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Curb strips save the day!! In a BIG way!

Chipk

Elite Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
Messages
3,314
Location
Jacksonville / Yulee Florida
WHAT A DAY!!!!

A couple of days ago I received a call from a lady asking if my services are truly free. I assured her that they are. She then asked if I would come and remove any remaining roofing tacks that may be in her yard.

I then explained I either am looking for lost personal items or searching for historical relics and I don’t look for property markers, trace gas lines etc. she then told me she had a 1 year old baby and was worried that he would get hurt playing if roofing tacks had been left.

Ok, there are a few groups for whom I have a soft spot in my shriveled tough heart. That includes military, first responders, teachers, nurses and kids.

Especially kids.

Plus I had Googled her address and she has a 3 story house built in 1909 in a very historical area. I told her that for permission to hunt the whole yard, I’d pay special attention for roofing nails. She agreed.

As soon as I entered her gate, I spied a nasty roofing nail sitting on top of the ground. Her fears were well placed.

Well it was still blazing hot but I set forth and soon was pulling a number of nails from the ground along with a steady stream of stinking Lincolns, buried cans, and assorted metallic !!!!. I knew there had to be a silver coin or two but they remained well hidden. Somehow I managed to stay going through the heat and after 4 hours, I hadn’t seen a single silver coin.

I decided to do a quick scan of the curb strips before heading home. The house is on a corner so I went up the side street side along the sidewalk. Nothing.

Turned the corner to the front yard and started scanning. There’s a big oak tree and I NEVER pass up a big old tree. Before air conditioning, kids played in tree shade, picnics were held there, business meetings, revivals, naps, all were done in the cooler shade.

Well halfway around the tree and I got a solid signal. Soon a ‘49 quarter was in my hand. I rescanned the hole and then added a ‘62 dime followed by a 1919 wheat penny. Suddenly I was revitalized.

I found a number of clad coins along the strip and at the far side I pulled out a flattened bowl of a large spoon. I am 99% certain it’s sterling.

The rain was starting up and I headed back to my car and swung over the street side of the side street strip. I got a very nice loud signal and started to recover it. However I could not find it. The ATP told me it was there and my pinpointer did too but it seemed to be moving back and forth in the hole. I was getting soaked and also frustrated by my inability to locate the target. I again tried to locate it with the pinpointer and as I did something whacked my knuckles. I pulled the plug I had dug back and trapped in the roots was a ring.

A huge man’s ring.

Every time I pushed or pulled the plug it relocated my prize which was why I was having such a problem.

The ring is the size and weight of possibly a signet or class ring. Maybe a Mason’s ring. But the dark brown color was throwing me off.

At home I started to clean it. Where a stone would sit is what appears to be a coin and it looks like a Mayan calendar coin. And the way it is mounted tells you that “coin” might have some value.

In fact the whole thing is heavy. And my wife who have much better eyes than me claims it’s stamped 10K.

Hmmm.

eBay has a number of similar looking Mayan coin rings and they ain’t cheap. And according to Google, gold can actually tarnish. I tried some of the methods offered for cleaning gold and I think there is starting to be a glimmer in the metal. So I have a glimmer of hope.

A trip to the jeweler is now on tomorrow’s agenda.

Keeping my fingers crossed.
 

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Congrats, it looks like a good day of detecting and a good deed done. The ring is interesting looking.
 
Good hunt.
Please post back on the jewler's appraisal of the ring. My guess is 10K plating.

The large spoon also looks plated but these determinations are hard to do from a picture.
Hoping both are the real deal.
 
Congrats on those sidewalk finds, the ring is really interesting! And, kudos to you for being willing to spend your time locating those nails. Karma owes you one!
 
I love it when a tough hunt starts to produce the goods! Good call on working those strips. I have doubts on the sterling-ness of the spoon part, and the gold-ness of the ring. That is a really cool ring, though. I am holding hope for you that it is solid gold. :wow:
 
Did some curb strip digging for a short while earlier. Found a few things. I'm now ready to formulate a theorem:

Copper Coins Theorem: The copper coin lands more frequently down on the face/date side to receive a thicker crust and become more toasted. The cinder is a "hot" cinder (to the MD and Propointer carrot) and likely from a steam locomotive since a railroad was very nearby at one time. The shotshell base is a REM-UMC #12. The legible penny is a 2017 Shield. The curled lead strip is probably plumber's lead.
 

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