Shield Nickel CACHE and Find-of-a-LIFETIME!

BuckleBoy

Gold Member
Jun 12, 2006
18,124
9,688
Moonlight and Magnolias
🥇 Banner finds
4
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, Whites DualField PI, Fisher 1266-X and Tesoro Silver uMax
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hello All,

Wow, what a week! Here's the video:



Now let me explain... I've been waiting on a certain field since I had a great day digging an 1809 half cent, seated dime, and a good many Civil War relics there. Every time I go to it, the farmers are messing with it--plowing, flattening, rowing, discing. :BangHead: So I just bided my time, did turn rows and border areas, and made the best of the crappy hand I was dealt. Well those sparse finds got put up on my relic table "in the queue." So we had rain, rain, rain down here the past few weeks and I was not willing to deal with the heat AND the mud, so I waited patiently for things to dry out. Well the day came last weekend and I went to that same field again hoping that it had washed down. They had chunked it up again and it was in ankle-breaking clumps where I'd have gotten zero depth. :BangHead:

So I was officially out of a site to dig. I drove around scouting on the 80,000 acres we have permission for, looking for a field that was in just the right condition for this time of year to produce some finds. Then I remembered I'd run across a site where I'd pulled a 1930s green Scotch Whisky bottle about a month ago. I figured if I couldn't find a good field to DIG some finds in, I could at least EYEBALL some! So I got out in that site, which was chock full of broken glass, scrap iron, and can slaw/pull tabs/jar caps. The trash was intense and I decided to get further back in the field so I could focus better. Well, lo and behold I started seeing olive green glass, less trash, porcelain and china, and ginger beer bottle shards. This just might be the right age! I hiked the half mile back to my car to get my detector. By this time it was 91 feels like 97 degrees. When I got back to where I was seeing the ginger beers I eyeballed a hammer from a lock plate! I imagine it's from the left side of a double barrel shotgun.

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I picked a random row and started detecting. White glass buttons were everywhere (I picked up 71 of them between one half and one full day of detecting). Within 15 feet, I had a half dime in my hands! A holed 1857-O!

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Then I turned around at the end and came back through that same patch and picked up a shield nickel:

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Then 20 inches away from the first Shield Nickel, I dug a second one! I now had two shields and a half dime:

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I went to the end of the cane row and detected my way back into that same area again and picked up ANOTHER nickel! It was a THIRD shield!

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The daylight was fleeting so I made plans to return early the next day. Shangalang decided to join me, and he came tearing up in his truck yelling "SURPRISE, MOTHERF(*&$(@!!!" :laughing9:

So we got right at it, as I now suspected that this could be a scattered cache, since all the coins were in a concentrated area.

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It wasn't long until Shangalang dug his first Shield nickel of the day. Then I found my fourth one for a total of FIVE so far! We then dug a couple of large caliber round balls each and I got a carved minieball! So there was CIVIL WAR in here too!! 8-)

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Then it got close to lunch time and I came up the last row before our break and dug a two piece button. Not knowing what it was, I assumed military since we seldom get two piece buttons that aren't military buttons here. When I turned it over, it was a tulip.

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When I was almost to the end I hear Shangalang say "Hey, I think I've got a two-piece button too!" I walked over to him and through the mud I could see the tell-tale neck of a sleepy old Civil War Louisiana Pelican button!! It was his first ever coat sized pelican!

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After lunch we didn't need any convincing to get into the fields again! Immediately once I got back in the area of the coins shangalang dug ANOTHER shield nickel! This was getting ridiculous. SIX SHIELD NICKELS so far.

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During one of our "we don't want to die of heat stroke" breaks, I carefully cleaned his pelican button. Turned out to be a beauty!

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Backmark is c.1860 * SCOVILL MF'G CO * WATERBURY

Then I got another 28 signal on the F75 and popped yet another nickel. I was expecting a shield but it happened to be an 1899 V Nickel. LOL

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Then I turned around and got into the coin scatter again and dug ANOTHER nickel--our SEVENTH shield nickel. Ridiculous.

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I got a neat little spur, a flat button that was right on top, and turned around to get on the next row and head back. Then on the way I picked up a plow-struck plantation token which turned out to be an unlisted one from a neighboring plantation!

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MORE PHOTOS IN THE FIRST REPLY JUST BELOW:
 

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Upvote 42

Megalodon

Silver Member
May 13, 2018
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4,374
Maryland
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Excellent hunt and thank you for sharing a nice write-up. I've never heard of anyone finding so many shield nickels so that is very cool, but several of the other finds are more rare and valuable. I don't know if a hunt can be submitted for banner, but i will try it. The pelican and the GW inauguration button alone merit nomination.

You deserve these finds! Some of us would not have even gone out in those hot conditions.
 

OP
OP
BuckleBoy

BuckleBoy

Gold Member
Jun 12, 2006
18,124
9,688
Moonlight and Magnolias
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4
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, Whites DualField PI, Fisher 1266-X and Tesoro Silver uMax
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
At 3’35” in the video when I said “it’s windy here; I’m gonna try to SHIELD you as much as possible…” :laughing9:

I had no idea at the time…

but it looks like the site decided to shield ME as much as possible. :laughing7:
 

ANTIQUARIAN

Gold Member
Apr 24, 2010
12,841
27,385
Upper Canada 🇨🇦
🥇 Banner finds
1
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3
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XP Deus, Lesche Piranha 35 Shovel & 'Garrett Carrot'
Primary Interest:
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Oh man, what a great post with a strong backstory to make it really interesting too, I felt like I was reading my latest copy of Western Eastern Treasures again. :occasion14:

Love the pics of the Half Dime in the dirt clump, the Half Dime on the ground surface and the pic of the site... but not so much of you guys detecting in shorts, that made me jealous. :laughing7:

Congrats on all your finds, but what I really appreciate are the finds we make in the fields without the help of our detector.
Dave
 

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JeffInMass

Silver Member
Jan 14, 2006
4,678
7,095
Cape Cod
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Minelab Manticore, Minelab Equinox 600, Minelab Explorer SE Pro, Explorer XS, Fisher CZ6A
Primary Interest:
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I can't recall ever seeing that amount of shield nickels found in one or two hunts- incredible- Congrats!!
 

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,423
30,109
White Plains, New York
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Goodyguy

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Mar 10, 2007
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Pretty good, but I didn't see a single buckle. :dontknow:







Just kidding, Congrats on the great finds. A banner day for sure. :icon_thumleft:


GG~
 

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erfranks

Hero Member
Mar 3, 2021
811
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Cape Coral, Fl
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Awesome Saves... Man what a hunt... Congrats
 

Shubhampaul

Banned
Jun 21, 2021
1
0
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I ran into the same problem once upon a time ago, I think all I did was reload mine.
 

Oct 5, 2014
31,886
35,425
Massachusetts
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Primary Interest:
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Outstanding hunt, congrats! :occasion14:
 

sandchip

Silver Member
Oct 29, 2010
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Georgia
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That picture of the half dime laying in the dried, cracked mud has to be one of the best insitus ever. Great finds, BB!
 

Treasure_Hunter

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Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,465
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Last edited:
OP
OP
BuckleBoy

BuckleBoy

Gold Member
Jun 12, 2006
18,124
9,688
Moonlight and Magnolias
🥇 Banner finds
4
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, Whites DualField PI, Fisher 1266-X and Tesoro Silver uMax
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Incredible, big time gratz and thanks for the awesome post\video. I also really enjoyed your "best of 2010-2020" video, very entertaining hour of footage............

thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!!
 

OP
OP
BuckleBoy

BuckleBoy

Gold Member
Jun 12, 2006
18,124
9,688
Moonlight and Magnolias
🥇 Banner finds
4
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, Whites DualField PI, Fisher 1266-X and Tesoro Silver uMax
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
You guys deserved a good reward for hunting in those conditions. Toughest time of the year to hunt. Congrats! Gary

yeah it is really challenging. Gotta plan super well and know when enough is enough :) lol
 

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