06-25-2014, 05:35 PM
I hit one of my spots where I've done very well in the past, but, you have to WORK for old coins there; chasing iffy signals, dig down 9, 10, 11" to score silver, etc. Not an easy place, however, there's good stuff to be had.
It was a HOT $onofabitch here in jersey today. Humidity was worse. I get to this place at 8:30, and within an hour, not only am I literally drenched in sweat, but, I already found a 1905 barber dime & the silver piece in the pics. I found the exact same thing a couple of months ago. It's either a decorative cover for an old pocketknife, or, something for a woman's hair. It could only go downhill after finding silver that quickly, and it did...with a surprise ending though!
As I'm swinging my stick, not long after finding that silver piece, I see a guy get out of his car about 100 yards away in front of these old houses. He's staring at me. I'm staring at him. He continues staring at me. I continue staring at him. All of this while I'm swinging my coil. He then turns and walks into an old house.
After finding the 2 silvers, I went through a bad hour or so, where I was digging a lot of deep nails. I was starting to get wiped, but, I had an idea. That guy was watching me cause he seemed interested, not alarmed. His house was old, too. So, figured I'd knock on his door & ask for permission. I swung about another 30 minutes, then decided to knock.
I walk up the stairs and rap on the door. Nobody answers. Knock several more times & ring the bell, still nothing. I figure the guy is ducking me. I go back to my original spot & start swinging again. Maybe 15 minutes later, I see the guy again. He was taking groceries out of another car. Apparently, I didn't see him leave the first time. So...
He goes into his house, and I hightail it back over there. Knock yet again, and he opens the door. Indian guy, early 60's maybe. I looked like shit, and probably smelled worse, but, I've been in sales my whole life, and know a bright smile can overcome almost any negative situation. I explain what I do, and he seems to get it, but, he has a very thick accent. Anywho, after a bit of chit chat, he tells me it's okay to hunt his lawn
He's on the porch watching, while I'm on the lawn itself. Within 30 seconds, I get a great signal & motion him to come over. I like to get people involved, and he was curious. He comes over and I dig up a wheat while he's watching me. It must've seemed comical to him that this crazy american wastes his time digging up pennies, lol. Anyway, that broke the ice. Not even a minute later, another great signal. He even looked excited now, and wished me luck. Wouldn't you know it, maybe 3" deep, a 1917 merc. The guy doesn't know what it is, so, I explain it's silver. He wanted to know the date. He seemed surprised. I told him to keep it, but, he turned me down & I insisted he keep it. Then, I go back to my detector...
And my fu€king batteries died! I have perfect timing
I tell this guy I need to go get more batteries so my machine can go deeper (haha) & I'll be right back. I rush to the store with visions of sugar plumbs dancing in my head about this property, get new batts & a Gatorade and rush back to this guys house. I start swinging again, and he's inside the house. I'm alone maybe 20 minutes, and wouldn't you know, I never pulled another silver! He finally came back out and watched me dig some junk and a few wheats, but, I didn't want to take advantage of his time. I asked if I can return to hunt his backyard & he said yes. He then offered to give me the merc back, (and you know I wanted it, lol), but, the guy was a real gentleman, and I wanted him to have it. I took a pic of him holding it though. He asked me what he was going to do with the dime, and I said "put it in the bank". He found that pretty funny.
I know this is a giant ass post over a simple freakin merc, but, it's been a looooooooong time since I've hit a private property, and this guy was super nice, so, thought I'd share the story since it was a bit of a change from my normal modus operandi
P.S. - I blurred one pic so none of my local competition catches on to my spot
Joe
It was a HOT $onofabitch here in jersey today. Humidity was worse. I get to this place at 8:30, and within an hour, not only am I literally drenched in sweat, but, I already found a 1905 barber dime & the silver piece in the pics. I found the exact same thing a couple of months ago. It's either a decorative cover for an old pocketknife, or, something for a woman's hair. It could only go downhill after finding silver that quickly, and it did...with a surprise ending though!
As I'm swinging my stick, not long after finding that silver piece, I see a guy get out of his car about 100 yards away in front of these old houses. He's staring at me. I'm staring at him. He continues staring at me. I continue staring at him. All of this while I'm swinging my coil. He then turns and walks into an old house.
After finding the 2 silvers, I went through a bad hour or so, where I was digging a lot of deep nails. I was starting to get wiped, but, I had an idea. That guy was watching me cause he seemed interested, not alarmed. His house was old, too. So, figured I'd knock on his door & ask for permission. I swung about another 30 minutes, then decided to knock.
I walk up the stairs and rap on the door. Nobody answers. Knock several more times & ring the bell, still nothing. I figure the guy is ducking me. I go back to my original spot & start swinging again. Maybe 15 minutes later, I see the guy again. He was taking groceries out of another car. Apparently, I didn't see him leave the first time. So...
He goes into his house, and I hightail it back over there. Knock yet again, and he opens the door. Indian guy, early 60's maybe. I looked like shit, and probably smelled worse, but, I've been in sales my whole life, and know a bright smile can overcome almost any negative situation. I explain what I do, and he seems to get it, but, he has a very thick accent. Anywho, after a bit of chit chat, he tells me it's okay to hunt his lawn
He's on the porch watching, while I'm on the lawn itself. Within 30 seconds, I get a great signal & motion him to come over. I like to get people involved, and he was curious. He comes over and I dig up a wheat while he's watching me. It must've seemed comical to him that this crazy american wastes his time digging up pennies, lol. Anyway, that broke the ice. Not even a minute later, another great signal. He even looked excited now, and wished me luck. Wouldn't you know it, maybe 3" deep, a 1917 merc. The guy doesn't know what it is, so, I explain it's silver. He wanted to know the date. He seemed surprised. I told him to keep it, but, he turned me down & I insisted he keep it. Then, I go back to my detector...
And my fu€king batteries died! I have perfect timing
I tell this guy I need to go get more batteries so my machine can go deeper (haha) & I'll be right back. I rush to the store with visions of sugar plumbs dancing in my head about this property, get new batts & a Gatorade and rush back to this guys house. I start swinging again, and he's inside the house. I'm alone maybe 20 minutes, and wouldn't you know, I never pulled another silver! He finally came back out and watched me dig some junk and a few wheats, but, I didn't want to take advantage of his time. I asked if I can return to hunt his backyard & he said yes. He then offered to give me the merc back, (and you know I wanted it, lol), but, the guy was a real gentleman, and I wanted him to have it. I took a pic of him holding it though. He asked me what he was going to do with the dime, and I said "put it in the bank". He found that pretty funny.I know this is a giant ass post over a simple freakin merc, but, it's been a looooooooong time since I've hit a private property, and this guy was super nice, so, thought I'd share the story since it was a bit of a change from my normal modus operandi
P.S. - I blurred one pic so none of my local competition catches on to my spot
Joe
, I know of a century property my wife owned 15 years ago with her late husband and I'm afraid to go ask because the one's a contract lawyer and the other is now on the school board.