Iffy Barber Dime

[GB_Amateur]

As my current sites get hunted (by me), the clean hits become fewer.  I've been working quite a bit this 2021 trying to squeeze out good (non-ferrous) targets which are far from perfect signals.  Yesterday in a schoolyard I've been searching for the past 3 years and have 'covered' at the 80+% level I went to an area that has produced multiple old coins, including at least one of each of the following:  Mercury Dime, silver Wartime Nickel, and Buffalo Nickel.  I've also found multiple Wheat pennies.  I don't know if I had been over this target before.

Minelab Equinox 800 w/11" coil, Park 1, no discrimination, custom 5 tones, Recovery Speed = 4, Iron Bias F2=0.

I got a decent high tone (my custom high tone range is 20-40, corresponding to clean/fresh Zincolns and up) but with iron grunts mixed in.  The digital Target ID (dTID) was all over the map, from 21 to 39.  I was able to circle the target and get at least some high tone from about every direction.  When I pinpointed, I at first got pulled to an iron target nearby but was then able to hone in on a decent location using multiple pinpointing methods.  I dug down a good 6 inches without a reliable Garrett Carrot response, rechecked the target's location with the Eqx, and then noticed a weak signal with the Carrot to the side-wall of the hole.  Digging into the sidewall at the 5-6 inch depth the Carrot got stronger, and I switched to the more accurate White's TRX to hone in on the location (to try and make sure to dig around and not through! the item).  I never got a great signal from the TRX but after pulling out another scoop of dirt I noticed the signal was now missing in the hole and with a bit of hunting around in my catch pan was able to see a dirt caked dime sized target. 

Normally silver coins show a nice white color but this one didn't, making me think it might be a clad dime.  But a spray of water showed the Liberty head and I knew it was a Barber.  (Arriving home and carefully cleaning in water only I was able to discern the 1904 date, no mintmark meaning from Philadelphia -- a common coin but still a keeper as are all silvers.) 

I continued to investigate the spot and about 4 inches radially from the dime's location but shallower (around 3") I recovered the rusty nail shown in the photo.  This was about where I had initially pinpointed an iron target (mentioned above).  But I don't think my final pinpointing location was affected by this nail (don't know for sure) and conclude the dime was on edge.  I must say that this dime signal wasn't a lot different that several iron targets I've dug in the last several hunts.

In the 2 1/2 hour hunt I only recovered four other coins, a Zincoln, a copper Memorial, and two stacked clad quarters reading 31-32 dTID (which is high for a single clad quarter, normally 29-30).  This is the second Barber Dime I've found in this schoolyard, but the mystery is why it was there at all.  The original school (since replaced) was built around 1955 and prior to that the land was a livestock pasture.  I know that the location of the original school (which I was either right over or very close to) was backfilled.  I've now found 4 or 5 silver dimes here and none has been a Roosie.  The time window for losses from the school is 1955-70.  It's possible the two silver Barbers were dropped in that time period but it seems unlikely given that would have occurred 40-55 years past their last minting.  My hypothesis has been that in the process of filling in the hole where the school's basement was located and further smoothing the schoolyard that fill was brought in from elsewhere -- possibly somewhere else in the town where street excavation (new utility lines, etc.) was being done.

And the mystery rock/mineral in the picture?  That earns its own post in the minerals subforum.

[Tiftaaft]

Great recovery GBA!

On 3/21/2021 at 12:52 PM, GB_Amateur said:

This is the second Barber Dime I've found in this schoolyard, but the mystery is why it was there at all. 

I have a theory that if you looked at pocket change in the 50's, you would find a mix of older coins.. they weren't as desirable when all were silver.  Now.. why there wouldn't be any Rosies?  You may be correct about fill dirt being brought in that predated rosie silver.  

So do you think that high 30's was iron wraparound, or was the Barber jumping that much?  

I will have to live vicarious through you on the silver Barber.  Looks beautiful to me 🙂

~Tim

 

[Dances With Doves]

Great find.       Sometimes those iffy signals end up being the best finds you will ever get.My 2 gold coins were an iffy signal.If you are in a spot that produced a lot of coins you better dig those iffy signals to get the coins that are still left.

[GB_Amateur]

2 hours ago, Tiftaaft said:

So do you think that high30's was iron wraparound, or was the Barber jumping that much?

I don't think it was wraparound, but you're right that it could have been.  After I got the Barber recovered the nail was negative numbers, though.  (I just dug it up to see where & how deep it was.  Trying to learn how close nails need to be to affect other nearby targets.)

[Tiftaaft]

19 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

(I just dug it up to see where & how deep it was.  Trying to learn how close nails need to be to affect other nearby targets.)

I understand that, I dig a fair amount of iron on purpose for exactly that reason.  Sometimes I dig it first to see if the higher conductor cleans up or changes id... other times I dig it after the desired target.  If it is big..  I dig it just to get it out of there so it doesn't have a chance to mask a smaller target.   

Getting a nice find, especially one that isn't easy... just feels good!  Congrats!!   

[GB_Amateur]

19 minutes ago, Tiftaaft said:

I dig a fair amount of iron on purpose for exactly that reason.  Sometimes I dig it first to see if the higher conductor cleans up or changes id... other times I dig it after the desired target.

I do that sometimes, too, if I get an iffy target (or what seems to be one) near a loud iron target.  I've had it work both ways -- sometimes it clears up a good target's signal and sometimes what I thought was a good target completely disappears, meaning the iron target was causing a false (seemingly good) target along with its own strong grunt.  That sometimes works with aluminum trash targets as well.

We (or at least I..., can't speak for everyone) like to think that the center of the coil (or sweetspot, if it's off-center) is the only place that will respond.  Yet the magnetic field is much more complicated than that.  Two trash targets that are both at the edge of the coil (with nothing in the sweetspot) can give a good (positive) signal, for example.  And there are many more orientations that can fool me.

[kac]

Might have had a good halo from the nail that tainted the dimes signal. The dirt could have been trucked in or the area could have been farmland at one time. Squeaking out those iffy targets is what I have been trying to master since last year. Curious if the next time you come across a target like that try lowering the recovery speed rather than faster and see if blending the targets gives you a better repeatable signal. Something I can't adjust on my MK and noticed sometimes the slower Tejon and AT Pro give better target location than the speedier machines.

[JCR]

I suspect your thoughts of the older coins coming in with the fill dirt may be the case. Looking at the nail you dug close by. It's old and been in the ground a long time.

[Valens Legacy]

Great find on the barber, and good luck on your next hunt.

[GA1dad]

If it weren't for iffy signals,, I'd dig no holes at all I guess. Lots have detectorist have gone before me.

 

Congrats on the keeper!!