Weekend Finds: Silver, Buffs & Nickel Die?

[Carolina Tom]

Saturday:
I slipped out for a hunt with TNetter, Kurt Stuben. He dug his second career silver, and first Merc! Feeling threaten, I quickly answered with a '51 Rosie. I dug my first buffalo last month (it took 14 months to find it) in attempt to dig another one, I have been digging pull tabs and Jeffersons. Well, it paid off, a nice '36 buffalo showed up under the coil. I also managed to score a little moon and star charm.

Sunday:
I snuck out for a little hunt alone, Mother's Day had everyone else tied up. It was a very good little hunt. I got two old mercs (23 & 36), a half dozen wheaties and a 1927 buffalo. I also found a "die" for a 1954 Jefferson nickel. It is made of aluminum and used to emboss a nickel onto something (clay, foil, wax). Any info on this item is most appreciated.

Thanks for looking and good luck on your hunts!

 

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[DirtStalker]

There you go again Buffalo Tom. Great digs. You going to make Kurt start believing that he can find silver every time out. Well er kinda like you.

 

[park pirate]

Nice finds Tom, like them mercs..

 

[doninbrewster]

Nice finds. Your nickel is one of two things. Most likely it was a nickel pressed in a vice with a piece of aluminum or another nickel. Less likely, it's what's called a brockage. It's when one coin gets stuck in a die and when the next coin is fed in. The coin that's stuck acts as a die for the second coin. You end up with a 2 headed or two tailed coin where one side is an incuse design. I think your piece is some kind of home made piece meant to deceive. It's not a real die as dies are much larger than a coin so they can be mounted in a press. Anything on the other side?

 

[kurtstuben]

Wait...does that mean I WON'T find silver every time I hunt with Tom?

 

[I-DIG-IT]

Nice digs. Nice mercs

 

[Carolina Tom]

There you go again Buffalo Tom. Great digs. You going to make Kurt start believing that he can find silver every time out. Well er kinda like you.

Yo TBD. I think that I have fixed the "Kurt Silver" issue. After he found the second silver, I taught him the "high coil" method of hunting, you know, where you keep the coil about 18" off of the ground, so that it only picks up the silver coins . We will see how many more silvers he finds...

 

[Carolina Tom]

Nice finds. Your nickel is one of two things. Most likely it was a nickel pressed in a vice with a piece of aluminum or another nickel. Less likely, it's what's called a brockage. It's when one coin gets stuck in a die and when the next coin is fed in. The coin that's stuck acts as a die for the second coin. You end up with a 2 headed or two tailed coin where one side is an incuse design. I think your piece is some kind of home made piece meant to deceive. It's not a real die as dies are much larger than a coin so they can be mounted in a press. Anything on the other side?

Thanks for the input Don. The other side is just plain aluminum, you can see the "lines" on it where it was extruded, but nothing else. The piece is as think as a half dollar, and slightly larger than a nickel. See original pic with it next to the buffalo. I am stumped!

 

[testing123]

sounds like Doninbrewster got it right. Someone pressed another nickel into the aluminum. Years ago I was bored and would press two coins together and then hit them with a hammer...got a similar result for looks

 

[cjon455]

Cool finds tom!, you can take that mold and make a certain someone some war nickels!

 

[DirtStalker]

Yo TBD. I think that I have fixed the "Kurt Silver" issue. After he found the second silver, I taught him the "high coil" method of hunting, you know, where you keep the coil about 18" off of the ground, so that it only picks up the silver coins . We will see how many more silvers he finds...

Yeah you showed me that trick too until I finally caught on and figured out 20-24 inches off the ground was the correct height. See CT ya can't fool me

 

[CoinandRelicMan]

Nice silver haul there C.T. that nickel impression is indeed a curiosity !

 

[deershed]

Great couple hunts!!

It's been over a week since I've seen silver in the hole. It was a good one with 3 buffs. in the same hole. Like all my other first finds, it's takes me forever to find that first one. After the first one they almost become regular finds. Lol
Get ready to find more buffalo's. Lol
That aluminum piece with the nickel impression looks like someone pressed a nickel into a piece of aluminum? Cool what ever it is.

Hope you really aren't spoiling Kurt into thinking silvers come that easy.

 

[BladeRunner2019]

Meh. Silver is for loozers. Everyone knows Chucky Cheese tokens are where it's at! (I found 5 of them this weekend.)

PS - I will trade you all 5 for one of those Mercs.

PSS - Congrats on the silver and the buffs. I have found 8 or 9 Buffalos since I started detecting and not one had a date.

ETA - I spelled "losers" like that on purpose. I know Tom can be a stickler when it comes to spelling.

 

[CoinandRelicMan]

Some of the new nickels have a bison on them do these count as Buffs ?? My best dig lately has three nickels and three dimes and one cent all together !

 

[Loco-Digger]

looks like a nice days hunt with many keepers, Congrats on getting out and helping a fellow hobbyist learn the ropes..

 

[Old Dude]

Cool finds tom!, you can take that mold and make a certain someone some war nickels!

 

[Old Dude]

Tom, Tom, Tom...not only are you a good buddy taking Kurt detecting, but I noticed you even refrained from being catty like that Cjon fellow.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Hello Carolina Tom,

Congratulations on the very productive hunt. The "die" is very interesting.

Sometimes, I go to some of my favorite places with the mindset of digging only mid-tones a game you might say. Each and every time I do, my gold chances increase and nickels dramatically increase; of course my pull tabs, foil and other assorted junk also increases, but that is all part of the game. There are times when I dig just the low tones and sometimes I'm pleasantly pleased.

Regards,

 

[beez0404]

Looks like your summer silver jamboree has started early this year. Congrats on the silver and also the buffalo nickels. I've found only three and none have a date visible. Finding two back to back days with dates is amazing.