Dry Spells And Groundskeepers

[strick]

I was wondering how long it was going to take? My last good gold ring was the day before Christmas...before that I was averaging at least one every month or three. I'll admit I didn't detect as much as I should have this past winter due to being busy with work related stuff. I've been hitting a new park that is really large/old and full of people. It is a target rich environment  but I know there is a very large metal detecting club in this city so I always figured it's been hit hard. There is lots of untouched old aluminum still in this park.  I've been there twice....Last week I was way in the back corner minding my own business when here comes the grounds keeper in the city truck. He gets out of the truck and walks up to me eyeballing the ground where I've been digging. I take off my headphones and first thing out of his mouth is " which detector you using? "  I show him the CTX and he tells me he has an Etrac. We talk for 20 min and we exchanged info on good spots to hunt etc...  This park has potential for old gold. but I need to hunt it when there is not so many people there. I did find a very deep 14k gold hoop earring which hit loud and clear like a Orbit sprinkler head would. It's hollow but still weighs over 4 grams. I might practice smelting this earring some day. 

On July 3rd I told myself that I was going to the beach early morning on the 4th no matter what the tides looked like. I really just wanted to dig in some nice soft sand for a change. So I load up the TDI and CTX and leave home at 430AM and get to the beach right at sun up. It's my first trip the the beach this year and  I was wanting to try out my new elliptical coil on the TDI.... so I went down to the the wet sand and hunted up and down for about 40 min....the coil works just fine but theres not many targets plus the sand is soft in some areas and the tide is in...I decide I need to change tactics if I want to be successful....so I go back to the truck for the CTX. The beach is starting to get real crowded as I am seeing people rushing to get good spots on the beach. It's  only about 8am,  I'm working the towel  line and I'm already having to zig zag between people putting up tents etc.. But I'm having fun and digging lots of coins and a few trinkets.  Ironically there is not another hunter to be seen. About 9am the beach is getting really crowded so I decide to call it quits and start detecting back to the main entrance. There is a city volley ball net the only one not being used near the entrance and as I'm going along directly under the net I get a faint deep nickel sound. I'm hunting with wide open screen and digging everything. I kick off about 6 inches of sand and sweep the coil again and this time it shows up loud and and clear as good target. One deep scoop of sand and in my scoop is a 18K white gold mens wedding band!.....Back home by 11:30 am just in time to get ready for the afternoon barbecue. Then it happens.....I started feeling guilty while looking at the ring. It fits me perfect and I remember the time when I lost my wedding band in Maui... The ring is pretty well worn.....probably a working mans ring I'm thinking....someone that has been married for a long time... I've been looking on Craigslist lost and found for a couple days...but nothing...and now the guilty feeling has subsided and the Pirate in me comes back to life....  SO THIS SUCKER IS MINE!

strick 

[Deft Tones]

Nice ring!

From things I've read, you can't find gold with a CTX! What a fluke! 

Congratulations on breaking the dry spell. 

[tvanwho]

Whats the secret to hunting volleyball courts? I never seem to find anything more than dimes and pennies and matchbox cars in the sand there. I learnt on soccer fields to hunt the sidelines as that's where they take off shoes, put rings in shoes and ferget its there, etc...

[strick]

10 hours ago, tvanwho said:

Whats the secret to hunting volleyball courts? I never seem to find anything more than dimes and pennies and matchbox cars in the sand there. I learnt on soccer fields to hunt the sidelines as that's where they take off shoes, put rings in shoes and ferget its there, etc...

I've read a few theories but I think the biggest secret to hunting volley ball courts is just to keep hunting volley ball courts.

strick  

[GB_Amateur]

21 hours ago, strick said:

I was wanting to try out my new elliptical coil on the TDI....

Great finds for a short hunt.  Which TDI coil are you referring to?  Now I know why I never see those brass dollar coins, even in circulation.  They've all been dropped on your beach.

 

[Mike Hillis]

Very nice!   I like finding 18k White Gold.   We need a green emoticon to show some envy.

HH
Mike

 

[Swampstomper Al]

2 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

...Now I know why I never see those brass dollar coins, even in circulation.  They've all been dropped on your beach.

LOL.. I can't believe how many times you've nailed an exact thought of mine first.. The most-recent-attempt $1 coins are virtually non-existent around these-heah parts too.. Since 2000 I've gotten exactly six, not as finds either.. Got a Sacawagea in cash register change when they first came out.. The other five have shown up at a long-running weekly poker game..

I actually have eight 1st-year unc rolls of the durn things (2 Sac & 6 Prez) I peeled to check for test wash/finish & no-edge-printing respectively, that I still have kinda hanging around for posterity.. A year or two ago I found out how many bazillions of 'em are still sitting in Federal storage though, so one of these days they'll go away for an Unc or Proof quarter-eagle or some new-breed proof silver dollars..

Swamp

PS: Wait..! Wait..! Stop the presses..! I did find one metal detecting..! Forgot all about that sucker.. It was under a park bench by a metal leg.. Just enough of a tone variation I dragged the leaves & twigs out with my foot & there it was..

[GB_Amateur]

2 hours ago, Swampstomper Al said:

LOL.. I can't believe how many times you've nailed an exact thought of mine first.

Well, you've heard the saying "Great minds think alike."  Of course there are other more mundane explanations, but let's stick with that one.

My sister is more into finding new coins -- for example, if she's at a WalMart parking lot for 15 mintues she'll pull out her White's MXT and go through the islands.  She seldom leaves without several.  I know she's found the brass dollars in some of her many hunts.

Seems the mint, etc. (but they don't make all the decisions, maybe very few) is always trying to convince us that dollar coins (and half dollars) should still be used, but the public just won't budge.  We had the Eisenhowers in the early-mid 70's and even the Susan B. Anthony (first small format) clads in '79-'81 before the Sacagawea and eventualy presidents.  But like you, I seldom see them except as gifts or presentation pieces.  Canada had (don't know if they still do) their 'Loonies', which were quite attractive, IMO.  I used to put scientific payloads on balloons and a friend in that effort had the idea of flying some Loonies on one of them (~120 kft = 23 miles = 36 km altitiude) when we were in Prince Albert, SK so we did and I still have them -- just saw them in a plastic film canister the other day.  Still looking as pretty as the day they came out of the Royal Mint.  Probably still worth all of $1 Canadian....  Likely since then some have made it on the Shuttle and/or Space Station, but I bet we held the high altitude record for the Loonie for at least a while.

Speaking of attractive Canadian coins, I really like the 1 oz gold Maple Leaf.  I had one of those long ago but (unfortunately) sold it for about 1/3 of its current value way back (1992, I think) when I needed the money for a down payment on a house.  That's long gone, too, but at least I parlayed it along the way.  Still wish I had that coin, though.  I don't think I (or anyone else) is likely to find one of those metal detecting, unless it's in a buried/hidden cache. I'm going to be satisifed with my occasional silver coin find -- those are hard enough to come by.

I've attached some images for those who aren't familiar with these coins.  I prefer QE II early likenesses, but glad she's made it this far and still going strong.  Son Charles probably thought he'd be on the big throne by now, but he's had it pretty good.

 

[MontAmmie]

Nice ring, Strick!  I haven't found any gold since that tiny little 22k pendant 3 weeks ago. 

[strick]

On July 7, 2017 at 5:00 AM, GB_Amateur said:

Great finds for a short hunt.  Which TDI coil are you referring to?  Now I know why I never see those brass dollar coins, even in circulation.  They've all been dropped on your beach.

 

The Eisenhower's are rare around here probably because of the size. The brass dollars are in the parks...I'll get one every once in a while. That Canadian coin would look nice in my collection...Thanks for the comments everyone. Great that we can exchange info. I had Minor John build me a 9x14 open web mono coil. 

strick