halfdime
Silver Member
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2006
- Messages
- 4,521
- Reaction score
- 1,502
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Zelienople
- Detector(s) used
- White's XLT
I'm in a New York hotel, wide awake after my usual six hours of sleep. Junior halfdime is snoring, which makes it hard to get back to sleep; I'll use the opportunity to share the weekend finds. Twenty-five years ago, I graduated from college; our campus then was nearly a hundred years old. Twenty years ago, after working as the school groundskeeper for two years, I left to return to the Pittsburgh area where I grew up. I've been back to campus a few times since, but never for Homecoming. For some reason, I decided to return this year, bringing the family with me. When I was groundskeeper, I used to see guys detecting on our athletic field, probably making some great finds; I remember my crew finding old coins just in the course of our work. After I got my detector, four years ago, I yearned to someday do some campus detecting of my own.
Last week, laying the groundwork, I wrote an email to the college President, asking for permission. I've maintained a relationship with the college as an alumnus, mainly with checks of support, and there are still a handful of people there who remember me. The funny part is that we were students together and now they're in positions of huge responsibility! Evidently, the President asked around about me and found out I was a safe risk; he replied with permission and also copied other pertinent departments that I had his permission to detect. With permission in hand, visions of Seateds and Barbers started dancing in my head
.
My first foray, yesterday morning, lasted about an hour. Miss halfdime and I drove over to the campus and started between the two oldest buildings on campus; though I'd seen detectors in action a lifetime ago, I hoped that this area had been overlooked. I managed to find modern stuff quickly; kids are still dropping coins and litter was minimal. We managed to find a pair of '40's wheats in a hole but nothing else significant during the early hunt. I never did get back to that area, and I still have to wonder if it's been searched before; I'm convinced that it has because I gave it enough time to find something better. After a Homecoming event, it was back to detecting; while the kids romped at a play area set up for them, I headed up to an old building that was once a mansion. I picked a small courtyard and started in; I quickly started to find two-inch nails from a long ago repair or construction project. The remains of an old sprinkler system were still in the ground, giving off occasional half dollar signals. I managed a 56 wheat and finally found my only silver of the day: a 44 Merc. When I saw it in the hole, I was thinking Barber but it wasn't to be
. Just as I finished repairing the hole, Mrs. halfdime called to notify me that her stint on duty (with the kids) was over. This was only fair; I didn't expect to detect in peace the whole day. We found Starbucks (there was no such place here twenty years ago) and I got her back to the hotel. The kids and I went back to campus, found something to eat and set out in search of more treasure. What we found, mostly, were clad coins and Memorial pennies in an area where an old house once stood. This area has huge, ancient oaks with a spectacular view; you know that the ground once held some ancient coins as well. Someone beat me to them, who knows when. My phone rang; it was my cousin, informing me that my old roommate (Rocky) was at the soccer game just below us. I found a stopping point (most of you know how hard it is to put down the detector!) and went to find him.
When I found him, the Rock was engaged in conversation with some other folks; meanwhile, I spotted another friend, Todd, and we started chatting. It didn't take long for the truth to come out: he owned three detectors himself, lived in town below the campus and had never detected up here! I showed him the Merc; he thought about it the same way I did, thinking that there has to be something older, and better. Everybody else thought it was way cool, and I guess it is, but I've found so many Mercs that the novelty has worn off. Had it been a 16D, or one of the 21's, I'd have been happier; I guess you get jaded after a while. Comparing notes, I found out that Todd's best find was a gold Spanish doubloon, discovered on a beach in North Carolina! He lives in a town that goes back to the 1700's and maybe even earlier; it's filled with old houses and old yards and he does pretty well searching them. I told him about Treasurenet, so maybe he'll check in!
Finally, after the children were temporarily done fighting, and the soccer game ended with a dramatic overtime win for the good guys, I headed back to do some more detecting. I ran into the President and gave him the Merc as a token of appreciation so there isn't a picture. We all know what a 44 Merc looks like, anyway. I managed some more clad, and a 20 something wheat, but that was it. I only did a small fraction of the campus, and there has to be more left in the ground; since I left twenty years ago, the college has purchased several old houses that probably haven't been detected before. I guess I'll have to leave them to Todd! It was a beautiful weekend, with a trip to the Statue of Liberty included; maybe I'll post pictures of that when I get home.
Last week, laying the groundwork, I wrote an email to the college President, asking for permission. I've maintained a relationship with the college as an alumnus, mainly with checks of support, and there are still a handful of people there who remember me. The funny part is that we were students together and now they're in positions of huge responsibility! Evidently, the President asked around about me and found out I was a safe risk; he replied with permission and also copied other pertinent departments that I had his permission to detect. With permission in hand, visions of Seateds and Barbers started dancing in my head
.My first foray, yesterday morning, lasted about an hour. Miss halfdime and I drove over to the campus and started between the two oldest buildings on campus; though I'd seen detectors in action a lifetime ago, I hoped that this area had been overlooked. I managed to find modern stuff quickly; kids are still dropping coins and litter was minimal. We managed to find a pair of '40's wheats in a hole but nothing else significant during the early hunt. I never did get back to that area, and I still have to wonder if it's been searched before; I'm convinced that it has because I gave it enough time to find something better. After a Homecoming event, it was back to detecting; while the kids romped at a play area set up for them, I headed up to an old building that was once a mansion. I picked a small courtyard and started in; I quickly started to find two-inch nails from a long ago repair or construction project. The remains of an old sprinkler system were still in the ground, giving off occasional half dollar signals. I managed a 56 wheat and finally found my only silver of the day: a 44 Merc. When I saw it in the hole, I was thinking Barber but it wasn't to be
. Just as I finished repairing the hole, Mrs. halfdime called to notify me that her stint on duty (with the kids) was over. This was only fair; I didn't expect to detect in peace the whole day. We found Starbucks (there was no such place here twenty years ago) and I got her back to the hotel. The kids and I went back to campus, found something to eat and set out in search of more treasure. What we found, mostly, were clad coins and Memorial pennies in an area where an old house once stood. This area has huge, ancient oaks with a spectacular view; you know that the ground once held some ancient coins as well. Someone beat me to them, who knows when. My phone rang; it was my cousin, informing me that my old roommate (Rocky) was at the soccer game just below us. I found a stopping point (most of you know how hard it is to put down the detector!) and went to find him. When I found him, the Rock was engaged in conversation with some other folks; meanwhile, I spotted another friend, Todd, and we started chatting. It didn't take long for the truth to come out: he owned three detectors himself, lived in town below the campus and had never detected up here! I showed him the Merc; he thought about it the same way I did, thinking that there has to be something older, and better. Everybody else thought it was way cool, and I guess it is, but I've found so many Mercs that the novelty has worn off. Had it been a 16D, or one of the 21's, I'd have been happier; I guess you get jaded after a while. Comparing notes, I found out that Todd's best find was a gold Spanish doubloon, discovered on a beach in North Carolina! He lives in a town that goes back to the 1700's and maybe even earlier; it's filled with old houses and old yards and he does pretty well searching them. I told him about Treasurenet, so maybe he'll check in!
Finally, after the children were temporarily done fighting, and the soccer game ended with a dramatic overtime win for the good guys, I headed back to do some more detecting. I ran into the President and gave him the Merc as a token of appreciation so there isn't a picture. We all know what a 44 Merc looks like, anyway. I managed some more clad, and a 20 something wheat, but that was it. I only did a small fraction of the campus, and there has to be more left in the ground; since I left twenty years ago, the college has purchased several old houses that probably haven't been detected before. I guess I'll have to leave them to Todd! It was a beautiful weekend, with a trip to the Statue of Liberty included; maybe I'll post pictures of that when I get home.
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