Mining For Lead

[Geologyhound]

These are finds from two days of hunting at the same site.  I had never found a Civil War bullet and always wanted to.  I thought perhaps I might someday find one or two, but I never imagined I would find this many.  With all the iron grunts, I was using the Tekkna program with the 11x13 on my Deus 2.  These all were a little twitchy on the VDI #, but were between 78-82.  One which was mashed read 84.  They all gave a nice tone.  If I got a faint or iffy signal, I checked it with my custom fast program. If that gave me a better tone and/or a more consistent reading in the right range, I dug.

There appear to be at least four or five styles, perhaps more.  The main group all are about the same length with a domed top and a flat spot on the tip.  All of the flanges are roughly equal in size.  There is also a group of three on the right which are shorter and have much smaller flanges.  There is a group of four two-ringers on the left - all of which are shorter than the main group and have a shorter tip. Two of these have a wider bottom flange and two have a shorter bottom flange.  In the bottom row, one bullet has a wider bottom flange and a more conical top than the main group.  Most of the rest in the bottom row appear to be slightly shorter and have a bigger flat spot on the tip. Perhaps this is from hitting something, but they are not mushroomed out.  I don’t know how much of this variation might be due to different bullet molds.  From what I have heard, if they don’t have a dimple in the bottom, the bullets are “newer“.  The two in the lower right corner don’t have a dimple.  There is also a completely mushroomed bullet on the lower left.  But, it appears to have a copper sheath base with a central post, and as such is probably much newer.  Any help on identifying the rifle types would be greatly appreciated!

I found plenty of clad and five silvers.  One of the Mercury dimes is 1916.  I was afraid to look for the mint mark. Unfortunately it is Philadelphia.  There are six wheats, three of which are from the 19 teens.  I haven’t tried cleaning the full date area yet on those until they can dry out a bit more.

The Iodex mentholated ointment sample tin is theoretically from the 1920s.  One of the blank discs is actually an old wheat penny which appears to have been mashed on a railroad.  The other one is copper or brass, 25 mm, and looks like it had a raised rim.  However, I can’t make out any detail on either side other than what appears to be spokes around the rim like an IHP (which would be 19 mm).

I do not know what the other grey disc is next to the Iodex tin.  It is heavy, thicker than a coin, has no details on either side, is completely non-magnetic, looks more silver than lead, but not enough silver to be silver.

Thanks for any help, and thanks for looking!

 

[palzynski]

9 hours ago, Geologyhound said:

These are finds from two days of hunting at the same site.  I had never found a Civil War bullet and always wanted to.  I thought perhaps I might someday find one or two, but I never imagined I would find this many.

42 bullets , then you have reached your objective without any doubt ...  🙂

Congrats this is a very impressive haul , you have both a very good site and a very good detector with a great Tekkna setting ...

 

[F350Platinum]

Looks like Tekkna paid off at a virtually un-hunted site! What a haul! 🤯

Congrats on the silver, 25mm coins are always a tough search if you've got no detail. Have you tried sidelighting it? Thought you might have had a 2c piece at first but it's bigger.

That's a place that should keep giving for a while. 👍

[JCR]

Now that is a good hunt. Glad you had a memorable day with some very interesting finds.

[GB_Amateur]

19 hours ago, Geologyhound said:

The other one is copper or brass, 25 mm, and looks like it had a raised rim.  However, I can’t make out any detail on either side other than what appears to be spokes around the rim...

Technically those 'spokes' are known as 'denticles'.  According to the Red Book, large cents had diameters as small as 26 mm -- the early ones.  I think the quality control back in the early years was lax enough that the diameters of the planchets (blanks) could be different and still make it into production.  Is it possible yours is a bit larger than 25 mm diameter?

Great hunt you had there!  Hopefully the CW buffs here can help you identify your bullets.

[Geologyhound]

15 hours ago, palzynski said:

42 bullets , then you have reached your objective without any doubt ...  🙂

Congrats this is a very impressive haul , you have both a very good site and a very good detector with a great Tekkna setting ...

 

Thanks!  Someone else was using a program called Forager and seemed to be doing quite well too.  I’ll have to look that one up.

[Geologyhound]

15 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

Looks like Tekkna paid off at a virtually un-hunted site! What a haul! 🤯

Congrats on the silver, 25mm coins are always a tough search if you've got no detail. Have you tried sidelighting it? Thought you might have had a 2c piece at first but it's bigger.

That's a place that should keep giving for a while. 👍

I have tried sidelighting, frontlighting, backlighting, you name it.  Parts of it look smooth like a plug from a junction box.  But, that should be a different metal.  Also, I don’t see a break-off point, and a lighted magnifier does make it look like there was a rim which might have had denticles.  I almost wonder if it is another railroad mashed coin, but it seems to have a uniform thickness and circular shape.  Were blank planchets for old style coins a different diameter than the struck coin?

[Geologyhound]

4 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

Technically those 'spokes' are known as 'denticles'.  According to the Red Book, large cents had diameters as small as 26 mm -- the early ones.  I think the quality control back in the early years was lax enough that the diameters of the planchets (blanks) could be different and still make it into production.  Is it possible yours is a bit larger than 25 mm diameter?

Great hunt you had there!  Hopefully the CW buffs here can help you identify your bullets.

I don’t have a caliper.  After rechecking it multiple directions on a clear ruler, it appears to actually be a little over 25.5 mm, and a shade under 26 mm.  It is about 1 mm thick.

[F350Platinum]

9 hours ago, Geologyhound said:

I have tried sidelighting, frontlighting, backlighting, you name it.  Parts of it look smooth like a plug from a junction box.  But, that should be a different metal.  Also, I don’t see a break-off point, and a lighted magnifier does make it look like there was a rim which might have had denticles.  I almost wonder if it is another railroad mashed coin, but it seems to have a uniform thickness and circular shape.  Were blank planchets for old style coins a different diameter than the struck coin?

That I don't know. 🤔 

Could you get a closer and clearer photo of both sides?

You're definitely in the large cent and early English coin range. My first large copper was a slick one.

[GB_Amateur]

16 hours ago, Geologyhound said:

It is about 1 mm thick.

That's too thin to be a USA Large Cent or one of its planchets.  They are over 2 mm in thickness.  Can you measure its weight?  That would likely provide a final conclusion.

 

16 hours ago, Geologyhound said:

Were blank planchets for old style coins a different diameter than the struck coin?

That I don't know.  The raised rim was put on the planchet before it entered the press so if never struck it should still have the rim.  Denticles, OTOH, were part of the striking process, coming from the die.