Gold Seeker

56 minutes ago, TreasureHunter5 said:

What Indian head penny?

I believe he was intending that response to be in another topic, and couldn't delete it here.

2 hours ago, TreasureHunter5 said:

There was a bunch if these buttons in it. There is a weird stain in it. Any information on the buttons? I never opened it until now. I wanted to know what it was before I opened it. Here’s the inside.

 

These types of buttons were in use from WWI, WWII and onwards, I would guess WWII or Vietnam, era

Being that there were 2 bowls in the "sealed" container, it's very possible that IF there are ashes in the bowls that it could be a couple interned together!!

The question of what is in the bowls needs to be answered, IMHO!!

23 hours ago, IdahoPeg said:

Dang, is it September already? I didn’t even work my little Claim this season! All the easy gold has been gone for a couple years now, and since  I’m looking at a Hip Replacement in the near future (old car wreck injury), it wasn’t worth the flare ups that come from hauling rocks, swinging a pick, and shoveling to get at the remaining gold. So I’ve focused on fitness and biking the hills this summer, with a couple fun detecting trips to Nv to keep me in the game….but the next trip isn’t for a couple weeks and I need a Gold Fix! So I decided that after my early morning walk, it would be time to go play with the Gold Monster😊

It was a brisk start to the day! My hummingbird feeder was starting to freeze; most have left, but I leave it out for the stragglers. While on my walk and planning where I’d go with the Monster, I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful sunrise….unfortunately due to the awful California wildfires😥. Then I saw the neighborhood Mama Moose….her Baby was with her, but I didn’t catch the young one in the pic. I sure do love my morning walks up here!

 

Once it warmed up a bit, the Pup and I headed out in the side x side to an area I’ve hit quite a bit before with the Monster, but I was sure it could squeak out a couple more. Lila, of course, wanted to drive😄. 
 

I worked real slow, and sure enough, was able to find some little bits. And LITTLE being the key word here…check out this tiny speck. Unbelievable that a detector can pick this up! 

Here’s one of the larger bits found…can actually pose it on the detector lol!

All the while, my little Pup was protecting me from the chipmunks scurrying amongst the Old Timer’s rock piles…what a cutie 🥰 

We spent several hours enjoying the late summer sun, the gentle babbling of the nearby creek, the breeze in the pines, and the solitude and contentment only Nature can bring. And I ended up with enough bits to actually weigh…what a great day!👍😊

 

OOH, I see what you're doing Peg, you take Lila out there and she sniffs out all the gold and then you pretend to find it with the Gold Monster....I bet you make her dig the gold up and then lick it clean so you can take photos of them as well !!!!

Now that's one hell of a pocket spill!!

The only problem now is the price of old Chinese coins has been affected to be even worse than they were before!!

Gerry, that's for sure the most unusual nugget ever!!!

What did it actually weigh?

5 hours ago, Erik Oostra said:

 

 

Thanks for posting, I'm always interested in history, history of gold prospecting is a added bonus!

Since that video "First Contact" was just a preview I had to see the rest so after much searching I found a site that has the entire video in 2 parts that free to watch, I haven't found the second and third part of the trilogy ("Joe Leahy's Neighbours" and "Black Harvest")to watch for free yet but still looking.

If you have watched the preview posted you can skip ahead about 9+ minutes because the preview is the first of the whole video, once the first part plays and finishes..just wait and the second part will load and play automatically.

https://archive.org/details/firstcontact_201602/firstcontactreel1.mov

15 hours ago, schoolofhardNox said:

Yep....... Actually, I shouldn't even count any of the war nickels since the contain so little silver. 😄 But it did come from that beach. I'm finishing up the clad and putting it away with the rest of the previous years clad. I bet a lot of people leave war nickels with their clad. Sometimes it's hard to tell you have one because they are green like regular nickels, other times they are clean as can be.

13 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

I think it's between 75% and 80% as much silver as a 90% silver dime.  So not too bad.  (Considered that way, 10 cents worth of warnicks has considerably more silver than a 10 cent silver dime.)  Around where I live, they tend to come out of the ground looking much nicer than the typical 5 cent 'nickel' coin.  The acid in the trees (mostly the leaves, I think) does a number on 25% nickel, 75% copper -- same composition as the outer layers of actual clad dimes, quarter, halves, dollars which can also look pretty wretched when recovered.  Ironically, warnicks found in circulation are dull gray looking compared to standard nickels, just the opposite of what comes out of the ground.

War nickels have 35% silver, silver dimes have 90% silver, 10% copper.

1942 P nickel

You can find some of the episodes on YouTube here in the USA.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Legend+Of+Croc+Gold&qpvt=Legend+Of+Croc+Gold&FORM=VDRE

4 hours ago, relic ray said:

I found this huge lead ball on Saturday. I have a standard musket ball fired from French muskets back in 1677.  I am using that and a dime for comparison purposes. If anyone has any idea what this huge lead ball was used for please let me know. 

Thanks

Also on Sunday I found a 1916 merc. 

Can you get an actual measurement on the lead ball?

1 hour ago, GB_Amateur said:

Did you check the dime for a mintmark?  (Reverse side, left of bottom of pole)

Yes PLEASE tell us there's a D mint mark on the back of that Merc!!!

12 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

Strange denomination.  I wonder if a person had to collect four to be able to cash them in for anything of value.  Maybe a gimmick "made you look!".  Or the local merchants had some kind of promotion where prices included 1/4 cent and you got a discount if you turned in one of those tokens.  Historical society might be able to tell you the history.  If they don't have one locally then Springfield likely does.

Agree with PimentoUK -- the condition is particularly nice.  Makes you wonder if it didn't reach the ground until the house was razed.  I've found a few relics that I think went through that experience.

The token is definitely a "tax token" not a redeemable cash token.

Here's a couple of links on the history/origins of tax tokens, the second link is especially for Illinois.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_tax_token

https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=http%3A%2F%2Fjcns.org%2Farticals_files%2FILLINOIS%20LOCAL.doc

Here's a site that give the actual melt value of US coins.

https://www.coinflation.com/

The same site for Canadian coins.

https://www.coinflation.com/canada/

I edited both of my posts above because I saw I mistakenly referred to the big button as a "Boston Central Guard" button when it should of said "Boston City Guard" button.

On 4/24/2021 at 2:35 PM, CVISChris said:

I am not Norcal6er.  But funny thing is I know him.  These have never been posted. 

Check with Norcal6er because it appears he has or had the very same buttons!

I have been doing some more research and I found a button almost identical as the big button and it says it is a Boston City Guard button...it the second one down at this link, the back mark is different but it very likely around the same date line of late 1850s to 1860s.

http://relicman.com/buttons/Button4811-Massachusetts-BostonCityGuard-000.html

The small button is a Navy eagle button, there are many of them on eBay, pretty sure it a CW button as well but haven't found any site that confirms that.

I saw both of these buttons posted on Treasurenet back in 2012, OP was thinking the big button was a Coast Guard button.

No one ever ID either button but CannonballGuy thought it maybe a version of a Boston City Guard button from the CW, he also stated that he found a photo of the big button in the "Albert button-book in the "Unclassified and Unidentified" section as Button #UU-18".

 http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/310191-coast-guard-button.html

Since you stated you obtained them years back, was that you who posted them on Treasurenet, are you NorCal 6er" on Treasurenet?

What is the mint mark on that 1923 penny, hard to tell from your photo, it looks like a D or is it an S?

That being said if it's a D then I would get it checked out, it could be a very rare coin, I can't find any listings of a 1923 D penny nor any photos, plenty of S mints marks out there.

1 hour ago, dogodog said:

I hear if you eat one you'll find more gold. I wonder what they taste like? 

14 minutes ago, klunker said:

I wonder what they taste like?

 Not unlike a California Condor but not as greasy

I was always of the option that they taste like a cross between the California Condor and the Spotted Owl!

Just an FYI, I live just across the Savannah River in South Carolina, we have strong "rip tides" along the coast here so don't go out to far and especially if you can't keep good footing with the bottom, there are almost at least one or more drownings on Tybee Island beaches every summer.

Not to many reports for shark attacks but there are some sharks out there.

Also at the present time there one area that has some kind of water contamination on Tybee, I believe it's around the pier, they have signs posted to stay out of the water there so it would be wise to heed those signs

The button you found is indeed a military button, it's a WWII button used on.....

" WWII US Army HBT Model 3 Suit -
The HBT model III worksuit was one of the most versatile cloth items of WWII. This coverall suit was widely used in a variety of roles throught the American armed forces. It was employed by mechanics, linemen, tank crewman and infantry personnel alike., The construction of the outfit consists of a single-piece herring bone twill material. The model three used black or green metal 13-star pattern buttons . The stars in the design represented the initial 13 colonies of the United States. The suit came in three different models. Our collection also includes an example of the Model I . The differences between the models consisted primarily of the number and placement of the pockets and the use of the belt."

http://quanonline.com/military/military_reference/american/wwii_uniforms/hbt3.php

http://quanonline.com/military/military_reference/american/wwii_uniforms/usbuttons.html

https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-WW2-LOT-OF-6-13-STAR-BUTTONS-UNIFORM-HBT-NOS-US-ARMY-USMC/192209622558?hash=item2cc096161e:g:kgAAAOSw1DtXK5tz

15 hours ago, GotAU? said:

All unexploded ordinance (UXO) disarming operations I’ve seen used a automatic or remotely controlled saw, drill, or a disruptor device to disarm shells, in addition to sandbagging. They can be quite simple devices too- one team used a standard miter saw with a cable and overhead pulley to lift and lower the blade remotely. I am surprised to read that guy didn’t do this correctly with the civil war shells he was disarming. How sad!  Steve’s warning is definitely one to be heeded!  One issue in our area are the scrappers that trespass onto the desert proving grounds  to collect old brass- several have tried cutting it up at home and popping it by accident.  Darwinian selection usually weeds them out from the gene pool pretty quickly.

Sam not only should have been drilling them remotely...but he also shouldn't have been doing them in his garage, when it exploded shrapnel went into several of his neighbor's homes, windows shattered by the blast force, etc., some them hundreds of feet away fortunately no others were hurt.

The reason they drill them and not cut them open is because they are "restoring" them for collectors or their own collections.

This is serious stuff for sure, I didn't know Sam White(the man who died in 2008) personally but I do know several of his friends, and as stated in the article about his death he was a pro at disarming and restoring these CW cannonballs and was the man in the N.E. USA to go too if you found one, it just goes to show even the experts can make a mistake.

When these cannon balls were new it was still dangerous to disarm one but it was much easier, all you had to do was carefully remove the fuse with a special tool and then remove the black powder.

But after these cannon balls have been in the ground for over 100 years the fuse is so corroded that is no longer an option, the only way to remove the black powder is to drill a hole to remove the black powder, that as you can imagine is very dangerous, one little spark or over heating the metal leads to the powder igniting, which is what most think that happened to Sam on that tragic day he lost his life.

Sam drilled the cannon balls with a drill press in his garage and has done well over a 1000 with no issues, but the odds ran out on him on that day he lost his life.

There's one other guy I know of who does this as well and I think that maybe Steve H. knows him as well...Steve Phillips of SSD (Southern Skin Divers Supplies) in Alabama, Steve is a long time collector of CW artifacts and has an extensive collection most of if not all he has found himself while diving and metal detecting in Alabama, he's also a long, long time Nome gold dredger, which is where Steve H. may know him from.

http://ssdsupply.com/

Steve disarms these cannon balls using a "remote controlled" drill press he designed himself and in small shed out in the middle of a large field so if the cannon ball does explode while he's drilling it(which I don't believe has ever happened to him) no one get injured or dies.

That all being said it best to not even touch one if you happen across one, call the local police immediately!!

9 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

Here's one that sold on Ebay for $44.  (I would have taken the Merc instead.  Shows what I know.)  Other sites say possibly from the 1930's.  One thing I've noticed about dating things on the internet (especially on Ebay) -- someone gives a date of origin without evidence and others glom onto it like it's fact.  Tokens seem to get resurrected, too.  I have some that I think are from the 1940's and others (same depiction) that are probably '80s or '90s.

This is probably brass.  If you have Wheaties you've found in that same location, compare the patina.  If they typically are this nice after recovery, that's evidence this has been in the ground a similar amount of time (> 40 years).  Most of my Wheaties come with a green scale so I expect my old brass tokens to have a similar property.  (Your low humidity out West seems to be nicer to copper alloy coins than our damp Eastern USA.)

Unusual find, IMO, and a good chance it's Great Depression Era.

BTW, the Eureka Club in greater Denver has a token category in their monthly meetings.  A veteran there may be a good source of info as to whether or not anyone has ever entered one of these.  (A "no" is another good sign it's quite old.  A "lots of them" just the opposite.)

8 hours ago, Glenn in CO said:

Thanks for the links and information. I think your right about the Great Depression Era time period.

Here's another that has a different reverse, it doesn't say it gives a $1,000,000 worth of luck but "take me for luck", I think this one maybe an original one from the depression era as it does look to be older to me.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1930S-Great-Depression-Aint-Hell-To-Be-Poor-Good-Luck-Token/384031502150?_trkparms=aid%3D1110018%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.COMPLISTINGS%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200818142838%26meid%3D8b1b76c454ec43ca83e9a84672b44ded%26pid%3D101197%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D303791383481%26itm%3D384031502150%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DItemStripV101HighAdFee&_trksid=p2047675.c101197.m1850

Joe, wishing you a fast and complete recovery.

There have been good size nuggets found in Maine, can't remember the name of the river but a little research will bring it up, not sure if any were found with metal detectors, most gold hunters up there try to use dredges, but I remember on a Gold Fever show years ago Tom Massie visited and dredged up there and they showed a large collection of nuggets from a dredger with a few over an ounce and many at least 1/4 ounce.

Also a dredger from one of the older forums found a 2 ounce nugget in that river about 10 years ago.

I also know of a fellow that has found numerous gold nuggets in Virginia with a metal detector on private property, with a couple at around 1 and 2 ounce range.

18 hours ago, Valens Legacy said:

I did forget to mention that I used only the factory settings on Park 1, Sense at 18, and then did the standard GB and Noise cancel.

When I have some warmer weather I plan to go back and do more than a 20X20 area. This area needs to be gone over very carefully or I will miss something. I have found the 3 locations where the old out houses were located on the property.

If anyone has any more suggestions I am all ears and ready to learn what to do next.

3 great coins, very nice ones too, congratulations!

I know it might be hard to do but if you can find where the clothes lines were they're always a good place for coins.