Metal Detecting discussions and finds

Yeah, the timing marks on the gears is just amazing on how bad of a screw up that is? I'm not even a certified mechanic, but I can guarantee you "I" would not have even screwed up that bad???!!!

 

I found these at a dry lake out near Barstow, and they are highly magnetic (Thanks Will for the hard drive free magnet idea!), but it turns out not to be a meteorite- only magnetite with a black streak.

 

Looks cool regardless

 

Visited the El Paso Mtns last weekend and detected in a wash a buddy recently found some large specimens . He was using a Nox 800 with iron discrimination there, along with a GPZ 7000, and I used a GPX 6000. I found all the iron he left behind, but no gold, and the GPZ also found lots of trash and only one small nugget. Sometimes a VLF is the best way to go over the more expensive PI units!


But one plus a PI has over VLF - I tested detecting with the 6000 and a Nox directly underneath two parallel high-tension powerlines, and the 6000 PI with a DD coil worked very well but the VLF Nox was useless for all the EMI in the area. It was a good demonstration that
having both a PI and VLF detector can be
useful for various conditions.

So has anyone else been out lately?

 

Yeah, high tension lines will wreck a VLF machine!!! You can turn down the sens to alleviate interferences, but most times that doesn't even help. Just all depends on how much interference there is whether coming from the ground or "environmental", in this case the power lines.

Example of many reasons why to have different "technologies" available as much as possible as well as different types of search coils as well.

There really is no such thing as a one unit machine. There are pros/cons to everything. Sometimes one is better than the other as an overall, but there is still a "con" no matter how far back you peel the onion.

Wish I could go, but it would have to be a camping trip going up that far for me to be worth the drive.

 

First Coin. Out on my Friday hunt on the local beaches and found my first coins. One is a Mexican "Dollar" . The other one, I'm not sure, I think it is a very old quarter. if anybody has ideals on cleaning it up, I'd appreciate it. The other items are a pin and nail from a Spanish Galleons bullion chest, HA, HA.

 

Very nice finds.

You ALWAYS want to be careful on deciding on when to "clean" a coin or any find and when not to clean. I don't know how else to say that?

Given where you found it though, talking about the possible quarter, it is unlikely it's a significant find. Not knocking your find, just saying it is likely just a "current minted coin", if you will.

Some of the best ways and typical ways is to tumble your coins in a rock tumbler and you can get a rock tumbler from Harbor Freight for pretty cheap.

Be careful not to overweight your tumbler.

Nice finds.

 

What do you use for tumbling media when doing coins?

 

I use very small aquarium rocks mixed with a little dish soap and sometimes I'll throw in a little bit of Ajax or Comet.

Been doing it like that for years now, well, can't say recently, but for years and the coins come out really nice looking.

Of course it all depend on how hammered the coins are too. If the coins are corroded pretty bad then it is only going to look so good.

Other than that tumbling turns out very well for me.

 

What about electrolysis?

 

I've actually done that ONE time, but that was very many years back. I don't remember what or how my particular setup was other than I did do that one time.

I think all I was doing was experimenting and it had no real purpose why I was doing it... just to do it if I remember right.

 

Other than that though, if I find a coin I like, the most I will do is just rinse the mud/dirt off and that is as far as I will do that. I don't like the idea of putting dirt in my "coin books".

I started collecting coins and got most of them from CRH.

MOST of the "old coins" came from CRH as a matter of fact.

I'll take a picture of my books and post them when I get the chance.

I haven't done any CRH for quite some time now and talking about it makes me want to get back into it when my funds stabilize. Fixing my truck took a lot out of my pockets, but WELL WORTH IT!!!

I NEVER tumble my "old coins"!!!

 

CRH?

I got some replica old spanish coins for a present once when I was a kid, they were probably pewter or zink, and were shiny. I used copper sulfate from my chemistry set to plate them with copper with a battery. It was fun and they looked old afterwards- tricked friends with them too.

 

Coin Roll Hunting

 

@OnHartung'sRoad

This is ALL from CRH. I forgot who was asking about "cleaning" and I know it was not you, but yeah NONE of these were ever cleaned and came out of "circulation" as you see them now. Anyways, this is the Coin Roll Hunting I was mentioning.

Anyways, to anyone that asks or wonders, NEVER "clean" a find, but "rinsing with water", that I know of, is okay. Just don't use any kind of cleaning agents/products. I would never put mud/grease in my books so rinsing with fresh water is about as far as I would do the cleaning.

Anyways, my oldest find from the pennies, excuse me, "cents" for the more "proper terminology in regards to the American coin version" , my oldest find is a 1917.


An example of more "Weedies" I mean "Wheaties"


Below are more known as "the commons", which is right around the 40's...


You want to pay close attention to the "steelies" depending on what you have could be a very "rare coin"!!! I unfortunately do NOT have that very rare coin

Also note that there are quite a few Wheat backs you want to be on the look out for too, not just the VDB's or Steelies, etc etc etc.

Then I wanted to collect the Memorials because of the copper/stink'n Zinc'n transition, but also I wanted to showcase the 2009's too. Even though Zinc, pretty cool with the different eras of Lincoln's life. Plus it marked the ending of the Wheat era to the start of the Memorials...


This is where you want to pay attention to, what I like to call, "the 82's" as that was the transition from copper to Zinc and this is where a handheld microscope comes in handy too. Not just for the 82's, but just overall if you get into coin collecting as there are certain details you need to look at to help determine little nuances and such.


Here's the front of the 09's


An example of the back of the 09's... you want to pay attention to Lincoln's "life transition" of the 09's...


Then my "Statehood Series"... for example...

The backside of the Statehood Series, for example...

 

Those are cool! So my dad had an old collection when he started as a kid and there were some steel ones from during WWII war in it also. I think the oldest was from 1907 or so- my brother ended up with the collection but never did anything with it- I should track it down.

 

Wheats started in 1909.

Regardless if it's a wheat or not, pretty damn cool, the older the coin the better!!!

 

It has an Indian on it, I think it was 1907 as I remember my dad saying it was 10years older than him. Are they considered rare?

 

I figured it's an Indian Head.

As far as "rare", old coins in general are rare in that sense. Depends on year as far as certain coins being rare finds. In my experiences, the rarity has to do with sometimes a "double stamp" during the process of making the coin. For example, the 1955 penny/cent there are rarities if you happen to find one and for that particular case, some of the 1955 pennies have their letterings double struck.

Anyways, see the link below for what I like to call something you would get for your wheat back at "auction prices"... Or the best way I can describe it as what a coin collector
would consider paying. As far as the bank is concerned, it's worth a"penny". I really don't know how else better to explain that?
https://www.coinstudy.com/lincoln-penny-value.html

Another example of rarity would be the 1943 pennies because of the war effort and copper being needed, hence the steelies. If you EVER get ahold of a 1943 copper cent, now THAT would definitely be considered a rarity!!! Be very careful of fraudulent coins because sadly they do exist.

 

I remember that collection had three wartime steelies in it. I’m gong to check it out.