Andy2640

Interesting story that one

Very cool.  Nice find BSG.

I enjoyed that, thanks Simon.

Here's my story as given to Minelab,  Be great if they published it.  TBH ... I'm not thinking about winning anything, i just like to share the story and give credit where its due.

Story as given to minelab:

"Hello fellow detectorists, I'm here to share a very special find with you all.  Ive been deploying the Equinox 800 now for about 3 months.  I'm new to detecting and this was my first detector.  After deep research and reading hundreds of posts on the forum - (Prospector detector.com) and others, I was soon realising that this machine is better than the rest. 

So the find > To date ive  already found hundreds of coins, mainly from the Victorian era, which includes lots of silver coins! Interestingly, ive already accumulated more in value from my finds, than my initial expenditure of the equinox itself, and that's one hell of a good feeling.

And so .....What happened 6 days ago was - without sounding too dramatic, life-changing, and has got me more hungry than ever for detecting. The day began  in a ploughed field and i was finding mostly buttons, when all of a sudden i came across a lovely little signal, clean, crisp and had the tell tale signs of being a coin. My heart was racing as soon as realised it was silver, but then the adrenaline kicked in when i discover it was a hammered silver penny!!  When i got home i went straight onto my favourite forum (Prospector detector.com) where incidentally you can find my initial find report).  The guys and gals there were over the moon in excitement for me, and after numerous replies giving me praise i came across a very "uniquely knowledgeable" forum member, who explained the coin was indeed a hammered penny, and specifically a Henry VI annulet issue halfpenny of the London Mint from his 1st reign > 1422 - 1430!!!  Oh boy oh boy! 

I am a coin collector primarily and this coin will never be sold, it now sits on my living room cabinet at home with the rest of my awesome finds.  Pictures attached.

This hobby has changed my life for the better, the exercise, fresh air, excitement, history we can touch and of course the social aspects of being part of a friendly community. 

A final Shout out also goes to the awesome
Minelab company and the prospector detector forum who have been part of this wonderful journey.

Now i'm out for the gold!!!

Thanks to you all. 

Andy
United Kindom
11/09/18

Thanks everyone.  After advice from you all i have solved the issue.  I'd clearly pressed or held a button too long, putting it into a sound lock.  I never knew it had this feature, but it reminds me of my laptop, which in the past i'd pressed or held a series of buttons too long (by accident) which locks certain functions.  

All solved now, so thank you all kindly.

The pro-find was my first pin  pointer, after watching many reviews and tests it seemed to be the best choice out there,  and i havnt been disappointing.  On the contrary its been invaluable,  and without it,  i'd certainly struggle to find the targets.

As for the non/ferrous  discrimination tones,  i have found it to be "EXCELLENT".  Thinking about it, i dont think its ever failed to correctly id a target.  Sometimes when your at a distance from the target it may give an element of doubt, but when close enough to it, it never fails.

I was thinking recently of getting the carrot, but after second thoughts on the matter, i see no need whatsoever to do so.

Highly recomended piece of kit.  10/10.

Andy.

Hi mate,

Oh nice, yeah i think i'll give it a shot. 

Cheers budski.

Anyone had the problem of their pro-find 35 losing its bleeping audio?  Still got the vibrations and hence some resonance sound, but its as if ive gone deaf, which evidently i haven't.

Is this serious?

Thanks, Andy.

Howdy JW, Hope your good buddy!

I'll start here lol

I hear you about fitness, I spent 2 years getting into shape, lungs, heart and muscles, but after ceasing for only 3 months, it was almost totally all lost.  Well i kept some of the mucsle mass, but i couldnt run up the work stairs (3 floors) without panting and aching really bad.  The prospect of starting again is daunting to the say the least ? 

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Mrs JW had done a few E-Bike rides with friends & family who had come to stay & visit us. They were rental ones. The bikes not the friends 

LOL, Just lol.

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She tried to convince me to hire one & give it a go. I was reluctant as I would rather go gold detecting. But she got cunning & hit me with doing a cycle trail that passed by lots of old gold workings. This trail was the only access to these old workings. HHhhmmmm....that got my interest

I experience something similar, as in, when the miss'us asks me to go the DIY store,  i sigh and think "oh bollocks....this will be dull".  But then remember that the aforementioned DIY store sell spades, gloves and other detecting paraphernalia ? 

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Simon & I wandered off to check out somewhere else 

Now i know what to call Phrunt, LOL nice one. Hhehehee always nice to have a detecting buddy. Good on yeh you 2.

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MMmmm....there price range was getting right up there. $6-10k.

Holy smokes!!  This is going to get me in trouble!  Youve opened the flood gates now JW ? 

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I then saw on our online auction site someone selling Bafang E-Bike conversion kits for $1,200.00. 

You saved my marriage with this one.  But jesting aside, this is a very good price and much more in-line with my future budget.

So how do you carry all your detecting gear?  Thats gotta add weight and drag.  Get Simon to take a picture next time your expolring, and we'll kindly have a good chuckle ?  However that is said in jest and fun, because i'd be carrying 2 detectors on my back MuuuHHahahaaa!

So can you con vert any bike then?  I had a lovely KONA mountain bike but sold it.  So if i had a good qulaity mountain bike say £2000 then the conversion £1000 im up to 3k.  Still a hell of a lot cheaper.

MASSIVELY appreciate your input JW, thanks buddy ? 

Randy,

What you provided is perfect.  Couldn't of hoped for better!

Got to say > This forum is the best forum ive ever been part of. Seriously, its a place full of decent, interesting and highly knowledgeable people.  Its rare and much appreciated.

Right im off detecting, laters peeps, and thanks.

Hya JW,

Your post was awesome, your actually a lot like me, as in explaining everything in detail and exploring all angles, i like that ? 

I've quickly just read your post, as i am short on time, (wife has gone out, giving me a small window of time to detect)

Therefore today i will be detecting at my new farm location,  and your thoughtful and insightful post deserves a decent second read and reply, therefore i will give your post the time it deserves and respond fully when i get back.

We never know ......... i might be showing you a nice coin when we chat later too  (fingers crossed).

Your awesome dude ? Thanks buddy.

A top quality case, very sweet.  At first i thought it was meant for domestic use, which seems a little over kill, but for flying abroad and with modern day baggage handlers, it needs all the help it can get.

Perfect cut outs too, nice1 PS.

Hello again Randy,

Just a quick one if i may.

In those days when my coin was in circulation, what would the equivalent value be of that coin today?

So what im asking is ..... Would the chap/chap'ess be grieved about the loss?  Would it have been a big loss, say like us today losing a 10 pound note or ???    I'm just trying to understand what the loss would of meant to our historic brothers, and will lead me to understand if there may be more out there etc.

Side note:  Have to say, i'm very impressed and appreciative of your input over the last few days (on this topic and others) .... and that gold coin of yours!!  WOOOW, just wow.

I defer yet again to your expertise.

Thanking you kindly and i promise this is the last question (for this week at least ?)

Cheers!

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Hi Andy, I was just being cheeky but I guess you could flatten it out. You would be best talking to one of the many very experienced & knowledgeable operators over in your neck of the woods as to whether it should just be left as you found it & if mucking around with it may devalue or take away its original character of how it was when you found it.

Our history is so young that it is hardly a history at all. Late 1700 onwards. Outside of the first discoverers, namely Able Tasman in december 1642 who never hung around as some of his crew got dealt to by the native Maori when they came ashore.  So he headed off & never came back. It wasn't until over 100 years later, when Captain James Cook came & circumnavigated both the North & South Islands & Stewart Island. Plotting & charting the coast lines & claiming New Zealand for the Crown.

Instead of finding a great land mass to balance those of the northern hemisphere, Cook initiated the first Māori-European interaction since Abel Tasman’s brief encounter in 1642. In his remarkably accurate charting of New Zealand and his dealings with Māori, Cook displayed his excellence as a navigator and his essential humanity.

Learning from his tragic experience of confused bloodshed after the first landfall in 1769 at present-day Gisborne, Cook evolved a policy of race relations aimed at facilitating surveying work and the resupply of his ships, while avoiding friction with Māori. This cooperation was necessary to sustain his crew on the three visits Cook made to New Zealand, in 1769-70, 1773 and 1777.

James Cook has left a permanent imprint on the consciousness of New Zealanders.

Cook made three trips out to here & was probably the first to start exploiting the countries resources, namely timbers for ship spars. After that the sealers & whalers came from all over the world, then the missionaries to spread the word & brainwash the Maori. But at the time it was probably a good thing as the sealers & whalers did the Maori no favours. Won't go into that. Not until true settlers came out did coinage become anything & that wasn't until about the mid 1800's. The oldest coin I have ever found on the gold fields is an 1884 English penny. I have actually only ever found two coins on the gold fields. Not even one Chinese coin, which surprises me. I have been over a lot of goldfield grounds. 

The coin I found was in very good condition for its age. I believe it was placed in a foundation stone footing of a new, then, building as a good luck charm. Which was a habit/tradition in those days, & probably still is even today. I was advised just to lightly clean it & not to affect the aged look patina on it.    

If you just want to keep it for yourself, which I am guessing you will & why wouldn't you. What a trophy, & you might want to flatten it out. I would do it between two blocks of wood & not hitting the coin directly with anything metal. Maybe sandwiched between two bits of wood in a vice. Depends how brittle it is & if it may get damaged in the process. It is pretty small. Let us know what you decide to do. Hope I don't set you up for damaging it.   I am all care but no responsibility. 

I am off on my mountain E-Bike today for its first gold detecting excursion. Fingers crossed.   

Appreciate your input and quantity of info on this post, it was really interesting and well written.  

EDIT:  I really am starting to like the concept of an E-Bike. It compliments metal detecting nicely and would be lovely to get out into nature on one. How did the charge hold up, and what speeds are we talking about kiwi?  Ive spent sooooooo much of the house budget on detecting already, and I would have to wait for the new year, to purchase one, but on the plus side, it gives me plenty o time to research them etc.  What  made you go for the model you have kiwi if you dont mind me asking.   Thanks mate,

Thank you Kiwi.

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Andy's Hammered Silver it is a Henry VI annulet issue halfpenny of London Mint. Henry VI, 1st reign 1422 - 1430

I've just had kittens!  OMFG ? Thanks for that, made my year.

Thanks everyone for your kind words, feels good.

Good tip Bob, nice1. 

One gripe with the pro-find 35, (which incidentally i love) it can have a tendency to take in muck through the speaker cover netting.  This kills the noise of the alert feature, and i then have to rely on the vibrations.  I was looking at the carrot as a back up, i am now tempted more than ever.

4 hours ago, kiwijw said:

Awesome Andy. Good for you mate. Got to  your  . Did you do a dance? Ok....it isn't gold....but still worth a dance.  Gold one next. Looks like it needs to be hammered to flatten it out.  Way to go. Happy for you.?

Good luck out there

JW 

Kiwi if it were you, would you really attempt to flatten it out, or leave it as is.

And.....  If you would flatten it out, whats the safest way to do it?

Thanks.

Hi Randy,

It is bloody brilliant that coin! Congrats.  And if i found a Nero edition, i think I would cry with joy, no joke.

I Cant resist another question,  hope you dont mind ? 

In your experience, what depths do you find the roman's at (depending on location, i.e fields, pasture etc).  My oldest coin was found a few days ago in a ploughed field (1500 give or take a century).  The farmer said - "good luck, its been detected on a good few times" LOL. I had to explain that the ploughing brings em back up and vice versa. But he was a nice guy this farmer, and i like him (rare for farmers).

Thanks, its always nice to talk with a UK detectorist as well as our other world brothers.

Andy.

LOL - Award for most optimistic reply goes to Kiwijw.  

Cheers.

I see, thanks Randy.

One last question if i may,   did you actually find that gold coin in your picture?  That's a dream coin right there ? 

Hello there randy,

Very nice finds!.  Can i ask, how do you identify that you have a very old piece in your hands?  Is it a case of knowing what your looking for, or are there tell tale signs that a piece is indeed centuries old?

Cheers

Andy.

That's one hell of a chunky ring!  I'd have heart problems if i found that beauty. Nice assortment of goodies, good on ya!

Very cool. A friend once found one of these lovely coins in the UK not long ago, and it was the 2nd i'd seen with a tiny hole at the top.  It was clearly being worn as a necklace.  Its a lovely looking coin.  Nice1 buddy.

Thanks ya'll

Ive looked through the spinks coin bible, but its so damn hard to identify.  There are sooooo many varieties, but safe to say its either 1400 or 1500 or very latest 1600 (I could always be wrong tho).   Would be awesome if someone with expertise could ID the coin wink wink.

Cheers everyone, now i'm literally ... "obsessed" with detecting.  I can foresee a divorce its that bad ? 

All your advice paid off.  I found a lovely hammered silver about 90 mins ago.    Wooop ... Woooop!!!

Thanks peeps ?