Hey Hivers,

I've written a few posts on metal detecting so this will be an update. This past month has been my best days yet! I'm quite new to the hobby, about 6 months into it, but my new finds keep the inspiration alive.

I have been doing a lot river-shore digging. There must have been more activity on the river back in-the-day. There is still a lot of active fisherman, but that is about it.

I'm finding all of these things with a $200 detector. It doesn't take a big bank account to get your feet wet in this hobby! The skill is more in the historical research and thinking like people did 100-200 years ago.

If you missed my other metal detecting posts, you can check them out below

@tfeldman/tfeldman-special-enter-my-world-of-metal-detecting

@tfeldman/found-my-first-silver-ring-metal-detecting-style

Take a trip through history with me...

1899 Silver Barber Quarter! The first Barber I have found to date. I was so excited. Imagine a world over 120 years ago where a simple quarter was made of silver. It is a beat up one, but it's still a beauty. This is what silver tarnish looks like when exposed to water for over 100 years haha. I imagine this person was not happy to lose this back then...

Same coin as above after applying water and a microfiber towel. This is a beat up coin and not a key date... so I wasn't too worried about taking away a few dollars of some numismatic value. I try not to clean coins at all. If you find an old coin and are not sure of its value, don't try to clean it. You will often significantly reduce the value. The state of this coin before was so tarnished that you could not read a date. I think it is safe to say-- in the state of this coin--no one was going to buy it when it was almost completely black haha. This will be a keeper. My first!

The second sterling silver ring I have found. I would guess this is from the 1930s-1940s from the design/stamp on the inside. The stone is missing...Silver is silver!

I found my first V-nickel (1911) about three weeks ago. This was what 5 cents looked like back at the turn of the 20th Century. This is the one before the Buffalo nickel.

I have found a couple "Good Luck" tokens. This is likely form the 1930s. People in the past, carried "Good Luck" tokens. Companies would advertise by giving out these tokens. There is actually quite a market for these online. This one is cool.

This might be the oldest thing I have found since the Civil War era bullet I found a few months ago. This is a lead dice. Yes, soldiers in the 19th century (mostly during the Civil War era) would melt their musket bullets and make game pieces. Lead dice found in Europe are often ancient, as these date back to ancient Rome. Since I found this in the US, I would guess this was a melted musket bullet. The bullet I would imagine was mid to late 1800s. It was really cool to roll this. Lead is so heavy that when it lands, it just sticks on the number it lands on haha. They must have rolled these high in the air.

I hope you guys enjoyed my finds! My goal is not just to "show off" my finds. I also want to teach Hivers about history and give a glimpse into a past that is often forgotten.

And...I also want to convert people to this awesome hobby!

Stay thirsty for treasure, silver, and the thrill of the find!

Cheers!

*All original content and original photos, no sources needed