)
![IMG_20160103_181559 - Copy.jpg IMG_20160103_181559 - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149943-fda939ccf3b1cd9321345c27af0e820c.jpg)
![IMG_20160104_214651-1 (2).jpg IMG_20160104_214651-1 (2).jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1152/1152633-5c4fb7efe9e825ce958067e8f1026150.jpg)
![IMG_20160103_181241 - Copy.jpg IMG_20160103_181241 - Copy.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/1149/1149954-65ea112955612326c99df29867bb2b29.jpg)
Now that the targets are fewer and far between, I’m going to have to dig more of those deep iron signals. I know there must be some three cent pieces and maybe a deuce or two waiting for me!
A list of the coins follows below.
Half Reale – Undated
Half Cent – 1851
Large Cent – 1851
Flying Eagle – 1857 (2)
Indian Head “Fatty” – 1863
Indian Heads – Bronze
1864
1864 “L”
1865
1869 (2)
1870
1874
1879
Half Dime – 1858
Barber Dimes
1894 O
1901 O
Friedrich Wilhelm III Jetton -1814
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