Hi all, I thought that I'd share some pics of what's probably my best condition metal detecting Indian Head cent.
Lots of detail and it has survived the elements well over the past 120 years! If this coin had been lost in a field, the fertilizers would have rendered it unrecognizable toast by now.
I have some pretty rare and high grade Indian Head Cents (1877 ms62, 1909s ms64 red, and a separate full set of ms60 or better Indians) but this one holds a special spot in my collection.
I found it 12 inches below a tree root and spent about 1/2 hour in very hot weather trying to get to it. Each time I was almost ready to give up the digging and the cutting through the tough roots. Glad I stuck to it!
It takes just the right soil conditions and pH for copper to stay nice in the ground. What is great for early coppers, often is detrimental to silver, and vice versa.
I have one great woods spot, where the silver dimes come out looking like someone lost them last week, but the wheat cents and Indians are so corroded that many can't even be ID'd.
For comparison purposes, here is a shot of what my "normal condition" dug Indians and large cents look like:
Many times, early Indian Head Cents, especially if they have some corrosion, are overlooked when detecting. The metal composition of the Indians reads a slightly lower VDI number than a Lincoln cent.
The corrosion may even bump that number a little bit lower, into the mid 70's. If you have a Garrett machine, you know that 70's are generally aluminum scrap. So they are very easy to miss.
If you are on a relatively trash free, older spot, always dig the deep 70s VDI numbers, if they are a little faint. Indians are almost always deep, very faint signals. Very easy to walk past and dismiss as ground noise.
If the tone screeches and peaks in spots, or aren't consistent numbers, most likely it's trash. Good targets will generally have a good, repeatable sound and signal, even if they are quieter.
Thanks for reading. I hope that someone gets a little benefit from some of my detecting tips. I am still learning myself, after 30+ years of detecting!
Please upvote, Resteem, and always bring spare batteries when you're metal detecting!