Kind of Sad...

coinman123 · Mar 26, 2015

Yesterday I went metal detecting, I wanted to try somewhere other than a river. I saw exposed dirt and tried there. I got a nice quarter signal - at a place where the newest coin I found was from 1864. I dug when I noticed that the ground felt like cement. It turned out I was digging on ice!!! I gave up after thirty minutes not making a dent and marked it with some rocks for next time. I am dying to get back and dig it!

Has this happened to anyone ever

BigWaveDave · Mar 26, 2015

not me.... hope it thaws out for you soon!

ARC · Mar 26, 2015

Light a fire on it ?
heh... jus an idea...
Watch it was a rare key date gold eagle... or even rarer escudo...
Comes out half melted...
On second thought ...
scratch the fire... wait for thaw.

Small fire ? heh

coinman123 · Mar 26, 2015

I dropped a twenty pound boulder right on the whole to loosen the dirt, if anything the bolder had more damage than the dirt. It felt like concrete but was ice. I just had the biggest downpour I have seen for a while today, plus 55-60 degrees, something tells me I will be digging soon... or not soon if the ground freezes overnight. If it freezes again I can go with fire.

Man o' War · Mar 26, 2015

Nope. Never been on a spot with coins aged like that.

Msbeepbeep · Mar 27, 2015

I think the top 1/2" of ours is thawed, but frozen solid under that. They are talking an inch of snow for tomorrow!

I am going to try and hit the beach Sunday maybe I can dig there.

coinman123 · Mar 27, 2015

I may be trying again today. I will let you know.

Charlie P. (NY) · Mar 27, 2015

We're starting to melt here and, even though we're on a slope, the water around the foundation had nowhere to go and we were sinking via the walk-out basement door. I went out and shoveled a channel and, with a log hook, chopped a trench through the ice and frozen soil under the snow. It's rock hard 1/2" down. Gonna be a LONG time before I get out coin shooting.

I have been blowing the snow from our circular driveway into the center lawn, all winter, and now that has started to melt and re-freeze at night. I now have a 2 ft deep crater pond in my front lawn where the snow has created a water-tight bowl.

I would have to go ice-diving to get to my test garden. :-(

coinman123 · Mar 27, 2015

Turned out to be iron. I did find another thing on that hunt, way more significant but it was the first time I ever reburied an item.

I got a nice signal I dig and see a WWI dog tag, I'm thrilled, I then see a smaller one, even better. Here is when it starts getting weird, I see tons of ornate iron, some silver plated. I put it back in the hole after photos in research in respect. It is in the middle of the woods, near a church and around 1/4 from a cemetery. I have a though... an urn.

I will do a big post with photos later,

SusanMN · Mar 27, 2015

All the time in the Springtime, especially if we waffle between freeze and thaw. And the pits is that even if I take really good note of where the target was, I just can't seem to find it when it finally thaws.

coinman123 · Mar 27, 2015

SusanMN said:
All the time in the Springtime, especially if we waffle between freeze and thaw. And the pits is that even if I take really good note of where the target was, I just can't seem to find it when it finally thaws.

I hate how last year I was metal detecting by early March, I still have to wait until april.

SusanMN · Mar 27, 2015

I was out two weeks ago and was able to dig down 5-6 inches. But the weather changed and now the ground is frozen solid again. Might be able to get out in another week, or might not be able to again until late April. That is a Minnesota springtime for you.