Forgot My Sandscoop!

[Rick Watkins]

Steve what was your oldest coin there,do you recall, mine was only 1950's

i just thought the salt ate the older ones. Also have you kept track of how many rings you found while in Hawaii?

[sjmpainter]

Well the vacation is over. Back home and time to clean up and check for silver.

 

Dose anyone have a good web site that gives silver content by year?

 

The beach I was hunting has a 1960 era resort and a lot of local surfing activity. I think a good mix of all hunting possibilities A lot of folks informed me of jewelry that had been found as well as lost that helped keep me motivated as I dug a lot of junk..

 

I did notice the most concentrated targets  seemed to be around entry points to the beach and launch points to the water. most of the body of the beach was sparse.

 

I found the two pieces of jewelry at the water line where the beach and the coral meet. Only coins and low value stuff on the beach.

 

I would say Steve is correct in working in the surf but I found this very challenging and would suggest caution if you don`t have a fair amount of experience in the water. Use a tether and some dive weights. BUT USE CAUTION.  Oh and surf shoes are a must!

 

Well This was my fist beach hunt and I absolutely had a BLAST.

 

FYI I need to clean the coins but the oldest I can see is 1968 most are 1990 and newer.

[Steve Herschbach]

Steve what was your oldest coin there,do you recall, mine was only 1950's

i just thought the salt ate the older ones. Also have you kept track of how many rings you found while in Hawaii?

Found a couple silver coins Rick, but the salt water does eat them up. 50s or 60s? Just silver discs more than coins. Coins in Hawaii are just a tiny step above junk targets from my perspective. Every one recovered in surf is just a time waster.

I will have to add up my ring haul for Hawaii but I am guessing around 35 quality gold and platinum? A pile of silver, copper, and just plain junk jewelry.

[Steve Herschbach]

Silver content by year? Do you mean coins? 1964 and earlier dimes and quarters are silver.

Interesting you are using the Excalibur but lots of trash. Were you digging everything?

Jewelry odds in the surf go up dramatically but it can be dangerous. There are many calmer swimming areas however where a person can do well. The key is be in the water where people are swimming or even just hanging their hands in the water. The reality is though jewelry finds are few and far between no matter what, digging lots of targets that are not jewelry is part of the game.

I will post my own new Hawaii story soon so stay tuned. Glad you had a good time!

[sjmpainter]

Steve, can`t wait to hear of the new Holiday hunt. I would like to know about how you select and go about working in the surf and I am sure we will get a full report on the equipment.

I bought the Excalibur a few years back thinking it would be good for nugget hunting in water in Alaska. I realized quick that was the wrong application for the Excalibur. I was going to sell the unit a wile back and decided to wait until after the trip to Hawaii. I wanted to give it a go in an environment that it is intended for. I am glad I did.

Having used the unit very little I spent time playing with the discrimination and sensitivity settings. So I dug everything. Towards the end I ran in all metal mode to try to get better depth. I did not find anything but large metal objects past eight inches.

I now refer to beach detecting as pleasure detecting. If you ever get the chance to detect brushy areas of Alaska you will understand what I mean.

Yes I am referring to the silver content of coins. I know 64 and early are ninth percent silver and I think 64 to 70 are forty percent?

Here is something I learned on my trip. During WW2 Hawaii had there own notes.

[Steve Herschbach]

"If you ever get the chance to detect brushy areas of Alaska you will understand what I mean."

Now that I got a chuckle out of! Though the way I surf hunt hunting in the brush is easier. I am pretty well beat up after three hours in the surf. Straight up beach detecting is another matter though, just a walk in the park, or on the beach as the case may be.

Coins except pennies and nickels were 90% silver 1964 and prior. After that, only the Kennedy Half had any silver at all, 40% from 1965 until 1970. http://coinsite.com/us-silver-coins-when-they-ended-and-what-theyre-worth/

[sjmpainter]

I put my coins in a tumbler with sand for about an hour.  Add some detergent and then Steve is right, CoinStar them.  If you do Amazon you don't have to pay a fee.

mn90403, Thanks for the heads up on the Amazon tip. I did not know about that.

[sjmpainter]

I took some time to read Steve`s Journal looking for surf detecting. I really liked this one http://www.detectorprospector.com/steves-mining-journal/garrett-infinium-kaui-hawaii-gold-jewely.htm. If  I had done some reading before my trip I would have been more prepared to deal with the surf and I know I would have a better catch. The targets are certainly there, I just was not prepared.

 

Steve, I did three hours in the surf, that's hardcore. But I still would rather fall in the surf than the Alders.