How productive are old ball fields?

uglymailman

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Feb 3, 2010
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I've got some old baseball fields I've been thinking of hitting and wondered if they are worth the effort.
1. Field built by WPA in 30's. Had native stone/ concrete bleachers. Torn down in early 80's due to Corp or Engineer lake.
2. Small town field also lost to lake. I remember the backstop still being there and an old coke machine, the type that had bottles sit in cooled water and you took bottle out thru maze. It was about gone and not used in mid 60's.
3. Small village ball field. I can get the site down to a couple of acres.
4. Country school field. Was a high school until 40's or so. Elementary till this day. The original school burnt to arson about 67' or 68' and a new one built before next school year. We played softball there but the kids don't even have a backstop there anymore. I'm guessing baseball was played there years ago. The school had some basketball trophy's from 20's/30's. That was played outdoors too.
Small village/town baseball was pretty big at least from 1930 to mid 50's. To get 9 players ages could range from 13 or so up. My Dad and Grandad both played in 30's. They would play other village teams. Always Sunday, usually a double hitter. Between games they would find a shade tree and have washtubs of iced beer for the men and soda for the boys.
One team had brothers that were pitcher and catcher. One would pitch first game,the other catch and the next game they would trade positions.
One brother as catcher would tell the boys "Get ready, this is going to be a curve" or" Here comes the fastball." Between games the pitching brother got on the catcher for tipping the young boys off to his pitch. The catcher explained the "boys" needed to learn the game. The brothers were in their 70's.
My point I guess is the finds would be pretty modern. Perhaps some silver. But due to the era and the small amount of money that ever changed hands at these events, I don't know if they'd be worth the effort. A couple of acres is a big patch of ground to hunt. I would expect them not to have be hunted so maybe virgin ground is a plus. What do ya think?
 

joe_dirt

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The fact that you know the history and you know people used to gather there would definitely be enough to make me give it at least a once over. Probably more.
 

Phanntom

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I think it would be a great hunting. A lot of money may not have changed hands simply because people didn't have a lot of money in those days, but what they did have was "silver". It's also likely jewelry was lost and other items of either monetary or historical value. I located a similar field in SC. I don't believe it's ever been hunted and you're right...it's a large area to cover. I did a quick cursory check and found a couple of pennies but when I get back there in the fall...I'll just begin working a small grid area each day, very slowly in hopes of very deep signals.
 

gerryk

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I would give it a try. It sounds promising with all that activity. Imagine e stuff that would have never been found if people only loooked in places they knew were productive.
 

jeff of pa

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I think this is my best find in a ball field, So yes they can be Productive

httpwww.treasurenet.comforumstodays-finds307307-3-hours-ball-field-myself-morning.html.jpg Picture 051.jpg

I got 3 walking Liberty Halfs last year at 3 different Ball fields also
 

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gerryk

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Ok, so old ball parks and sporting event parks will definately be on my list of places to hunt.
 

cntrydncr1

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I've had some good finds in old fields. Definitely worth hitting.
 

gleaner1

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Old ball fields are in the top ten places to hunt for old coins. Old ball fields are the bomb. At least they used to be. They are all torn up now. But they still cough up a few for the determined tectorist.
 

fistfulladirt

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I have 3 fav ballfields. "Nothing left" said the old-timers. Heh, these ballfields were never hit with a ------- detector. The newest ballfield recently gave up an 1865 2-center. The other two gave up two seated coins, Peace dollar, dozens of old silvers, IH's, Barbers, wheats, etc...

Every place has been metal detected by someone. Detectors have been around for over 50 years.
I treat every pounded spot as virgin territory.
The best one I've found was dedicated in "1977". From the looks of things this ballfield looked 20 or 30 years old. It produced a seated quarter, Barbers, IH's and more, just in the outfield.
 

liftloop

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I was at an old ball field last summer
Stanton town ship Houghton county
snagged a nice mercury dime with my mxt 950 loop
just screamed wasn't very deep.
be mathalical in your searching allays circle out
from your last find
good luck
 

perry2

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My best "hit" per foot rate was in a town ball field currently active and also used as a fairground for the 4th--sometimes a hit every 3-4 ft//
the second best was a badmitten court staked out on a private beach---more than 30 coins in40 x 20ish ft, for a while I stayed on my knees and just pushed the AT along//LOTS of fun// Perry
 

Pulltab Parson

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Anywhere there's soil, there is opportunity to find treasure. . . go for it!

HH
PTP
 

gunsil

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If they are un-hunted I think you should send me in first to see if there is really anything worth digging up. Might save you a lot of time!!
LOL
 

jeff of pa

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If they are un-hunted I think you should send me in first to see if there is really anything worth digging up. Might save you a lot of time!!
LOL

the only " un-hunted" that matters is "un-hunted by me" :laughing7:
I'll take any site I have not been on.
even if 100 detectorists preceded me
 

OP
OP
U

uglymailman

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Feb 3, 2010
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Thanks for all the replys and encouragement.
Jeff, I think they must have played ball earlier there than here.
I did talk to an "old timer" who has narrowed the village field down. The backstop was placed along the road fence, quite a ways from the infield. There were no concessions there so little money would have changed hands. I still have to contact land owner.
The WPA field is very overgrown and floods every 3 or 4 years when the Lake gets real high. The pop. in 50's was 5,000 or so and there were 8-10 Babe Ruth teams (13-15 yr olds) and 3 or 4 American Legion teams (16-18) up intil the mid 70's so only 10 yrs or so of clad. Car's would be parked up and down the Park Road and a couple of grassy areas for parking. The concessions were in the stands. There were also a couple of shelter houses a couple of hundred yards from the ball field fence. 12'X12' concrete slabs with pick nick tables and a roof. In the late 1800's there was a race horse track. I've not been able to find out just where the stands, if any, would have been. I think this is the first go.
 

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