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Hi everyone and appreciate the comments. I am on the way home and have some catching up to do. Thanks for keeping the house clean while I was gone! In any case I had a great time and tales to tell in the not too distant future. ?

I stopped byto see the landowner and possibly drop off a box full of wheat pennies a couple Indian heads, the most recent shoe buckle, and a musket ball for the home owner but he wasn't there and the family said he probably wouldn't want the stuff anyways and to go back and detect if I wanted. I went back to the lawn first and realized that there weren't a lot of good signals. It probably had to do with the fact that in each hole there were at least two cut nails and EMI affecting the detector. I decided to hit in the woods where the old well was and I picked up that half dollar it was awesome. I then put my sensitivity at 18 infield two mode and the guy on finding some cool relics.

Its been a tough year so far. Many a skunks. My Buddy Dave and I have been trying to think outside the box, looking for new areas with very little luck. Our old areas are pretty damn pounded by us. Dave had some family obligations so I went out this past Sunday myself for a short hunt to beat the Nevada heat. I decided to go back to an area where i found 2 random nuggets about 30 yards apart. One was 1.5 gram in a tiny negligible small dry tribal. The other was a nice three gram solid found in a flat spot over a foot deep. I got to the area and hit a couple of nearby washes for nothing. Working back to where I found the nuggets I started grinding the area, working up hill from the nuggets. I was just about to the point where I had planned on quitting when I got a trashy chirpy signal. It moved on the first scrape with my foot, and I figured trash (this area has very little trash, almost none) got it in the scoop and it was a tiny specie. It was in the trailing of a rodent burrow so I wasn't sure if it was from deep. I started slowing down and overlapping my swings and got a solid signal next to a creosote brush. Turned into a nice sub gram nug. Made a circle around the Bush and got a screaming signal that I figured could be a bullet. Only 4 inches down in some soft overburden came out the large 5.1 g nugget. I back tracked a bit from there working the same line down the slope and got a nice deeper signal next to another creosote. Nice 1.5 gram nug. All very rough with rock and quartz. I tried working the line up the slope for nothing else. Going to go back and work the bench at top of slope. I had been getting discouraged so it was a nice shot of adrenaline. I was supposed to be getting hip surgery today but insurance denied my claim last minute. Filing appeals and grievances so we'll see what happens. I was supposed to be on crutches for 3 months after 1st surgery then have the 2nd which is a hip replacement. So I would have been on the bench for a while. The surgery is supposed to be in Vail Colorado so I was thinking about doing so prospecting there before the surgery. Stay out of the heat! Chris

I found this under cap-rock. A retiring nugget was on my mine, but it was buried in a burrow about 10 feet in. The digger is shown below. My bother in-law found these (teeths) while hunting gold ring in an old beach. I got over 50 gold rings instead.

Well, I have one favorite and it's the U.S. Army issued pocket knife (pic 3 & 4) that cleaned up rather well and is mostly functional with some liquid wrench oil, but that smallest blade is pretty much concreted in. What's interesting is an older brother was stationed in the area where I found it, prior to him being flown to Vietnam in 1969. Have to say the long forged nails (pic 1) were pretty cool too. Each about 5-6 inches long and all were within a linear space maybe of 5 feet, and about 13 inches deep. I can't help but think it was what remained of an old miners shack. Those 3 large steel balls next to the quarter (pic 2) are a mystery. That BB included just for scale. Wished the quarter had been older but is included because it was under a boulder! The eyeglasses (pic 5) are just clear glass lenses, which is odd. They were bent up pretty bad as if stepped on 100s of times but glass not even cracked, so that is intriguing for me, made me wonder what the backstory is. That "cross" pin (pic 6) found near the eyeglasses is probably gold plated, maybe painted gold instead. Wish it had an engraving with a year. Salmon fishing flies like these are pretty typical common finds in several areas where I have detected (pic 7). What's funny is I use to bring both my fly rods and first detector owned to the creeks that have recreational public mining, switching to one or the other as I got frustrated with one or the other. That fly found with the orange head was sharpened and tied on my line and BOOM! I hooked/ landed a silver salmon! So that one is a favorite too for that reason. Bullet fragments (pics 8-10) very common finds for me but these are my favorites because that same day/ same area I detected my first gold with my then new Gold Bug 2.

Using the new White's 24K Urban Style. You don't have time to get out to gold fields & learn your new detector? Take it to a local volley ball court & have fun. Learn sounds, target ID & depth on those small treasures. GOAL to show the detector has more capabilities than most folks imagine. Realize the majority of detectors people use will not find tiny targets and the 24K was build to do just that. How to pay for 24K real fast? Find the wife a diamond earring, all is good. Not only did I find 5 stud earrings, I recovered 7 backs & some tiny #9 dove shot, plus other bits of chains, bracelets & such. Just another way to keep your skills tuned and bring home some bling. On a side note, How many of you have used a gold detector to find diamond earrings and other micro jewelry? I know my buddy in Hawaii Terry C has done so and maybe he'll post a pic. Anyone else, please share your stories and photos too.

Some pretty cool finds from everyone, thanks for sharing. While using a GPZ 7000, I found a very nice condition Union Soldiers Infantry Button about 2 feet down, in the SW. Wish we could see the stories behind some of our finds.

Hey everyone... My focus this year is buffs, V's and war niks..... wasn't thinking of gold. I spent half day at one of my usual pounded Los Angeles parks. Got a little clad and 17 nickels in my pouch. This 600 knocks the cr_p out of nickels. I get another nickel signal (12/13) and dig approximately 4 inches. Because I've been fooled before by coins that initially appear to be gold, I didn't get too excited. But when I cleaned off the dirt and looked real close, I couldn't find any markings. So then I thought, some sort of fake gold or something. Even the white pearl in the setting was breaking down and I thought it was plastic. I did the magnet test at home and it passed but still not totally convinced.... heck this could be brass maybe, I thought? This morning I take it to a jeweler and he puts it through his tests. He says it's 18k. Says it looks made in Asia and markings worn or very old ring. Then another jeweler repeats the process and he concurs with the first jeweler. He then says, "I'll give you $40 for it". I asked, "what's it worth retail?"... he puts it on a scale and says "maybe $1,000 just for the gold". I think you know what I said next. They were interested in setting a new stone in place but I told them it's for my girlfriend and I'll let her handle it. I've made purchases here before so there were no hard feelings either way. Thanx for stopping in everyone and as always.... HH

Hi Gerry, thank you. Btw that is southern Nevada gold. Chris

Stop messing around on your iPad and go find the gold!

Steve had posted that he should be back maybe today if not by tomorrow. Steve I for one have miss your take on things that’s been said. I’d have to say we have all been on our best behavior. It helps to have a great bunch of guys as we have on here. Chuck

Nice nugget with very fine particles of gold I'd name it the "sand nugget" clean with a tooth brush and and call it good. You've been busy Gerry I cant keep up with all your finds strick

They stay close to home on a Sunday hunt! WTG Mitchel

Historically he always went to HI in winter. I think he used to do beach detecting there also.

All of these are among finds I have kept from the past. They have been in a storage unit. I am fascinated with geology but have trouble ID'g rocks and don't like to smash em. This is a lot of pics ... maybe too many?! Thanks in advance for all who take a moment to share their expertise. Much regards! ^ is this part of a thunderegg? ^ the shell of the rock above (part of a thunderegg?) ^ could this be a thunderegg or just jasper? ^ a pyrite next to my thumb, is the middle rock a chalcopyrite? ^ shell of the rock pictured below ^ assume this is a banded agate? ^ could it be a geode? ^ not a great pic -- this coloration is actually light to deep purple/ violet ^ heavy, as if a cannonball, damn near perfectly round ^ also heavy nearly round rocks ^ sunstone? found in a creek north of the Arctic Circle ^ can't even guess ... looks like a vein within a vein, what could that material be? ^ nature couldn't create such an indent, could it? ^ same stone as above ... is this a relic of sorts? ^ same stone as above ^ could this have been a spear head? ^ might this be a corondum? ^ same rock as above; what are those inclusions -- jasper? can't be rubies.. ^ same as above ^ what happens when your 3 year old daughter finds your rocks!

Hello to all I wanted to work on that project for a while,Fisher has always been synonym for me of Treasure discovery since I started the hobby 26 years ago,reading French magazine Tresor de l Histoire with pictures of Fisher detectors all over the place ...................O0000 boy how many hours I spend staring at the 1266xb.............I really like my F75DST et had a few Goldbug pro and G2 so I decided to start a bid of DIY .I am im Europe so parts aren't as available as on your side of the pond,i contacted couple of dealers and managed to get the parts for the handle,Arm cup is XP as it is 100 gr lighter than the fisher one,all carbon bits bought from Italy and Chian,the Clamp is from Sweden and designed for pole for window cleaning,coil will be an 13" Ultimate it is on her way from Bulgaria anyway here we go : Ladies and Gentlemen (DRUM ROLLS): the GOLDBUG PRO 2 lite:

You have a new brother in the family. Special thanks to each of you that gave me advise on this decision. Extra call out to Brian for checking the Zed out for me in person. Lot of respect for the tight group we have here. Feel free to drop tips and hints in here or pm. I have read so many threads my eyes are bleeding lol. Come on 1 oz Nug. JW looking forward to nugget find sharing with you. Fred low and slow, Check! Nenad hit me up with more of those tips, so I can pay for this thing lol lol.

for finding the class ring but this mornings hunt produced this ticket in the first 1/2 hour. 8.9 grams marked au585 ?

One of the things that intrigues me about natural raw gold is the many offbeat ways nature creates Au. This rare (to me) almost sheet type gold is a 1st. It looks as if the liquid metal cooled right between two quarts seams and then just popped out. You can still see small rough white quarts crystals still attached to both sided of this beauty. YES it is! You may think it is ugly and that is fine, but since I own it, I say it is a beauty. Just bigger than my thumb nail and weighs in at 2 grams (30 grains) and was found with the 24K while using the 6" concentric coil at about 8" depth. This one is an Idaho piece and a little unique compared to the others found in years past at that site. I'm wondering if I should tumble it a little to get a bit smoother shine or use a wire brush to add a little sparkle or leave it as is? What would you do with something like this?

Being informed and observant can pay off at times. I posted a while back some of my finds from a local school expansion project. The area in the picture is being built up for a parking lot, but it's where the dirt comes from that has allow many of these finds. The dirt being hauled in is actually coming from where the old school grounds are. My buddy found a 1898 V nickel at the same site. It appears to be several more days of hunting as there's a lot of dirt yet to be relocated. I'd really like to know where they hauled the best top soil to, but I'm grateful like it is. But looks like a week of rain here, so hunting will be very limited. As a final note, I went to grade school in the mid 60's and actually played in this same area. Makes me wonder if I might find something I actually lost.

Congratulations Gerry, that`s a terrific 2 grammer ? I would probably leave it the way it is, I think it looks pretty good now.

Incredible ... can't imagine finding such an old coin. Neat to see the photos of the state of the coin when found. What a neat book it would make, a coffee-table size book of all the finds of detectorists

I hear you there strick this is definitely my best season ever and it's so nice to have the bug again. I started in 1997 bought a metal detector with my tax refund from Uncle Sam after I got out of the Marines. I had a blast detecting for quite a few years but then it seemed like I wasn't finding much. I also got into fly fishing so that took up my time. After getting the equinox I don't know if it's the machine or just the time in my life but I sure am happy to start finding stuff again and more than I've ever found before LOL

Your on a roll...great finds strick

Now THAT is a good hunt! Thanks for sharing. Mike

Great hunt with some really cool finds. The button, toy gun and jeep are in great condition. I enjoy making those kind of finds and of course the half too!

what every prospector and miner fears, yet faces as a result of the physically demanding work we love to do ... sorry to hear of this, how are you managing this pain/ injury? Thank you for educating me ... I forget that a "site" refers to a website ... on my mind at all times is everything gold related, and so when I see the word "site" immediately is the visualization of some prospecting/ mining site in the world ... kind of funny really how my mind is in gold OCD mode. Agreed! Steve H and his dad found all of the easy gold everywhere in Alaska long by now! But I still look ... odds are good there is some easy gold remaining here or there ... whenever I dig and find ferrous stuff deep in the ground, I just can't help but remember Steve's own words x time in the past: digging up trash in heavily detected/ mined areas in rich gold bearing districts means that that trash wasn't detected/ found before, thus it's logical that gold wasn't detected/ found either in that same area ... stay healthy and successful!

Bets the heck out of the CTX to swing......its like having a dead horse attached. Max told me ...... just to much tiny high conductors for him....... and yes his screen got water behind it. Which ML replace immediately and he sold there after. I believe he said he still had a 600 thou. I would disagree with him if he did say its not strong enough for surf. BUT........ he may be speaking about the cuff and shaft not so much the machine. Switching to an after market shaft with a better cuff and locks is needed for the surf and swift long shore drift. There is just way to much torque for those parts to last....... now that i agree. Put that shaft up as a travel shaft......... many would have bought one anyway if it was a two part shaft. The coil really stays down nice....... better than the CTX whose battery can float the whole machine when in the surf chest deep and has a lot of coil flip. Also a count weight helps it move better out there. Maybe different up his way......... but that small stuff dont stay around long in the surf..... its on the move.

JW, I like how the jacket bloomed. Found it in a gravel bar. In the same river I found that Yale ignition switch. The spoon was found in the Yukon river just as it starts running alongside Whitehorse. Spoon is probably from 30's to 40's. The manufacturers stamp is still legible.

Been trying time graduate from the Trent King School of Goldolgy, damn he's a strict instructor!!! I snuck off for a while for winter break, but I will be back. Here's what he taught me how to do so far..... Now I need to use what I learned consistently. Cheers

I have no concerns about the detector holding up. I've got well over 100 hours on a beach that is about as dangerous as any. The detector isn't the weak link, I am. I will say I have total confidence in the performance of this detector in the wet sand. I used to love my cz21 but it pales in comparison. As my friend says, "the good news is this detector is sensitive, the bad news is this detector is sensitive." Now get out there and swing thang! Tim

I finally got out and found some nuggets to feed the hunger. My buddy had already found 11 or 12 and I was getting skunked and feeling desperate to find any gold so I moved to a spot I had pulled 4 nuggets out in May and within 5 min found the first. Then in a couple minutes found the second, third and fourth. I moved up a couple feet on a tailings slope and kept banging them out. Ten all total on sat within 1 1/2 - 2 hour span from first to the last. I finally got my wife to pick up my detector and give it her first ever try detecting for gold. Within 5 minutes she found her first tiny nugget. I asked her how did that feel finding it. She replied fun, I'm ready to find my second nugget. The tiny nugget in the hand is my wifes. My ten nuggets totaled 1.9 grams. These nuggets were found using the new headphones for the Gold monster by Detector Pro that i am field testing. I would highly recommend getting a pair from Detector Pro.

After my Rye Patch ordeal, I decided to splurge and put a new engine in the Rokon. The original Honda 5.5hp 160cc engine is 20 yrs old and my hop up mods were really pushing it too hard, so I bought a lightly modified Honda Go-Kart racing engine from NR Racing. $500.00 gets a new Honda 6.5 hp 200cc engine with mods that bring it up to 12hp. All the bolt patterns are the same so it slipped right in the Rokon frame. I had to do a little drilling and bending to make a new throttle linkage and now she purrs like a kitten. I'll be headed back up to CA gold country next week and ultimately back out to Rye Patch. The goldfields are calling, Tally Ho!

Here are some from today

Was out at Hatcher Pass recreational mining area detecting with my SDC2300 in between running my sluice box. I found found this bullet in a stream. Of course I found a bunch of different kind of shell casings but I thought it was pretty cool so I thought I would share. I didn’t find much gold and still have to sort out all the black sand, nothing worth even mentioning since it was just a few specs and flakes.

Lovely! Great finds. The oldest coin ive found to date (No pun intended LOL) Is an 1820 silver. Nice1 FT

Thanks Andy! I just added then and I believe that I double posted by accident

Great input chaps. All great advice, and i do mean all of it. This forum is a wealth of detecting knowledge. Always learn something new on here, much appreciated. Andy.

Still no Yukon gold. But I like finding lead and copper too. Not Aluminum, unless it is campfire beer can aluminum lol

Hi Gerry and everyone... after some 32+ years hunting in northeastern Ontario’s silver country, I have found a few odds and ends, lots of iron relics, older bottles, but only three silver coins. Incidentally I re-bury interesting iron to examine how my detectors react to them once they’ve had a chance to continue the rusting (maghemite formation) process for a few years. When I first ventured north to hunt native silver nuggets and ores, I used to explore widely by utilizing the old abandoned trails and roadways that once serviced the bustling mining camps of the time. Usually I would be hiking about with my old Garrett ADS Deepseeker (equipped with either a seven or twelve inch concentric coil) turned ON. One late afternoon I got a nice little signal and found these two handsome coins together with some large one-cent coppers, obviously a small coin spill from an unfortunate miner. The third silver coin was a 1905 King Edward half-dime found in the tailings of a former high production minesite located within the town limits of Cobalt. I haven’t bothered with a photo because it was slightly bent, but similar to the two dimes in the photo below it was lost in very nice condition. These finds lead me to think that payroll coinage must have come directly from the mint in Ottawa, but that’s speculation, as I’ve never researched it. I think we’ve all experienced finding something nice right at the beginning of an outing (water hunting is a good example with jewelry) and can’t find another good item the rest of the day. And vice-versa too of course. As a water hunter, coin hunter, and prospector I’ve observed this short-term pattern as just described many times. But I’ve only experienced it once over the long-term. I’ve never found another silver coin in that area over the past 30 years……………. Jim.

Impressive finds, Mark! Reality is that a promising site trumps detector and even detectorist. You appear to have all three.

My Sennheiser CX 6.00BT wireless APTX Low Latency in ear headset (Ear Buds) arrived yesterday morning and I paired them with my Equinox 800, I went down to my garden test bed and I took out my hearing aids and put in the ear buds and I was amazed at how clear and loud the signals were these are going to be ideal for me during the summer months, but when the Autumn weather returns I will be back with the Avantree Audition Pro Aptx Low Latencey wireless headphones. .