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Beautiful day to head out. Morning was in the 60s, light wind, never got out of the 70s. At first I was going to try the river, there was supposed to be a low tide. Got down there and it was disappointing. Waterman out in the river bringing in crab pots, and no real low tide. Maybe the harvest moon is keeping the water high. Decided to go to the newer house and see if I could find more coins, boy did I. 57 coins, about $3.50 just in the driveway! Not a fan of digging in gravel, but if you hit it on a low angle it's a lot easier and you don't damage the coins or your shovel. Dates range from 1965 to 2010. This makes over 125 coins I've dug here, still not one silver. 22 Zincolns 😵 Went across the road to scout my new permission, really not much there, got the 1954 dog tag and the Disabled Veterans fob above. Also dug a rein guide, a mangled silver plate spoon, and a corner plate. Here's the trash. Not bad for this place.

At long last after many years of crushed and bent copper thimbles, I managed to dig up my first ever silver thimble. It was quite a deep and scratchy target with rhe Deus running the round HF coil, and being packed with soil thankfully it managed to retain its original shape. I been fortunate with many good finds over the last few months around the old house site, will post up some silver coins and relics later on.

Got a message rather late Saturday from Chase, he had threatened to come down here and made good on it. 😀 Went to the old farmhouse and the newer house to see what we could find, I was glad to have someone more experienced to check with me. If you've been following I've found 75 coins at this house now, and no silver. I am starting to think those that said it was cherry picked could be right. 😵 First we hacked around the farmhouse and I was glad we did. I challenged Chase to look where I had been, I will let him tell ya what he dug but it was pretty darn good. He showed me some techniques he uses, and ran both an Equinox and a Deus at the newer house. I took mine over a fresh spot, found 2 memorials, and then went back to the front yard and dug 4 more, all masked by other stuff. Pretty much everything we dug was secondary to what we went after! All I got was a new quarter, mangled on the surface of the driveway, and 6 memorials, ranging from a 1959 D to a 1974. Dug the address tag, and then some kid toys not shown. Still no silver found at the newer house but... 😉 At least it was a good day for Chase. Made it worth the trip. At one point we discussed the Equinox issue with coins on edge. I'm thinking of dusting off the "old" Garrett Ace 400 and trying it here. 😀 Had a blast! It's always good to put fresh eyes and more experience on one of my permissions. Nothing wrong with humility now and again 😳

I am really starting to love this machine! In the soft sandy soil of Virginia today we hit a colonial field that I have been in with my deus, others were there with the minelabs and garrett’s. I was hearing the good tones in the iron and digging brass, 1700’s buttons and other colonial pieces! Last week this machine was doing well in the red dirt in Northern VA. Its a keeper!

Got an inch of rain yesterday, and probably the best weather today for metal detecting. Mid 70s and breezy. Told my wife I was gonna make a day of it, and did I. Spent the entire day hunting the "new-ish" house front yard. It's only about a half acre, but the last time I just hit all the easy spots and I got 32 coins. Today I got 37. Two wheats, a 1941 and a 1952 D. One quarter, 7 dimes from 1966 to 1981, mostly 1967. Two 1970s nickels in one spot, and 4 Zincolns. The rest were memorials from 1959 to 1981. Dug 2 rings, one gold electroplated (says that in the band and most of the plating is gone) and one broken aluminum ring that says LOVE. That was the last target of the day. The small dark ring is a steel pipe cutoff - it was a solid 34! Broken zinc toy pistol grip, a flattened lipstick tube with engraving. A small aluminum plate with stamped diamond shapes and "D". Now for the interesting stuff. Here's a closeup of the ring: Next is the Milk Bone dog tag with the owners' name on the back. Supposedly these are from the 1950s. Pin with rays on it that probably held a coin, I stuck one of the dimes in it for size. It looks like it was plated as well. Some sort of brass finial, threaded inside: And the find of the day, an 1897 IHP. Never thought I'd find one here. As close as I'm coming to it, I'm surprised and a bit annoyed that I haven't found a single silver Roosevelt. Anyone know what the ID would be? 🤬 And for those of you that don't think productive hunts by experienced people produce much trash, here's the days' take, I'm pretty comfortable with the Equinox now: I was in "dig everything" mode today. Didn't skip much.

Had an invite to detect near Culpeper VA yesterday in the red dirt. The tarsacci found this awesome Eagle button. Have a couple hunts coming up near Culpeper in the next few months, I feel comfortable swinging the detector in the difficult soil. Will also be doing water hunts this summer.

Since Ida came through the weather has been great. Three days of 70s and today in the low 80s with a strong wind. Got two new permissions, a field with construction materials and a lot of old trailers and equipment in it, and a fairly new house. I first went to the farmhouse and hunted around a bit. Got the bracelet, two dimes and a nickel, all modern. Went across the street to the field and dug the quarter and 3 pennies. Again all post 1982. There isn't much here, but I did dig the WW1 service button. Sadly the shield fell out, but I have it. this is the field, but I really want to get permission to the house next door, I am working on it: Finished up the field with some (5) of the next picture, 32 coins in one day. Felt like being at one of my campgrounds. The oldest coin is a 1944 wheat, I got 4 quarters, one dime, 4 wheats, 17 memorials pre-1982, and 6 Zincolns. Sadly the '44 isn't steel, and the 1968 quarter is clad. 😀 This is the house. It is pretty new, but the coins say it is much older than it looks. It's been quite a weekend.

Weather was crappy so took the Kruzer out with the superfly coil to an old field that was cut. Buddy did really well there last year. There is tons of iron and lots of coal so I believe they had used coal powered tractors at this farm in the day. Best technique for me was hunting in all metal mode to listen to smaller coin sized targets then flip to 2 tone to try to squeeze out an ID if possible if the all metal mode didn't have any numbers and just a - -. Pendant is gold plated, no idea the exact age or if it was a modern piece or very old. Hume co I beleive was from 1898-1899. Other interesting piece is the clasp of some sorts, had a pattern on one side and kind of a flap on it. No clue what that went to. Last bit is a chunk of a harmonica, rest is no wheres to be found.

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.

It has been a long summer at work due to the labor shortage but I manage to sneak away today..

What a brutal day. The "feely" temperature was 105, but it was wicked humid (I live between two rivers) and there was no wind in the morning. By noon there was a little wind, so I decided to hit the farmhouse. Brought my lopper and a battery hedge trimmer to cut the brush under the clothesline, I was kind of stoked. Working under the clothesline was tough at best. There was no breeze there and it was right out in the sun after I cleared it. Couldn't really cut the brush too low, but it didn't matter. There wasn't anything there. 😵 I'll check it again after a good rain, but nothing but a weak 14/15 well over a foot deep. Just couldn't dig anymore. I did see the outhouse though... 😀 It would require more clearing to get to it. Anyway, I spent the rest of my time between breaks at my truck for AC and water under the trees, I did manage to dig two memorials, a 1976 and a 1978, a small aluminum heart shape that says "start knitting here", and the relic of the day, an old hose end nozzle in great shape. It says "Franklin Made in USA" on it. After all this time it still works. It was about 4" under the ivy and roots, and was a 21/22. There are two really old trees in front of the house that have roots everywhere so digging is tough, not to mention the carpet of English Ivy. I guess something was better than nothing. 😀 Didn't dug too much trash but did want to remove stuff that might mask other stuff. Think I'll wait until things cool down a bit.

Last saturday the weather was fine and the grain was harvested. So I decided a little detecting will be nice. Grabbed the VX3 with the 7" Ultimate DD and headed to one of my favorite fields. Those field is loaded with iron and shrapnel, but a fixed ground balance helps a lot to get the detector stable and do some cherry picking. Two foil bits, a stone like basalt (came in as foil), a mini ball, a button (think prussian ~1900), 1Pfennig 1933, 1Pfennig 1942. Have to come back to this as there seems to be some more...

Back home from the beach. Got a beautiful day today, low 80s, North wind. Went to the hill over the river, I mowed it a bit more yesterday, so I wanted to see if the Coiltek 10x5 could pull some more from a place I have searched pretty heavily with the standard coil. I wasn't disappointed. Not much, but old coins and jewelry are always welcome. Copper scale that indicates from 0 to 25 something, Gold plated stamped pin with a purple stone, may be amethyst but possibly purple dyed paste. I'm glad the stone is still there, barely held in by the pins. 1941 wheat I think, and an old stamped button from Boston. This hill is infested with nails and large pieces of iron, but the 10x5 cuts the good stuff out like a knife. 😎

He was in front of an elementary and he thinks it's a military button. I told him it's a coat button and he wanted me to post it for him to see. The back is gone on the button. The big field is behind the elementary.

Haven't been digging much lately been occupied with annoying real world projects but was able to sneak out for a bit and came across this medallion. Center spins, no marks on back. I believe it is cast in zinc so probably not that old maybe 70-80's. Anyone seen anything like it? Some sort of novelty but no luck on web searches here.

Yesterday was HOT, But I decided to hit a shady spot that has produced some good stuff. I decided to bring the line trimmer and mow down an area around some tree's that I found a nice barber on. So after an hour of trimming I was happy I could detect under the 3 foot tall grass. My first good signal was a nickle (buffie) next was a wheatie, Not bad for my efforts. The spot is next to a willow tree by an old pond/swimming hole. After collecting a few more nickles and pennies (not looking closely to what I dug) I found what I think might be a carpenter's compass (Total Guess), It's made of copper and was around 10'' deep. Next was a thimble and a kerosene lamp burner. One more signal and out comes a lead button. Well I was hotter than hot and called it a day. When I got home to look at my rather mundane finds I realized I tripped up on Two liberty head nickles (1912 and 1895), a 1907 indian head penny, and two wheatie's 1920 and a no date. , And two no date buffies. This place has yielded stuff from colonial to the 19th century and I'm going to bring the trimmer back to clean up some more spots on the property, Not only for me but to pay back the owner for the permission. Anyone who can help with the ID on the my best guess carpenter compass I welcome the help.

Was on a football field today using the 15" in park 1 and hit a jumpy signal. I decided to dig it because it was loud and chaotic sounding... probably like was said about it by the parents of the teen who owned it originally. When I got it home, I checked to see if there was a tape in it. The tape cover popped off and emptied a full load of wet sand onto the floor...still being obnoxious. This is the first one of these that I have ever dug. Bucket list: cassette player...check.

My detecting buddy found this a couple of weeks ago and we can't make heads or tails as what it is. I was thinking colonial being that the shield looks a lot like the shield on a New Jersey copper. The other half is obviously missing but I'm guessing it is a mirror image. Crossed guns with a shield. If anyone has come across something similar, We would like to know what it is. Hope you all can give me some direction.

Gotta get my RV ready for a trip to the beach, this month going to Emerald Isle for my annual "Wife's Birthday" trip. It was hot and humid this morning, the deer flies are nearing the end of their parasitic lifespan, so they were ravenous. Despite lots of bug spray they hit me over and over. The trick is to let 'em land and bite, they are reluctant to let go so you can kill them. Left quite a few in the dirt today. Unlike ticks, mosquitoes and chiggers, they don't leave an itchy welt. Went back to the hill for about 4 hours, it's not that big an area but I wanted to get one more dig in before spending the rest of the week doing chores. The hill is about 60 feet above the river, what is behind me is about the same size. There was a house here by old records. The evidence is brick and lots - lots - of nails and junk. Dug quite a bit of trash, some of it masking the good stuff. Didn't find much but it was surprising, due to the fact that I have been over this area a lot of times with the standard Equinox coil. Only dug 4 keepers. Silver plated spoon, 1930 wheat, 1936 dog tag and the biggest surprise, a gold plated mid 1800s to 1900s button (I think). Even the shank was plated, the back says "EXTRA RICH" and the company name. I should mention that it was a 12 in a pile of iron nails, the Coiltek 10x5 "sniffed" it out. I haven't found a button in a while so this made my day. It's the best gold plated button I have found. Next up: Beach Road Trip! 😀

Perfect day for a trip out back to the hill over the river about 200 yards behind my house. It's unusual to have a day in July that the temperature doesn't get over 80 in Virginia, but today was just that. Strong north breeze. The river was full of boaters and jet skis, so that was out. I swear the Coiltek 10x5 is awesome, I've been over this area before. Lots of junk today, some really big metal I didn't photograph, but this was what remained, the ratio of junk to finds was kinda high. None of this was masking anything however. Nice old hatchet head, is there a market for these? So far I've dug 3 axe heads and this one from this hill. Of course the obligatory mason jar lids. Finds were kinda cool, worth a post anyway: First thing I dug was the pendant, it's cast metal of some kind but not precious, The more I cleaned it the more black it got. It was a 22. .32 ACP live round again, the second I've dug here. Maybe I'll find the pistol 😀 Brass buckle of some kind, stamped, late 1800s to mid 1900s. Maybe a purse decoration/clasp or something. Brass cap, not sure what for, and a small adjustment wheel I found with some watch parts. Think I found some of the watch a while back. One piece said "made in USA". The most interesting to me was the thimble, it says "Coolidge And Dawes". It was a political campaign thimble given out in 1924. It was a 20/21 so I think it's copper with plating. It was right near the edge of the cliff. This is what it looked like new. The are a lot of nails and iron bits at this site, as well as it being a dump, there was a house here long ago. The 10x5 seems to really be able to sniff out the small stuff. Its ability to "sort" in high trash is an asset.

Finally got around to investigating this odd piece of iron I dug a couple days ago. At first I thought it was a leaf spring, then "Lensed" it, and some sword crossguards came up. Couldn't find an iron one, and this one has a slight curve in its length as well as its width. This morning I took a wire brush to it, and lettering appeared: It reads "iron age". Looked that up, and found this: In the early 1900s there was a company that made farm and garden tools called Iron Age. This must be a part of one of these tools/machines. Usually I don't investigate iron I dig, but I'm glad I did this time. 😀

Today I went to the place in a local park where I have recovered many old iron relics. There is likely still a literal ton of iron under the turf. We have had a good amount of rain in FL, so digging down 10-12 inches is not as horrible as it had been about a month back. Because the area is about 100 ft away from the tracks, I believe the area had been used as a railroad scrap pile because of the heavy-duty iron pieces that have come out of the ground. I have included two such pieces in the pics and would be interested to know if anyone knows what they are. The nickel came out from about 10" so caked with sand that it looked like a button. As usual: Equinox, 15" coil, Park 1, recovery 5, all metal.

Mowed the top of The hill over the river I call Mason Jar Hill because of all the Mason jars I have dug there. I beat the heck out of this area with my 11" standard Equinox coil. Today I went back to see if the 10x5 would make a fool of me. It sure did 😀 1932 female dog tag, lucky watch fob from GRIT Family Newspaper in the 1930s, thimble made of aluminum, B&O railroad button, I think a grommet ring, .32 ACP live round, harmonica reed fragment, belt buckle lock. The ring was a solid 13 and pretty much right on top of the ground. It was gold colored when I picked it up, and cleaning it just made it more and more gold. It's probably not pure (10k) as a bit of tarnish came off when I tried silver polish, but it just got even brighter. The inside is highly polished and smooth and the outside appears to have a casting seam surrounding it. I thought it might be a pipe cutoff but it is smooth and waxy feeling. No purity marks, the story of my life so far. 😵 It is small, according to my wife about a size 5. Here's a pic of how the GRIT good luck charm was used: Here is a pic of the reverse: Like I wrote in another post, I may not take this coil off. 😀

Got permission to hunt a new campground, they tell me no one has ever asked. 😈 Talked to the Assistant GM and he got permission from the boss. Carte Blanche again!! 🥳 This place is huge, a lake, lots of playgrounds, volleyball, you name it. Over 1,000 campsites. I feel honored. Spent 10 minutes around the lake and volleyball court, got coins. Relics came from a huge farm that they are about to convert to new campsites. I was there about 2 hours. The small silver-ish jewelry fragment may be gold, I have to clean it up a bit more to see if it has a mark. It was a 5/6, and was about 8" deep. It has brown shiny jewels on it. The small ornate fragment looks to be copper, it was a 21 and says "KLD" on the back. What looks like an odd salt shaker top rounds out the relics. Other than that I found a lot of bullets and shotgun shell ends from the 1800s. Aluminum trash is non-existent in the farm. The lake is EMI city. Oldest coin is a 1970 penny. Going in the lake tomorrow.

Went out for a couple of hours this morning. I find that the 2nd day after a big rain (we got 8"+ in two days) is better than the day after. It was a nice day, pretty cool and the deer flies are finally on the decline. I loaded up with Cutter and headed out to the steamboat landing, I have been mowing small portions of it for access to the river and to hunt the dirt as well. Can't do the whole thing, it's quite a few acres. I cleared this ~30x40' space that I think was where a small building was, there is brick and lots of iron. It's a challenge to find anything so I went for deep iffy signals that were for the most part repeatable. I wasn't disappointed, great conduction today. Got the usual junk: Lamp parts, what might be gun parts, and shotgun shell ends. A couple nails. The round disc appears to be the back of a wristwatch, there are no markings. Dug a couple of wheats, a 1918 and one with no discernible date. The latter was 8" down under a root. Some chrome plated object, probably recent. The buckles were the most interesting things, first is a suspender buckle similar to one Chase found here, with a patent date: Second is what I think is from the 1700s, not sure whether it is for a shoe or knee: Unfortunately the rounded plate is twisted, I don't dare try to fix it. Last is another of the clip type buckles, this makes #3 and is the most spectacular of them all. I have the other half. This one is the most ornate: Got new headphones I'm going to try out there tomorrow.