Deep Old Nickel With Legend

rayoh

Full Member
Jan 13, 2017
163
468
northeast Ohio
Detector(s) used
Minelab Etrac-Notka Legend
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The more I use the Legend the more impressed with it's deep nickel finding ability. A little history on today's hunting spot. Not a real old site with the oldest coin being a 1917 dime. Loads of 40's and 50's coins. All of these era coins are in the 7-8 inch deep range. This is a public park with a large fair once a year so there is always a fresh supply of clad.

Today I started out with a couple of clad coins and an eight inch deep wheatie. When I find a wheat penny, it peaks my concentration and I slow down. About ten feet from the wheatie, I got a faint 24-25 with deep gauge pegged. I knew it would be a nickel from that depth and I was hoping for a Buffalo. Sure enough, from 9 inches I see a reddish colored nickel. First thing I saw was it was not a Buffalo or Jefferson. It was in good shape for an old nickel and and I almost stroked out when I saw a shield. I have found loads of Buffalos and V nickels, but this is only my fourth Shield in 27 years of detecting. It is in great shape, but I have not checked it out yet. Will do that tomorrow.

The Legend is proving to be an excellent coin detector with all the depth and speed I need. I will say, it is the best nickel detector I have ever used.
 

Silver Saver

Sr. Member
Mar 15, 2017
490
939
Center of North America
Detector(s) used
Etrac- Sunray x5, x8, x12. Garrett Carrot.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Nice deep coin finds! Is 24-25 where nickels ID on the legend? If so that's pretty cool it accurately IDed that deep.
 

sprailroad

Silver Member
Jan 19, 2017
2,647
4,132
Grants Pass, Oregon
Detector(s) used
Garrett A3B United States Gold Hunter, GTA 1000, AT Pro, Discovery Treasure Baron "Gold Trax", Minelab X-Terra 70, Safari, & EQ 800, & Nokta Marko Legend. EQ 900.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have found some at 25 27, but 24, 5 and six is about it. I have found that most all of the time, many of the nickels will show alittle of the iron indication on the screen.
 

eyemustdigtreasure

Silver Member
Mar 2, 2013
3,602
5,581
California
Detector(s) used
Fisher Gold Bug Pro
Tesoro Cibola
Nokta Pointer; Phillips SHS5200 phones
Nokta Macro SIMPLEX +
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
The more I use the Legend the more impressed with it's deep nickel finding ability. A little history on today's hunting spot. Not a real old site with the oldest coin being a 1917 dime. Loads of 40's and 50's coins. All of these era coins are in the 7-8 inch deep range. This is a public park with a large fair once a year so there is always a fresh supply of clad.

Today I started out with a couple of clad coins and an eight inch deep wheatie. When I find a wheat penny, it peaks my concentration and I slow down. About ten feet from the wheatie, I got a faint 24-25 with deep gauge pegged. I knew it would be a nickel from that depth and I was hoping for a Buffalo. Sure enough, from 9 inches I see a reddish colored nickel. First thing I saw was it was not a Buffalo or Jefferson. It was in good shape for an old nickel and and I almost stroked out when I saw a shield. I have found loads of Buffalos and V nickels, but this is only my fourth Shield in 27 years of detecting. It is in great shape, but I have not checked it out yet. Will do that tomorrow.

The Legend is proving to be an excellent coin detector with all the depth and speed I need. I will say, it is the best nickel detector I have ever used.
Only recovered two shield nickels in seventeen years detecting…..
 

nuggetshooter323

Hero Member
Jul 22, 2005
965
870
Colorado Springs
Detector(s) used
The Legend, Anfibio Equinox 900, Gold Kruzer, XP Deus, ORX, Tesoro Tejon, Whites GMT, Falcon MD20, XP MI-6, Fisher F-Pulse, Pulse Dive, Vibra Probe, UniProbe.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
They're usually 27-29 in my soil, outliers can be as low as 26. I've noticed that an unstable VDI that swings from 27 to mid 30's with a good mid-tone is almost always a nickel. It might be because the coin is on edge.
 

cronk

Jr. Member
Sep 27, 2022
30
46
Indiana
Detector(s) used
EQX800, Legend
They're usually 27-29 in my soil, outliers can be as low as 26. I've noticed that an unstable VDI that swings from 27 to mid 30's with a good mid-tone is almost always a nickel. It might be because the coin is on edge.

Goes to show you how much local soil conditions matter!

Here, ground mineralization is fairly low, and I've never pulled a nickel on a signal registering above a 27. 24-26 is the sweet spot, and I'll still dig if the signal is in that zone and has a high hit at 27 or a low hit at 23. On those endpoints, however, I'm maybe 10% on it being a nickel, especially if the signal predominates on those values.

Caveat here being I'm talking strictly modern Jeffersons. The single Buffalo I've pulled was a solid 25, and unfortunately I haven't been lucky enough to run across any shield or V nickels. While there are plenty of nice parks to hunt locally, the city parks department has renovated these parks extensively over several recent decades, and I haven't found much original high-traffic ground that isn't fill from within the last 30 years.

Sidenote: The thing that fools me the most here is the little metal band on a pencil eraser. Those hit as a weak 24-25, and the weakness/disappearing of the signal is the clue it's a very small target and not a nickel.
 

sprailroad

Silver Member
Jan 19, 2017
2,647
4,132
Grants Pass, Oregon
Detector(s) used
Garrett A3B United States Gold Hunter, GTA 1000, AT Pro, Discovery Treasure Baron "Gold Trax", Minelab X-Terra 70, Safari, & EQ 800, & Nokta Marko Legend. EQ 900.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Yep...those pesky metal bands from pencils, I have dug a number of those in school yards. Nature of the beast.
 

OP
OP
R

rayoh

Full Member
Jan 13, 2017
163
468
northeast Ohio
Detector(s) used
Minelab Etrac-Notka Legend
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Goes to show you how much local soil conditions matter!

Here, ground mineralization is fairly low, and I've never pulled a nickel on a signal registering above a 27. 24-26 is the sweet spot, and I'll still dig if the signal is in that zone and has a high hit at 27 or a low hit at 23. On those endpoints, however, I'm maybe 10% on it being a nickel, especially if the signal predominates on those values.

Caveat here being I'm talking strictly modern Jeffersons. The single Buffalo I've pulled was a solid 25, and unfortunately I haven't been lucky enough to run across any shield or V nickels. While there are plenty of nice parks to hunt locally, the city parks department has renovated these parks extensively over several recent decades, and I haven't found much original high-traffic ground that isn't fill from within the last 30 years.

Sidenote: The thing that fools me the most here is the little metal band on a pencil eraser. Those hit as a weak 24-25, and the weakness/disappearing of the signal is the clue it's a very small target and not a nickel.
It must be my ground, but beaver tails pencil eraser ends come in at 22-23. Too much to lose by passing them bye. At any rate, once learned, the Legend is deadly on the mid conducters.
 

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