TampaBayBrad Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 1 hour ago, ColonelDan said: I’ve noticed a distinct lack of coins on our Florida beaches (East coast) in the last few years. Pennies if anything g will be found more than anything Yea, not like it used to be. But really....most of us go to the beach to hunt for gold anyway, not coins. The thing is you need something like a coin to dig occasionally so you don't get bored. Ha! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted January 3 Author Share Posted January 3 4 hours ago, blackjack said: I also had high hopes for a $5 coin, our 'plastic' notes and their durability are to blame, I think. Were you at the Basin by any chance ? Pinky's Beach..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Compass Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 10 hours ago, Tony said: I fully understand but at least your clad coins can offer up clues as to what else might be around. Several years ago, there was talk that the Australian mint was going to produce a $5 coin......that's probably unlikely now 👎 Back around 2003, there was a monster winter storm that hit our area. At the time, I was offshore on a local touristy island (Rottnest Island). One of the exposed beaches coughed up over $250 in $1 and $2 coins.....a dozen or so silver coins and four big gold rings. I was down there at a 1am low tide with just a headlight....no detector needed for the first three hours !! The whole beach lost 6 feet of sand.....all that was left was exposed limestone bedrock. I didn't even bother with the "other coins". What a night that was and not another soul around....they were all in bed whilst I braved 70 mph winds, torrential rain and hail. I could hear the heavy 8 metre swell thundering over the outer reef....in the pitch black it was quite scary.....easily the best beach combing / detecting experience I ever had. I wish I'd taken pictures at the time as it was quite a haul. "but at least your clad coins can offer up clues as to what else might be around." Very true. When conditions are ideal in the wet sand a lot of greenies are found but not many zinc pennies. Numerous quarters are usually a positive sign as well. On my beaches, lead seems to be the most important indicator of the presence of gold. Despite the huge surf in California last week I found very little lead and very little gold. "no detector needed for the first three hours !!" I've heard of such events at my local beaches and would love to experience that myself! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 10 hours ago, TampaBayBrad said: most of us go to the beach to hunt for gold anyway, not coins Absolutely....but the coins were a roadmap to the gold. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB_Amateur Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 On 1/2/2024 at 11:32 PM, Compass said: I've been envious of the larger denomination coins that can be found Down Under. In the US it is just the opposite. We continue to circulate practically worthless coins and the zinc ones are just trash after they have been in the ground or water a while. I blame the mint (and Congress) for the Zincolns but the public for the lack of large denomination coins. Growing up in the 60's and even into the 70's, half dollars were commonly received in change. We've had small format $1 coins (off and on) since 1979 yet the number I've gotten in change I could count on one hand (not hold in one hand, count, as in 1,2,3,4,5). Our fellow countrymen love quarters and paper $1 for the past 40 years. Fortunately we've avoided iron core coins in this country. There's enough iron in our detecting sites already.... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TampaBayBrad Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 2 hours ago, GB_Amateur said: There's enough iron in our detecting sites already.... and aluminum..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stupot Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 On 1/3/2024 at 4:50 AM, Tony said: I fully understand but at least your clad coins can offer up clues as to what else might be around. Several years ago, there was talk that the Australian mint was going to produce a $5 coin......that's probably unlikely now 👎 Back around 2003, there was a monster winter storm that hit our area. At the time, I was offshore on a local touristy island (Rottnest Island). One of the exposed beaches coughed up over $250 in $1 and $2 coins.....a dozen or so silver coins and four big gold rings. I was down there at a 1am low tide with just a headlight....no detector needed for the first three hours !! The whole beach lost 6 feet of sand.....all that was left was exposed limestone bedrock. I didn't even bother with the "other coins". What a night that was and not another soul around....they were all in bed whilst I braved 70 mph winds, torrential rain and hail. I could hear the heavy 8 metre swell thundering over the outer reef....in the pitch black it was quite scary.....easily the best beach combing / detecting experience I ever had. I wish I'd taken pictures at the time as it was quite a haul. Top marks for that effort. Those sorts of conditions are really rare and need to be taken advantage of. We can then remember those times for the rest of our detecting career! 'They died with their boots on Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Beechnut OBN Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 2008 I remember a Australian beach hunter posted on Friendly MDF... said he could live off of his finds, I think he even made a video on it. Sure enough he posted for several months he was paying his bills and doing ok, all because of the 1 n 2 dollar coins. Sounds like it would be fairly hard to do now. I remember OC Md in the early years (07/08) when I took on the hobby you could dig 200 plus coins in a day, may had been $30 total but you felt it would cover gas and food. Now days with the coin meters gone and everyone has to pay with Credit Cards or some other.... your lucky to get 40 coins in a day ($7). And the gold has slowed also, i-phones, tattoos, places pushing new age metals combined with the price of gold.. I've not been there since 2019. I have a few friends that live and hunt there, they are lucky to dig 5 pieces of gold a year.. and they hunt a lot. For me, when I do hunt.. I only hunt places that hold older targets .. places that closed in the mid to late 60's. Coins are a good sign I am in the right spot, and it's time to slow down and dig all signals. Only issue ... it may take me a few months to find a hot area. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrencetheMDer Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Here is a pic of the 293 US cents that I have found so far this year (Jan1, 2024-Feb 24, 2024) on the west coast of Florida. I'd say 95% or so are NOT spendable. At least I get a good work-out, but I would prefer dollar coins, just a personal preference. Happy Hunting 1 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schoolofhardNox Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 2 hours ago, LawrencetheMDer said: Here is a pic of the 293 US cents that I have found so far this year (Jan1, 2024-Feb 24, 2024) on the west coast of Florida. I'd say 95% or so are NOT spendable. At least I get a good work-out, but I would prefer dollar coins, just a personal preference. Happy Hunting Melt them down 😅 Skim the copper, keep the zinc. Might as well get something out of the deal. 🤔 I find a lot of coins still here on the New England coast and even the non zinc ones would still have to be tumbled to be readable and spendable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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