Question about CRH in Upper Midwest

[Buchsy]

Hi Everyone -

I've recently returned from vacation in the Upper Midwest (Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa) and as I have always done, I did a bit of CRH, focusing on halves. I wanted to ask the group about something I encountered there to see what your experiences were. As I have always done, I focused on areas with lots of older people - my route took me through isolated areas along US 2, bypassing Minneapolis and going through Duluth MN, Fargo ND and eastern Iowa. No one had anything except for some Fed rolls and one search dump in rural MN ($1.1K).

I was told by a local that "people don't have a history of saving silver, and those that do keep it in the family." I never heard that before - I always found something, especially in rural areas like those in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. If anyone has had any experience CRH in these areas, I'd like to hear about it to see if it's "normal" in the Upper Midwest.

Thanks.

 

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[Blackfoot58]

People I’m familiar with, in Iowa, save silver. I don’t know how many roll hunt. It seems that a lot of coin watchers/savers are 50 and older. I’ve looked at nearly every coin I’ve had since around 1968. Wheaties, buffaloes and mercury dimes. Later, error coins too.

 

[GMan00001]

Hi Everyone -

I've recently returned from vacation in the Upper Midwest (Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa) and as I have always done, I did a bit of CRH, focusing on halves. I wanted to ask the group about something I encountered there to see what your experiences were. As I have always done, I focused on areas with lots of older people - my route took me through isolated areas along US 2, bypassing Minneapolis and going through Duluth MN, Fargo ND and eastern Iowa. No one had anything except for some Fed rolls and one search dump in rural MN ($1.1K).

I was told by a local that "people don't have a history of saving silver, and those that do keep it in the family." I never heard that before - I always found something, especially in rural areas like those in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. If anyone has had any experience CRH in these areas, I'd like to hear about it to see if it's "normal" in the Upper Midwest.

Thanks.

I haven't done much CRHing in the past 8 years or so as just haven't had time. When I was actively doing it, however, I've been over a good chunk of eastern half of MN from the iron range in the north down through Mankato and Rochester in the south as well as some of western WI and a few places in western MN.

It has always been hit and miss, even back then, and when I stopped CRH'ing, it was mostly miss on halves to the point that it really wasn't worth the gas or time. I grew up about a block from US 2 and I used to do Northern MN semi-frequently when visiting my parents. My best hit ever was on the iron range as I hit a collection dump with a ton of Franklins and walkers, but that was definitely the exception and not the rule and at that time there was more circulating than there is now. The last few times I tried it up north, I didn't find much other than being told that there many others out asking for halves.

If you are in the right place at the right time, you might get lucky. Otherwise, you probably won't find much.