Entering a New Decade!!!

I was pretty eager to metal-detect today, as I was supposed to head out with the gentleman I had met in the park last week.  We coordinated a time and place, and I just waited.  Well, about a half hour beforehand, he let me know that he was calling it off due to rain.  I had already started getting ready, and while it had rained earlier in the day, yes, I wasn't going to let that stop me.  So I decided to head out on my own to a park just a few blocks away.

I was actually quite surprised to see that while some areas were wet, the soil just wasn't that bad.  The digging ended up being rather easy!  Agh, we should have gone out!  Oh well.  The park is rather large, and I ended up finding the routine pull tabs and clad coins.  As each area has its quirks, this park also became renown today for shredded aluminum cans...obviously the victim of a lawnmower or two.  Those became very frustrating!

Within just 15 minutes I hit my first unique find of the day!  I pulled up a very shiny spoon!  It looked like it had just been washed yesterday, and the print was simple to read!  "Hampton Silversmiths Stainless China 71."  The spoon seriously looked like it had just been pulled out of the drawer!

A beautiful spoon!

Hamton Silversmiths Stainless China 71

The fun was short-lived, however.  I wasn't having much luck around the bleachers (the guy told me he had hunted here before, go figure) or close to the road, so I headed right smack-dab in the middle of the football field.  After picking up a good signal, I dug what turned out to be a HUGE find!!!  As in large, not necessarily exciting!  I could see the end of something, but I had NO idea what it was...only that it didn't want to move from its slumber in the ground!

I realized at this point I had something HUGE on my hands!  It didn't want to move!

And this is what I pull up!  It is soooooooo HEAVY!

Underneath the 10-yard-line is what appears to be some sort of gas line assembly.  I couldn't swear by it, but that's what I thought it was.  But this thing is HEAVY.  I even wondered if it hadn't fallen from an old plane, as they were flying directly overhead on short final for the runway!  Whatever it is, it wouldn't fit in my pouch!  But I picked it up on the way back.  :)

The football field wasn't giving me much else, and I'm confident that another detectorist has already swept that area, too, so I decided to head on over to the old baseball field and try my luck out there.

And I'm glad I did.  My first hit rang up as a nickel, and I dug up its shallow grave.  But I was surprised to see that it wasn't a nickel at all...but a penny!  I brushed away the mud and saw the beautiful wheat-back.  Yay!  I flipped it over and tried wiping the mud from the front.  I fully expected to see 195_ but my eyes told me something different.  Wait a second!!!  Is that a 5 or a 3?!  The residue was caked on, but on one of my wipes with my thumb, I made out an unquestionable 3!  Agh, what year was this?!  I was so excited!!!  After a little more rubbing, I had in my hands my oldest coin yet:  a 1939 penny!!!  I had just entered a new decade of coins!!!  I was thrilled!

My oldest coin yet!  A 1939 penny!

Of course, as with all of my other hunts, the only bad thing about finding a good find is that it reignites you AND makes you fully expect to find more!  Well, that just wasn't to be yet again!  The outfield of the ballpark produced mostly dimes, although I did get a bit excited when I thought I had found a unique coin!  I could tell it was a quarter-sized coin in the hole but with letters and identification I didn't recognize!  Well, needless to say, my excitement was short-lived...

This was supposed to be a rare and unique United States coin!  GRR!!!

You never know what you are going to find!!!  I shouldn't be surprised, though.  I guess center field is a good a place as any "where a kid can be a kid."

Right field gave me yet another unique find.  I was surprised to find another BULLET!!!  This now makes my fourth one, but what is odd is that this one is in a residential area!  It appears to be later-model judging by the missing tip (I think the tips are made with plastic now?), but this is in right field of a ball diamond!  Just a couple hundred feet away from the backs of houses!  I would love to know the story on this one.  And once again, I'm just shocked at how heavy these things are!

Puts new meaning to the term, "And he fires a bullet from right field!"

After more junk and one last penny, I decided to call it a day.  I picked up my huge piece of metal on the way back.  Once back at home, I cleaned up the contraption, and I actually think I know what I found!!!

The finds from the day.  Junk, coins, a spoon, half a key, a bullet, a token, and a master brake cylinder?!

A reservoir, a fill line, a piston...I think it's a master brake cylinder!

The huge piece of metal cleaned up rather nicely.  And I think it's a master brake cylinder from some early vehicle!  There is not a trace or thought of plastic anywhere to be found, and the reservoir itself is solid metal, too.  So I am guessing it's from an early vehicle.  I suppose it could be from a tractor or an airplane for that matter!  The trademark symbol is visible though not known followed by S 3.  But that means nothing to me!  Quite a unique find from the football field, that's for sure.



The interesting finds of the day.  1 spoon, 1/2 a key, 1 bullet, 1 token, 11 pennies, 2 nickels, 7 dimes.

My oldest coin yet!  A 1939 penny.

The bullet missing the tip.

I would quickly learn though not surprisingly that the spoon is basically worthless.  It's from a set that you can pick up from Wal-Mart or Target.  It appears to have been dropped just last week!  Although it was about three inches under the ground, though, so who knows how long it's been missing!

I had another decent hunt, but once again, silver remains elusive!  But with pennies now from the 30's and 40's, I know I must be doing something right!  If someone can lose a penny, then he or she can certainly lose a dime, too!  My time is coming, but after 200 coins with no silver, I'm ready already!!!

Another 91 cents.  Another bullet.  Another spoon.  And yet another day to get outside and enjoy the weather!  I was admittedly eager to try out the $1500 detector and a bit disappointed we didn't head out today, but in the same breath, I'm glad I headed out on my own.  If I hadn't, then I would have never found my first 1930's coin!!!

So now I guess it's time for the 1920's...or silver...  :)