Winter activity????

[BomberJohn]

So, what is everyone doing while the snow, ice, and frozen ground are blocking any effort to detect? I have only been able to get out one so far this year to do a bit of snow detecting. The ground a frozen in the top inch or so and the snow was only about 2 inches and fluffy. Made for an exhausting hunt. I'm at $1.65 in clad and 1 wheaty for the year. LOL Other than that, I keep coming to TNet to see what folks in the warmer areas are finding.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!

[berkshiregold]

I think the ground is a little harder at this end of the state! (Lanesborough) I'm doing my homework in preparation for spring hunting. I just started detecting last year. It's fantastic!!!!! I can't stay away from this site. Lots of information. Congrats on your first finds of the year! Mine probably won't come until April!!!

 

[hessian raider]

research, research, preservation and more research. I've gone back to some of my earlier finds, i.e.- 18th and 19th century buttons, musket and pistol balls, a minie ball, a couple of buckles, etc.- and tried some of the cleaning methods I've learned here. I've had some mixed results; but i'm still figuring out all the little nuances. I'm also doing research on dating some of my finds; backmarks on buttons and figuring out the calibers of the bullets. I found an odd rimfire cartridge in my town, I learned that it was a .41 Swiss from a 19th century military rifle. Sears&Roebuck sold these rifles out of their catalog for 7 dollars and change -with a free box of 20 bullets- what a bargain! I'm mostly focusing on site research. I would like to find enough leads so I can concentrate strictly on hunting this spring. I've found a few areas in neighboring towns; abandoned roads with multiple sites. I'll do some scouting whenever the snow clears off the ground. I would like to see if I can do some overnight camping trips in those areas to eliminate travel time and get in a good solid day of hunting.

 

[Groovedymond]

Hey everyone! My last MD trip was probably mid November. I hit this new spot I found. It was windy as heck, and darn cold! I had on two coats, two hats and gloves just to try to stay warm. Worked my way around the back end of this field.. got a great signal.. and spent a half hour trying to chop the ground. It was frozen SOLID. I found one quarter that day in about an hour before I gave up. Darn near broke my digger!

Since then, I've been working on my coins and coin books.

I filled my:

Lincoln Cents - 41 - 74 - Complete
Lincoln Cents - 75 - Present - Complete
Jefferson Nickels - 64 - 96 - Complete
Still working on Lincolns 1909 - 1940 as well as Jeffersons 1938 - 1963 and Silver Roosies

I also purchased from a friend the following coins. They were a relatives coins who were looking to dump them. To give a fair price, I looked them up in the Redbook for their value and paid what it recommended. I figured I was still getting a deal since a dealer would have a markup price on all these coins... besides.. they are all silver.. can't go wrong with that!

1917 Walking Liberty Half - Good condition
1941 D Walking Liberty Half - Very Fine
1942 Walking Liberty Half - Very Fine
1949 S Franklin Half - Very fine
1952 Franklin Half - Very Fine
1959 Franklin Half - Very Fine
1964 Kennedy Half - AU
1966 Kennedy Half - AU
1967 Kennedy Half - AU
4 - 1969 Kennedy Halves - all AU
3 Silver Roosy's to fill my Roosy book
One no date Standing LIberty quarter - Extremely worn but you can tell what it is.

Can't wait for the ground to thaw.. i'm itchy!

 

[BomberJohn]

I have SO wanted to get outside and swing the detector, but that just isn't gonna happen any time soon. So I've gone through every coin jar/container/stash in the house (which I didn't realize there was so much cash floating around. Time to hit the Coinstar or Mohegan Sun. Surprisingly, after hours, I found a bunch of wheat pennies(30+), one 1903 IH penny, one 1953 silver dime, three George VI Canadian pennies (1939, 40, & 42), and a ton of foriegn stuff( I travel a bit for work.). Also found a replica Buffalo nickel that is slightly smaller than a dime. I'll post a picture later.

And as always, doing some research for later in the year.

John

 

[Massbaycolonist]

Hi BomberJohn. If the temperature gets up to around 40 degrees (today the high was 16), I might hit a salt water beach now and then. I didn't have any luck at all last year, so I spend some time thinking of some new places and strategies I might use this year. Also, I am going to get into two-box hunting this year. So I have to figure out how to do organized research. So I tinker with how to best research ideas and strategies for the two-box. Also, believe it or not, I try and think of plans to relocate down South. Too cold and snowy and icy here in Massachusetts. I am sure that the New England settlers were masochists. In addition to suffering the harsh NE winters, they also got to get massacred by the indians from time to time. Never a dull moment, huh?