Been Hunting for it for 49 Years & Found it Today!

[Texas Jay]

Hooray! I finally broke my silver half dollar jinx today! Found a 1914-S Barber silver half dollar, 9-10 inches deep with my Garrett Ace 250. I've been metal detecting for 49 years and a silver half dollar has always eluded me until this one popped out of the mud today. I have found a few clad halves over the years and always figured that my first silver half would be a Kennedy, a Franklin, or maybe a Walking Liberty but I really didn't think it would be a beautiful Barber. Please excuse my poor photography but I was a wee bit excited to say the least. ha.
~Texas Jay
http://centraltexastreasureclub.webs.com

 

[Texas Jay]

Congratulations on a bucket lister coin!! How are the coins details, is she in good shape?

Thanks, can_slaw. It probably would have graded in VG condition but I did something that I never like to do - dug it with a small long-handled shovel because of the huge fire ant colony and I scraped down the middle of the reverse and put a little nick on the neck of the obverse. The muddy condition of the spot didn't make it any easier either. I should have been much more careful and dug a wider hole but we live and learn. I very rarely ever scratch a coin when I'm digging with my 3-in-1 knife that I've used for the past 36 years but I've forgiven myself for scratching the half and am moving forward as the proud owner of a beautiful Barber half. My hunting buddy found an 1893 Indian Head Cent, on Thursday, only about 15 yards from where I found the half. He's mostly using his XP Deus but he also uses his new Minelab Equinox 800. We're both excited to return to the virgin spot but we also have some other productive sites in the county that we need to continue working too.
~Texas Jay
My Bloody Bill Anderson website with some very nice old historical photos of my town and county in the Photos section.
Home - William C. "Bloody Bill" Anderson

 

[Texas Jay]

Might as well edit your post and give us a photo of it close up.. both sides! What a find. I've never found any kind of a half dollar; it's just such a big coin that fewer are lost. Another thing I like is you found it with a relatively inexpensive machine... and deep! Good on ya!! Thanks for the post.

Thanks, Phishfarmer. I still take photos the old-fashioned way, with a digital camera, and I'm about a month behind on photographing, uploading to my laptop, and posting them online so it will probably be next week before I can take some better photos of the half and post them. I haven't even had time to take it out of the water and dish soap that I had it soaking in overnight. Next, I'll be posting photos of my finds from April 6th to May 1st that I just uploaded to my computer last night. I've been having so much fun and success with the Ace 250 that I haven't yet taken my Ace 350, that I won at our Central Texas Treasure Club's hunt a year ago, out into the field so I have a lot of things on my schedule these days. Here's some of the cool old stuff that my hunting buddy and I found on Thursday, the same day that I flagged the location of the half.
~Texas Jay

 

[Texas Jay]

Welcome to the Barber Half Club. One of my favorite finds. Congratulations Sir take care of her. I don’t leave home without her. View attachment 1586877

Good Club to be in [emoji1317]

Thanks, Truth 1253. I appreciate the good idea. I may very well put my Barber on a neck chain too.
~Texas Jay

 

[Trezurehunter]

Congrats on your first Barber Half. The excitement of that coin never diminishes !

 

[Truth]

Thanks, Truth 1253. I appreciate the good idea. I may very well put my Barber on a neck chain too.
~Texas Jay

Hey waiting 49 years I’ll give send an extra one in have.i you wanna does have to be right away PM me and that will be my congratulations present to you. Louisiana has to take care of Texas.

 

[can_slaw]

Thanks, can_slaw. It probably would have graded in VG condition but I did something that I never like to do - dug it with a small long-handled shovel because of the huge fire ant colony and I scraped down the middle of the reverse and put a little nick on the neck of the obverse. The muddy condition of the spot didn't make it any easier either. I should have been much more careful and dug a wider hole but we live and learn.
~Texas Jay

I know this feeling all too well. I am certainly familiar with scratching an item you have been searching for. Glad to see someone who has been in the game as long as you have such a positive attitude!

 

[Texas Jay]

I know this feeling all too well. I am certainly familiar with scratching an item you have been searching for. Glad to see someone who has been in the game as long as you have such a positive attitude!

I took it out of the soapy water that I let it set in for 24 hours and the surface mud and dirt washed right off but there are still black spots where the 100 year-old mud still clings to it. I was able to remove some of the coated spots with a wet dull toothpick but it will take an hour or two of delicate work to get most of the rest of it off. All of the oldest coins I find around here have the same problem so I know, from experience, that it's a slow and tedious process. Even with its blemishes, it's still a beautiful and priceless coin to me.
~Texas Jay