mn90403

When I dug the piece away from the hole I thought I was still going to find a signal where I was digging but it was gone. The piece of glass I put in my finds pouch. I took it back out and placed it on the wet sand and the signal I heard was back. It jumps around a bit but mostly under 10. I have a bedroom, beveled glass silver mirror that is an antique. This glass quality and construction of this find with the red backing paint does not remind me of that era. This glass transmits light through it but is somewhat 'softened' and the edges don't feel sharp, like shards would come from it but it would break when struck. The rounded edge is the original edge and you can see some of the leaching under that area by the elements eating away at the reflective layer. I've also attached a picture of the other items with the mirror.

Well, I'm going to tell you I found a new 'category' of item this morning with the 800. I'm at the beach where I found a piece of .925 silver hoop, a puka necklace and just over $1.50. I hear this somewhat 'strange' wobble but not negative. It is repeatable so I dig. Upon digging I see this piece of glass and I'm glad to take it out of the beach/surf but then the signal is gone. What? Can't be the piece of mirror but it is ... Has anyone found mirror pieces with a detector before?

Noah, If you are going to Phoenix then you need to try to find a nugget there. There are lots of nuggets still being found within 2 hours north and west of Phoenix. Many of us still find nuggets in Quartzsite. There are several metal detector dealers in that area but I would call Bill Southern at 623-910-0345 and that would be on your way to Las Vegas thru Wickenburg. You could see Rich Hill and the LDMA ground there. Go to MyLandMatters and find some unclaimed ground where gold has been found in the past. (That is your best chance for getting lucky!) If you join GPAA then you can skip a lot of research. The idea of you going to Rye Patch would be a very, very long drive. It is about 800 miles. You would be better swinging a detector on ground where nuggets had been found before rather than driving all that distance. I've hunted nuggets in Arizona and Nevada. Mitchel

I hope Hawaii still has a few rings for you! Mitchel

Gary, My wife can now read it. It is 'upside down' in the picture just so you know. The more rounded end is the top and it says a district in Hong Kong, SHEUNG WAN read right to left. The brand is under in the rectangle below the two characters at the top. Mitchel

Gary, You have the tin labeled LAI YUEN but my wife can't see the top reading which would tell where it is from. If you could put more light on the tin and take another picture she could read if it is from HK or another location. Mitchel

Ok, my wife read the cans somewhat correctly and I have now found an article which says that for those lids they probably did contain opium. There will also be many other tins containing other substances but perhaps the value of the opium means there are more of them than other containers. Lu's knowledge of the opium trade has now been enhanced. The article is here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dug-Up-1800s-Chinese-Opium-Box-Stamped-Tin-Lid-Brass-Gold-Rush-Lamp-Container-Q-/312123906240#viTabs_0 The names she read on the lid indicate that 'Some of the higher quality and more popular brands were; Lai Yuen 麗源 and Fook Lung 福隆, just to name a couple.'

I have found a picture of an 'opium tin' from Australia. http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/objectsthroughtime/goldfields-chines-opium-containers/index.html

Gerry, My wife who is from Southern China has some idea about your tins. The writing on the top is like a 'brand name' for the contents. She is uncertain about the contents but it is likely not opium. She wonders the depth of the tins and in fact if it is just a lid. (Do you have other pictures?) To her it seems more likely that it was tobacco, tea or a lid to some dish or larger container. Tins are labeled this way even today. We have several tea tins with the location on the top. The first tin is not readable at the top part of the letters but the bottom portion of the letters say YUEN. The second tin (one in the middle) says HONG KONG at the top of the lettered area (read right to left). The section below reads HOP LOONG. The third tin on the top part of the letters says a district in Hong Kong and it says SHEUNG WAN read right to left again. The remaining letters in the rectangle below the 'roof' says FOOK LOONG which could be the brand name and/or store sold. To recap you have one tin with a seller's name YUEN, one that says HOP LOONG and the final one says FOOK LOONG and the letters above those names tell the location in Hong Kong where it was made. It could have been imported or brought by the worker. Mitchel and Lu

Dave, I've seen some of your results at Holbrook and you live in an area that makes it ideal for the 800. I'm not going to sell the one I've got. Mitchel

Simon, Actually that is what the 800 attempts to do and it does it pretty good. As you say, we can always find a specific setup from our past or possibly in the present/future that we like more. My wife was fond of the SE Pro and so was I. (It ignores EMI but maybe it is not that sensitive or fast?) She misses using it with the bungee that would pin it to her hip when she digs and it didn't float away. Ah, a wave began a slow ruin of that machine. The same can't happen with the 800. We need to set up a bungee for it when Curtis starts going to the beach more. Mitchel

I was one of the first people to get an Equinox 800 when they came out earlier this year. It has been a lot of fun and I have found some of my best beach finds with it. (A gold chain and silver ring.) I've even found 2 little nuggets and an attractive specimen. Until today I put my 3030 in mothballs for the right time and I'm here to tell you that the 3030/17 is a great beach detector for my area of Southern California. It covers a large area and it goes deep. It goes deeper on average than the 800. I doubt that would be the case if the 800 gets a larger coil but for now my 3030/17 setup with a hipstick (weightless) can out hunt the 800. I did learn a few things about signal sounds from the 800 that helped me find a little chain today so the 3030 can hunt. We all know the 800 is a great all around detector and I think it is going to beat a 3030 in a park, field or trashy area where you need a faster detector to unmask a good target. It will be my backup to the 7000 for finding gold because it is light and fun. It is not going to out do the 7000. My wife can use the 800 on the beach any time she wants and I won't feel like I have to buy a 600 or an 800 if I go with her. So, I'm glad I didn't sell my 3030 and my 7000. Mitchel

I'm glad it has worked out for you. I think the gold you know about will be waiting for you. Mitchel

Nice going.

We've got a thread on this somewhere and I'm sure Steve will bring it up or you can search for it but my solution is to take it off. If you don't ground your coil you will be fine. If you want to put it back on take some silicone and put all under the coil and squeeze the cover back on. If you are a guy like Lunk then you take a piece of lexan, cut it to fit and hold it on with some velcrow picture hangers and then all the dirt that wants to stay on top and under the coil will slide off each time you turn it on its side. Mitchel

We all need one or two toys to keep us happy and maybe a few old ones to look at or play with once in a while. Some people have cars, some have planes and some have boats. You gotta have something for fun. Mitchel

Is there a picture to help us understand? Mitchel

The meteorite hunter is turning into quite a gold finder. Remember this one from earlier in the year? http://nuggetshooter.ipbhost.com/topic/31820-first-sunbaker-226g-az-specimen/?tab=comments#comment-291728

Well, a 50lb day is something I've never had. We have to make our scores here with nice jewelry. American coins have never been very large in denomination. Mitchel

Wow! You have a lot going on there Nuke em. You seem to be very aware of your circumstances. Thanks for the details. I was on the Minelab Owners Forum the other day and I saw your name from years ago. When did you begin your postings? Mitchel

Dewcon, You said it well. Holes in the sand at the beach are just a part of the experience. The beach, kids, castles and holes will always be what you expect. Most are not 'dangerous' in my book and can be avoided. The holes that get me the most are those sharp sided, 7-8 inch holes with little indication where they are. Someone takes a scoop and sorts it more than a foot away from the hole. The front of your foot goes all the way in or even your heel sinks in in a way that makes you look for the pattern that detectorist was going. I grew up in North Florida and know the long expanse of beach sand that can be there at low tide. Often times it is quite compacted so a clean cutting sand scoop could leave quite a divot. Golfers replace their divots, so should we! Maybe that should be our new mantra for these 'hole leavers' and we should just tell them: Filling divots is more than for golfers! Metal detectorists should fill divots EVERYWHERE.

Please tell us more about what you have found and what you hope to find with your new detector. What were your other detectors? Mitchel

I was out early this morning on a negative tide. I got started about 3:30 AM and ended about 7 AM. I was using my new metalless boots. The Equinox will not tolerate a boot with metal. I walked for about a mile before I found my first and only quarter. Someone had already been on one of my preferred beaches with a PI and they were leaving open holes everywhere. Whenever I see these guys I want to walk up to them and ask them what would happen if they stepped in any of the holes they left. They make no attempt to 'turtle' the hole so a jogger or old lady walker won't break something. When these guys try to be friendly I avoid them because I have gotten into shouting matches of this subject before. So please, if I can step in YOUR hole and feel a twinge of pain then I'm not your friend. This goes for the desert too. Anyway, I avoided this guy and got the hell back to a beach that had produced in the past but that was the way that I came. Just before I left to drive to another beach I observed a difference in the bottom. The other low (an ebb) had left a trough. The waves all night before had little energy and I figured I would hit this and end my hunt for the day. I crossed the point where I had gone right two hours before and I was now going left or south. About 100 yards in I got a little 9-10 signal in Beach 1 and I was surprised to have a 2.2 g/10k/nugget style ring. It proved to be a one off and when I finished that pattern I got out of the wet sand and used Park 1 on the dry sand until the end of my day. (Less than $1 in change.) It is always nice to see a full moon and get gold. Mitchel

Norm, You have reminded us that sometimes you can't 'ground' your detector in the first swings. There is 'stuff' between the coil and the ground. Good looking nugget. Mitchel

Nice little spill. Mitchel