Sometimes we detectorists come across coins and artefacts that are not stunning in appearance or even in very good condition. In fact I'd say on the whole this is very common indeed. But now and then something is found that fits these categories but can delightfully be said to be rare or even quite exceptional. In the last few days I had a coin just like this.

Club members thought a club site searched for over 25 years was not worth turning out for the next Sunday dig. Our club has over 40 sites in the local area and some have been visited since the early seventies, probably at least once a year.

Just how wrong can members be about any site that is ploughed every year changing the detection possibilities of coins and artefacts within reach of my Minelab X-TERRA 50.

My girlfriend and I drove down a gravel road to detect an old church/school built 1879. It was clear it was built for function as there was nothing fancy about it. It did boast a beautiful view of farmland on all sides, and across the street a well groomed cemetery.

I was told the church had been well hunted numerous times, but I couldn’t resist since my E-TRAC has found 87 silver coins in one year; some in places that were supposedly “hunted out”.

This has to be my best find ever and I have found some really great artefacts. Brand new land, which is steeped in history within 1/2 mile of a Manor House and on a "How" a mound which was used in the early medieval times as a meeting place to exchange goods and news, all being over looked and in control of the Lord of the Manor.

My last trip out I dug ten 69 caliber drops, all deep, ranging from eight to 15 inches. The coin mold was with the 69's, you can make out the impression of a Seated Quarter in it. The brass Saddle Shield is marked, size 12. The brass healplate has the corps insignia. That Civil War soldier left his Corps insignia in every step he made in the dirt, he would have been easy to track!

I took up metal-detecting in November 2009 and joined the Essex Detector Society. I started off by purchasing a Minelab X-TERRA 305 and soon started finding coins. These were both copper and hammered silver coins. I decided after about nine months to upgrade my metal detector and purchased a second hand Minelab E-TRAC, which has proved to be an excellent choice. One weekend early in August 2011 I took a friend out with me to a field where I had previously found approximately ten hammered silver coins.

After getting the chance to go detecting in the ‘gold rich’ fields of Norfolk I soon discovered it to be totally true!! My excitement was soon to be quashed when I was told the area had been ‘done to death’ for over ten years and by at least 100 other detectorists that week :(

A few weeks ago I was searching, when a farmer came to me. After a while he asked me to search
a land because he thougt he hit a WWII granate while plowing his field. So last week I had a few hours time to search. I went to the marked place and indeed I found the granate. It was a big
nasty brisant granate, that we found often before.

I have been metal detecting for 6 years in Southern Nevada. It is tuff detecting here because the area is not that old and the soil is mineralized. I have used several name brand detectors and only found 1 silver coin and 4 wheat pennies during that time. That statistics all changed this last year when I got my E-TRAC.

Went out today with some buddies from our club. We hit my ghost town again today. We hunted a total of about 5 hours. My buddy Azmodeus found some coin finds and they were unusual for this area due to town died in 1843. He found a 1883 Indian and a Nickel from 1950's. I was detecting the same areas as the last time and pulled out another Capped Dime. It was a 1824 with a 4 over the 2 in the date. It looks like it had been in a fire and was very rough shape. Thanks for looking and HH.

Bruce - IL, USA