Another first for me!

[stetam]

Finally had a decent day to detect. Most of the snow melted and temp in the 40's so off to an old wooded site I detected last year and found a couple barbers and mercs, It is a 110 acre park which is the site of the Union Canal tunnel, the oldest existing transportation tunnel in the United States. Since it is a historic site I don't detect near the tunnel or canal but the rest is fair game. Spent 2 hours there and first target is a brass musket trigger guard. Then 1914 and 29 wheaties. After digging many many shotgun shell headstamps I get a nice 12-13 signal and 2" down I pull my first shield nickel after 3 years detecting. Funny that one has eluded me after dozens of 1700's coppers and Spanish silver. Oldest nickel at 1868. Got to hit this site when the foliage is down as it's a thick gnarly thorny area.

Steve

 

[HungryGhost]

Congrats! Still waiting for my first shield

 

[hoser]

Ghost there is a bunch of us waiting for a shield too.
Steve I'm glad the weather turned around so you could get a hunt in. That trigger guard is very cool and it also tells me there are other old artifacts and coins still hiding there. Well done my friend.

 

[CharlieT84]

Congrats! Always exciting digging a "first".

 

[Reelfoot Relics]

Shield nickels are pretty special. Congrats.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

You are now a member of the exclusive & elite Shield Nickel club. Welcome. And I love that trigger guard !

 

[stetam]

Congrats! Still waiting for my first shield

Ghost there is a bunch of us waiting for a shield too.
Steve I'm glad the weather turned around so you could get a hunt in. That trigger guard is very cool and it also tells me there are other old artifacts and coins still hiding there. Well done my friend.

Congrats! Always exciting digging a "first".

Shield nickels are pretty special. Congrats.

You are now a member of the exclusive & elite Shield Nickel club. Welcome. And I love that trigger guard !

Thanks everyone. I am lucky enough to have a lot of old historic wooded sites to detect. Unfortunately most are very thick but do hold treasures. I do have the scratches from yesterday to prove it. When I got there in the morning I started along the property line next to some old houses. A gentleman who lives in one of the houses came over into the woods to talk. Right away I could tell he was kind of slow. He started to tell me how he cuts people grass in the summer for money and said "look at my mower, it's a good one". So he lifts up an old tarp at property's edge and I see an old Simplicity rider that the tires had sunk in the ground 6". Guess he hasn't cut peoples grass in a while lol. So he follows me up the path talking the whole time about how he gets wood there to burn and starts picking up sticks. Alrighty then. I don't mind talking to people but this was starting to get old after 20 minutes. He seems like a nice 50 something year old guy and I don't want to be rude so I decide to duck into the thick woods and then he wouldn't follow me. No such luck, he rambles right along. Taking all the time he tells me his birthday is Feb 19th so I ask him how old he is going to be. He says "I don't know". So I say well what year were you born and he says "I don't know". By that time I was ready to leave and he says as I am leaving "see ya next time" Guess he doesn't have many friends. Anyway, that was my detecting day.

Steve

 

[markinswpa]

Finally had a decent day to detect. Most of the snow melted and temp in the 40's so off to an old wooded site I detected last year and found a couple barbers and mercs, It is a 110 acre park which is the site of the Union Canal tunnel, the oldest existing transportation tunnel in the United States. Since it is a historic site I don't detect near the tunnel or canal but the rest is fair game. Spent 2 hours there and first target is a brass musket trigger guard. Then 1914 and 29 wheaties. After digging many many shotgun shell headstamps I get a nice 12-13 signal and 2" down I pull my first shield nickel after 3 years detecting. Funny that one has eluded me after dozens of 1700's coppers and Spanish silver. Oldest nickel at 1868. Got to hit this site when the foliage is down as it's a thick gnarly thorny area.

Steve

Congrats on your first shield nickel Steve. You don't see many posted and most are pretty far gone by the time they are. Yours looks to be in nice shape. A sweet save no doubt. I was fortunate enough to dig a nice one in a city park last year. Probably won't see another one like it. Now if I can only get my coil over a 2 cent piece, #1 on my list for a couple years now.
Love the pic of the canal. And also nice of you to take time for what sounds like a lonely old guy. You probably made his day. Good luck. Mark

 

[metaladdict]

congrats on the coins.

 

[Leave-No-Coins-Behind]

The potential of that location says it all! John

 

[too_pointer]

Thank you for sharing, with us this snowy crap , geez, hope to see more on this. Best of luck in your future
too_

 

[partyofone]

Well done my friend!

 

[stetam]

Well done my friend!

Thanks Erik! Don't be a stranger.

Steve

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

WOW! What a great day!

 

[Jamflicker]

Nice shield, congrats!

 

[Bucktrout]

Nice shield. Still waiting to find one myself.

 

[60streeter]

Finally had a decent day to detect. Most of the snow melted and temp in the 40's so off to an old wooded site I detected last year and found a couple barbers and mercs, It is a 110 acre park which is the site of the Union Canal tunnel, the oldest existing transportation tunnel in the United States. Since it is a historic site I don't detect near the tunnel or canal but the rest is fair game. Spent 2 hours there and first target is a brass musket trigger guard. Then 1914 and 29 wheaties. After digging many many shotgun shell headstamps I get a nice 12-13 signal and 2" down I pull my first shield nickel after 3 years detecting. Funny that one has eluded me after dozens of 1700's coppers and Spanish silver. Oldest nickel at 1868. Got to hit this site when the foliage is down as it's a thick gnarly thorny area.

Steve

Congrats! Shield nickels are as rare as spanish silver!

 

[Rattlehead]

Nice! Those don’t show up often. Yours looks to have a lot of meat on it too. Every one I’ve found is either nearly slick or completely toasted. Cool trigger guard too!

 

[jack&jill]

Congrats Steve on a very fine outing. The Trigger guard is a super relic find and digging my white whale of a Shield Nickle has me in in envy. Trapper

 

[romyrome]

Congrats on that shield nickel ! It looks like it’s in good shape too ! Wow ! I know how ya feel when your detecting and someone wants to talk your ear off but just think about the old guy , you probably made his day . I’m sure he doesn’t have many people to talk to so hay try and befriend the guy and if ya have a spare detector take him with ya next hunt in that area I’m sure that would really make him happy , I found my first shield nickel here in SoCal right near the beach in the dirt and was totally shocked to see it come out from about 2” deep below a large old tree, and this area had been hit quite a bit mine is pretty slick but still has enough detail to determine what it is