Milestone 2 complete!!

pa-dirt_nc-sand

Silver Member
Apr 18, 2016
4,237
14,674
South Western PA
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
ACE 250 with DD coil
Equinox 600
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
View attachment 1371287
I started md'ing first of the year. Took 4 months to find a silver coin, (1891 seated dime, did not realize how cool this one was, now having found several more silvers, but none as nice or as old) This weekend found the next milestone...

I wish I had taken more pics of the location, plug, cleaning, but thought this was just another clad and modern trash outing. So here is the story.

98% of the time I am detecting in coin mode basically because I am always short on time and hate digging up so much foil and pull tabs. I've gotten fairly proficient at minimizing the trash in coin mode. When I open up the the machine (jewelry mode) it is very good at finding the smallest bits of foil and deep pull tabs. I decided the park I was at was too modern for old silver, so I did the rare move and selected jewelry mode.

In jewelry mode the ground was giving all kinds of unusual (for me) tones. Had a bit of trouble isolating a repeatable tone, but after about 5 min was able to dig a modern penny. About 5 ft from this penny my detector gives off this really load scratchy/screeching mid tone that I can isolate. Figure this one is going to be my first pull tab spill, but when I pull the plug out pops a circular disk embedded with dirt. I first think, old round pull tab (the ones you think are a ring when still in the plug), but then when I rub some of the dirt off I realize it is a pendant with Chinese writing. The dirt is so embedded that I figure it is another toasted participation award, probably old aluminum, but maybe too heavy so probably pot metal. I decide, not thinking too much of it, to put in my keeper pocket not the trash barrel pocket and continue detecting clad for the next 60 min.

I throw the handful of clad and this pendant in my typical cleaning bowl, run the water and grab a beer. When I drain the water the first glint of gold comes through the muddy water. I still am thinking "oh, another gold painted, plated, flaking toasted badge"., but I hit it with a brush to check it out. First thing that hits me is after some soap and water the piece is actually cleaning up nicely, not crumbling in my hands. I dry it off and bring over to the light to try and read the really small print. I make out " .999 1/4 Oz". Ok, now I am slightly intrigued. This is not the typical sportsmanship verbiage. Then I make out "AU". It's been 30 years since I studied the periodic table so I quickly google search AU and the magical elusive word pops up in the search "Gold". My heart starts racing and I type in Gold Panda Coin and the rest is history as they say. My first gold coin, not the old historical one we all dream off, but my first gold anything and first gold coin.

Unless I find out it is a forgery or reproduction... ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1476737916.900900.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1476737957.092757.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1476737987.779166.jpg
 

Upvote 17

tanz 82

Hero Member
Mar 16, 2012
563
1,306
N.mass- S.nh
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Son of a $&:$ I have been MDing for half life and yet to get a gold coin you start this year and get one WOW nice find
 

digging440yrs

Gold Member
Dec 5, 2012
5,946
4,410
UPSTATE NEW YORK
Detector(s) used
1970 COMPASS-
WHITES SILVER EAGLE-
WHITES DFX, 4X6DD COIL, 6X8DD COIL, 950 COIL, 10X12SEF COIL-
GARRETT PRO POINTER AT, GARRETT AT PRO , MINELAB EXPLORER SE with 8.5x12.5 Cors coil
Primary Interest:
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Nice hunt ! :occasion14:
 

weregolf

Hero Member
Jun 14, 2016
851
569
Mexico
Detector(s) used
Gemini III, Tesoro Lobo Supertraq, Fisher F2, Deepers 6, OKM rover C
Primary Interest:
Cache Hunting
Very nice yellow coin!!
 

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SD51

Silver Member
Aug 24, 2016
4,832
9,957
MI
Detector(s) used
E-TRAC
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Congrats on all your great finds! I've only seen one of those panda gold coins before and it was under glass in a jewelry store in the 90s and yes that baby is real! It was common then to put it in a bezel and use it as a slider on a necklace. You should volunteer to hunt with other detectorists to improve their luck!
 

Rick (Nova Scotia)

Silver Member
May 8, 2008
4,098
2,711
🥇 Banner finds
3
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
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Omega, F75, AT Pro
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All Treasure Hunting
An old gold might be a tad nicer in the display case, but most old gold coins sell for near their melt value anyway so I'd be quite happy with a nice panda with bezel.
Great find.
As someone else pointed out you are quite lucky to get one in your first year.

In hindsight you probably could have had a better title, probably a banner find, but may not get enough views because of the title, you can ask a mod. to change it ? just a thought.

Good luck out there.
 

UnderMiner

Silver Member
Jul 27, 2014
3,792
9,659
New York City
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excalibur II, Ace 250
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Holy $#!# what a great find! Gold Panda! :treasurechest::icon_thumright:
 

Oct 5, 2014
31,886
35,425
Massachusetts
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett: AT Pro, AT Gold & Infinium; Minelab: Explorer SE, II; Simplex; Tesoro: Tejon & Outlaw; White's: V3i
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Congratualtions on the GOLD coin find! :occasion14:
 

BigWaveDave

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2013
9,328
17,011
Mountain Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
4
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, AT Max, Minelab
Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Really?....
now I gotta go over thousands of scratchy mid-tones that I've passed up on....
Congrats!
 

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btjbtj

Bronze Member
Aug 27, 2016
1,546
1,412
Massachusetts
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro with NEL Big Coil DD. Garrett Pro-Pointer Plus.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
That gold panda is an incredibly beautiful piece! Lucky you! Congrats. -Lisa & John
 

Johncoho

Silver Member
Feb 14, 2014
2,854
7,264
Martinsburg, Pa. in the summer and Apache Junction
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Whites Spectrum XLT, Garrett AT Pro, Macro pinpointer, Garrett carrot pinpointer,
Lesch digger, Nel Tornado coil for ATPro, Garret ATMax with Nel Tornado coil
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Nice find, my friend. That's what we are all hoping for when we pop a plug. Congrats. What part of Pa are you located in?
 

Loco-Digger

Gold Member
Jun 16, 2014
11,828
17,747
Northern O-H-I-O
🥇 Banner finds
1
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F75 LTD, 1280X Aquanaut, & a Patriot (back-up/loaner)
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Congrats on the Gold, it's gonna be hard to beat that find, you might as well just sell your gear and relax.
 

OP
OP
pa-dirt_nc-sand

pa-dirt_nc-sand

Silver Member
Apr 18, 2016
4,237
14,674
South Western PA
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
ACE 250 with DD coil
Equinox 600
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Went back to same field, thought I would try jewelry mode again and ... just lots of pull tabs and foil, switched back to coin mode, found a French Franc coin, still fun. Thx to all
 

Chizzy

Bronze Member
Feb 11, 2015
1,968
3,144
North Central PA
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Compadre, Tesoro Vaquero, Garrett Pro-Pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Love the coin! What great luck...........
Don't concern yourself about the length of your post........a good narrative/story goes a long way. I could feel your indifference changing as you went through the cleanup process............:thumbsup:
 

detectahead

Silver Member
Dec 1, 2007
2,563
874
Western, N.C.
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Equinox 600, Bandido UMax II, Fisher F5, Tiger Shark, Ace 250
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The Panda coin design is changed every year. Some dates are more collectable than others. Found my first Panda coin also this last summer in a park. Mine came up as a zinc/pulltab. The difference in the bezel thickness. Yours is thicker than mine
 

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ScaredOfClowns

Full Member
Apr 21, 2012
157
639
Bucks County, PA
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800 / Garrett AT Pro / Garrett ProPointer, Garrett ProPointer AT
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Wow - a gold coin is on every MDers bucket list, and you found yours your first year. Congrats!
 

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