Bash

10 hours ago, Chase Goldman said:

Show the back mark and shank if it has them, that's how you can determine if it is modern or antique.

Here's a pic of the back.  Verdict?

On 5/14/2020 at 10:03 PM, Tometusns said:

Bashing, Did a quick stint at the park this morning and found a Battle of Verdun coin/medallion dated 1916.

My grandfather was in that battle.

Now THAT, is super cool!

23 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

Show the back mark and shank if it has them, that's how you can determine if it is modern or antique.

Ahhh... I'll get a pic tomorrow and post. I know bupkiss about buttons. 😉

Definitely copper, and in pretty good shape.  About 5 inches down, showed strong 24 -26 in all sweep directions. Nox 800.  Pretty stoked!

Welcome to the forum, ALS.  Great place to learn!

I know you can order multi-language packs of the screen protectors for the Equinox, but can you order a pack of just English (or any language for that matter) protectors?

That's so cool Reese!

I'll be in touch soon -  Need to finish up some projects here in Helena>

Makes sense to me!

18 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

Could it be a weight standard for weighing raw gold?

🤷‍♂️  It is definitely lead.  Interesting how close to 20g it is. I just put it on the gold scale - 20.03 grams

5 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

How much does it weigh?

Exactly 20 grams.

Wasn't quite sure what forum to post this in, but i found this today at an old park.  The split in it makes me think fishing weight, but, could it possibly be a prill?  I found it in an area close to the placer fields, and the old mines above Helena, MT.

~Bash

Thanks Reese! I'll be in touch in a few days.

1 minute ago, dogodog said:

All kidding aside chances are it might be on sinister side of something, and if it is be aware that you might be called in for questioning. That's the only way you will know if it was part of a crime. Police generally do not relay info back to citizens on investigations.

Could absolutely be.  That's why I felt compelled to go to the police, and I already told them I'm happy to answer any questions. 

40 minutes ago, kac said:

Between the homeless camps and now this, be careful where your digging.

Not much of a problem with that in Helena.  Low crime, and a heavily armed populace. Lol!

15 minutes ago, kac said:

If it's an iphone you can bring it to an apple store.

They could have wrapped in foil thinking it would keep them from being tracked. Might be stolen and doing so may prevent "Find my phone" app from working.

I figured the foil was an attempt to "foil" tracking software. 😉  The Helena police department has it now.

Took it in this morning and explained how I found it.  The Sargent also thought it was pretty weird.  He is going to have the detectives run some tests.  He figured it was probably stolen. Took my contact info and thanked me for bringing it in. Nice guy. 

If I hear anything, I'll post it.

Welcome Ed!

You'll find this to be the most welcoming and informative detecting forum on the web.  Looking forward to reading your future posts!

Welcome aboard! 

You'll find this forum to be friendly and informative.  Hope to see your finds and adventures posted.

~Bash

I received my copy a couple of days ago, and am quite pleased.  Well written and informative.  As a new detectorist, some of it is a bit above my head right now, but not for long.  I'd much rather have challenging content as opposed to something dumbed down. I particularly like that many of the locations pictured are in my neck of the woods - Idaho and the Helena , MT area.  While the content is applicable across geographic locales, it was nice to see gold being found in locations I am familiar with, and have access to.  The book covers some basic geological concepts, and how they relate to finding gold with a detector. Also, there is particularly useful information concerning the analysis of old mining sites, and where to look for gold around them.

Another great attribute of the book is the professional layout, photos, printing, etc. I feel like I have a text in my hands someone actually cared about producing, rather than production as an afterthought.  Well worth the investment!

Reese, if you get down to Helena in the next couple of months, take me detecting with you! I'll pay for gas and food. 😇

Well, I made it out to the tailings piles yesterday for a couple of hours.  I didn't find any gold, but I am convinced there is some out there.  There is a LOT of trash, and it was extremely challenging for a beginning detectorist.  I found a ball peen hammer head, and some iron hanger/bracket thingy.  I also found my first bona fide "hot rock".  I really thought I had a nugget, as the Nox was singing with a solid 1 on the VDI.  However, the little pointy rock below was the culprit.  I also found the larger rock just laying on the surface. It doesn't register any kind of signal, but it is really, REALLY heavy, and looks like it has, to my untrained eye, a lot of iron in it. Any ideas?

I'm starting to understand the coin and relic aspect of detecting, but I am completely clueless on the gold front.  Should I dig all the signals that don't obviously show as ferrous when in all metal mode? 

Think I'm gonna need to take some lessons!  Gerry,  I think I'll be calling you when I finally get back to Idaho.

So...

I'm out at the park this morning, detecting around one of the older trees.  Using the Vanquish 440, 'cause I'm being casual, and I like the "turn on and go" aspect of it, when I get a strong, but bouncy signal in the 28 - 34 range. So I pinpoint and start digging, and very close to the surface, I find a big rectangular piece of foil inside of an athletic sock.  First I think, Oooooo! Someone stashed some cash! I start peeling the foil and discover it is a cell phone.  I think to myself, well this isn't something someone lost, this was purposefully put here. Then I think, why would someone do this?! To hide SOMETHING!  I think the foil was an attempt to block any cell signal. So I stopped peeling the foil, and put it in a plastic baggie.  I'll take it to the police tomorrow.

I wish it had been cash...

Thanks for all the tips!

I have the Garret AT pin pointer,  a Lesche Sampson shovel, an SE digging tool, and the ubiquitous plastic scoop.  This coin came out of a very rocky slope just below the grassy area in the park, and I was using the digging tool.

Sounds like I need to take a bit more time with the initial location mechanics, be more meticulous with pinpointing, and more careful with my digging process!

Thanks guys - great information!

Too funny.  Nice work!

Did a quick stint at the park this morning and found a Battle of Verdun coin/medallion dated 1916.  As you can see from the pics I nicked it with the digging tool. 🤮

I'd like some advice on how to avoid this in the future.  I know part of it is just experience, but there must be some techniques or mechanics that will help to mitigate this.  I've included an image of a better conditioned coin too.  Found a bunch of clad coins along with this.  The Vanquish is a sweet little detector.  Won't replace my Nox 800, but it is really fun to use!  I think I will get the bigger coil for it...