Found (what I believe) is another Spanish cob but only reading a 55 on the AT Pro?

[perdidogringo]

Hi All,

I had a pretty good hunt here today in Colombia. I found what I am pretty sure is a 1/4 or 1/2 (clipped) Spanish cob that is very worn (so worn, all the details are gone). But the confusing thing for me is that silver usually rings up 75-85 for me on my AT Pro. This one rang up (and still rings up) at about a 55. Could this mean it isn't silver? see photos below

Also, I found my first musket ball! That's been on my list for a while so glad I finally was fortunate enough to find one. Any feedback would be appreciated!

 

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[mirage83]

Could be debased silver maybe. Interesting find.

 

[trapperart]

Nice finds congrats

 

[TRanegar36]

Half dimes ring up really low... hopefully it's due to size and not the metal content.

I don't know anything about spanish silver, so I'm no help there.

Congrats

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

My hammered penny rang up around there too. Thin silver sometimes does that. Nice find

 

[ajaj]

Yes, silver can ring up lower. In this case, probably due to its small size and the depth of the target. I've seen a shallow (< 1 inch) 3-cent piece ring up as a 67 and a deeper one ring up in the high 50s/low 60s. Remember, VDI is only a single data point...go by the sound and feel!

aj

 

[CRUSADER]

Looks Cobby...

This is why I keep telling people to ignore the numbers, glance at them but don't let them decide whether to dig or not. Just dig.

 

[ARC]

Looks like an un struck cob to me.
Cool find.

 

[Scrappy]

If I found that, I would say it's a cob. And don't worry about those numbers - I'll bet you'll never look at a 55 the same again

Congrats

 

[rich f]

if u like musketballs will trade u there are plenty around my area lol...

 

[Iron Patch]

Probably 100-150 years in circulation. It's not too uncommon to find a silver disk detecting, so a very warn cob is every bit as possible. We probably don't see as many because they tend to have a deeper strike than a milled coin.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

The thinner and smaller the target the lower VDI reading you'll get for any particular metal. For example, very small cut silver coins can read as low as in the 30s on my F75 while larger whole coins can read up into the 80s. Same goes for gold, copper, brass, etc. All detectors will react in the same manner. So what you're seeing is a very common phenomena.

 

[gunsil]

That round thing looks like steel or iron, is that rust on it? If so it is a ball bearing. If it is lead it is way too small for a "musket" ball, more likely a piece of buckshot or a pistol ball.

 

[perdidogringo]

Many thanks for all your feedback! And yes, I won't look at a 55 on my AT Pro like that ever again! lol. I usually dig everything 40 and above anyway since where I dig here in Colombia, the land is usually undisturbed with little modern trash. So at least whatever I dig, I know will be pretty old and interesting.

The round ball is definitely lead, Gunsil, but there was still some dirt on it giving it a rusted appearance. Any way to date the roundball? It's about 9cm so does that distinguish a pistol from buck shot (Pardon my ignorance on this subject). Thanks again!

 

[CRUSADER]

Many thanks for all your feedback! And yes, I won't look at a 55 on my AT Pro like that ever again! lol. I usually dig everything 40 and above anyway since where I dig here in Colombia, the land is usually undisturbed with little modern trash. So at least whatever I dig, I know will be pretty old and interesting.

The round ball is definitely lead, Gunsil, but there was still some dirt on it giving it a rusted appearance. Any way to date the roundball? It's about 9cm so does that distinguish a pistol from buck shot (Pardon my ignorance on this subject). Thanks again!

I dig 10 & up