F350Platinum

Another fabulous weather day here. Started out at 32 degrees, ended up about 63. I had a forum member special guest who may or may not identify himself, but he did a lot better than me. We started out on an old un-hunted landing, visited a very trashy point nearby, and finished up back at the landing and in the farm. 8 hours for me! Total blast. I like hunting alone but it's nice to have an esteemed visitor.

Top down in the photo:

Ford hubcap (I think) but certainly a Ford part. What I believe to be the "rest" of this vehicle is in the woods nearby. This little cap was a surprising 32 on my Equinox. Edit: Definitely a model "T" hubcap. Not sure what the "w" means. 1917-21.

Some sort of work animal tack, it's solid brass and rings like a tuning fork when dropped. Looks like it snapped off of a screw or bolt. Rein guide?

Cool brass buckle, a 26, some sort of white metal object with some decoration, an unidentifiable whatzit that was a solid 15, another "river queen" Indian head penny, an 1888 Indian head (it was tough to get a date off that one - still might not be right), broken tombac, a "D" buckle from the extremely trashy point, and yet another thimble, this one mashed flat. We  left the point because it was just insanely signal-rich, and nothing we tried could help that. Apparently hunters eat their lunch there and bury the trash.

Hope this doesn't bore y'all to death. Don't think it will if the guest chimes in! One more day this week outside and then it's gonna rain for 4. Guess I'll have to get some work done around the house. Borrowed a new toy to play with, more later.

It has the look of some sort of projectile, maybe for a small crossbow or pistol. You could try a reverse image search on Google. I might do it later.

16 minutes ago, CVISChris said:

The old buttons are really neat.   The cap does look like an older Schafer valve cap.  

Thanks! They're the most plentiful object I find here, most are pre-1800. Coins are scarce, but usually interesting. Don't think many people here back then had two nickels to rub together, so that's why I never find two in one day! 😀

I've been using an Equinox 600 almost daily for three months now. I hunt in a farm, so I've been using mostly default Field 2 (relic settings) from one of Andy's contributors. The only thing I have changed lately is lowering recovery speed from 3 to 2, and changing FE/0 to F2/2. I generally run it kinda hot at 21 sensitivity and keep it in all metal all the time. I can tell when it's too hot because ground contours will cause low tone falsing.

Due to the  immensely variable targets I have in this field I cannot discriminate, so my head has to do all the work. At first I "dug it all", but now have got to the point that I know what is there for the most part.

I can tell a nail or spike from a good target and aluminum is rarely a problem unless it gives me a solid signal. The only thing I always dig is buckshot and tacks because they have the same IDs as many of the buttons I find. Switching to FE/2 cut my iron trash in half as it seems to force iron lower. Of course YMMV, I do not have to ground balance here (or even noise cancel) unless it is right after it rains. Guess I'm lucky!

As mentioned previously, someone else's settings are a building block, but experiences/fiddling still seem to be the best teacher.

Got up to 60 today, one of those insane days where it starts out cold (35) and a warm front comes through. Just coins and relics today, but some firsts.

Of interest is the smallest button I have found yet, I have dug about 100 of them in the last 4 months in this field. It's only 3/8 inch! Third one from the left in the photo. Testament to the Equinox ability to find really small stuff, but the tiny thing next to the wheat penny came in at a strong 18, I have no idea what it is. 3 Tombacs, one is concave and one is the first cast one I have found.

Wheat penny is a 1941. The large bullet is a .45-70 bullet probably fired from an 1873 Springfield "Trapdoor". At first I thought it was Civil war era, but it isn't. I found a .45-70 shell a while back.

I think the item second from left top row is a Schrader valve wrench, I remember them when I was young. You could also use it as a valve stem cap. Small square nut made of copper and a watch crown. It was great to get out in some "decent" February weather!

Outstanding finds! Just curious, do you remember the ID for the seated and the gold coin? You have a great spot there.

Cold day today, only got up to about 36, but the wind died down enough to go out in the farm. Another great day! Usually I find buttons, but I'm moving more toward where an 1800s house was so I expect there to be a mix. There is a road that ran through the farm way before it was built so I will find 1700s items too.

Today the ground was a bit frozen so I dialed recovery speed back to 2 from 3 (Equinox 600), and cranked the sensitivity up to 21. Not sure if this helped but the proof is in the finds I guess.

I was only able to make four passes up and back, it's about 300 yards one way. Photo below illustrates the distance, my golf cart is by the road. I'm doing a grid search so it is very tedious but still a blast.

Found a really small thimble, a piece of buckle, a very small button and two heavily corroded pennies, one a wheat penny with no discernable date (edit: if you zoom the penny it appears to be a 1919 ) and the other an 1865 Indian head. My grandkids gave me a digital microscope for my birthday, and the date stands out pretty clear!

Yes, I found yet another Spanish (really Mexico mint) half Real. This one clearly shows the mint mark in the microscope, they were minted from 1772 to 1784, but I can't find a date. The first one I found was 1778. There are a few other identifying marks on it.

And just as I thought I was done, in the last 20 feet I got a solid 16, and popped out the gold plated broach with 4 stones. The stones are yellowish under the microscope, and one appears to be chipped so I know they are not diamonds. They still sparkle though! There is a bit of gold plating in the back and a spot where the pin was attached.

Really like the buttons, congratulations on a rare find, and thanks for the historical account.

I also like the gear you found, I've found 2 or 3 of them where I hunt. Lots of folks over time throwing clocks out the window I guess!

Today it's 35, with wind around 20 with gusts to 30. May go to a sheltered area to poke around a bit. Pretty brutal, but I've done it before. My headphones can be turned up loud. Here we have a lot of military aircraft flying around, from A-10s to Ospreys to F-15s. They are so loud I usually have to wait for them to go away. I wavered on #2 for a while but decided on #3.

Edit: Yeah, went out today, and could only stand a couple hours even in the sheltered area, because the wind was blowing up in there. 😧 Tomorrow will be 37 with a light south wind, may go out in the field, and then hit the river late afternoon at low tide. Next week in the 50's!

Probably the first piece of advice I would give you is to make yourself VERY aware of detecting laws in your area, and never hunt any plot of ground that isn't yours without permission. I can tell you this hobby is a blast, but there are some "ground" rules. 😀 A good search would be "metal detecting etiquette".

This site in particular, as Tiftafft indicated, is probably one of the best organized sources of info on the internet. Try a search on "metal detecting laws", get familiar with them.

You've got anything as a possibility from parks to farms to beaches to gold prospecting, this site has some heavy hitters from everywhere. In my short time here I have enjoyed the patience and experience of others. Start in your yard!

Always good to find gold stuff! Of course if you found more than the gold cap from a tooth you might have some 'splainin' to do... 😀

30 minutes ago, BobL said:

Hello, I was in search for a hobby That takes me outside

Hi and welcome from another new member! I started back in August of last year. Bought a mid-level detector just to find nails after a roof replacement. Tried it out in the backyard and started turning up history. I retired in October, and have been out every day possible in the large farm in from of my house after obtaining permission to hunt it in November.

Like you I had a heart condition, I am now on a Pacemaker. I was extremely active (boating, hiking, playing in bands) prior to the incident.

I now own a Minelab Equinox 600, and it is fabulous, but because of my newness I would defer to the more experienced members of the forum who will no doubt grill you on specific areas you would hunt before recommending anything. I mainly hunt farm and river now, in the spring I'm going to try beach hunting. You've come to the best place! Get yourself acquainted on the internet and particularly this site with metal detecting videos and information, this is a big hobby, but doesn't have to be. 🙂 

Turkey. I was there in the early 90s while in the Army. The problem with that is that you can't keep anything you find, their laws regarding antiquities are brutal at best. I visited Ephesus, and would love to see Troy now that they found more of it. If conditions ever become more relaxed, it would be the trip of a lifetime. My wife wants to go to England, that may have to do. Mexico would be good too. I've been a few places there, mostly Mayan sites. Detecting didn't occur to me at the time but I do see that some detectorists go there.

Otherwise my front yard will do just fine...

Heh, 60. Now I'm 61. 😎 I messed with Bounty Hunters and such when I was younger, but it never took root like it has now. Too old to play in rock bands anymore, and I think I've photographed enough for a lifetime.

I'd like to find ONE gold coin, had pretty good luck with silver (Spanish only) in my area. I have yet to search an area that had horse racing in the 1700s that is part of the enormous (now over 300 acres) permission I have. I have set my goals low and really appreciate the simple things I have found so far. Heck a colonial period button makes my day, but it happens almost every day I go out there.

8 minutes ago, kac said:

Not sure if scabbards were made of all metal, from what I remember from some collectable old swords the scabbards had usually silver ends and rest was made of leather. Got me thinking on that one.

That's what bugs me on this one too. The object is obviously "straight" sword-shaped, and has a thinner strip of metal holding the two pieces together visible inside where it broke. There are some nails at the top which held something inside, maybe a guide. It could be a ceremonial sword of some type. I'm going to look for the hilt, it was getting dark when I pulled it out of the bank it was stuck in.

Honestly I have no idea how to preserve this relic, or even begin to disassemble it.

1 hour ago, schoolofhardNox said:

The round thing  (top right) is an ox knob. Great job finding the 2 Spanish silvers. Kind of oddly shaped holes in those Reals. If you find any more crudely holed coins, I would start to wonder if you are on an old trading area or someones personal savings on a string, that broke. How close to each other were those silvers found?

Is an ox knob tapered inside with threads? Cool! I was wondering when I would find one, the D buckle is animal tack, found lots of it.

I put the real I found a couple weeks ago next to the one I found today for comparison. These and the cut Pistareens I found early on searching this field do indicate trade, I've found buried broken kettles with oysters in them, thimbles, and LOTS of tacks.

The coins were found in the same field about 250 yards from each other.

Today I went out to the farm instead of the steamboat landing. It was cold, never got above 35, but the ground here still hasn't frozen. Never really does on average. Ground balanced the Equinox for the first time, it was acting kind of squirrelly today for some reason. 

Highest Id goes to the strange round fitting, it was a 32! Tapered screw threads on the inside, I'm thinking compression fitting of some sort. I think I broke the old dog tag but found all the pieces. I've been pretty lucky not breaking stuff, don't know what happened. The large piece at the top ID'd at 25, the copper nail was a 9 at first but was a 15 out of the ground. Not sure what caliber the bullet is but it looks like a match bullet. One of the longest I've seen.

D buckle is silverplated, found the most fragile buckle yet, dug a thimble, and two buttons, one I think is pewter and the other says "STANDARD COLOUR GILT".  It's an old one with an alpha shank. 

Musket ball, and some tiny bits that ID'd high, the smallest bit was a 22.

Oh yeah, and the small coin on left bottom is a Half Real 😎, second one I've found in this field. It has no identifying marks save for one letter on one side but it's non ferrous and weighs exactly the same and is the same size as the one I dug previously. It has a hole to keep it on a thread or ribbon, or to sew it in clothing. Great day! 

Here is a photo of what I think may be a sword. It was jammed into the ground and what looks like the scabbard had snapped. Hilt is missing. What holds it together is probably the sword blade inside.

I did quite a bit of searching last night but could not find a scabbard with a "nut" attached.

16 minutes ago, kac said:

It could be a clad dime where only the copper is left. Found a what looked like a dime once and was paper thin. Was near a pond that was brackish that fed to the beach.

This one has a bit of a bronze or brass look to it.

Kinda sad because some very famous "Boys" just north of me find all kinds of coppers from the 16-1700s in the rivers. I have found one so far but in the field up top, it was a "smooth" coin with barely any features.

The river is 80 feet below me. I think the prognosis for finding anything but silver and gold in good shape is poor. As the weather warms up I'll be looking! This Sunday the tide should be much lower but we are looking at a second ice storm.

20 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

Was the wheat penny (which looks to be in decent shape, at least relatively speaking) in a different environment?

Yes, about 50 feet up the hill. The ground there is really soft with a lot of sand under the topsoil. Despite the roots from the high brush that grows there every year (it has been vacant since the Steamboat landing buildings were removed) a good root shovel like my Predator Barracuda goes through it easily.

I've found a few of those "potato peeler" looking things now, this was the fourth. I'm putting everything in a separate display case because the owners asked me to show them what I find, but said I can keep it all. I may have found a short sword in the scabbard with no hilt yesterday but have yet to verify.

Here's an update. It got up to 50 today, the sun finally came out. The water was 42 degrees, the tide wasn't low enough to go out far. Found this heavily corroded Indian Head penny (no date), and in the other picture there is an additional coin that is nearly gone. On the bright side I dug all the other stuff, a 1920 wheat penny, and a lot of odd things with lettering. The pocket watch is an Ingersoll "Yankee" 'dollar watch' circa 1935-40, there is a bolt marked A.H.T. Co. PHILADA (Arthur H Thomas, a company that makes scientific devices) a washer that says C.A.W. KIRK PATENT JULY 17 1850. The large decorated object is some sort of pin, it has a clasp on the back. Pretty much nothing but 19th and 20th century stuff comes out of this area.

Who would patent a washer? Must serve some other purpose. 🤔

The button looks like a Tombac.

One of the buckles definitely says "New York" on it, but the rest is hard to read backwards.

Nice relics and coin - heck the button would have made my day! 😀

3 hours ago, IdahoPeg said:

Wow, perfect timing for lots of great ideas for me! I need to build a sifter to use fossil and shark tooth hunting in the Peace River on the west side of Florida. Hope to find a Meg tooth(a Bucket Lister)😊

Got $30? the original Matlock sifter https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0749P51QM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

is intended for that very purpose. It's 15x15" total, with 11x11" sifter space. Extremely light and comes with the rope and carabiner. If you're not going to wave a detector or pinpointer over it, the galvanized 1/4" mesh wouldn't be a problem. If you are going to use it for metal detecting, you'd have to do something similar to what I did. ☺ If ya don't like blue it comes in a bunch of colors. Shoulda got red for the Equinox but that's not one of them. 😉 I got 3mm Ballistic nylon for the strength and tiny holes. Don't want to keep detecting those .22 shells!

64.5 cents. 😀 Found an 1809 half cent. This doesn't count the cut pistareens.