🥇 BANNER Eighteen one troy ounce silver bars recovered underwater. Still doesn't feel real.

RatherBeDigging

Sr. Member
Jun 16, 2020
384
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Detector(s) used
Started with a Minelab X-Terra 505 with stock coil or 18.75khz elliptical coil depending upon the site. Upgraded to Equinox 600 with stock coil, xl coil and sinper coil depending on circumstances.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
20210930_132945.jpg 20211002_171358.jpg 20211003_103919.jpg
On the 20th I posted about detecting a waterway with mid 1800s homes along it. Bridge however is later 1800s I believe. It is not part of a state park, national park or protected historicly. It is public. Would describe it as sort of in middle of nowhere. Lots of 1970s clad, fishing lures, weights and bullets in general. On the 20th it was the usual and a wheaty. Then I found a troy ounce bar under water in the rocks of the rapids. I joked in that post about going back for the rest of them. Boy did I not expect there to be any more of them let alone eighteen. I thought the first find was just a fluke.
After the first bar was recovered on my 2nd trip there the area flooded. The water was too high and fast moving to get to. The area I wanted to be in was past well past knees and impossible to even swing the detector back unless you used both hands. Five days later after the water went down ten bars were recovered on one trip this week. Yesterday I went with my detecting friend and we recovered another seven bars. He found three. I found four. One was filed and tested with nitric acid. File spot turns white. I also tested them for paramagnetic behavior which they do exhibit. Also they melt ice pretty fast. My detecting friend and I are completely gobsmacked by this hoard. Unsure yet on purity.

As of this post 18 bars have been recovered. we cannot locate any more in area where 17 of the bars came from. And there are no more in the rapids for now..... at least until it floods again. Were they tossed off the bridge and then slowly burieded and the unburied by the floods? That's seems most likely at this point. After the flood they were only 2 to 3 arrows deep on the equinox. All jumping between 33 to 38 target idea. Very loud signals. They seemed to settle in the lower divits in the rocky bottom often with big iron. Two were stuck together with water. Three were visable by eye site. Two shown in photo with red circle. They all definitely have patina and pits from nocking around in the rocks and gravel for a long time. No markings left that I can tell. My guess is 20th century because they are so uniform and they are pressed bars? Anyone have any idea? My detecting friends mother an ultrasound tech believes she found some writing on one of the three my detecting friend found. Waiting on update and photo. Would be great to date these roughly.
Any updates will follow. Now where are the gold ones? Lol. Group picture only shows the 15 I've recovered myself. Three of the 18 my detecting friend found. He helped me with a bottle site and a park I found my first one reale and first large cent so figured I'd share. We definitely are going back after heavy rain. Really ought to buy waiters because the water is on the colder side and I keep flooding my boots.
 

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Hunk-a-lead

Bronze Member
Dec 20, 2020
2,093
3,258
Kansas City
Detector(s) used
Nokta Legend, Predator Phoenix Shovel
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
View attachment 1983294 View attachment 1983295 View attachment 1983296
On the 20th I posted about detecting a waterway with mid 1800s homes along it. Bridge however is later 1800s I believe. It is not part of a state park, national park or protected historicly. It is public. Was out with a few fisherman yesterday. They all said I've probably found a lot of fishing weights. Sure have. Would describe it as sort of in middle of nowhere. Lots of 1970s clad, fishing lures, weights, two cool hand made ones, a few wheats, a nice brass buckle, a less nice brass buckle and a sterling ring. Then I found a troy ounce bar under water in the rocks of the rapids. I joked in that post about going back for the rest of them. Boy did I not expect there to be any more of them let alone eighteen of them. I thought the first find was just a fluke.
After the first bar was recovered on my 2nd trip there, the ring was on first trip, the area flooded. The water was too high and fast moving to go back for a few days . Ten were recovered after the water went down on one trip this week. Yesterday I went with my detecting friend and we recovered another seven bars. He found three. I found four. One was filed and tested with nitric acid. File spot turns white. I also tested them for paramagnetic behavior which they do exhibit. Also they melt ice pretty fast. My detecting friend and I are completely gobsmacked by this hoard. Unsure yet on purity.

As of this post 18 bars have been recovered. we cannot locate any more in area where 17 of the bars came from. And there are no more in the rapids for now..... just memorial pennies and clad dimes. Were they tossed off the bridge some time ago? Were they washed down stream during this weeks flooding there? Is there a mother hoard? How many licks to the center of a tootsie pop? The strange thing is they were all right around where I found the ring two weeks prior and I really worked that area on two hunts before the flood. They definitely weren't there. After the flood they were only 2 to 3 arrows deep on the equinox. All jumping between 33 to 38 target idea. Very loud signals. They seemed to settle in the lower divits in the rocky bottom often with big iron. Two were stuck together with water. Three were visable by eye site. Two shown in photo with red circle. They all definitely have patina and pits from nocking around in the rocks and gravel for a long time. No markings left that I can tell. My guess is 20th century because they are so uniform and they are pressed bars? Anyone have any idea? My detecting friends mother an ultrasound tech believes she found some writing on one of the three my detecting friend found. Waiting on update and photo. Would be great to date these roughly.
Any updates will follow. Now where are the gold ones? Lol. Group picture only shows the 15 I've recovered myself. Three of the 18 my detecting friend found. He helped me with a bottle site and a park I found my first one reale and first large cent so figured I'd share. We definitely are going back after heavy rain. Really ought to buy waiters because the water is on the colder side and I keep flooding my boots.
incredible cache, bravo zulu
 

WannaDig3687

Gold Member
Jun 5, 2017
23,801
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O-H-I-O
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Garret ATMAX
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Incredible! A huge congrats on that treasure find and for a well deserved banner. I hope you are able to go back and find some more.
 

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RatherBeDigging

RatherBeDigging

Sr. Member
Jun 16, 2020
384
2,103
🥇 Banner finds
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Detector(s) used
Started with a Minelab X-Terra 505 with stock coil or 18.75khz elliptical coil depending upon the site. Upgraded to Equinox 600 with stock coil, xl coil and sinper coil depending on circumstances.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Incredible! A huge congrats on that treasure find and for a well deserved banner. I hope you are able to go back and find some more.
Looking like the bar signals have dryed up for now at least until we get an inch+ of rain. Was there today and Monday and it's pretty much back to the same type signals I was getting before flooding Clad, memorials and fishing lures. One lone 1941 wheaty.
 

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sphillips

Bronze Member
Jan 4, 2008
1,046
1,115
Western NC
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Equinox 800
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Any markings on the bars, and could they have washed out of the bank during high water?
 

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RatherBeDigging

RatherBeDigging

Sr. Member
Jun 16, 2020
384
2,103
🥇 Banner finds
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Detector(s) used
Started with a Minelab X-Terra 505 with stock coil or 18.75khz elliptical coil depending upon the site. Upgraded to Equinox 600 with stock coil, xl coil and sinper coil depending on circumstances.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Wow!!! Go play the lottery!!!
Went somewhere else with a lot of bars. The casino Haha. Won a whole $12 that probably was part of the money I lost last time lol. New spot a mile up from bar site to work that's older. I'll probably walk almost back to bar site in water and see what happens. Found some interesting stuff in water 1st time I was there. Mostly foil to bottle cap signals near bridge but I'm going to venture farther into less accessible sections you can only get to by walking pretty far in the water. Feel like very shallow water area along both sides of bridge was already haunted because it's trashy signals and nothing above a bottle cap. There we a few surprises. Will be separate post.
 

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RatherBeDigging

RatherBeDigging

Sr. Member
Jun 16, 2020
384
2,103
🥇 Banner finds
3
Detector(s) used
Started with a Minelab X-Terra 505 with stock coil or 18.75khz elliptical coil depending upon the site. Upgraded to Equinox 600 with stock coil, xl coil and sinper coil depending on circumstances.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Any markings on the bars, and could they have washed out of the bank during high water?
My guess is tossed off bridge a long time ago. Not super old bars. But under water long enough details were tumbled off. One has the words 1 once barley visable. Once I get pic from my friend who found that one I'll post it.
 

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RatherBeDigging

RatherBeDigging

Sr. Member
Jun 16, 2020
384
2,103
🥇 Banner finds
3
Detector(s) used
Started with a Minelab X-Terra 505 with stock coil or 18.75khz elliptical coil depending upon the site. Upgraded to Equinox 600 with stock coil, xl coil and sinper coil depending on circumstances.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
thats one heck of a find congrats
It was. Hasn't rained enough for a flood there so I haven't been back there. Pretty sure they are 99% silver based on their weight suspended in water which is 2.93 to 2.94 grams. 30.69 grams over 2.94 gives 10.43 specific gravity for tested bar. Sterling is 10.36. Pure silver is 10.49. Right in range of pure.
 

Lanny in AB

Gold Member
Apr 2, 2003
5,651
6,342
Alberta
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Various Minelabs(5000, 2100, X-Terra 705, Equinox 800, Gold Monster), Falcon MD20, Tesoro Sand Shark, Gold Bug Pro, Makro Gold Racer.
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augoldminer

Sr. Member
Jan 7, 2013
328
324
high desert goldfields
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gold master V-sat
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View attachment 1983294 View attachment 1983295 View attachment 1983296
On the 20th I posted about detecting a waterway with mid 1800s homes along it. Bridge however is later 1800s I believe. It is not part of a state park, national park or protected historicly. It is public. Would describe it as sort of in middle of nowhere. Lots of 1970s clad, fishing lures, weights and bullets in general. On the 20th it was the usual and a wheaty. Then I found a troy ounce bar under water in the rocks of the rapids. I joked in that post about going back for the rest of them. Boy did I not expect there to be any more of them let alone eighteen. I thought the first find was just a fluke.
After the first bar was recovered on my 2nd trip there the area flooded. The water was too high and fast moving to get to. The area I wanted to be in was past well past knees and impossible to even swing the detector back unless you used both hands. Five days later after the water went down ten bars were recovered on one trip this week. Yesterday I went with my detecting friend and we recovered another seven bars. He found three. I found four. One was filed and tested with nitric acid. File spot turns white. I also tested them for paramagnetic behavior which they do exhibit. Also they melt ice pretty fast. My detecting friend and I are completely gobsmacked by this hoard. Unsure yet on purity.

As of this post 18 bars have been recovered. we cannot locate any more in area where 17 of the bars came from. And there are no more in the rapids for now..... at least until it floods again. Were they tossed off the bridge and then slowly burieded and the unburied by the floods? That's seems most likely at this point. After the flood they were only 2 to 3 arrows deep on the equinox. All jumping between 33 to 38 target idea. Very loud signals. They seemed to settle in the lower divits in the rocky bottom often with big iron. Two were stuck together with water. Three were visable by eye site. Two shown in photo with red circle. They all definitely have patina and pits from nocking around in the rocks and gravel for a long time. No markings left that I can tell. My guess is 20th century because they are so uniform and they are pressed bars? Anyone have any idea? My detecting friends mother an ultrasound tech believes she found some writing on one of the three my detecting friend found. Waiting on update and photo. Would be great to date these roughly.
Any updates will follow. Now where are the gold ones? Lol. Group picture only shows the 15 I've recovered myself. Three of the 18 my detecting friend found. He helped me with a bottle site and a park I found my first one reale and first large cent so figured I'd share. We definitely are going back after heavy rain. Really ought to buy waiters because the water is on the colder side and I keep flooding my boots.
You might try an isotope assay to see what the trace elements are. This may give you an idea where the silver was mined. my guess thet they are very old and could be from a lost sattle bag.
 

Tesorodeoro

Bronze Member
Jan 21, 2018
1,216
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You might try an isotope assay to see what the trace elements are. This may give you an idea where the silver was mined. my guess thet they are very old and could be from a lost sattle bag.
Or at the minimum have them professionally tested for purity?
 

fistfulladirt

Gold Member
Feb 21, 2008
12,200
4,902
Great Lakes State
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dirtfishing
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Whoah! I know all about silver and those boating accidents, they tend to happen quite often from what I’ve read…nice score!
 

BH505Man

Full Member
Nov 18, 2013
123
153
Granite Falls, WA
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800, 6",11" coils, Teknetics T2SE,&T2 Classic, 5", CORS Fortune 5.5x9.5", 11", CORS Strike 12x13", 15"coils, Legacy 3500, 4", 8",10" & 11"DD coils, Lesche digging Knife, Lesche T Handle Shovel
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
View attachment 1983294 View attachment 1983295 View attachment 1983296
On the 20th I posted about detecting a waterway with mid 1800s homes along it. Bridge however is later 1800s I believe. It is not part of a state park, national park or protected historicly. It is public. Would describe it as sort of in middle of nowhere. Lots of 1970s clad, fishing lures, weights and bullets in general. On the 20th it was the usual and a wheaty. Then I found a troy ounce bar under water in the rocks of the rapids. I joked in that post about going back for the rest of them. Boy did I not expect there to be any more of them let alone eighteen. I thought the first find was just a fluke.
After the first bar was recovered on my 2nd trip there the area flooded. The water was too high and fast moving to get to. The area I wanted to be in was past well past knees and impossible to even swing the detector back unless you used both hands. Five days later after the water went down ten bars were recovered on one trip this week. Yesterday I went with my detecting friend and we recovered another seven bars. He found three. I found four. One was filed and tested with nitric acid. File spot turns white. I also tested them for paramagnetic behavior which they do exhibit. Also they melt ice pretty fast. My detecting friend and I are completely gobsmacked by this hoard. Unsure yet on purity.

As of this post 18 bars have been recovered. we cannot locate any more in area where 17 of the bars came from. And there are no more in the rapids for now..... at least until it floods again. Were they tossed off the bridge and then slowly burieded and the unburied by the floods? That's seems most likely at this point. After the flood they were only 2 to 3 arrows deep on the equinox. All jumping between 33 to 38 target idea. Very loud signals. They seemed to settle in the lower divits in the rocky bottom often with big iron. Two were stuck together with water. Three were visable by eye site. Two shown in photo with red circle. They all definitely have patina and pits from nocking around in the rocks and gravel for a long time. No markings left that I can tell. My guess is 20th century because they are so uniform and they are pressed bars? Anyone have any idea? My detecting friends mother an ultrasound tech believes she found some writing on one of the three my detecting friend found. Waiting on update and photo. Would be great to date these roughly.
Any updates will follow. Now where are the gold ones? Lol. Group picture only shows the 15 I've recovered myself. Three of the 18 my detecting friend found. He helped me with a bottle site and a park I found my first one reale and first large cent so figured I'd share. We definitely are going back after heavy rain. Really ought to buy waiters because the water is on the colder side and I keep flooding my boots.
Wow, what awesome finds! WTG. I hope that some of your luck rubs off on me!!!
 

yaxthri

Bronze Member
Nov 17, 2010
1,063
724
View attachment 1983294 View attachment 1983295 View attachment 1983296
On the 20th I posted about detecting a waterway with mid 1800s homes along it. Bridge however is later 1800s I believe. It is not part of a state park, national park or protected historicly. It is public. Would describe it as sort of in middle of nowhere. Lots of 1970s clad, fishing lures, weights and bullets in general. On the 20th it was the usual and a wheaty. Then I found a troy ounce bar under water in the rocks of the rapids. I joked in that post about going back for the rest of them. Boy did I not expect there to be any more of them let alone eighteen. I thought the first find was just a fluke.
After the first bar was recovered on my 2nd trip there the area flooded. The water was too high and fast moving to get to. The area I wanted to be in was past well past knees and impossible to even swing the detector back unless you used both hands. Five days later after the water went down ten bars were recovered on one trip this week. Yesterday I went with my detecting friend and we recovered another seven bars. He found three. I found four. One was filed and tested with nitric acid. File spot turns white. I also tested them for paramagnetic behavior which they do exhibit. Also they melt ice pretty fast. My detecting friend and I are completely gobsmacked by this hoard. Unsure yet on purity.

As of this post 18 bars have been recovered. we cannot locate any more in area where 17 of the bars came from. And there are no more in the rapids for now..... at least until it floods again. Were they tossed off the bridge and then slowly burieded and the unburied by the floods? That's seems most likely at this point. After the flood they were only 2 to 3 arrows deep on the equinox. All jumping between 33 to 38 target idea. Very loud signals. They seemed to settle in the lower divits in the rocky bottom often with big iron. Two were stuck together with water. Three were visable by eye site. Two shown in photo with red circle. They all definitely have patina and pits from nocking around in the rocks and gravel for a long time. No markings left that I can tell. My guess is 20th century because they are so uniform and they are pressed bars? Anyone have any idea? My detecting friends mother an ultrasound tech believes she found some writing on one of the three my detecting friend found. Waiting on update and photo. Would be great to date these roughly.
Any updates will follow. Now where are the gold ones? Lol. Group picture only shows the 15 I've recovered myself. Three of the 18 my detecting friend found. He helped me with a bottle site and a park I found my first one reale and first large cent so figured I'd share. We definitely are going back after heavy rain. Really ought to buy waiters because the water is on the colder side and I keep flooding my boots.
Wow what a find! Congratulations and go back for more!!!
 

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