Gerry in Idaho

At least you are finding it. Thanks for keeping us frozen folks excited. Love seeing others gold just as much.

Jim, You certainly have a cutie there. Not sure if it is the lighting from the photo, but almost seems gold or gold plated. Certainly looks to be aquamarine and the time vs depth even adds more % of it. Looking back at the years of detecting and digs, I get some of the most "oh my" from the ladies when they see some of the smaller ornate pieces. I actually recovered a little gold turtle brooch about the size of a US 1 cent. I'll try to find it and get a a couple photos. Mine is more modern as your certainly takes the cake. Yes I enjoy sharing finds with others, especially in the winter when I can't get out any more. Seeing others treasures is like walking into a Fishing Store and going to the photos board to see all the trophies others have caught. Thanks for contributing such a fine piece.

Very nice 1/3 ozt 14K with ice JP. Sure wish I was closer to the ocean. Thanks for sharing my friend and I hope 2019 is even heavier.

What's one of the oddest digs you recovered in 2018 that's not a coin/ring? Something unique that's not found often? I've yet to identify this, so if you know or of a site or someone that does, please share. Made of brass and seems to be a child (boy) reaching around a bucket and grabbing a pig. Also be sure to post your most unique find of 2018.

Very interesting relics and dodads Cal. You do my style of digging and I could spend a week swinging and pinging on those trinkets. The 1 piece eagle is probably pre CW area. Interesting blob it has on it too?? Yes I think the round flat copper could be a cut large cent as I have found a few back East. The long item with a busted screw end could be a bottom piece to a rifle? The Chinese coil as you mention is actually pretty common finds for older sites, but that symbol on the 2nd pic is different than what normally find. The ear ring is different as I don't find those much. And the polished stone looks like agate or cut milk glass with silver frame. All are neat saves my friend and thanks for sharing.

I like your style and selection Jim. Nice monster 1/3 ozt of 18K gold band. The Rocker of today's younger society with the sterling skull & cross bones, followed by the 22K perfection of Asian quality. In all my years I only have 2 higher end rings over 18K. 2 years ago I found a Portuguese stamped ring that is 19.2K and my all time best is a plain heavy yellow gold band marked 24K. It is the solftest and most easily dented gold ring I have ever seen. Thanks for your added contribution of ring save treasures.

Well heck BeachHunter, You get rewarded twice with your wedding band. I bet the wife enjoyed the find two. That sterling ring is quite cool too and looks to have been in the salt water for a while. Thanks for sharing.

Those are both really nice finds Alluminati. I like your 1st day with the Equinox find. Funny how my 1st day with the EQ-600 and I scored the large platinum with 2 small rubies and a diamond. Lets hope 2019 is even better.

Tift, Actually that is quite a stunner. Besides, if you are proud of it (which I certainly would be) then why not share. My situation is a little more different than most TH'ers as I've been dong this for a few years and being a dealer, I have access to almost all the popular machines. Very nice find and thanks for sharing.

Gary, Detecting the WalMart parking near the .25 cent toy machines is a great start. But eventually you'll want to branch off to greener pastures. I'm sure you have found a ring or two that are loved by someone other than a 3 yr old

I remember your story on the farm field ring, very good. That Lord of the Rings is a beast of a 1/2 oz'er find.

What's your prettiest ring find from 2018. Mine's a toss up so I'll show 3 & let you decide. Be sure to also show your favorite 2018 ring recovery. A) 14K Yellow Gold with Aquamarine center stone wrapped in Emeralds. B) White Gold wedding ring set with Diamonds C) Large 13.3 Platinum with 2 Rubies & 1+ carat Diamond.

That photo reminds me of such a big difference in ground conditions and the preferred detectors to be used. Just a rock chuck down the road is Ganes Creek, AK and the VLF is King. Then go up the road to Moore and PI is preferred. So glad they make different models for us to use. Stunner of a find Steve.

They sure keep my ears warm when it is 20 degrees out. May not be the best quality or best sealing, but I like the sound and comfort. Sure there is a slight delay, but I know that. Some folks just like to complain and that is their right. I just like digging gold with an occasional complaint..its to pretty to sell.

Mitchel, The signal was clear and repeatable but not a "wower". I guess some folks might have walked past, but my ears listen to the ground and sounds it makes. #8 most of the time with an occasional #9. Funny, how some smaller 3 gram flat solid nuggets give a 12 or 13 reading and this one with over approx 1.5 ozt of gold in it read less? Most of the specimens in the area are #1 and occasional #2.

I pulled one aside and tagged it for you.

Cal, I have a few of the 15" coils for the NOX. Go to www.gerrysdetectors.com and call me.

Well with the Thanksgiving Holiday we just had, I was able to jump in the truck for a quick over-nighter to try out the 15" coil on the NOX. Now for those of you who know me, I spent most of the summer/fall testing the new Whites 24K in Oregon and Idaho (with great success) so I did not get to hunt gold this year with the NOX. Actually this was my 1st trip using it for gold nuggets and since my friends had already hunted the site with their NOX and standard 11" round DD coils, I figured there is no use in doing the same thing over. My intuition paid off and to say it bluntly was an understatement. My 1st gold piece (not jewelry as I have found ounces of gold rings so far with NOX) is a dandy. 2.78 ozt or over 3 regular ounce "Golden Oreo" at 16-18" deep. This is by far my biggest Oreo of 2018. The photos show the 15" coil standing upright in the hole and the sun is coming down at an angle and barley shining on the top of the coil. You can see the back of the rock pile is higher than the coil itself. Another factor is I found out the 15" coil is very bump sensitive to rocks so I had to swing it a couple inches off the ground. I typically do not recommend this to my customers and say to keep the coil to the soil, but at times it can't be done. Yes I did drop my SENS down and preferred 19 most of the time. Do you think "Golden Oreo" is a good name and if you have something better, please share it as this masterprice needs its own name. On a side note. When swinging the 15" coil on the NOX for 8 hour days in rough terrain, you need a bungee and I really do like and recommend Docs Ultra Swingy Thingy Harness System. I actually use it with my GPZ 7000 as. Another great thing I like about the harness is it actually clips to the back of my pants to hold them up better and my plumbers crack does not get burnt as often.

Peg, You are an inspiration to all prospectors. Not only are you one of the most Successful Lady Gold Diggers I know of (besides Sue Sallee), your outgoing outdoor personality is tops. You were one of my favorite early customers to train and you still make me proud. I just wish there were more ladies out there sharing the stories, success and golden photos. Enjoy your winter in FL and if I get down there, we'll go bug Gary Drayton for a few days together.

Dumb Answer. I must have gold under the floor because my machines go nuts. Actually, I power many machines on when I take a used unit in trade and need to see if it powers up ok. I also go through the menu real quick just to make sure all is good. Never had a detector have long term issues from it, but I don't recommend folks doing it all the time either. I know the GP and GPX series, I put them in the "Cancel Mode" so they quiet down. VLF's I do it all the time and no issues other than my ears for a short time. I think you'll be fine on occasion to do a quick power up to check "Battery Level" before a trip.

Hard to post finds when you don't go and have anything to post. Now you can keep us Northern Frozen folks happy with more photos of finds. I hope you get to go more often and wish even more golden pics. Thanks for sharing.

Heck, I missed a 1/3 oz'er? That my friend is a dandy from RP and just goes to show..."it is never hunted out". I will say this though. If you are not using an SDC-2300 or GPZ-7000, the gravy train left. Yes you can still find an occasional piece or 3, but the amount of time spent drives most folks to craziland and then back. My last trip there (end of Oct.) netted me 34 grams of nuggets myself with the 7000. So YES there are still good days to be had. Thanks for sharing Lunk and thanks again for helping get our customers up to speed. Not sure if you know, but Brian found 9 nuggets with his GPZ after our class. I have a gut feeling he will become a great nugget hunter.

Lanny, Your gold recovery is amazing and those are some fine looking nuggets. Being able to spend quality time with your son outdoors chasing gold with a good machine (Makro Gold Racer) certainly makes for lifetime memories. Thanks for sharing your photos and success stories. Hopefully 2019 brings more enjoyable dad/son trips of gold.

Bill, Sorry I did not get to this sooner, was out of town again testing a coil and some new Settings. My input to your questions is my findings at the beaches I used and different locations could (probably will) result in change. 1) Yes the TDI beach Hunter is Deeper (on coins and most rings) than my Xcal, 3030 and Equinox in salt water. Not sure it is 40%, but I did notice the depth difference. Sensitivity to small targets. I found stud ear rings in the water with the TDI and that I did not expect from a PI. Now I will tell you, the Equinox is even more sensitive to the tiniest signals, but when I use the TDI I'm mainly looking for rings and the extra Sensitivity to other jewelry finds was a bonus. 2) The Hi/Low Tone Feature is a Lifesaver and after a day and a half, I had to nailed down. Even the iron hair pin (which does come in at a Hi Tone like most gold rings) I could tell from the pattern of the hi tone. Not having to dig all the coins (low tones) is perfectly fine with me. 3) My 40+ yrs detecting has taught me some pretty easy pin-pointing when compared to a Novice Hunter. Realize a larger 12" will make multiple beeps on a surface target, so be sure to lift the coil 6" to 8" off the ground to get a single response. This is also a good way to get a "gestimate" of target size and or depth. I had no problems. Again it was more Sensitive to smaller jewelry that I had expected, which is a win win. 4) Pulse Delay Setting varies, but I try to keep it from 12 to 18. If hunting a site and beach conditions/time permits, I'll be around 12 for smaller gold, but if I need to grab and go and after the gravy, then around 16-18. Ground mineralization also affects the desired setting of Pulse Delay. Realize the Ground Balance too is working with the Pulse Delay so there is no exact setting for all. Word of caution on the Hi/Low Tone Identification System. As you make bigger adjustments to GB and Delay, it does change the pattern of Tone ID, so again you are best to have a couple sample targets at your desired location and play with them, the detector and settings to learn what is ideal for that site. Yes it could take you 15 to 20 minutes, but Detector knowledge at that site = Treasure Finds Success. All ear ring finds in the photo were recovered with the new White's TDI Beach Hunter on the trip. I'd say it certainly does have Sensitivity to small targets and that usually is not what a PI is best at. White's did quite well again.

So my brother who has been detecting for 20 years has only recovered 1 gold ring and that ended up in a museum in England. I promised him if he used the new White's TDI "DEEP" Beach Hunter the whole time on our hunt that he'd find more than 1 gold ring. Not only did he do that, but he also recovered the best ring of the trip, this monster Emerald, diamond and yellow gold beauty. Hats off to you Travis for not giving up on those deep signals. Folks, the TDI Beach Hunter is a Pulse Induction detector and it goes much deeper than standard machines. Plus it runs smoother than most in salt water and is simple to use...just turn it on, set the knobs and go. One of the cool features of the TDI beach Hunter is the Tone Identification system that allows you to decide if you want to dig the High Tone Only, which gives you a greater chance of gold and platinum rings, or the Low Tones which are usually most coins. This feature alone saves time as you will end up digging DEEP. One other thing to have, a good Deep Beach Scoop.