Gerry in Idaho

Seeker, I hope it is not your last, but you really did hit a "once in a lifetime find". Hats off to you my friend and job well done. Fine Shape too.

Yes Steve, the other non natural gold (jewelry) is just as exciting. I spent so much time using the 24K (and finding gold) this summer, I too did not even attempt to find gold with my Equinox until Thanksgiving. I was able to do 2 good jewelry hunts in 2018 and was rewarded for my efforts. I hear Hawaii calling you in 2019...

I enjoy gold rings most, but a really cool sterling ring design or one with stones looks better in a collection than a plain gold wedding band any day. Plus, a white gold or platinum wedding band is even more boring in my opinion. Nice collection of rings devil, and may 2019 turn one to gold for you.

So far, I have had a couple really good (close to what I have) pictures emailed to me. Some of the comments are quite interesting and even educational. Thanks everyone for your contributions.

It does not have any holes or hinges. The last photo shows the back and it is the exact same as the front. Too big and long to be a flint lock plate, but not having it in your hands, I could see your thoughts. Thanks for comments.

You certainly opened up a new search idea..."Lizard". Nice info and read. Thanks for sharing.

Mark, Well I'll give 2 nickels for it, lol. Very nice indeed.

Identification Help please. This dragon was found at a site dating 1890 – 1920. All items recovered date the same time frame. Made of high quality brass & is pretty thick 1/4”. 9” in length & about 1 ½” tall. Tip of the tail seems broken? What’s interesting is bottom of chin has some serious serrated edges. Most items from the site are Military so maybe someone in Military might know? If you or one of your friends has an idea, please share & forward to them so I can get to the bottom of this really ornate find & story. Thanks for your help.

Heck yea...we have a genuine correct ID. It is so nice to have today's resources out there to help us find out what do dads we dig up. Now I know the couple I have dug are not rifle sights. Thanks for sharing.

You sure can get a guy all fired up. Those Seated Buttons are amazing and to catch it on video is even more rare. Some of the early seated dimes and actually larger in size than the later dated seated dimes. I think they will read a little different. too. Hats off to you Cal_Cobra and yes I like that glass trade bead and the cool black glass cuff link. I feel the exact site of your finds were a seamstress shop. Yes the Multi IQ technology of the Equinox can penetrate and see objects better than most other machines when in burned areas. Thanks for sharing.

That is pretty nice to see "gold coins" still being recovered. I had 6 customers find gold coins in 2018 that I know of. Now that we are getting familiar with our machines, next year 2019 should be even better. Especially since the 6" coil can hunt he trashy sites and the 15" can get the deep ones in open areas. It is good to see the stories on your forum too Steve and I do try to get folks on it, but most just enjoy the reading and not posting. Thanks for allowing us a place to post, read and dream.

Those smiles on the kids faces say it all. They'll remember the trip forever. Hopefully in a good way and not the "We Aussie boys came to US to visit and Uncle takes us out in frozen dead of winter and tries to find a penny". Either way... I think it is cool you are sharing the love of this hobby with a couple kids. Who knows, it might grow on them and they go back down-under and become detector experts.

I would have thought gun sites as well, but I'm not a gun expert. Pretty sure I have seen brass sites on some rifles. Let us know if you get the final verdict.

The majority of todays readers are on the internet. Even my own local paper "Idaho Statesman" is downsizing and they keep trying to get me to order the digital subscription. I'm the kind of guy who enjoys a good read (paper or magazine) in the morning with my 2 cups of coffee. So sad to see.

I've detected real close to that site. Thanks for sharing a genuine and golden story...so close to many of us too.

Very nice 5 Cent Tip and well worth the reading. The gold ring is a stunner too. Hopefully you enjoy more older nickels next year. Thanks for sharing.

Chuck, Sorry I am late to the party...again. Buddy I personally know the feeling you went through. My 1st (after 20+ yrs detecting) was an 1852 US $ 2.5 Quarter Eagle (1 year apart). But my friend....your discovery is pristine condition and without seeing it in my hand, I'd say XF or maybe even AU-50. Certainly a "once in a lifetime" recovery my friend and I hope you display it some how. Now the extra good news. As Cal stated, the 1856-S Seated Dime is a key date coin (70K minted) and probably worth more than the gold coin. I realize money is not the object, but make sure to take extra care when handling and cleaning silver and gold coins as they can easily get damaged. 1 grade difference can be $500 or more. The other finds from the site are really nice too. So glad to see another one of my friends and customers finding there 1st gold coin. Tell Merton I said hello too...I actually train him on gold machines 10+ years ago and he has had some great hunts. Hats off to you and what a way to end the year.

Newer swingers can learn from this video. Notice the pattern of the signal on the 1st nugget when compared to the sound of the 2nd target. Some folks may not catch it at first and that is ok, but eventually you'll realize the up/down of the signal sound has a pattern that usually is indicative of gold nugget size and density of the piece. Also seeing how he crosses the target from the sides to help pinpoint. I also like his digging tool. Beefy is what helps dig in such hard ground and a longer handle. Thanks for sharing.

This fly was on my jacket sleeve one morning when I came out of tent. Not sure exactly what it is, but geeze it sure is big and looks like it could suck some blood. Any Aussies know its name?

Earl, Now you have 2x the knowledge and have a better understanding of desert style nugget hunting and then the mountain terrains as we did in eastern Oregon. Now it really doesn't matter where or what states you are hunting gold with a detector, your skills will be served. After all, you did find the nicest nugget in Sumpter on that last day, all on your own too. Thanks for the kind words.

Mike, I appreciate you allowing us to help your gold collection get even bigger with our detector knowledge. If I would have known you were goign out to score a nice ID specie like the one above, I may have headed you south...lol. Nice finds and thanks for sharing.

I think the price drop is because of competition and their price points. $799 for a GM-1000 with 2 coils and $699 for a new 24K with 2 coils certainly is shaking things up a little. The GB-2 will certainly go down in history as one of my all time favorites though. My last 1+ pounder was recovered with a GB-2.

Chuck, I applaud you for going the extra mile...not only in the distance traveled to get there, but in the comments of the Field Training we offer on Gold Detectors. Yes we have a big group, that was the most we have ever trained for, but I also knew there was enough staff members to make sure everyone had plenty of opportunities for 1 on 1's. Plugging in with the instructor and each wearing their own headphones (when permitted) allows for much better learning of the foreign sounds from each detector and the ground. Glad you were able to have some Success after the class when there was no instructors present. That in itself goes to show home much you remembered. Rye Patch, NV is one of the most ideal places to train as it is real life hunting in the exact fields some of us still detect. No we don't fill our pockets with gold and if you do find a nugget, you earned it. But sometimes the real nuggets are the ones you learned from the experts around you. The little bits you put away in the back of your head and at the end, the self confidence you are doing it right. Thanks again for the nice comments as I was not expecting to see this posted on such a well known gold prospecting forum. Steve has stopped in on a couple of our classes and has an idea what my staff members and I are about. Passion is what keeps us going and I also have to give credit to my staff members as they also are open minded easy going and love to share their gold detector expertise. Looking forward to having another find season in 2019 too.

Great to hear of another successful customer. When it is your 1st, it doesn't matter if it is 1 grain, gram or 1 ounce. Looking forward to hearing more of your success.

I just wipe a little brown stuff on my back and that is where they go. Keeps most of them out of my face. But yes I agree a head net is a must in some areas at times. Certainly get some time on your detector before you go and have really good non metal walking boots.