NZ49er
Hero Member
Hello all,
I finally got on the board with silver coins for 2019. And boy, what a way to get there. My oldest coin spill and two firsts:
I was hunting a new park and started off on the sand volleyball courts looking for jewelry. The park isn't old enough for silver, but there was the chance at finding some older stuff lost in the area before the park was built. My research on topographic maps shows nothing in the area as of 1955. In the volleyball courts I got a junk earring, and the usual tabs/clad but nothing great. As I was wrapping up the second one a park maintenance guy who was cleaning the toilets asked me if I'd found anything. I told him "not much: 6 cents and some pull tabs". He got a kick out of that so I asked him which of the soccer fields was most popular, hoping to head there next. Well, he wasn't enthused about me digging on the soccer fields. He was worried about players tripping in holes. SO: I went on my merry way off into a pasture/grassy area with trees further out in the park. It didn't look like it was frequented by many visitors. I was hitting a little trash, but not too much and then BAM. Nox reads a solid and tight 33 to 35. I knew it was going to be good and was hoping for my first silver dollar. But I looked up and one of the park maintenance guys was going by on a golf cart. Not wanting to dig with him watching I marked it by kicking a stick onto it and started looping through the area. He soon left and I rushed back to dig my target. 4 inches down:
I took some photos and sent off a bunch of texts. Then went over to put the coin in the truck and take a break. After lunch, I headed back to the same spot and started circling. There were very few signals, the ground was really clean. I dug a shotgun shell about 7 feet from the dollar, then got a similar signal (18-19) and was pleasantly surprised by this 1899 IHP:
Now I was starting to get excited. That was two coins within about 8 feet of each other. Next signal was a tight and solid 29-30. I was expecting a silver quarter, but when I got it out of the hole I realized it was too big...
My first Barber half! Total was 3 coins from the same historic period within a 10 ft radius. I pounded the area for quite a while after that and didn't find anything else but a modern nickel, some can slaw, and more shotgun shells. I spiraled out around the the little pocket spill, then gridded over my spiral pattern a second time just to be sure. Nothing else. Most I can figure is it was probably a hunter's coin spill. There was a divot in the grass where a large tree had once stood, and the park is too recent for these coins. The 1955 topographic maps show the area as a field with patches of forest.
Anyway, I hunted until sundown and found a .38 musket ball, some clad and a bunch of junk. But I'm not complaining
Thanks for looking and good luck, the big silver is still out there waiting to be found...
-NZ49er
I finally got on the board with silver coins for 2019. And boy, what a way to get there. My oldest coin spill and two firsts:
I was hunting a new park and started off on the sand volleyball courts looking for jewelry. The park isn't old enough for silver, but there was the chance at finding some older stuff lost in the area before the park was built. My research on topographic maps shows nothing in the area as of 1955. In the volleyball courts I got a junk earring, and the usual tabs/clad but nothing great. As I was wrapping up the second one a park maintenance guy who was cleaning the toilets asked me if I'd found anything. I told him "not much: 6 cents and some pull tabs". He got a kick out of that so I asked him which of the soccer fields was most popular, hoping to head there next. Well, he wasn't enthused about me digging on the soccer fields. He was worried about players tripping in holes. SO: I went on my merry way off into a pasture/grassy area with trees further out in the park. It didn't look like it was frequented by many visitors. I was hitting a little trash, but not too much and then BAM. Nox reads a solid and tight 33 to 35. I knew it was going to be good and was hoping for my first silver dollar. But I looked up and one of the park maintenance guys was going by on a golf cart. Not wanting to dig with him watching I marked it by kicking a stick onto it and started looping through the area. He soon left and I rushed back to dig my target. 4 inches down:
I took some photos and sent off a bunch of texts. Then went over to put the coin in the truck and take a break. After lunch, I headed back to the same spot and started circling. There were very few signals, the ground was really clean. I dug a shotgun shell about 7 feet from the dollar, then got a similar signal (18-19) and was pleasantly surprised by this 1899 IHP:
Now I was starting to get excited. That was two coins within about 8 feet of each other. Next signal was a tight and solid 29-30. I was expecting a silver quarter, but when I got it out of the hole I realized it was too big...
My first Barber half! Total was 3 coins from the same historic period within a 10 ft radius. I pounded the area for quite a while after that and didn't find anything else but a modern nickel, some can slaw, and more shotgun shells. I spiraled out around the the little pocket spill, then gridded over my spiral pattern a second time just to be sure. Nothing else. Most I can figure is it was probably a hunter's coin spill. There was a divot in the grass where a large tree had once stood, and the park is too recent for these coins. The 1955 topographic maps show the area as a field with patches of forest.
Anyway, I hunted until sundown and found a .38 musket ball, some clad and a bunch of junk. But I'm not complaining
Thanks for looking and good luck, the big silver is still out there waiting to be found...
-NZ49er
Upvote
58
