Is 2020 Over Yet??

AirmetTango

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I haven’t had a lot of finds worth posting about this year - COVID concerns and other reasons have dampened my ability and desire to do any real door knocking for new permissions, so I’ve mostly been spending my hunt time this year in parks and other public areas. But earlier this year, I managed to catch a farmer on the day he was planting a field that I’ve had my eye on for awhile and secured permission to detect once the beans came down in the fall. Last week was finally that time, and I was eager as a hound to hunt - finally an opportunity to get out of the parks and worn out permissions and into a new field location with some history! I couldn’t strap my gear on fast enough!

Well, three hours later the only old, non-iron target I managed was exactly this:

4FDB9EAF-631B-496B-B271-E02A00D4AFE4.jpg

Yep, that’s all. The shank off of a button. Plenty of iron signals, brick, broken ceramic, and pieces of bottles to show that a homesite was there, just nothing good left behind that I could find. Maybe it’s already been hunted hard...maybe the people who lived there didn’t drop much - who knows.

Yesterday, I decided to hit an old park for two hours or so - I had been there once before last year and found several Wheats and a couple other interesting finds, so I figured I would try again in a another section of the park. I got a ‘53 Jefferson just steps from the car and only 3 or 4” down, so I thought things might go well. But as time was running out before I had to leave to pick my girls up from school, all I added to the “good” pouch was a ‘37 Canadian cent, a Hot Wheels Mean Machine motorcycle circa 1971, a bent 9mm pistol charm, and 27 cents in clad. Not wanting to give up on the hunt, I kept swinging my way back to the car, and I was thrilled to get over a sweet high tone, the kind that stops you in your tracks because you know immediately it’s a deep coin. Nice and tight, 29-32 VDI (EQ800), solid all the way around the target, and the depth meter was pegged. Cut a 5” deep plug, and the signal tightens up even more, but nothing on the pinpointer. Seven inches down, I’m getting worried - still nothing on the pinpointer, and I don’t like digging graves in parks! :digginahole:

Finally, at about 8” the pinpointer starts to chirp, and from at least 9.5-10” down, I was able to pull out a beautiful, big, green, coin-shaped disk!! I had no idea what it was - the green patina was obscuring all the detail, but it had to be old and it had to be copper!! I immediately started snapping pictures, as my mind raced through the possibilities...not quite the right size or heft for a US Largie - must be a token or medal, or maybe a Canadian Largie??

7E9A92F6-A979-4418-8DCC-DDB3194473F3.jpg

437C1BA4-8645-4B5D-B298-380F083EC495.jpg

06891223-DDC1-47C4-A9B0-D0B8462C75DD.jpg

I packed up right away so I could go pick up my girls, but I was excited enough that I took that beautiful greenie out of my pouch and brought it into the front seat with me in the hopes of spotting some detail as it dried to get a hint on an ID. Well, I hadn’t gone more than a half mile before my house of cards came tumbling down. First, as I handled the edges of the coin, I wore off enough crud to reveal a reeded edge...”uh oh”, I thought, because I can’t think of a single reeded copper coin:

9E4FC40F-A32E-4DDE-BE31-D7897305AAFE.jpg

Then I got brave and started to gently rub a section of the coin, and managed to get enough grit off to reveal some detail. Here’s what I saw, and my heart sank the rest of the way:

26DE4377-6C8C-4558-87F3-42AFD954E97E.jpeg

Yep, nothing to do now but laugh at myself for getting all excited over a 10” deep clad quarter! At least my clad count went up by 52 cents instead of 27 :roll::lol: The final dagger came once I got home and I was able clear off more of the crud to reveal the date: 1965.

Yep. I’m ready for 2020 to be over. :lol::lol:
 

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Even that's would be a good hunt for me lately. I moved in Sept of last year and hit my yard twice and an open field once :( Hopefully 2021 I can get back to swinging again.
 
Any coin is a good hunt to me. You really got me going on the quarter. I was pulling for it to be good. But then, :no: Nice read. Thanks for sharing.

Ken

P.S. Ready for Covid to be gone too.
 
Love the motorcycle! That's an Old Canadian penny. I have never seen one With a man on it. As for the quarter Maxwell smart would say missed it by that much. Glad to see that you're making the best of the situation.
 
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That would have got my hopes up, too - visions of old copper dancing in my head. Bummer about the letdown!

The parks dept must have fertilized that lawn regularly to turn a clad quarter that green.

The old Canadian cent and toys are still very cool - I'd still be happy with that hunt.
 
Good to see you have a sense of humor about it, and I was genuinely let down that quarter was clad :lol:

But, I'm completely with you about 2020. This is my 3rd worst year hunting, only better than my rookie campaign and a year that I was so tied up with work that I only got out a handful of times.

And, like you, the vast majority (like around 100%) of my hunting is via door knocking. With covid and the current political climate I just haven't been as comfortable, and have gotten a much higher % of no's than in years past.


I haven’t had a lot of finds worth posting about this year - COVID concerns and other reasons have dampened my ability and desire to do any real door knocking for new permissions, so I’ve mostly been spending my hunt time this year in parks and other public areas. But earlier this year, I managed to catch a farmer on the day he was planting a field that I’ve had my eye on for awhile and secured permission to detect once the beans came down in the fall. Last week was finally that time, and I was eager as a hound to hunt - finally an opportunity to get out of the parks and worn out permissions and into a new field location with some history! I couldn’t strap my gear on fast enough!

Well, three hours later the only old, non-iron target I managed was exactly this:

View attachment 473953

Yep, that’s all. The shank off of a button. Plenty of iron signals, brick, broken ceramic, and pieces of bottles to show that a homesite was there, just nothing good left behind that I could find. Maybe it’s already been hunted hard...maybe the people who lived there didn’t drop much - who knows.

Yesterday, I decided to hit an old park for two hours or so - I had been there once before last year and found several Wheats and a couple other interesting finds, so I figured I would try again in a another section of the park. I got a ‘53 Jefferson just steps from the car and only 3 or 4” down, so I thought things might go well. But as time was running out before I had to leave to pick my girls up from school, all I added to the “good” pouch was a ‘37 Canadian cent, a Hot Wheels Mean Machine motorcycle circa 1971, a bent 9mm pistol charm, and 27 cents in clad. Not wanting to give up on the hunt, I kept swinging my way back to the car, and I was thrilled to get over a sweet high tone, the kind that stops you in your tracks because you know immediately it’s a deep coin. Nice and tight, 29-32 VDI (EQ800), solid all the way around the target, and the depth meter was pegged. Cut a 5” deep plug, and the signal tightens up even more, but nothing on the pinpointer. Seven inches down, I’m getting worried - still nothing on the pinpointer, and I don’t like digging graves in parks! :digginahole:

Finally, at about 8” the pinpointer starts to chirp, and from at least 9.5-10” down, I was able to pull out a beautiful, big, green, coin-shaped disk!! I had no idea what it was - the green patina was obscuring all the detail, but it had to be old and it had to be copper!! I immediately started snapping pictures, as my mind raced through the possibilities...not quite the right size or heft for a US Largie - must be a token or medal, or maybe a Canadian Largie??

View attachment 473954

View attachment 473955

View attachment 473957

I packed up right away so I could go pick up my girls, but I was excited enough that I took that beautiful greenie out of my pouch and brought it into the front seat with me in the hopes of spotting some detail as it dried to get a hint on an ID. Well, I hadn’t gone more than a half mile before my house of cards came tumbling down. First, as I handled the edges of the coin, I wore off enough crud to reveal a reeded edge...”uh oh”, I thought, because I can’t think of a single reeded copper coin:

View attachment 473958

Then I got brave and started to gently rub a section of the coin, and managed to get enough grit off to reveal some detail. Here’s what I saw, and my heart sank the rest of the way:

View attachment 473962

Yep, nothing to do now but laugh at myself for getting all excited over a 10” deep clad quarter! At least my clad count went up by 52 cents instead of 27 :roll::lol: The final dagger came once I got home and I was able clear off more of the crud to reveal the date: 1965.

Yep. I’m ready for 2020 to be over. :lol::lol:
 
There had to be some fill in that particular area for that coin to be that deep. My condolences. I would imagine it got you heart thumping though! That’s always good.
 
I immediately started snapping pictures, as my mind raced through the possibilities...not quite the right size or heft for a US Largie - must be a token or medal, or maybe a Canadian Largie??

I packed up right away so I could go pick up my girls, but I was excited enough that I took that beautiful greenie out of my pouch and brought it into the front seat with me in the hopes of spotting some detail as it dried to get a hint on an ID. Well, I hadn’t gone more than a half mile before my house of cards came tumbling down. First, as I handled the edges of the coin, I wore off enough crud to reveal a reeded edge...”uh oh”, I thought, because I can’t think of a single reeded copper coin:
...
The final dagger came once I got home and I was able clear off more of the crud to reveal the date: 1965.

Yep. I’m ready for 2020 to be over. :lol::lol:

Oh man. That is quite the ride. I was right there with you, through the pictures, too. Great write-up, and heartfelt heartsink. That's too bad. It looked good!

Skippy
 
Lol, thanks for sharing your adventure. I remember pulling out a quarter sized coin that had "the look", age, patina, odd edges with reading. Turns out, it was a quarter someone had taken a hammer to. So disappointing lol.
 
Even that's would be a good hunt for me lately. I moved in Sept of last year and hit my yard twice and an open field once :( Hopefully 2021 I can get back to swinging again.

I definitely think 2020 has been a down year for a lot of folks for a lot of reasons - I’m with you, hoping you can get out more soon, and that 2021 brings easier times for you and everyone. In the meantime, I’m going to keep on swinging and finish out 2020, and continuing enjoying whatever the hunt brings!

Any coin is a good hunt to me. You really got me going on the quarter. I was pulling for it to be good. But then, :no: Nice read. Thanks for sharing.

Ken

P.S. Ready for Covid to be gone too.

Thanks Ken, glad you enjoyed it! Obviously, that quarter had me going, too :lol: :lol: But despite the disappointment that it wasn’t something with age, I still had fun - it’s a memorable story to tell and I enjoyed sharing it. Plus, it’s definitely the deepest quarter I’ve found so far, so I learned a little bit about how a deep quarter will sound on the machine. If it doesn’t come out silver, you gotta find the silver lining, right? :lol:

Good to see you have a sense of humor about it, and I was genuinely let down that quarter was clad :lol:

Not half as let down as I was, I bet :laughing: But it’s all good - you gotta find some enjoyment in both the ups and downs of the hobby, and it’s easy to find the humor in this situation! I figure it’s pay back for the time I found a Barber quarter just an couple inches below the surface :cool3::laughing:

But, I'm completely with you about 2020. This is my 3rd worst year hunting, only better than my rookie campaign and a year that I was so tied up with work that I only got out a handful of times.

Yep, I’m right with you. In my case, my raw coin numbers are ok...they’re good enough that if I keep going at this pace through the end of the year, it’ll be a run of the mill year. My total silver coins found, number of wheats, clad count, etc are all on target. The underlying problem is the age of those coins is down...most of my (few) silvers are rosies, and IHPs are way down. I like coins, but I’m really after interesting relics that I can research to discover some lost history...and what I’m noticing this year is that with the lack of good permissions, interesting relics are very few and far between in my pouch.

And, like you, the vast majority (like around 100%) of my hunting is via door knocking. With covid and the current political climate I just haven't been as comfortable, and have gotten a much higher % of no's than in years past.

I think we’re on exactly the same page on this one!
 
Love the motorcycle! That's an Old Canadian penny. I have never seen one With a man on it. As for the quarter Maxwell smart would say missed it by that much. Glad to see that you're making the best of the situation.

Thanks Dan! Yep, truth be told, it wasn’t a bad hunt for a park with limited time...the motorcycle will probably earn a permanent spot on my find cleaning workbench :cool3:

I’ve been fortunate to find quite a few of those King George VI pennies...I like to joke that they’re twice as good as a KG III :laughing: :laughing: All kidding aside, I like the old Canadian cents...I’m not sure why, but they seem to clean up better and easier than most Wheaties. Might be something with the composition...95.5%-98% copper, depending on the year. Anyway, I’ve also managed to find one KG V small cent from ‘28, and a Queen Vicky Large Cent. A bucket lister for me is an Edward VII Large cent (1902-1910)...given our proximity to Canada, I figure I’ve gotta get my coil over one eventually! That said, I’ve yet to find any Canadian silver from any year either, so who knows how long the wait might be on that. :?:
 
That would have got my hopes up, too - visions of old copper dancing in my head. Bummer about the letdown!

The parks dept must have fertilized that lawn regularly to turn a clad quarter that green.

The old Canadian cent and toys are still very cool - I'd still be happy with that hunt.

Yep, I still had fun on the hunt and enjoyed finding the KG VI and the motorcycle...heck, even the quarter is a fun story that I’m sure I’ll be telling in the future!

You’re probably right about the fertilizer. In fact, in hindsight, the quarter was laying on top of a denser, almost clay-like layer - it was probably marinating in a fertilizer slurry as the same clay layer that stopped the quarter from sinking any further also kept the rain soaked fertilizer from draining any deeper.

Next time ! Great story and photos .

Thanks Soil! No doubt - now I know what 10” quarters sound like on my Equinox...I’m gonna start making Capped Bust quarters fly out of the ground :D: :lol:
 
Great story- too funny Ben. 1965- doesn't it figure!

Thanks Charlie, glad you enjoyed it - I figured we all could relate! And once I saw that date coupled with the depth, that just iced the story!

Good post. Better luck on the next hunt!

Thanks Beachhunter! I’ll take all the luck I can get :lol:

Oh man. That is quite the ride. I was right there with you, through the pictures, too. Great write-up, and heartfelt heartsink. That's too bad. It looked good!

Skippy

Thanks Skippy, glad you enjoyed the story! Ironically, it’s probably going to turn out to be one of my memorable finds for the year - probably going to stick it in a coin flip, as is, for the conversation value :lol:

Lol, thanks for sharing your adventure. I remember pulling out a quarter sized coin that had "the look", age, patina, odd edges with reading. Turns out, it was a quarter someone had taken a hammer to. So disappointing lol.

Glad you enjoyed reading it, RRF! Yep, that’s what I figured - we’ve all had at least one signal and find that came out of the ground looking so good only to squash our dreams a few minutes later. I knew most of us could relate and commiserate with my pain :lol: :lol:
 
That 1937 penny is one of the lower mintage years. Only 10,090,231 were made.

VG-8 F-1 VF-20 EF-40 AU-50
$0.40 $0.50 $0.75 $1.00 $1.95

Here's what it might be worth. Now in EF (extra fine condition) it's worth a dollar. Now don't think in terms it's only a dollar, think in terms that it is valued at 100 x it's face value. Not bad!
 
That 1937 penny is one of the lower mintage years. Only 10,090,231 were made.

VG-8 F-1 VF-20 EF-40 AU-50
$0.40 $0.50 $0.75 $1.00 $1.95

Here's what it might be worth. Now in EF (extra fine condition) it's worth a dollar. Now don't think in terms it's only a dollar, think in terms that it is valued at 100 x it's face value. Not bad!

Excellent info - thanks, John! I had no idea the 1937 cent was such a low mintage - pretty cool! At first I thought it might be because ‘37 was King George VI’s first full year so it took awhile to get a new design implemented. But it looks like something else might have been going on, too - the 1937 mintage was fairly consistent with previous years, but then the mintages suddenly ramped up, especially after 1940. WWII economic forces at play, maybe? I know Canada was at war with Germany since Fall 1939 along with Britain and France, so it seems very possible.

Anyways, this coin has some wear and damage beyond just the oxidation from being underground. It actually turned up in a volleyball pit, so unfortunately the sand worked as an abrasive over time. The picture in my original post is the coin literally right out of the ground - it’s hard to see in that pic, but the high points all show bright brassy highlights from the wearing action of the sand. Here’s a shot after using a bit of Renaissance wax to clean off the residual dirt and protect it:

795EDDA3-EB69-4F62-A1DB-95B86B76A653.jpg
 
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