Againstmywill

Back out to the football field this morning for 1 1/2 hours. It had rained yesterday, so the ground was great for depth today. There was a spot that had about 5 pennies that were down at about 9 inches. Each of them was caked with sandy dirt, so I didn't want to rub them to pieces. I thought they might be wheats, but was not sure (I think only one is a wheat). In the same 9 ft. square area I got a 36-37 ID on the Equinox using 50 tones. It also was as deep as the pennies. This find is my first ever silver half dollar! It is not really pretty, but it is silver! It cleaned up fairly well using baking soda and aluminum followed by aluminum polish that I had around for headlight restoration.

Yes!

I have found 8 pieces of gold in the turf since March 7. I have tried hunting the gulf beaches, but I find close to nothing. I have been concentrating on the 6-10 numbers, and it has worked out well for me in the locations I frequent. I turn down the sensitivity to 18 on the Equinox so I don't go too deep, and I keep the speed up to 7. The 15" covers the ground and all I have to do is dig quickly and move on to the next target. After 2 hours my legs are shot!

It may be because of the tiger that it showed up at that number. The chain was in one clump and not spread out, so that would likely be different if it were oriented differently. After reading something on this forum about the lower numbers, 6-10, I have dug almost all the strong signals in that range. Back when I had my MXT, I was new to detecting and only dug the nice coin numbers. It is when I got the E-trac that things started to make sense and I started to find more jewelry. With the help of this forum and the Equinox, it makes the odds of finding the gold much better.

The pinpointer told me it was not deep, so I just put the digger about 2 inches under it and pried up. The ground was wet enough that it was fairly easy to untangle the necklace from the grass and then stuff the sod back down.

I think the track is used by others as well. I have done well on school grounds over the years in Utah, usually men's bands for some reason... probably because I was not digging the "junk" low numbers. Makes one wonder how many gold rings were passed over.🤔

While back at my old stomping grounds in Wisconsin, I had some time to do some school turf hunting at a middle school (something that can't be done in Florida due to fences). Numerous coins have come from that area when I have detected it in the past, but that was when I mainly focused on coins while leaving the "junk" signals (lower numbers) in the ground. Well, since learning that the lower numbers are good numbers for gold, let's just say that that was the focus of this day's swinging. The 15" covered the ground well and hit hard on something on the corner of a sandpit by the track. Less than an inch down, it came in a strong 6 (similar to the sport during foil covers that I had been finding) using Park 1, 7 speed, and 18 sensitivity. The chain was latched, so it must have been set aside for safe keeping and dropped.

Last week I had the opportunity to go back to Wisconsin and hunt my old homestead that was settled in 1845. Last year I found my first Barber Dime dated 1899 when I detected there. This year, the only old coin was a buffalo nickel from 1939 ( I'll post that pic later.). There were a couple neat relics, however. The Equinox 11" coil was used, Park 1, highest sensitivity possible, and speed of 4. Here are a few pics. The bell still rings, and it is a first for me. The lantern has a patent date of 1872, and the stove board has a patent date of 1878.

I use the Seahorse case and use it as a carry-on on Southwest. Other airlines may be ok with it as well, but I know Southwest allows the size. It is solid and customizable as the pics will show. I have had an AT Pro, e-trac and the Equinox in it for transport. I don't put my digger in because it can easily be considered a weapon. As it is, it often gets inspected, or at least gets me extra attention from the people who look at the screen while being scanned. It would easily stand up to checked baggage if the need would arise. Note the 15" coil which is held firmly in place with the foam in the lid. The 11" also fits flat on the bottom along with the 15" on top.

Never tried that! I will say that the one I tried when moving to Florida was fairly chewy!

Updated 5-23-2020--Ring return added

After an hour, I had to return to my vehicle for a drink and to empty out the pouch. Thankfully, I inherited big hips from my dad's side of the family.😳

I was using Park 1, ground balanced, 17 sensitivity, all metal, and 7 recovery.

Went to the same location where I had 42 quarters. I used the same settings, but this time I swung the Samurai sword 15" coil. I had a bit more time today (11:20-1:20), but the humidity was really oppressive. No mosquitoes this time because they don't even want to be out in the Florida heat! I believe 55 quarters is a first for me in 2 hours. If I were not the one going up and down all those times, I would not believe these coins all came from 2 hours of detecting. Most were within the first few inches, so they were a quick dig. With all the stuff dug, that is an average of about 1 item a minute. I think I know what I can save up for...knee replacemnts! I left a scad of dimes in the ground, so there are still plenty of targets for my friend. 😁 The bracelet was a STRONG 9-10. It looked amazing coming out of the ground, but it was not silver. There was also an iPod Nano, but my son snagged it in hopes of cleaning it up. Now, time to focus on the jewelry!

There are lots of tutorials about how to make those quarters into rings. So, you kind of have the potential for one filled with rings!

Don't worry, I'm stashing it away a little at a time. Soon, however, I'll have to cash it it for Amazon credit so I have some room on my shelves.

I don't like to use it too much if I can avoid it.

I was unaware of this being a solution! Thanks for the information. I was detecting along the sidewalk leading to an alternate entrance and in the grass around the entrance. There is a pool, and I think kids must wait there before it opens and sit on the grass. In total, I would guess the amount of grass I detected was about the size of a tennis court, maybe less. It was enjoyable, but moving a 6'3" frame up and down that many times in a short period of time in the heat of Florida is getting tougher as time goes on!

I went to a local rec center today for 1 1/2 hours. The soccer fields were closed due to chemical sprays, so I decide to hunt around the other areas I haven't hit before. On the big field I generally find very little, so I assume it really gets pounded. I still had the 11" coil on the Equinox from beach detecting, so it felt like an Exacto knife rather than the sword-like 15". Right off the bat I started hitting quarters. It seemed like I couldn't take 10 steps without hitting another. My initial goal was to search for signals in the 5-13 range. I couldn't do that due to the overwhelming amount of change in the ground. Not complaining, just amazed at how much was in the ground there. Although 42 quarters came out of the ground, I left a good amount behind so I can take my friend who is just getting into detecting. He will have a blast if his knees can handle it. I bet I covered about 10% of the ground so far. I left close to 20 dimes in the ground just because my legs were feeling it, I was being selective, and Florida's state bird was starting to suck my blood. I was using Park 1, ground balanced, 13 sensitivity (lots of interference initially), all metal, and 7 recovery.

So true! My wife and I walked the beach last night for a 1/2 hour. She then left me there so I could detect as the tide was going out. I had new batteries in my headlamp, but I believe they were good until 2017. Who knew that old batteries do not last very long? 😉 Anyway, after using my phone to light the way inside my transparent dry bag, I hit the sand with strong determination, but only found about 70¢ in about two miles of swinging. I tried the water, but after scaring a stingray away, I realized that I should not continue down that road without a better light. I tried the towel line, up closer to the dunes, down on the riffles and along the minimal cuts that were there, but nothing but a sore shoulder to show for the hours. I guess that's the difference between a good beach and a Gulf beach!

Came across this video on the Weather Channel which shows why we all need a pet octopus. Maybe that is the secret to finding 46 gold and 46 silver rings in 2020 so far! https://weather.com/science/nature/video/octopus-finds-engagement-ring-on-ocean-floor

That is some great reading of the beach! It amazes me how many rings people lose. 😳

It is cool to recover one, and if you are into research, it is fun trying to track down the owner. Many of the lost rings are covered by the company with a replacement if it is lost. So, chances are that they have another ring and don't care about the lost one. Of the two I have returned, the first one (10K) I sent out of state and never heard from him after I contacted him for a mailing address. I assume he got it? He said he gave it to his girl friend way back when, and she lost it. When I made contact with the school, they didn't say it, but the undertone of their comments made it seem like he was not the best of students--as in trouble. The second one (not precious metal) was cool because his mom still lived in the area. She came to pick it up for him. He also lived out of state. (The pics are of this return back in May of 2018.) The third one ( not precious metal) was from out of state as well. I sent an email, called his work and left a voicemail, and texted his number. I never heard back from him, so I still have it. It is amazing and somewhat scary what you can all find out on the internet. With privacy rights, the schools are certainly not forthcoming with information. For this ring, I may go the route of contacting a local TV station to see if they want a story that doesn't include murder or Covid-19.

I think there must have been something soldered on at one point. I checked the hole thoroughly just to make sure I was not leaving anything behind. I found nothing else in the ground.