Featured Highlights of my 2013 metal detecting week in England

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by lordmarcovan, Nov 30, 2016.

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  1. New Windsor Bill

    New Windsor Bill Well-Known Member

    I just wanted to add a note. When I first started with a metal detector I had a Bounty Hunter TR500. The machine cost $79. at the time back in the 70'S brand new. I used to go to an old park with a friend that had a $700. Whites machine. Granted he found a nice heavy 18K gold Christ Head Pendant, but I found about 30 Silver quarters ,mercury dimes and buffalo nickles. I used to go out all the time with the bounty hunter and find stuff. It was a very basic TR discriminator type. The higher end machines like my Garrett or Whites machine will actually tell you how deep the item is, it will tell you if it is clad coinage or silver or gold and it will also tell you the denomination of the coin. The better machines have different modes of discrimination adjustments also that will let you avoid things like nails, pull tabs, foil and other junk also. If you are just starting out you can look at reviews on different forums to get an idea on what is recommended and go from there. Give it a try you never know what you will find.
     
    New Windsor Bill, Dec 16, 2016
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  3. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    Brilliant experience mate, I would love to metal detect here in Aus but the only thing I would get would be bottle tops from the last century, and I suppose the occasional gold nugget nowhere as interesting as some of the stuff you scored....:D:D:D
     
    Ancient Aussie, Dec 19, 2016
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  4. Maxfli

    Maxfli Well-Known Member

    Great thread as usual, Rob. I know next to nothing about detecting. Talk to me about digging etiquette. Is it proper form to always "replace your divots", "leave no trace", etc. or does it vary depending on the specifics of the site? What type of digging tools do you consider essential?
     
    Maxfli, Dec 19, 2016
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  5. New Windsor Bill

    New Windsor Bill Well-Known Member

    Hello, if you wanted to try Metal Detecting I would recommend a machine that has a good discriminator so you don't have to dig up all the unwanted junk like pull tabs, bottle caps, foil etc., you would be able to tune these things out via discrimination. Next I would also tell you to get one that will id what you are digging up. A good machine will tell you nickle, dime, quarter, penny, silver, gold etc. Also a good machine will be able to pinpoint exactly where the object is and also tell you how deep. You can get a top of the line machine that used to sell for lets say $1000. like a Whites DFX for $300.-$400. on places like ebay. This particular machine has an LCD display and you can make all kinds of adjustments , I own one and it is awesome. Do a search and look at the reviews of people that own them. As far as digging tools; a good strong garden spade and if you wan't to save your back and knees they make a shovel that clips onto your belt with a holder that is made for metal detectorists, sorry I can't think of the name of that shovel but it is great. As far as digging the finds out of the ground; always pinpoint the coin or ring and make a tight circle around it so when you pull the grass out it is like a plug. After you recover the object you put the plug back and there is no damage. Always respect any public place like a park this way unless you are out in the woods or something like that. I will tell you this much, I own 4 higher end machines and I made one find last year with my whites dfx that has paid for all of my equipment. Its a great hobby, I love it.
     
    New Windsor Bill, Dec 19, 2016
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  6. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Absolutely. One should ideally leave no trace that one was ever there, and even remove all dug trash rather than reburying it.

    On some sites, my digging tool is no more than a knife. Recently I switched to something like a Lesche digging tool which is made for the purpose (digging, cutting roots and sod, etc), but in the past I used a Hori-Hori knife which was designed for bonsai gardening, and before that, just a sturdy hunting knife. One does not carry a full-sized shovel onto urban sites without asking for trouble, usually, though nowadays, with my back and knees not what they used to be, I do use a small (half-sized) contractor's shovel to cut plugs of sod.

    Here's my raggedy old Hori-Hori knife, having just revealed the hiding place of a 1926-D Mercury dime. (The following shots were taken here in my Georgia hometown, not on the England trip. The latter was spent in farm fields, though even in tilled farm fields I always filled my holes.)

    [​IMG]


    Here are some more dig action shots, showing before and after of the sod cutting "plug" technique.

    [​IMG]

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    And since you're no doubt curious what that find was, here is that particular story.
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2016
    lordmarcovan, Dec 27, 2016
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  7. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Since the topic came up in another thread, and Google Maps made it easy, I'll share a shot of the field where the ca. 1641-43 hammered silver penny of Charles I was found. The picture below of Little Bromley, Essex, is from September of 2012, so a little more than a year before I found the coin.

    A 1730s George II farthing was much farther out in the field. Somebody else with us that day found another small hammered silver postmedieval penny or halfgroat- his was an Elizabeth I.

    This coin doesn't look like much, but the price was right- it cost me about 45 seconds of kneeling and digging in the then-muddy potato field shown below.

    I need to shoot better and larger pix of the coin. I think there is even some shaky video of the find on one of my camera SD cards. These small pictures are from the UK (Colchester) detecting club's page:

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Charles' portrait here, as with many of the earlier Elizabethan hammered pieces, is worn pretty flat, but the shield is clear. It is quite a tiny little coin, but it gave a solid signal on the detector.

    The 1730s George II farthing came up in another, farther portion of the field which had obviously held an 18th century house site at one time. This same field had been the source of several Celtic gold staters in years previous!

    [​IMG]
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 27, 2016
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  8. Oxford Punter

    Oxford Punter Active Member

    I know I'm a tad late here, but I just found this thread. Let's see... England, Coins, and Metal Detecting..? Count me in. And geeeeez, take me with you next time.

    [BTW: @lordmarcovan, lovely demonstration of proper plug cutting and hole filling. Well done! Too many people greatly underestimate the negative consequences of leaving unfilled or poorly filled holes. Again, thank you.]

    I went to university in England. At the time, metal detecting was not something I did. Of course, my time was rather full with studies, dissertations, bitter, and girls, so I suppose that this is understandable. Now roll forward a feeeeeew years and I have thought on more than one occasion about detecting in some of those places. I mean, one of the dormitories in which I was housed was 170+ years old at the time. Just George the 1st,2nd,3rd,4th loose change from the college garden would thrill me, to say nothing of medieval, Celtic, or Roman.

    <sigh>
     
    Oxford Punter, Jan 23, 2017
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  9. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    And I'm late in thanking you for your reply. I appreciate your reading this.
     
    lordmarcovan, Jun 9, 2017
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