Gerry in Idaho

Peg, Each your down there you seem to learn more and your success/knowledge of the area is getting better. Actually those are some pretty good finds considering your location. Yes the Tungsten and gold ring is nice, but I too like the old brass and or copper ship nails. Did anyone around you happen to score any of the reale treasures? As a fantastic gold nugget hunter that is proven, your time on the beaches will eventually start to shine. My trips and the expense are much greater than most folks trips to FL beaches. I have been to many resorts, spent numerous days swinging and learning locations, tides, people gathering and all the finer points to get a little bling. I honestly feel most folks would not put in that kind of effort, but I know a few do, as there has been recent detecting at my last resort location. Keep at it girl and looking forward to hearing more about those old nails.

My Field Staff Experts and I know the majority of gold detectors on the market. We offer 3 days Field Training at Rye Patch Nevada and many clients will stay in the area and hunt a few more days. As for guided tours, I quit that a few years ago. Yes most of us had fun and success, but for a few, they expected to load their pockets. If you are interested in real hands on training, let me know. Either way, I wish you luck.

Glenn, it is an Idaho piece found as is, no cleaning.

Holy Grails Glenn, Those pieces of art are most certainly wall hangers. CO is one of the stated that I need to go and find a couple, so I check off my list "Been there Dug That" along with WY and the Dakotas. I don't have many wire gold pieces as you know they are quite fragile and easily break or smash. Here is one of my bigger ones. Thanks for sharing some beautiful gold.

GoldPick, When I visited Leanora and Kalgoorlie areas on a Prospecting trip 10+ yrs ago, I was amazed at the lack of folks who actually detect the old mining camps for coins and relics. A good friend of mine was there on a prospecting trip in the early 90's and he said the beaches were loaded with silver coins. It was as if everyone in Australia felt the value of gold is so much greater than coins and silver, so why bother? Anyway, I like you style showing and sharing a different kind of hunt from down under. Keep it up and thanks for sharing.

I think the cleaning of a coin is subject to its rarity and or value. I've personally (when I was younger) removed great detail of patina from a few Large Cents and 1 Flying Eagle. All I used was water and a soft toothbrush. So now for some of my coppers that I really like, it is a soft dry toothbrush and toothpick, as Kac does. I've dug thousands of wheat backs and most are common dates/mint marks. I toss then in a tumbler with fish aquarium gravel, a little water, squirt of Dawn dish soak and let them run 15 to 20 minutes. All I am doing is knocking the crud and dirt off them. Silver, When I was young they were tossed into the tumbler too and boy do they shine. Problem is some silvers are semi and key dates with low mintages. Those need to pampered and soaking in water with a light rinse is all I do. Common Roos, Merc's and Washington quarters are soaked and brushed with toothbrush, but I quit tumbling them, as the shine, in my opinion is not recommended. Nickels, Those pesky dark stained, sometimes purple or red, brown, even black on occasion. If they are common dates, I toss them in the tumbler. Semi dates ones get the water and soft tooth brush. I'll use an eraser on them to add highlights, but I assure you there is abrasive marks left from the eraser. At least the common Buff or V now looks better with a highlight, but that is my coin so I am not worried of value. My 1913-S Barber Quarter (Key date) was dug in Nevada and as most of my 100+ yrs old silvers coming from the desert with high alkali, they come out of the dirt with a crustry gray coating. I have not done anything with it, other than water and tap dry. The actual condition of the coin is F-12 with detail, but the other blemishes and clap on it kills the value and most certainly drops condition. I have yet to decide (and keep going back and forth) on if I should get it professionally cleaned and as stated what makes one a Professional? I guess it depends on the person and what you plan on doing with it. Myself for this coin. If PCSG says cleaning will drastically reduce the value, then I'll probably leave it as is. If they say "after cleaning it will have detail of F-12" and look much better, but will be labeled as "Environmental Damage", and the value will drop a little, then I'll probably get it cleaned. If the value drops 50% or more, I might as well leave it as is. Who knows, but right now it looks like crap to me.

Some seriously nice history saves and great pics everyone, keep them coming. Chase, the 1830 Half Reale is a heart throb. The US Plate is stop you in your track Seth and you should be proud, even your Reale is tops. Joel, those are really good coins for a SD digger as Dakota is not really that old. What I like is the patina on the coins. Your soil must be perfect. BTW, the 1914 Buff looks nice too. Thanks for sharing guys. UPDATE to my 1915-S/13-S Barber Quarter. Yes the one I posted a pic of is indeed as a couple folks mentioned the 1915. So at the bank today and into the vault I'm digging around and find the 3 Barber Quarters I dug in 1 hole. I check the dates and sure enough, one of them is the Key Date 1913-S. I'm going to try and post a video of when I dug them, as you can tell by my voice, I was upset and pissed off. My reason? Watch the video to see and then chime in and tell me, if you would have expected differently?

What a Huck Up I did. Yes you guys are correct as I had to pull an eye piece to view the bugger and it is a 1915. So there goes my dreams of retirement. Then last night (when I am supposed to be sleeping) my brain was racking trying to figure out the 2019 year and all the adventures I did. It finally came to and the fog lifted. I got up in middle of night went to look at that crazy Barber again and it is indeed a 1915 Barber Quarter. But where are the other 2, that is the question as I dug up 3 Barber Quarters in 1 hole. Now I am actually kind of excited again, as I feel I made a mistake. This 1915 (the photo I posted) was a local find (yes with the same Equinox 800) when I did a hunt with my other Field Staff Expert (Spencer), a couple weeks timeframe difference. That is why I can't find the other 2 quarters with it, as it can't be. So guess what today it? Run to the bank and look for 3 dirty dusty Barber Quarters that should be together. So hopefully I am able to do an update this evening with new photos and brain relief from a guy who has been stressing the last 24 hours. Those who noticed it, thanks for being the "eagle eyes" I don't have.

Jim, I'm curious how they know it is 54% more power to the coils of the 24K. It almost seems like 54% would just as easily be 55% or 50%, but for some reason it is stated and known at 54%? If the new 24K is getting 54% more power to the coil, what would you say the average depth increase would be on typical rice size gold in average North Nevada soil. I realize there is no exact answer as there are many variables, but boy they sure were exact letting us know it has "54%". Reason I am not asking for bigger Au nuggets, as I know the majority of gold found is smaller. Lunk and I have been doing very well with our 24K's, now we'll have to upgrade to the new 100% waterproof version to add another tool (detector) to the arsenal. Photos are some of my 24K finds. For those who don't know, this type of crystalline gold is easier to recover with a VLF detector vs a more expensive PI unit.

BillDean, If you found them and are proud of your efforts, then I assure you most everyone on here is proud for you and of your Success too. I knew when I started this thread, my monster 7 oz would spook folks from wanting to share their amazing finds and stories. That was not my intent at all. Heck, in reality it is not fare to compare my finds to most others, as I get to detect, talk detectors and sell a few for a living. Selling detectors is my job and has been for 25+ years. I know detectors better than the average guy, I've been researching areas to hunt for 25+ yrs so my Success is almost always better than the average guy. Now I do have customers and friends who specialize on certain styles of detecting and they do just as well (sometimes better) as I. Bottom line to me. If you enjoyed the hunt, adventure and making some golden finds. You should be proud. The reality is most folks find the majority of the gold and we know it usually consists of fine gold and small nuggets. Thanks for adding to the thread and sharing your Success.

Chase, You are spooking me now? Maybe my eyes (and Lunks' too) were wrong? Yes the photo does look like a 1915, which would be a major disappointment. I'll need to stop at the bank tomorrow and pull it out. Plus, I'd like to take a couple more pics of front and back before I send it (to show everyone the before/after) of cleaning when it gets returned. I'll let everyone know, but I am sure it is 1913-S., because when I checked the book, I had to do a triple quadriple drink to calm my nerves and eyes.

Kac, I personally know each of those coins and have found a few. They are actually quite rare to find, but value is not up there. We don't really do it for the value anyway, but more the historical and of course the "hunt" itself. I figured the ring was PLAT or White gold with diamonds. Now why did I mess with you? Those finds my friend are "Ones they dream of" to the average detectorist and Hats Off Tops of the Food chain" to old salty diggers like myself. In fact, I will admit, 2019 for me only produced a few IH's and one 2 Cent piece from NV. But most of my time in 2019 was chasing gold nuggets. The PLAT with diamonds would easily rate "best ring ever" to most. Your post showed us some coins and a ring. Not enough description was added to justify their scarcity so that is why I was hopeful you'd reply back. Not necessarily for me, but for the masses who lurch this fine forum and for some reason, never post. Thanks for adding description to those saves as they certain do earn "best finds of 2019". I can't wait to see your top digs in 2020. BTW. Was the ring found on a water hunt or in a park?

GB, Since you have been collecting for so long, you realize the rarity of the 13-S Barber. It is by fare the rarest coin I have found including my many trips detecting in England. Not sure if you know, but how would you go about getting it professionally cleaned and then graded? I realize PCSG will mention it has been cleaned, when they slab it, but as is, most folks would not take a 2nd look. Heck I even thought about getting all 3 cleaned and displaying them together as they all came from the same hole. I realize your input is only advice, but since I am not a serious coin collector, thought I'd ask since it is more of your profession. Once I figure out how to get the video to upload to Steve's site, I'll be able to share it. I tried, but it says it is not formatted correctly. There again, not my specialty.

Kac, Those finds are really nice. I like the patina on the 2 bigger green MX coins. The small white coin is it from Philippines. Is the ring Tungsten? Thanks for sharing?

Chuck, My Staff members and I have been sharing detector knowledge on gold bearing ground for 20+ yrs. I could give you some GPS coordinates of where I found some good gold, but feel the gravy is gone.

Part of the reason I enjoy Au is the natural beauty of each one and their unique character. Gold is so beautiful and Glenn has a masterpiece, Walker finds a dragon and Walkerrj finds a beautiful gold timepiece.

I'm no expert by any means, but like you, I feel it is a genuine error coin. Keep us updated when you get more info. Now I need to go back through 40+ yrs of clad coins looking for an error. Thanks for sharing.

DigsAlot, Both of those recoveries are extremely collectible pieces too. Thanks for sharing. Steve, I realize you have your hands into many poker games. Your little ones show skill. Thanks for adding. Jim, my dentures are now fine for quite some time. I know you have a favorite or 10. Let's see 1.

Those extremely deep but small (to somes standards) nuggets are always impressive. I would have to agree on that 3 flavor collectors piece too. Thanks for sharing.

We take pride in our finds and many of us display them in a man caves, on our work desks or even give some away as gifts. But we also enjoy sharing the fruits of our labor and the photos bring back so many memories. Now that the 2019 detecting season is over, I'd like to share my 3 favorite finds from the year. But what is even more cool is seeing your hard work and efforts show up for everyone to see. Yes I realize a few folks think it has all been found, but we can show them recent finds from the 2019 year. 1st favorite find of 2019 is a really rare Barber Quarter. In fact IT IS THE RAREST of Barber Quarters minted. I have not had it professionally clean and right now it looks like crap, but of all the coins I have dug up in 40+ years of metal detecting, this is by far the rarest (40,000 minted). It is a 1913-S. it was found with a Minelab EQ-800. 2nd is a gold nugget Specimen that weights over 7 ounces and has 3.55ozt of gold in it. Found with Equinox 800. 3rd favorite find has to do with skill and it was given back to the owner. After 2 different people tried to find a small diamond stud earring with no success, I was called in as a last result. Actually I had been out of town. Anyway, this small 1/4 carat diamond stud was lost in her backyard and she had the spot narrowed down to a 5' area. The EQ-800 with small 6" coil in the Prospecting Mode recovered it. Lets see 3 of your favorite finds of 2019. May 2020 be golden in so many ways with many golden grins & glory.

That is just amazing to be able to enjoy the multi digs with a bunch of people. Everyone is all cheers and happy. Those gold coins certain will be tops in their metal detecting carriers. Thanks for sharing the video.

How funny that was Steve, they did not want to hear negative. At least Fisher (in the day) was able to find real genuine gold detector users who knew what we were doing, and allowed us to Test them. Minelab used to do the same here the US and now they seemed to have forgotten the names of us who for so many years helped promote their detectors. You and I are both very experienced users and I feel our words of recommendation (good and bad) are well respected. Yes I too, have had to walk the fine line on occasion and tell some great minded Engineer, their baby (new detector) does some fantastic things, but boy does it ever stink in certain situations. Usually those folks have learned to take our wise words and criticisms and fine tune from there. It would be interesting to see the fact, field findings you provided Fisher after your testing. Thanks for always being honest.

OK, The 2019 gold prospecting/beach hunting season has officially rolled over into a New Year of 2020. But before we get all detector batteries removed, machines cleaned up, scoops oiled down and gold pans wiped clean, lets see your favorite gold finds of 2019. It may not be the prettiest, or the most golden..heck not even the biggest. But you took the time and effort to go hunt for and find it. Many folks enjoy sharing photos of their hard work/success and most detectorists (especially newer ones) want to see what others are digging up. All I ask is you only share your favorite gold finds from 2019. This will be a fantastic way to show the few folks who think “It has all been found”, that there is still plenty of gold being harvested in a variety of ways. Here is my 2019 favorite. It’s one of the ugliest/but most beautiful in a way.. one of my favorite finds in a few years and was recovered with a Minelab Equinox 800 and stock 11” coil at 14-16”. This chunky gob smacking rock is 7.6 ozt and has 3.55 ozt of rich Au gold within. To protect the location since this is on private ground, please don’t ask were it was recovered. Happy Hunting everyone and may 2020 be Golden in more ways than one. I look forward to seeing your golden grins and glory.

Rigidy, The Gold Strike is a very capable VLF gold detector and when I was testing it for Fisher (about 20 yrs ago), I had a gut feeling it would not sell well. Not that it did not perform, but the fact most folks were so used to the GB-2 and its manual Ground Balance and they were not into the digital stage of gold detectors yet. I felt Engineering was just a little ahead of the times with this model. A well known couple figure in the detector industry in the day was Fred and Lilly Brust. In the photos, they met me at Rye Patch, NV so I could test one of the Gold Strike proto types. Yes it worked well for those who would take the time to learn it. Fred and I did find gold in NV with it and a couple months later it was released to the market. My fondest memory of the GS (and Fisher as well) was a really cool smurf nugget I found in Oregon. Fisher used the photo of that find in their ads for the Gold Strike. As some has mentioned, most folks were expecting an improved GB-2 of the GS and that is part of the reason sales were not there. I applaud Fisher for trying, as those who attempt new and future detector models (even with an occasional failure), will eventually get better products in our hands. Years later, the Fisher Gold Bug, GB DP and GB Pro, (2nd generation) came out and today it is still a very popular seller Here are some photos of Gold Strike Success I was able to catch. Good luck with your detector.

Happy New Year Mitchel. May 2020 bring many golden memories of adventure, pleasure and treasure.