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Worn Out Field...Worn Out Shield!

AirmetTango

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Joined
Apr 14, 2017
Messages
3,111
Location
NW Ohio
I haven’t been out detecting in a couple weeks - too hot and too dry - but today I had the itch. With ground conditions the way they are and no new permissions anyway, my only option was an old field permission essentially in my own backyard which also happens to be my only field that didn’t get planted this year. At this point, I’ve hunted it pretty hard, especially in the area where the homesite used to be, so now I’m lucky to come back with a keeper or two out of a 2 or 3 hour hunt - sometimes nothing worth keeping at all.

Anyways, I was spending the cooler early morning today swinging in the “no man’s land” areas well away from the former homesite, and after two hours, I was beginning to resign myself to coming home with nothing more than a shotshell headstamp and a crushed part of an oil lantern. The sun was getting higher, and the thin cloud cover was disappearing fast - it was getting noticeably hotter despite a nice breeze. I knew it was almost time to pack it in, and I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed with the finds for the day. To help myself feel better, I started to think about some of the previous cool finds I’ve recovered from the site while I continued to hit “just one last section...I know there’s more here”. And as I swung, I eventually found myself thinking that it was funny that despite all the things recovered there, I never found a single nickel...

...It was even odder that within minutes of having that thought, I got the coil over a tight, somewhat subdued mid-tone, indicating mostly 12 on the EQ800 VDI, but occasionally hitting the sporadic 11 or 13. I knew it might be a nickel, but I fully expected another bit of corroded brass. I dug out a plug, but the signal was still deeper in the hole and my pinpointer said a little off to the side. “Uh-oh”, I thought, “that’s a tell for iron”. Well, it must have been a bit on edge, as an extra scoop with my gloved hand brought out a deeply corroded coin! Right away, I could see a large “5” and some stars...a Shield! Only my third Shield nickel, but my second for the year! It’s in pretty bad shape and the date is a lost cause, but she’s a beauty in my eyes! And I always love the crazy coincidences that pop up in this hobby! I gotta start thinking about how strange it is that I haven’t found a gold coin on the site!! :lol:
 

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Looks good to me! Still near the top of my list. I'd like to say I'm not putting in enough hours this year to snag one, but your hunt isn't helping me make that excuse!
 
Nice find even without the date. Much better than another headstamp. That would make the hunt worthwhile to me. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Ken
 
Congrats Ben! That is a sweet find. I am still looking for my first Shield Nickel. Like your idea on thinking about gold and making it happen- I will give it a try.
 
Ben congrats on the shield nickel. Nice to squeak one more keeper out of a pounded spot. I also got out for a little bit this week, headed back to my honey hole at an old city park. If not for one crusty zincoln it would have been a complete skunk. And when the your finds pouch is as dry as the ground and add humidity it makes for a long day. Good luck, Mark
 
If I had to settle for no shield nickel at all , versus a worn out shield nickel, I'd take the worn out one too :laughing:
 
Glad to see you made it out and found yourself a shield nickel. I myself would settle for a square nail or even a wheat penny. I personally have hit a wall about 3 months ago and have not dirt fished.:dash3: With the cooler temperatures in the forecast get yourself back out there and have more fun.
 
Looks good to me! Still near the top of my list. I'd like to say I'm not putting in enough hours this year to snag one, but your hunt isn't helping me make that excuse!

It looked great to me, too - and I assure you, I’m living proof that sometimes even a blind squirrel gets a nut! I know exactly what you mean...my hunt time has fallen through the floor this year. Between that and the lack of new permissions, I’ve largely been chalking up any good find to luck! Better to be lucky than good? :D
 
Great field finds and congrats on the shield nickel!

Thanks milco!

Nice find even without the date. Much better than another headstamp. That would make the hunt worthwhile to me. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks KenG! I certainly don’t mind it being dateless...I’m just glad it still had enough detail to identify it. I’m thrilled knowing it’s at least a 135 year old coin :yes:

Great find! It's always nice to swing over a target as the hunt is winding down.

Thanks Chuck! It sure saves the hunt sometimes when you hit those “last minute” goodies - but it also makes it harder for me to stop when I should! I’ve gotten myself into trouble that way when I was supposed to be on a strict time limit! :D
 
Congrats Ben! That is a sweet find. I am still looking for my first Shield Nickel. Like your idea on thinking about gold and making it happen- I will give it a try.

Thanks Charlie! I’ve no doubt you’ll hit on a Shield - just a matter of time! If the “gold thoughts” idea works, don’t forget my 20% commission :D

...If not for one crusty zincoln it would have been a complete skunk. And when the your finds pouch is as dry as the ground and add humidity it makes for a long day....

Ouch...that paints a vivid picture, and it’s not a pretty one! I’m envisioning a puff of dust as that lone crusty Zincoln hits the bottom of an empty pouch...almost worse than getting skunked! Hopefully both our areas get enough rain soon to allow us to get out more and get the finds pouch overflowing again. For me, this has been the worst summer in my relatively short time detecting - the previous three summers have all had steady enough rainfall that I’ve been able to get out without too much downtime. My area has been extraordinarily dry the last several weeks. Fall can’t get here soon enough!
 
Very cool...nice find...congrats!

Thanks CalReg!

If I had to settle for no shield nickel at all , versus a worn out shield nickel, I'd take the worn out one too :laughing:

It’s kinda like when I’m negotiating to get my youngest daughter to go to bed...”do you want to go to bed now, or in 10 minutes?” Of course she chooses 10 minutes every time, and she thinks she made out like a bandit! :D
 
Glad to see you made it out and found yourself a shield nickel. I myself would settle for a square nail or even a wheat penny. I personally have hit a wall about 3 months ago and have not dirt fished.:dash3: With the cooler temperatures in the forecast get yourself back out there and have more fun.

Thanks Dan. Hopefully you can break through that wall soon. It’s been a bizarre year for sure - between the heat, dryness, and virus chaos, my enthusiasm to hunt has been severely blunted for the last couple months, too. Cooler temps will be great - we really need rain, too.
 
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