Silverseeker
Full Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2004
- Messages
- 179
- Reaction score
- 137
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- Location
- Indian Wells Valley, CA
I usually try not to post my finds on too many forums, but two of the coins I found in the last two days are too good not to be seen by all. Following is the original text and photos that I posted yesterday on a different forum.
I located another aqueduct construction campsite this morning following a little research and lotsa gut feeling. I ended up in a huge area with loads of targets....ALL of them were old. This campsite was in use from 1908 to 1913 during the construction of the L.A. aqueduct. All of the targets below were found in a two hour hunt. There are some patent dates ranging from 1891 to 1908 on many of the items. I picked out all the easy targets, but you can bet I'll be back for the tough ones.
OK, I saved the best part for last. I dug one lone Indian Head about an hour into my hunt. It was a later date, so I put it into my pouch and didn't give it much thought. I kept digging targets for another hour and decided to call it a day. I don't find alot of coins in desert sites, so one Indian was still a decent haul for a two hour hunt. When I got to the truck and put my equipment away, I pulled out my coin book to see what I'd found. I was expecting maybe a $4.00 coin.....or maybe a $15.00 one if I was lucky. I about had a heart attack when I saw it was $300.00 in G-4. And this coin is anything but G-4. I'd almost guess it was uncirculated when it was dropped. Even knocked down a grade or two due to minor corrosion, it may still be worth $400-500.
The following is from day two, after a short hunt yielding only a Barber dime:
OK, I sit here typing with trembling hands. Not only did I have my greatest coin find yesterday, but I topped it less than an hour ago. After only a two hour hunt this morning, I got stir crazy this afternoon and drove back up to the aqueduct construction camp.
About an hour into my hunt, with fewer and fewer targets, I got a decent mid conductor target at about 3 inches. After digging hundreds of these signals in the last few days, I expected another button or suspender buckle. I dug a coin shaped object that appeared to be gold. Closer inspection caused a yell that must have been heard for miles. I was so excited that I couldn't hunt any more, so I packed up and headed home. I used extreme caution not to wipe it. (Remembering Tom's gold coin story) When I got home, I used water and blotted it with wet tissue paper.....no wiping.
From what I can see, there is no wear on this coin. Are there any experts out there that can give me a grade? There's a huge difference in values depending on grade.
I located another aqueduct construction campsite this morning following a little research and lotsa gut feeling. I ended up in a huge area with loads of targets....ALL of them were old. This campsite was in use from 1908 to 1913 during the construction of the L.A. aqueduct. All of the targets below were found in a two hour hunt. There are some patent dates ranging from 1891 to 1908 on many of the items. I picked out all the easy targets, but you can bet I'll be back for the tough ones.
OK, I saved the best part for last. I dug one lone Indian Head about an hour into my hunt. It was a later date, so I put it into my pouch and didn't give it much thought. I kept digging targets for another hour and decided to call it a day. I don't find alot of coins in desert sites, so one Indian was still a decent haul for a two hour hunt. When I got to the truck and put my equipment away, I pulled out my coin book to see what I'd found. I was expecting maybe a $4.00 coin.....or maybe a $15.00 one if I was lucky. I about had a heart attack when I saw it was $300.00 in G-4. And this coin is anything but G-4. I'd almost guess it was uncirculated when it was dropped. Even knocked down a grade or two due to minor corrosion, it may still be worth $400-500.
The following is from day two, after a short hunt yielding only a Barber dime:
OK, I sit here typing with trembling hands. Not only did I have my greatest coin find yesterday, but I topped it less than an hour ago. After only a two hour hunt this morning, I got stir crazy this afternoon and drove back up to the aqueduct construction camp.
About an hour into my hunt, with fewer and fewer targets, I got a decent mid conductor target at about 3 inches. After digging hundreds of these signals in the last few days, I expected another button or suspender buckle. I dug a coin shaped object that appeared to be gold. Closer inspection caused a yell that must have been heard for miles. I was so excited that I couldn't hunt any more, so I packed up and headed home. I used extreme caution not to wipe it. (Remembering Tom's gold coin story) When I got home, I used water and blotted it with wet tissue paper.....no wiping.
From what I can see, there is no wear on this coin. Are there any experts out there that can give me a grade? There's a huge difference in values depending on grade.
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Its a gold strike !! Nice finds !! 
That is a once in a life time dig.
