Back at it again 7am this morning and I manged to stay in the older zone. Still no real oldies so sand must have not been cut to much by high water.
Today's "NUT!"
Another whopper at 56 cents.. Today's oldest penny is a 1959, oldest nickle comes in at 1962, oldest dimes 1956,1964. Also found Superman's stainless steel ring. He must not have been able to see it with his x-ray vision??? My favorite for today is a silver spoon ring. been long time since I found one and this one is big one. First for me today was I think an e-cigarette?? says JUUL on it . Also kicked up and old Coke Bottle out of the bottom river looks to be from 1959... Bottle is not unusual enough to be worth anything but I'll add it to others like it I've found in river.. I know I used to get a nickle deposit from the store for bottles like that when I was a kid. Be whole wind fall of 30 cents if ya had a six pack of them..
Today I wore my leaky old hip boots again. Though I had the leaks all goo-ed over after wet feet the other day. But the boots like me are so old made some new cracks in them just wearing them. Think I'm going to go even earlier tomorrow and wear my wet suit and river boots..Go earlier stay longer go in water little deeper..early bird gets the worm...waters warm enough now.








Mac

Did like I planned put on my wet suit and went early this morning. Worked mostly in same area where I've been last few times out. Total find for the day 75 cents. Only one silver coin a dime and it's a 1948.. got a funny kinda beep, actually chased the dime around for a bit with big scoop. Got on my knees and started digging around with pin-pointer finally came up with the dime. Stuck pin-pointer back in and dug out a penny which turned out to be a 1946.. So that would explain my weird beep two coins close together.. I'm not sure why it is but seems every time I get a target I have to kind of chase around. Turns out to be a dime or older style pull tab??? I almost past that dime and penny thinking it was a tab because I was chasing it??? Digging in the sand in the water is so different than on land.
Only one piece jewlery today a large silver cross. Don't have a 925 mark but does say Sterling Silver so may predate the 925 thing??? My wife says it looks more like the cross off a Rosary than one someone would just where??I don't know!
Had 6 nickles oldest today 1941 also 6 of the pennies were Wheaties..with oldest at 1944.
Some one ask before about finding stone points in the scoop. That I have not but I did have a chip this morning that could be a working off a point. I've seen enough of them to believe this maybe?

I'm surprised the dime came up as clean as it is compared to how dirty all the pennies are..



Mac

Thanks for sharing your adventures. You have a very interesting "hobby".

I'll tell you, you've been digging up some neat stuff. Day after day, I'm impressed. Not sure how many hours you're spending?

In one of these threads you were talking about old school houses. Long story short, Dad and the owner of an old 1 room schoolhouse were good friends. This was back, 20 some years ago, Dad and I went up to check it out. Dad was watching, I was detecting. I figured we'd come out of there with a pocket full of silver. Anyway, I searched, up and down around the place. Everywhere I could imagine kids going. When we got back and I had time to sort through the junk, I forget for sure, but it was up over 100 good sounding targets that I'd dug up. (I'm sure I've got that box full of "treasure" here someplace?)

The majority of the junk was pistol brass and bullets of one size or another. Other than a couple "stinkin Lincoln's" and maybe some new change, I didn't find squat. I mean the copper plated bullets and the brass sounded good to me, you've almost gotta dig it.

The building was rented to some guys for their hunting camp, I guess they done a lot of pistol shooting. But they had like a big flower box built, from the door on out to the corner of the school. They kept their firewood piled in the thing. I remember I was out around the corner with my headphones on, when I noticed Dad motioning for me to come up there. Here there was a rattlesnake laying out on that box. I used a stick of firewood on it's gord. That's the best thing we found that day.

I'd like to try that spot again, there's gotta be something there worth digging up.

redsnow
I've been spending a couple 2-3 hours in the early mornings messing around in water digging that stuff in pictures.. I've spent hundreds of hours running a detector the last 30 years kept little log for a while. You mention all the brass you dug by the old school house. I think I've found a piece of brass or bullet at almost every public beach I've detected. I had a 22 casing that didn't get in the pic of yesterdays items I just forgot to include.. Drove me nuts because it was small enough to go threw scoop a couple times in water. Once I was sure it was in the scoop 3rd or 4th try had to walk it up to shore dump it there pick it out. I made the holes in my scoop I think 3/8 so when something goes threw most times I know it's not a ring or coin. Usually when I have something go threw the scoop piece turns out to be a split shot or other small sinker. But I have had some jewelry usually ear rings or charms go threw the scoop.
With my machine giving me just tones and no number display I dig a lot of trash sounded good. Most days more trash than the good items and of course I don't put that trash in the pics. I suppose I really should like I said most days more trash that goodies..I didn't mention I dug in today's Items one of my own tags I had made I left in the river. I had Larry Finch make me some copper tags with my Macthediver stamped in them. I sometimes carry them with me and if I find a nice ring or something I bury one of those tags where I found the item. This morning I got a good beep and up comes one of my tags in the scoop. I honestly don't recall what i found in that spot and when. I've had the tags I think 4 years now and last year I didn't get in that spot. So that tag has been there for at least two years??? was fun to see it and I buried it back
Anyway I was thinking about why I'm not finding a lot of silver mostly the Wheaties. It's probably the same reason you don't find a lot of silver around old school houses.. those kids in those days didn't have a lot of coins to carry and if they did they kept a tight grip on them.. I know I didn't have much change in my pocket often when I was a kid an for sure had no use to carry it to school..
Me I'm kinda looking for that one old cool item sometimes don't know what that is until it's in my hand..

Mac

Here's a link to a thread on Hal's site: http://sullivansline.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=26705#Post26705

I've only been swimming twice this summer. We had some hard rain the other day, the river is muddy now, but might be able to get back out today or tomorrow. Swimming looking for junk is a little bit like detecting, now and then you'll find some good junk.

Hope the link works. I'm not sure how to post pictures here on Paul's site.

redsnow
The Link works interesting stuff you can find even snorkeling.. I have no idea how many fish poles I've picked out of river over the years. Most are junk seems they don't hold up well once in water. I do have a light weight uglystix I found that is my crappie pole I leave at camper..
I actually got started and interested in diving years ago when a kid doing what we called pollywagging. Crawl around or snorkeling picking lures in a heavily fished area.. I remember one very good day when I picked a half a two pound coffee can full of all good different size DareDevils and Mepps spinners, beetle spins. Had a banner day that day..I still keep every good lure or sinker I find even if to melt back into a jigs or sinker of my own. I've lost count of the boat anchors I've picked up and I think I've only ever bought one anchor that went with a winch system I had on one of my boats..I only have a couple odd light anchors here right now as I haven't gone targeting anchors in years. Usually just find them when monkeying other things. I also think since more people use trolling motors there are less anchors lost?
I picked a lot of things out of the river before I had my first metal detector..The water here is actually clearer now then when I was a kid. I first learn to pick without seeing by what we called brailling or basically feeling around in dark..I can pick up a lot of things without being able to see them and know what I'm holding. I think knowing how to do that is part of what made me a good fire fighter.
So anyway this morning I was just trying to decide if I was going to go back to the beach with the detector. Pager goes off cops are chasing some guy he bails in river swims away. So I was headed there help with that, they canceled said he made it to other side river. Cops grabbed him up in woods on other side. I came home finishing my cup coffee got to decide now what to do with rest the day..so didn't get back to the beach today. Maybe tomorrow??

Mac

Ttt.

Years ago, Dad and my brother took scuba diving lessons, at the YMCA in Cumberland, MD. My brother is only 4 years older than me, but I wasn't old enough for the class. Cumberland is an hour drive.

There are classes offered around here now, from time to time. But always screwy hours and days. I'd love to take the class and be certified and all, but almost impossible for me to just take off work, 2 or 3 weeknights and different hours. That's on my to do list.

Snorkeling around here in the river, most of the good junk in fairly shallow water. Everything that I've found this summer has been in water 8 feet or less. That one hole where I was the other day is about 12 feet deep, I can go down but I can't stay there long.

People on the water have changed around here, years ago, most everyone was fishing. And they lost good junk. Most people today are just floating, and don't have much good stuff. A few years ago I did find a girl's billfold, I forget, she had 70 or $80 cash in the thing. I had her drivers license and all kinds of junk, but not an easy way to get in touch. Luckily, she had a receipt where she'd bought a mountain bike, that had a phone #. She was happy to get all that stuff back.

Well, my brother and I went out the other day, the creek was muddy so we didn't even get wet. Yesterday I went out to a different stream and found 1 rod and reel. It's in pretty good shape.

Checked the big river this morning, it looked fair. Went to the same place where brother and I had planned on going. As they say: "Here's my nut" lol. I found 2 cell phones, 4 pair of eye glasses and a whistle. I guess that was some kind of long range whistle a feller could blow in case of an emergency? The river is still milky, but I could see fairly good. I was in the water 2 hours or better? I looked the area over pretty good, I think. I found the same Miller Lite can 3 times.

Couldn't decide if want to go to beach again this morning because of the weather.. Finally just went for an hour got some swing time in. River has come back up couple foot since I was out last time probably make 10 ft again today. So where I was detecting today is really what was dry sand last time I was out. Only wore my knee boots and went over the area where the waves break. Never know waves can take an inch or more sand off sometimes get you that one thing might be deeper..Poor morning today though and I only dug one new quarter 2008 and a 1997 penny. Also found what I'm sure is a pot or crack pipe no other reason it would be there.. Not sure what piece of hardware it may actually be? Seen lots made from plumbing stuff and lamp parts this don't look like any them....Seen enough of them odd pipes though over years to know what it is used for now..




Mac

Finally got out again Sunday morning to a beach I haven't been on for at least a year.. I know this particular beach got pounded by detectors last few years back while water was drawn down for dam work.. I'm guessing base on lack of even junk targets that someone has been working it fairly regular in the water now.. It was almost strangely quiet and I didn't dig only couple pull rings and one or two bottle caps.
Wasn't expecting any thing old but did think might at least find some new junk jewelry. Not to be..
So I ended up with just the two new quarters and the one penny. The one gold ring cheap stuff like they put on napkins at a wedding reception. Probably some kid dropped. Had a cheap stud ear ring ( not pictured) that I must have dropped my self since I been home?? Know it was in the mix when I put my treasure holder in truck??? then there is the mystery little blob? went threw the scoop on me couple times. finally threw the mess on beach went threw it with pin-pointer.. didn't look to close at it at first thought was like part of a rivet maybe? When finally looked closer thought maybe little piece copper slug?? or a Hot Rock?.. Then I tried to scrap the back it see if it was copper or brass.. Couldn't scratch it with a utility knife?? What ever it is it's none magnetic, yet still pretty hard.. I think maybe proof of Ancient Aliens, Space Junk, Meteor??? most likely just some kinda slag???LMAO!

Headed to NTA in morning so I'm out of the water for a while..Unless someone can hook me up with a beach close to NTA site. Then I maybe would throw my detector in jeep..



Mac

Happy you posted ttt on this one. Love following these types of posts.

Pre 64 quarters, dimes, 50 cent pieces and silver dollars are 90% silver. After that dimes and quarters went to nickel/zinc alloy but 50 cent pieces went to 40% silver up until 1970 when they went to alloy as well.

Please forgive my ignorance, but can you melt down the coins just for the silver?

I am glad you like the thread.

Yes, you can, but it’s a process that involves a lot of chemicals and not really worth it unless you do huge quantities at a time. YouTube has some videos on it if you want to learn how it’s done

Thanks Bob, I wasn't sure if was legal. I'll have to look into youtube.

Nice pinch hitter there Mac......no big deal ,now that pot is legal....lol

Has anyone found a neat quarter recently?

I do the same with old bottles...drivrs my Family crazy. But to me they're cool history.