z118
07-18-2010, 11:34 AM
We arrived back home on Saturday from a week's vacation at the beach. This is the third year we have taken this vacation - it's a great time for the family and I won't lie - the detecting is something I look forward to all year. Beyond the great possible finds and easy digging being on the beach in the early morning hours is peaceful and beautiful. You folks near the sea shore are a lucky bunch!
So... long story short... I dug fewer coins than either of the past two years BUT I scored 3 pieces of silver, what I assume is a tungsten ring, and the biggest honking gold ring I have ever dug!!! - a huge 14k wedding band. I can not wait to get to work tomorrow to weigh this thing. I believe I was VERY lucky to have passed my coil over this piece of gold!
During my past two vacations at the beach I mostly stuck to the dry sand because the finds were so good there, including great clad numbers, but this year finds were more sparse so I migrated down to the wet sand, which is where I scored one of the silver rings and the gold ring. The gold ring gave a huge signal and took a bunch of scoops to retrieve - I almost gave up at one point, thinking it was a big deep piece of junk.
I took the meter off the Sov at the start of the week. I wanted as light a detector as possible, and when your intention is to dig everything anyway, the meter really does not serve a purpose if you think about it. Oddly enough, I did not miss it after a day or two, and in fact I think I'll try the dirt here at home for a few hunts without it. The Sov ran beautifully all week. I'm able to turn the sensitivity up MUCH farther at this beach than I can anywhere at home in the dirt. It ran smooth as silk in the dry sand, in the wet sand, and in the surf.
I was rained out one morning. The weather otherwise was good but not really hot enough most days to draw big crowds to the beach. I saw only one sunrise all week as fog and clouds obscured it every other morning. There was no shortage of other detectorists - the most I counted at one time was 11 other than myself. I spoke with a few, but mostly they all seem to keep to themselves. It's easy to spot the regulars from the folks on vacation or just trying the hobby out.
Total coins was 252 worth $25.62 which includes a nice '31 wheat and a British penny. Other finds included some junk jewelry, a key, a 1971 matchbox car, and the usual trinkets and junk. There were two nitro finds -a gold colored claddagh bracelet and a small gold colored earing - both are apparently junk. There was one particularly odd and impactful find, which turned out to be a small keepsake urn for ashes. It was a somber find. I took care of it in a manner I felt most repectful, rational, and appropriate.
Anyway... that's my week. I'm already looking forward to next year, but of course it will be nice to get back into the dirt here at home.
So... long story short... I dug fewer coins than either of the past two years BUT I scored 3 pieces of silver, what I assume is a tungsten ring, and the biggest honking gold ring I have ever dug!!! - a huge 14k wedding band. I can not wait to get to work tomorrow to weigh this thing. I believe I was VERY lucky to have passed my coil over this piece of gold!
During my past two vacations at the beach I mostly stuck to the dry sand because the finds were so good there, including great clad numbers, but this year finds were more sparse so I migrated down to the wet sand, which is where I scored one of the silver rings and the gold ring. The gold ring gave a huge signal and took a bunch of scoops to retrieve - I almost gave up at one point, thinking it was a big deep piece of junk.
I took the meter off the Sov at the start of the week. I wanted as light a detector as possible, and when your intention is to dig everything anyway, the meter really does not serve a purpose if you think about it. Oddly enough, I did not miss it after a day or two, and in fact I think I'll try the dirt here at home for a few hunts without it. The Sov ran beautifully all week. I'm able to turn the sensitivity up MUCH farther at this beach than I can anywhere at home in the dirt. It ran smooth as silk in the dry sand, in the wet sand, and in the surf.
I was rained out one morning. The weather otherwise was good but not really hot enough most days to draw big crowds to the beach. I saw only one sunrise all week as fog and clouds obscured it every other morning. There was no shortage of other detectorists - the most I counted at one time was 11 other than myself. I spoke with a few, but mostly they all seem to keep to themselves. It's easy to spot the regulars from the folks on vacation or just trying the hobby out.
Total coins was 252 worth $25.62 which includes a nice '31 wheat and a British penny. Other finds included some junk jewelry, a key, a 1971 matchbox car, and the usual trinkets and junk. There were two nitro finds -a gold colored claddagh bracelet and a small gold colored earing - both are apparently junk. There was one particularly odd and impactful find, which turned out to be a small keepsake urn for ashes. It was a somber find. I took care of it in a manner I felt most repectful, rational, and appropriate.
Anyway... that's my week. I'm already looking forward to next year, but of course it will be nice to get back into the dirt here at home.