Are you kidding me!? Wild West Spanish silver!!!?

[Dr.Tones]

Here's a video of one of our craziest days out west. If someone would have told me that we were going to find spanish silver in Utah I would have laughed in their face!

 

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[Dr.Tones]

I guess it just depends what you consider "relics" to me a "relic" is anything time period with regards to where you're hunting. Things like lantern parts, bullets, casings, tin cans, square nails, porcelain and glass litter the surface of a lot of the sites out here. Although we were "territory" in 1863, that doesn't mean it was occupied in numbers. Population in numbers didn't start springing up here until into the gold rushes in the 70's. Seated coins are VERY difficult to find in Idaho let alone a reale. That's why we consistently drive 300-400 miles to hunt. Now, sure that was probably a little bit of an exaggeration (I am known for my theatrics) but if it's old American coins you're after, New England is the place.

 

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[Dr.Tones]

Also, that was a typo on my behalf, was supposed to have read "might've been everywhere" implying that they are no longer everywhere. Either way, go pick a random field in New England and I'll pick one in Idaho, Utah, Oregon, Nevada, Washington or Montana and see who hits Spanish silver first.

 

[Trezurehunter]

Great hunt & excellent video. It does go to show you that anything can be the next item you dig.

 

[Dr.Tones]

That's the attitude Treazure!

 

[Patriot Relics]

Love the video- can't beat Spanish silver! Great hunt gents

 

[Helix]

That's fricken awesome! You seem to have the golden touch when it comes to permissions on good sites. I have a few prospective sites that look so good I don't have the courage to ask. Kinda like asking the super model out for a date. She is just too good looking so I won't ask.

 

[treblehunter]

Nice finds

 

[Erik in NJ]

Also, that was a typo on my behalf, was supposed to have read "might've been everywhere" implying that they are no longer everywhere. Either way, go pick a random field in New England and I'll pick one in Idaho, Utah, Oregon, Nevada, Washington or Montana and see who hits Spanish silver first.

You said "east coast"...I'm in New Jersey and you would have the advantage "doctor" in finding a random field that has not had it's strata disturbed over the years or been developed. I've been thru Idaho by car en route to Wyoming to ski, parts of Idaho look in my opinion just like they probably did 150 years ago. That's not the case in NJ, NY, and other large areas of the east coast. I understand "theatrics" and "might've" but they ain't!

 

[Dr.Tones]

You're seriously gonna look me in the eye and tell me that I have better odds of hitting Spanish silver in Idaho than I would in NJ or NY? You're right. I certainly would have the advantage when it comes to finding undisturbed ground. I can show you thousands of square miles out this way that's undisturbed. That doesn't mean jack though because no one ever set foot on it long enough to lose things. In order to consistently find coins and relics you need one of two things.
1. A location visited frequently by some.
or
2. A location visited once by many.
Just because we have lots of undisturbed "strata" doesn't mean coins are just laying around on top of it everywhere. Idaho was VERY sparsely populated and still is. In order to find coins, you have to have people to lose them. Dense population=Dense circulation. Gah! I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

 

[Dr.Tones]

I'm not trying to discredit anyones research out east. We all know that it takes a ton of research wherever you're hunting. All I'm saying is that the ground back east has been walked on by more, for longer. Take England for example. That's an even more dramatic example.

 

[JeffInMass]

Great finds Doc! Awesome assortment of coins & relics. I always look forward to your finds & videos- keep up the great work!

-- Jeff --

 

[bigfoot1]

yup dr.tones

I know what your saying about population density.I am fortunate to live in the mountains in so.cal and am surrounded by vast areas of virgin soil.we had mining,logging and cattle ranching.I do find some old coins even a couple seateds and one lc.but dang,I gotta earn it.
There are areas I've hunted where I can swing for an hour without a single signal,and it will be a casing nearly every time.after over ten years working the known encampment sites I have to get creative now.we call it fluke hunting.we hit an area of some type of operation and just swing coils,no rhyme or reason at times,just square footage.
Its working.....hard work,low percentage but some great finds.yup..out west hunting comes with mileage requirements and the complete willingness to get skunked with some regularity.desert hunting the same for me.

 

[Dr.Tones]

Amen bigfoot1. Just gotta look at the lay of the land and think "What would I need to set up camp here". Look at things like water locations, wind direction, renewable food sources etc. Then it's trial and error. Not much was mapped out west until the surveyors came out. Everything before then is anyones guess.

 

[bigfoot1]

its all a trade off...I'll prolly never find a state copper or very many pre 1850s coins or relics.I can however hunt forever and be left alone.I virtually never see another detectorist and have almost unlimited legal places to hunt.I guess I like it just the way it is.

 

[Erik in NJ]

You're seriously gonna look me in the eye and tell me that I have better odds of hitting Spanish silver in Idaho than I would in NJ or NY? You're right. I certainly would have the advantage when it comes to finding undisturbed ground. I can show you thousands of square miles out this way that's undisturbed. That doesn't mean jack though because no one ever set foot on it long enough to lose things. In order to consistently find coins and relics you need one of two things.
1. A location visited frequently by some.
or
2. A location visited once by many.
Just because we have lots of undisturbed "strata" doesn't mean coins are just laying around on top of it everywhere. Idaho was VERY sparsely populated and still is. In order to find coins, you have to have people to lose them. Dense population=Dense circulation. Gah! I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

I didn't say that you had the better odds of finding Spanish silver. A couple other things to consider though:

1. The number of people that detect and post on TNet from the east coast dwarfs the number I have seen from Idaho, Utah, Dakotas, Wyoming etc. So what appears to be commonplace finds here are not really, detecting is pretty much a numbers game, lots of guys detecting = lots more finds. The finds on this site blow away what I see posted on other sites such as Findmall--not b/c there are better detectorists here, there are just a lot more or them!

2. The Spanish silver around this part of the country fell out of circulation faster than in other parts of the country due to proximity to NYC and Philadelphia--the main mint. Spanish silver was probably in circulation in your area for many more years than it was here. The seated coins you guys found where probably lost in the 1860s and that real was probably still in circulation at that time (note the excess wear) with the seated coins. Now I do agree that a KG halfpenny would be an unlikely find in your area as they were taken out of circulation earlier than the Spanish silver.

True, the ground in the east has been walked on by more for longer, but your private homesteads going back to the first half of the 19th C and ours, both being privately owned property saw about the same traffic. Most of the Spanish silver finds including my own were finds made on private property with permission. No doubt more Spanish silver was lost on the east coast, but much of it is also inaccessible due to development. It is found here, but not a commonplace find by any means.

Anyway, nice finds in the video

 

[Dr.Tones]

Can we have a beer now Erik in NJ? You make my brain hurt All great things to consider. I have gained some knowledge from this dispute and I hope others can say the same cheers man. and happy hunting to you. Thanks for watching. Lets go find some MORE!

 

[Erik in NJ]

Can we have a beer now Erik in NJ? You make my brain hurt All great things to consider. I have gained some knowledge from this dispute and I hope others can say the same cheers man. and happy hunting to you. Thanks for watching. Lets go find some MORE!

Always up for one or more beers! Cheers!

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Great silver and relic finds!
Only thing I know for sure if you don't search, you won't find, no matter where you are.

 

[Dr.Tones]

True story

 

[Scrappy]

Awwwwesome!!!! Nice video Tone. Thanks

Steve