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PHENOMINAL HUNT!...Twice into the 1800's plus big silver!

DIGGER27

In Memory Of
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Messages
15,649
Location
Alabama, by way of Detroit, Tampa Bay, Alabama and
A long one since this was such a stand out hunt and I was floored by several of these coins, as always if you don't want to go along with me on this shocking adventure just skip to the pretty pictures below.

Rain, baby...we have been soaked for the last few days and I mean more than I have ever seen it rain around here.
Flooding everwhere, but my clay filled dirt is way wetter than ever before so in between storms I got out yesterday to see if I could find anything in some close to home sites I have hit literally a hundred times or more.
If anyone believes that there is no difference hunting in dry and wet conditions, well, I just have to tell you that you are so wrong.

Using the Nox, Field 2, 5 tones, nickels 11-14 and 18 on up on a high tone and high volume, everything else in but only used the horseshoe to check targets.
FE on zero, recovery speed on 7 which is higher than I usually use but I didn't check it before hunting and it worked fine.
Most targets around here usually aren't to much deeper than 5-6" so that higher recovery speed that might affect major depth usually isn't a big issue around here.

First stop was a house across the street that I have been hunting for about 3 years.
I have found some great coins here, a Walker, some wheaties, a war nickel...but not much left after hitting this lawn over 100 times.
It is right in front of the entrance to a big park that I practically live at because it is so close so I always run a coil over this lawn for awhile before I go into the park.
I swing over an area in front of the house that had a few coins in the past and specifically in a little mound of very compacted dirt and clay that is almost impossible to dig more than an inch or so even when wet but in this hunt it was a little easier because of the big soak.
Surprisingly I get a high tone, numbers in the low 20's and I dig a wheat and it is in the teens so I was happy.
I had hit this exact spot before so many times with the Nox and two coils, a Mojave, a Compadre, a Vaq and 3 coils, a Red Racer and 2 coils and my F70 with about 5 coils from every direction you can think of...never got this signal before even after other rain events when the soil was moist.
I was happy, it already was a great hunt with that early wheat so I tried for more.
A few feet away I get a solid nickel 12 signal that was also new.
As always I assumed it was a more modern nickel but I always hope for a silver war nickel or a buff.
About 3" down I do see a nickel so yay, red and super crusty so I start rubbing it and soon I realize this is none of those but it is a freaking V nickel!
Never found one of these in a lawn before, I check the date and I can make out 1889...in the front yard of a home built in the late 20's, yet.

I stayed a bit longer but no more decent signals so I move on and walk into the park.
The area I was hunting was another site that I have found a few coins but nothing really old and it is near a Frisbee golf goal where I found a silver religious medal before so I have scoured this exact area way more than 100 times before this trip always looking for more jewelry.
Not much, dug a zincoln, a few pieces of junk and then I get another solid 12 and the Nox says 5-6 bars deep.
A bit deeper than most of my targets but again I assume just another modern nickel.
Maybe 5" deep I find another crusty, red, nickel sized coin and again I am hoping for a buff.
I start rubbing and as a few details start to come through I start saying "No, no, no", out loud to myself as it slowly dawns on me this is another V nickel!
This time a 1912.

At this point this has now become one of my better hunts when it comes to coins and I couldn't get the smile off my face.

I walk through the park a little and end up at another permission house that backs up to the park that I have hunted for years and again where nothing good has showed up for quite awhile.
I get a 21-24 signal, a bit bouncy but nothing has come out of here for a long time and also we have a ton of iron here but it stayed in that range so I dig hoping for another old wheat.
Again, a bit deeper than my normal targets by an inch or two but I still thought wheat cent.
It wasn't a wheat cent, I pull up a dirty coin and start rubbing and the most beautiful green color starts coming through.
Then I see One Cent on one side surrounded by a wreath.
Whoa, an Indian.
I rub the date area and finally get some numbers...1882!
Twice I got into the 1800's in two different sites so now my mind is truly blown.
4 old coins, 3 great ones on one hunt, this doesn't happen to me much and if you thought I was happy after that second V nickel well now I have moved to a much higher level of joy.

I was getting tired and hungry and decided to walk to one more site before going home to clean my coins and write this up.
The next block over has a house in a corner lot with a new for rent realty sign that just popped up and the owner of the IH house owns a bunch of other homes around here and all over the city and uses this company so I assume this is just another of his many houses he rents all around these neighborhoods and other parts in our city.
He gave me permission to hunt any of his homes long ago as long as I don't wreck up the properties, the empty ones no problem and if his renters also give me permission I can hunt those too.
I walk over there and see a truck in the driveway and a guy working on the side of the house and I walk up and ask him if this is owned by the same guy but he says no, he owns it or at least he owns the realty company on the sign with a few partners.
So I introduce myself and explain what I do, how I only hunt private properties with permission.
He asks if I ever find anything and I say sure and I pull out the IH and the two V nickels and show him.
He knows about the Indians but he never heard of a V nickel before, (silly Muggles), and when I show him that one of them is from the 1880's he seemed surprised.
Since we are forming a relationship and seems like a nice guy I ask nicely if I could hunt this home for a bit and he says fine.
I says I won't stay long because I am getting tired but I would like to come back again in the future and he gives the ok.

I give the lawn a quick scan, nothing gridded but just a drunken walk quickly around the property just to scope it out and see what's what.
I dug up some junk, a 1978 quarter, a zinc cent or two and just before I was ready to pack it in I get a 32-35 signal, a bit bouncy but solid enough so I open a hole and see nothing so I dig a bit deeper.
About 4" down I see something dirty and round and grab it and pull it out .
I was thinking maybe a smaller old compact or something but it feels heavy and I look at a small area on one edge where the dirt fell off and I see a coin edge and a nice silver color.
No way!!!
I take my thumb and with one swipe the front comes clean and I am holding a beautiful Walker in my hand in better than just good shape.
Now my brain is totally broken, hard to deal with all the emotion.
I stick my carrot in the hole and get more signals.
Could it be a silver spill?
Nah, turns out it was two pieces of large rusted iron which is a big issue here even in private lawns so that's why the jumpy 30's instead of solid numbers.
Probably good, if there was more big silver down there I would have needed a Valium or Xanax when I came home.
I had to leave after that, I was freaking out a little and needed to go home and eat something.

So that's the story of one of my most emotional hunts I have ever had.
Can't wait to get back to that new home and see what else is hiding.
Love the rain!
 

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Some mighty fine hunting Dave. The story is those details! Congrats on the Walker, the Indian, the "V's" and all the rest. Hope there are a few more repeat hunts in the near future like this for you. Trapper
 
It was definitely worth taking the time to read ( of course I cheated and looked at the pictures first ).:lol: A great play by play ,photos and finds ! Congratulations ! There is a lot of useful info in your posts !
 
Wow, great hunt Digger!

Congrats!

TY!

Nice hunt. I've also found that well soaked ground brings out those weak signals.

Congrats on several 1800 coins.

For sure, I always knew it but this hunt really proved it in my mind.

Some mighty fine hunting Dave. The story is those details! Congrats on the Walker, the Indian, the "V's" and all the rest. Hope there are a few more repeat hunts in the near future like this for you. Trapper

Thanks Trapper, more rain coming and more time to hunt now and into the spring and summer until we get the major heat and shuts me down.
Not done yet.

Dang Digger that is an Epic Day !!

btw.. Who needs Valium or Xanax when you have Viagra that is disguised as BIG Silver :yes:

I have a few of these halves and a Peace dollar that I pick up and hold in my hand from time to time cause it feels so good.

It was definitely worth taking the time to read ( of course I cheated and looked at the pictures first ).:lol: A great play by play ,photos and finds ! Congratulations ! There is a lot of useful info in your posts !

Always hope to help any other hunter out with anything I can contribute.


Congrats on a very nice hunt!

Thanks!
 
Those kind of days are rare and worthy of a long narrative. I have a hard time keeping my story short when I am blessed with a big day. Great pictures and story. The ground around here in South Georgia is pretty wet too so I think I will get out with my hunting buddy and see what we can find. Us old retired guys are still good for a few hours of digging !
 
Some solid finds for sure, congrats!

Thanks!


WOW awesome hunt. Congrats.


Thank you very much!
It was awesome!


Phenomenal indeed!

Amazing, and unimaginable!

Congrats :)


TY!


Those kind of days are rare and worthy of a long narrative. I have a hard time keeping my story short when I am blessed with a big day. Great pictures and story. The ground around here in South Georgia is pretty wet too so I think I will get out with my hunting buddy and see what we can find. Us old retired guys are still good for a few hours of digging !

Mid Alabama is where I am.
With the compacted red clay and my more than intense infestation of iron in most of my sites any advantage I can get is so welcome.
I have hunted after heavy rain before and did fine but this level of moisture is different...and it mattered.
Go hunt while you can before it dries out is my advice...and thanks!
 
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