Dig Zincs

[luvsdux]

Several years back I passed up the target when either the display or thumbing the disc button indicated it was probably a zinc penny due to the fact that zincs are usually so,cruddy. Read a post like this, that pointed out that some small gold jewelry responds/displays as zincs, so I decided to dig them again. The second target I retrieved after this turned out to be a small gold ring and I've picked up several more since. SO, if pulltabs and bottle caps aren't enough, dealing with zinc pennies is another pain that from time to time can pay off.
luvsdux

 

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[85royalx]

That's something I will keep in mind s I get going in the hobby thank you

 

[xr7ator]

Pass up all your zincoln targets and you're leaving treasure behind, for sure!
I got a small sterling pendant last year (kind of fillagree, expanded type design) that was exactly a zincoln signal.
Believe it or not, and it cleaned up really nice, I dug a blank planchet zincoln this year. Not much value, I know, but what a cool find. Best I;ve found in circulation is about 10% off center strike.
Not as cool as a GOLD ring! Congrats and keep at it.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

Several years back I passed up the target when either the display or thumbing the disc button indicated it was probably a zinc penny due to the fact that zincs are usually so,cruddy. Read a post like this, that pointed out that some small gold jewelry responds/displays as zincs, so I decided to dig them again. The second target I retrieved after this turned out to be a small gold ring and I've picked up several more since. SO, if pulltabs and bottle caps aren't enough, dealing with zinc pennies is another pain that from time to time can pay off.
luvsdux

Well, to add "balanced comment", I would say that this is not always good advice.

On the one hand, it's true, that *some* gold rings read up as high as into the zinc range (usually beefy large men's rings, like college class rings for instance). For that matter, gold rings (and gold coins) can come in just about ANYWHERE on the TID spectrum. This is because TID isn't only a function of the composition (type metal), but also the size of the item. So for example: a USA $20 gold piece reads up at about penny/dime. And perhaps one of those gold super bowl rings may read at quarter ? And so forth, and so on.

So to extend your logic out further, simply "don't reject anything" (except iron perhaps), "lest you miss a gold ring". But let's face it: there are places where this is an exercise in folly. I can think of places (junky blighted inner city parks) where your ratio of zincs & junk to each gold ring would be 1000 to 1. Simply not worth it.

Thus the "trick" to finding gold rings, is not so much a function of "dig junk (or zincs) till your arms fall off", but rather it's more a function of WHERE you hunt. There are certain places (swimming beaches for instance) which are just more condusive to jewelry losses (and hence better ratios), to begin with.

 

[dirtscratcher]

Another coin that comes in close to zinc are the fishscales or silver five cent piece from Canada. Never dug one till this year but have dug three since.

 

[Ima Swinger]

I dug a nice little silver ring this summer that rang up zinc.
I think Tom nailed it with his reply.

HH

 

[luvsdux]

Tom's thread reminds me of the old saying "location, location, location." In heavy trash he's right on. My thread might have been better written as be aware that some jewelry targets come up as zincs so think about whether or not to pass them by.
luvsdux

 

[cudamark]

With me it depends on your definition of "dig". I'll scoop a zinc sound at the beach every time. I'll also probe a surface zinc elsewhere, but I won't cut a plug for one. Just not worth the time and effort for the off chance it's valuable jewelry.