Here is another of my "unusual" metal detector finds. It is a large (1.5" diameter) medallion that was issued to comemerate the "Silver Encampment" in Detroit Aug 3rd to the 8th, 1891. I believe these were G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) veterans meeting for the 25th reunion since the Civil War. It is a little hard to decipher with the lighting I used. On the face it has two women standing in the center. The one on the left looks forlorn with a house afire next to her. The woman on the right looks to comfort the other by pointing to a new structure with a bell tower. Along the bottom is the location and dates listed above. The reverse of the medallion has Fort Sumpter getting bombarded with the date April 14th, 1861. The bottom half has Appomattox Court House with Lee surrendering his sword to General Grant (something which didn't happen I believe) and the date April 9th, 1865. At some point someone punched a hole in it probably to be worn around the neck is my guess. Anyway, You never know what that signal is buried under your feet. Greg
WoW!!!! I cant wait till spring to bust out my metal detector. I went once last year, but your really making me very eager to bust that thing out and dig in the frost. Im most certainly going to hit it hard this spring now that you keep posting your findings. Thanks for sharing
One word of advice....be very careful and make sure that after you extract your find and move on, no one can tell that you dug a hole and filled it up. Use a sharp knife, cut plugs, disturb the roots as little as possible, and fluff the grass up. I'm finding more and more parks with signs now that metal detecting is illegal. This is because careless people are leaving craters and major lawn damage to yards and parks. Please don't take offense to this advice...you might already be one of the "good guys". I just don't want all the good sites to dry up. It's a great hobby and I've found a lot of interesting items. Good hunting this spring, Greg
Stop already! I want a metal detector more then ever after seeing all your posts. You sure know how to find them. Your dime thread made me cry lol. Good work as always. Do you heavily research areas, old county maps - etc., before heading out or are these just places you've noticed while driving around?
I don't always find "gems". I have a lot of old stuff that is quite worn. A nickel is about the hardest coin to find. I have found a lot of them (even a shield nickel I can't make out the date). They usually turn color in the ground. I have Buffalo nickels with good relief but are quite dark. I'm sure the color really cuts down of the value. I have Barber dimes and even a couple that are seated Liberty (the 1876 is in pretty good shape). I have a hand full of Indian Head pennies but none that are in excellent condition to me. ... and then there are the "junk" signals (pull tabs, gum wrappers, you name it). I use little discrimination on my detector so I dig LOTS of trash. Too much discrimination and you miss the deep gold or good "stuff". I'm fortunate to live in a small historic town. Older homes/old parks and church yards produce the best results. I have told home owners that I will give them whatever jewelry I find if I can keep the coins. I don't check maps as I'm old enough to know where the good spots are around where I live. I've been trying to get some good close/clear shots of some of my coins. I'm still playing with the camera but in the meantime, here is another commemorative piece. It honors admiral Dewey about the time of the "Great White Fleet" sailed around the world in a show of U.S. military might. Greg
Me too. I live in an old Canal Town. I just got a detector at the end of last year. I can't wait to get out there.
I'd love to search the beaches and historic sections of the towns around here. Southwest Florida has so much history. I'm nerdy enough. I don't think my girlfriend would let me go around swinging a detector but I want one. I'll continue to live vicariously through your posts
