Jodo_Kast501
Senior Member
I got permission last week for a one-room school built in 1890 and shuttered in 1965. It is still standing, albeit now in a cow pasture. I had time on Friday, so I went early to beat the heat. Fortunately for me, the area around the school is fairly shady, so I didn't have to broil too much.
The first hour of the hunt was grueling. One memorial penny and a lot of ring pulls – but not a single modern pull tab. Gravel about 2 inches beneath the soil at the front of the school added to the difficulty. I eventually moved around the sides and the back and started getting some better targets. Lead, a non-precious Catholic pendant, and a few 1920s wheats.
About a foot from a 1924 wheat I got a 67–70 signal only about 3 inches deep. Turned out to be a crusty Indian and that made my hunt since I haven't dug one in months. When I got home, I saw that it was an 1864! I have quite a few Indians c. 1880–1907, but none older. This is actually my second-oldest dug coin, the oldest being an 1835 half dime. It's in pretty bad shape and it was very worn before it was lost. I want to clean it up better, but slow toothpicking with a dab of water has yielded some results.
Thanks for looking!
Delicious trash – 52 pull tabs!
The school
The good finds: early wheats, 1864 Indian, Catholic pendant, and worked points, including an arrowhead base.
Crusty obverse
Beginning to clean the reverse
Improved reverse
Compared with a non-dug coin
The first hour of the hunt was grueling. One memorial penny and a lot of ring pulls – but not a single modern pull tab. Gravel about 2 inches beneath the soil at the front of the school added to the difficulty. I eventually moved around the sides and the back and started getting some better targets. Lead, a non-precious Catholic pendant, and a few 1920s wheats.
About a foot from a 1924 wheat I got a 67–70 signal only about 3 inches deep. Turned out to be a crusty Indian and that made my hunt since I haven't dug one in months. When I got home, I saw that it was an 1864! I have quite a few Indians c. 1880–1907, but none older. This is actually my second-oldest dug coin, the oldest being an 1835 half dime. It's in pretty bad shape and it was very worn before it was lost. I want to clean it up better, but slow toothpicking with a dab of water has yielded some results.
Thanks for looking!
Delicious trash – 52 pull tabs!
The school
The good finds: early wheats, 1864 Indian, Catholic pendant, and worked points, including an arrowhead base.
Crusty obverse
Beginning to clean the reverse
Improved reverse
Compared with a non-dug coin