Equinox Readout - Don't Reject 100 Yr Old Indian Head Cents

[Steve Herschbach]

Clean zincs read 21 but corroded ones can read lower. The heck with Indian Heads - $10 gold coins also read in this range!

There is a more extensive Target ID Listing here.

[Cal_Cobra]

I once dug an Asian 24K gold mens signet ring that read right at zinc penny on my F75 LTD, and the only reason I dug it was because I was at an old site and thought it might be an IHP.  It was a pleasant surprise  

[johnedoe]

If you want to find gold jewelry and coins your just going to have to dig a lot more trash.....

zinc pennies, pull tabs, and can slaw..... Have fun...

[Jackpine]

2 hours ago, Cal_Cobra said:

I once dug an Asian 24K gold mens signet ring that read right at zinc penny on my F75 LTD, and the only reason I dug it was because I was at an old site and thought it might be an IHP.  It was a pleasant surprise  

They are out there just have to be persistent and dig everything. 

[UtahRich]

Had a chance to get out for a few minutes last Saturday and do some follow up hunting in the yard of a beautiful two story house built in 1900. I call it follow up because I was sure I was not the first to hunt there. The new owner was renovating the yard and had removed all the grass in the front yard and the large parking strip. The ground had also been tilled. 

I am using another detector while waiting on my Equinox. So the target ID scale is different. 

First beep and target of the day was 64-65 and right on top of the dirt. This is low zincoln territory. Imagine my surprise when the coin turned out NOT to be a zincoln, but an 1896 IHC.

I’m pretty sure the yard had been cherry picked by one or more detectorists as all of the solid signals I was getting were disintegrating zincolns and tabs. Still, careful searching turned up some “good” clad tucked in close to garbage.

Looking in some unlikely spots turned up another IHC, this one a very clean 1908.  I turned it over hoping to discover an S on the back, but no luck this time. 

I hunted for a couple hours. The two IHC’s were nice to find. Not a single wheatie though. And no silver. Lots of zincolns and pulltabs to keep me bz. Also a sales tax token, a nice marble and a couple odd and ends.

I’m not sure how well the Equinox will separate between IHC’s and zincolns, I am still waiting on mine. But all the machines I’ve used over the years have these two coins very close together on the VDI’s; the IHC’s slightly below the zinc’s. But if the zincolns are corroded, their numbers can fall well below normal. It has always been hard for me to separate these two.

Techniques like Gerry is referring to above can help improve your odds by looking for deeper, and usually older items. Keep an eye out though for areas where deep items may have been brought to the surface and within reach of your coil. You may just get a surprise like me.

 

Rich (Utah)

[Lighthouse]

1 hour ago, Rich (Utah) said:

Looking in some unlikely spots turned up another IHC, this one a very clean 1908.  I turned it over hoping to discover an S on the back, but no luck this time.

That's a nice 08'. Strong and full LIBERTY, and I think I'm seeing at least 3 diamonds. Kinda tough to tell the back from this pic, but if the shield has strong lines, yer coin is probably a VF+ making it a $7 - $15 coin anyways.

[DDancer]

Gerry makes a very good point on using depth to distinguish old and new targets.  Its a tactic I employ a lot once I get to know the ground I'm detecting in.  Still I have to take a lot of tabs, caps and slaw off the top to grab those deeper targets.  IHC's are a challenge right up there with nickles in the hash.

[GB_Amateur]

12 hours ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

So here is the TRICK from a salty dawg.  I accept zinc cents and Use the DEPTH INDICATOR to see if it is shallow or deep.  Very seldom will a zinc cent be deep as the older copper coins and especially the IH cents.

Or just dig them all and toss the zincolns in the trash.  I found three Indiana Heads in 2016 and (from memory) they were ~4 inches deep.  I"ve found Stinkin Zincolns at that depth or deeper in the same locations (that is, same parks, but not necessarily in the exact same part of those parks).  Were those IH's left there for me by a previous detectorist who had too strict of a dig/no-dig criterion?

I guess it all depends upon your threshhold/breakpoint for digging trash.  Everyone has his/her own limit.

[johnedoe]

Instead of trashing your junk metals separate them and put them aside ....

I have to admit this is a problem with the little woman... She fails to comprehend this little bonus account.... But she doesn't mind taking her out to lunch or dinner on occasion.....It will finally sink in one of these days

you'll be surprised how quickly they add up and if you are lucky enough to have a scrap metal buyer close by turn it all in when you have enough. 

It all adds up to some surprising pocket money.

Here is a little site that I find useful..... http://www.coinflation.com/coins/basemetal_calc.php

At current sink prices 10 bucks of zinc pennies is worth 9.12 in melt value.

And yes ... I know coin melting is illegal............... Just a point of reference .. Not advocating melting coinage, even junk coins.