A Find That Took A Lifetime

[Againstmywill]

I recently had the opportunity to make it back to the home where I grew up. The property, a rural Wisconsin farmsite, dates back to 1845 when it was given to the first owners by the Unites States government. My parents lived there for 30 years and finally sold the home about 10 years ago.  I had detected it before my parents sold it, but that was with a Garrett Treasure Ace 100, a true beep-and-dig machine which found me nothing but iron scrap the one time I used it on the property. Other than that one time, the land has never been detected. I was really wanting to try it with the 800 to see if it was up for the challenge.

I called the current owner and asked if it was ok to come out and detect the property. I thought to myself that if I only found one silver coin that it would be a successful hunt. After graciously being given free reign to dig anywhere, I quickly found out just how much iron collects in 174 years. Added to the nails and other farm scrap metal bits were the zillions of BB's from my youth. Let's just say that the 11" coil was busy! I had to run at 7 recovery just to try to sort the barrage of signals. 

Sadly, the roofing nails were a strong signal that came in at 22-23 with no iron grunt using all-metal mode, and there were thousands of them. I did manage to find some modern coins and a broken silver serving spoon. The best find of the day, and at the top of my lifetime's worth of detecting finds, was a silver dime. It is the oldest dime I have ever found and the first silver for me that was not a Roosevelt dime. To many people it would not be special. For me, just the opportunity to detect at my old home among the large trees that we planted when they were but a foot high was utterly amazing. I know there are many more silver coins still waiting there. I may never get back, but I don't need to. It would be hard to top the experience and joy of sharing my stories of growing up there and the day's finds with the current owner. It was a bucket list experience. 

 

[Noah (FL)]

Congrats on the Barber!!!!

Those roofing nails with the metal washer can be a pain.  Often times the alloy isn’t really iron so they will high tone all day.  Definitely worth digging some more after finding that dime thou!!!

[GB_Amateur]

Any silver dime is a nice find.  Barbers even better.  Good story about the old home place.  I bet there are still more goodies there for your next trip....

Roofing nails give me trouble, too.  All nails if oriented vertically give nice signals from what I've found.  But the heads on the roofing nails are large enough to come in there at the Indian Head penny TID (or close), even when not perfectly oriented. If you're in an old spot, you're best to just dig 'em out unless you happen to be in a spot where someone dumped a whole keg. ?

 

[Guest calabash digger]

very nice coin!

[Swegin]

Congrats.  Nothing like going back home, even if it is someone else's.  I am sure it brought up some great memories.

 

[Happa54]

Congrats on that beautiful Barber!!!!

I hope you go back and post some more of your finds there. 

[Mark Gillespie]

Fantastic silver

[Chase Goldman]

The essence of what detecting is all about, all that matters is whether the find (and the story behind it) is special to you.  Thanks for sharing it with us.

[GKman]

Very nice. 

[2Valen]

Great find, hope you get another chance to go back again.