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Thread: Your finds, keep or sell?

  1. #1
    Elite Member Digger_O'Dell's Avatar
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    Your finds, keep or sell?

    Just wanted to throw out this question. I know most everyone claims to never sell any of their finds, but if anyone has, what were the reasons you parted with the item(s)?
    Personally, I usually only sell scrap metal finds such as lead copper and brass junk. But one nice item i did part with was a stainless and black diamond ring. A coworker took such a liking to it especially since it was the perfect size he offered me far more that it sold for new. To be fair i talked him down in price. But the only reason i did part with it was because I was sure he would enjoy it much more than I would.
    Anyone else?
    Equipment:
    Minelab: CTX 3030, GPX 4800, X-Terra 705. Whites TDI SL.

    2023 Silver: 1 Gold: 0

    Best finds: 28 silver dime spill, 1800s Dutch customs seal.
    Oldest/best coins: 1837 Upper Canada large cent, 1877 Seated Dime
    Oldest find: 1800 Sailors Luck token
    You Tube: Rediscovering America

  2. #2
    Global Moderator Ill Digger's Avatar
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    I haven't. I cash in all my clad at the end of the year each season and recycle everything ...... non-desireable
    There are a couple of items I would consider selling to the right person or people. And I have a few items I plan on donating to the local historical society.
    Some days you get the corn, some days you get the cob
    ​Oldest coin: ​70 B.C. "Harlow Flyer" gold qtr. Stater
    Oldest U.S. coin: 1814 Capped Bust Dime

  3. #3
    I gave loads to our historical society and would be capable of selling a coin or two given the right circumstances....and as always, ox shoes are for sale!
    On Instagram- oxshoedrew

  4. #4
    Back in the mid 1980s I sold two gold rings I had found. At the time I needed money to buy Christmas presents for my family. That's the only thing I've ever sold.
    Lifetime totals:
    9 Large Cents, 415 Indian Heads, 2 Two Cent Pieces, 1 Capped Bust Half Dime, 1 Seated Half Dime, 10 Shield Nickels, 68 V Nickels, 124 Buffalo Nickels, 31 War Nickels, 16 Seated Dimes, 131 Barber Dimes, 405 Mercury Dimes, 249 Rosies, 4 Seated Quarters, 18 Barber Quarters, 19 Standing Liberty Quarters, 89 Silver Washingtons, 1 Seated Half, 3 Barber Halves, 16 Walking Liberty Halves

    YouTube Channel: Tony Two-Cent https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmz...RlHTBIU42bUORg

  5. #5
    Outside of the clad and scrap, I almost always sell my jewelry. Not much of a interest in it and it helps to fund some new gear and weekend trips. This of course is all contingent on what the wife doesn’t want for herself. Anything victorian style I display, anything I can return to owner I am happy to. Not much in the way of jewlery this year as I havnt hit many beaches or parks and reserved myself to mostly colonial sites. Curious what other say about this.

  6. #6
    Elite Member Digger Don's Avatar
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    I have sold a few plain gold wedding bands to help fund our Connecticut trips. I still have every coin and silver jewelry I've ever dug. ( a few of the rings may have ended up in my wifes jewelry box ) lol
    Oldest Coin: 1699 William III Halfpenny


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    Silver 4
    Indian 3, Buff 1, V Nik 1, Rosie 2, Barber Dime, SLQ 1,

    YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoU...FVGumMQ/videos

  7. #7
    Elite Member Digger_O'Dell's Avatar
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    I hear a lot of "I keep what my wife lets me" type comments all too often. It cracks me up! Sometimes I wonder if those ladies only let the guys out detecting to find them more jewelry?
    Equipment:
    Minelab: CTX 3030, GPX 4800, X-Terra 705. Whites TDI SL.

    2023 Silver: 1 Gold: 0

    Best finds: 28 silver dime spill, 1800s Dutch customs seal.
    Oldest/best coins: 1837 Upper Canada large cent, 1877 Seated Dime
    Oldest find: 1800 Sailors Luck token
    You Tube: Rediscovering America

  8. #8
    Elite Member Bucknut's Avatar
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    I have sold 3 items. The first was a military button from the 1700's..someone offered me a lot for it and to me it was just a button so yeah give me the cash. The other 2 items were coins I found last year...1896 O Barber Quarter and 1919 S SLQ. I told myself when I got into the hobby that if I found something valuable that I would sell it if the price was right and if I had found similar items (if I had only ever found that one barber quarter then I would have kept it).

    I also throw out my junk. I toss all tootsie cars, junk bling and other items that are to me just trash. Its not like I am going to go and play with this stuff. Now if I can link an item to something in the 1800's then I might consider saving it. Just depends. How does the saying go? "One man's relic is another man's trash."?
    Detectors I use: Minelab Equinox 900 & Manticore
    Favorite finds I have made:
    1,000+ silver coins
    92pcs of 1700's Trade Era Silver
    Copper Culture Indian Artifacts
    125+ War of 1812 Era buttons and relics
    My wife
    (probably should have started with that one)

  9. #9
    Elite Member Digger_O'Dell's Avatar
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    I believe it's "one mans trash is another man's treasure"
    Equipment:
    Minelab: CTX 3030, GPX 4800, X-Terra 705. Whites TDI SL.

    2023 Silver: 1 Gold: 0

    Best finds: 28 silver dime spill, 1800s Dutch customs seal.
    Oldest/best coins: 1837 Upper Canada large cent, 1877 Seated Dime
    Oldest find: 1800 Sailors Luck token
    You Tube: Rediscovering America

  10. #10
    Elite Member Bucknut's Avatar
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    lol
    Detectors I use: Minelab Equinox 900 & Manticore
    Favorite finds I have made:
    1,000+ silver coins
    92pcs of 1700's Trade Era Silver
    Copper Culture Indian Artifacts
    125+ War of 1812 Era buttons and relics
    My wife
    (probably should have started with that one)

  11. #11
    I had never sold any of of finds until almost eight years ago when I filed for divorce. I needed the money to pay for a very expensive lawyer who wasn't worth a crap. I sold most of my tokens that I had dug over the years and I still regret selling them. I even watch Ebay, occasionally, to see if one of them pops up for sale. Like I said, I needed the money to pay for the lawyer, temporary alimony and living expenses while the divorce became final. Divorces are expensive because they are worth it!
    XP Deus

  12. #12
    WOW, Donnie....you must have found some seriously valuable stuff to keep lawyers busy!!
    On Instagram- oxshoedrew

  13. #13
    I haven't sold anything. I am like Smaug the Dragon. I can't bear to part with any of my "treasure". Actually the one thing I was willing to sell was a very expensive sterling designer bracelet I found a few years back. But the wife said "oooo I like that" and that was that for that.
    Oldest find: 5,000 year old copper spearhead
    Oldest coin: 1699 William III halfpenny
    Purdiest coin: 1832 Capped Bust quarter
    Coolest find: USA button with blue threads still on shank

    "He who would search for pearls must dive below."

  14. #14
    Elite Member milco's Avatar
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    I sell my scrap metal, I cash in my clad, I sell junk silver and gold jewelry, that’s about it.

    However, I am a collector of some things. As a collector, if I find things that are of interest to other collectors I have sold them. I do this not because I need the money, but because I enjoy helping others add to their collections and I know they will enjoy it more than I would. I have only sold a handful of finds because of this, a few brewery items and a couple dog tax tags.
    Minelab Equinox 600 & Whites Coinmaster, Garrett Propointer, Lesche Digger
    Oldest silver: 1853 Half-dime & 1876S Seated Quarter / Oldest coin: 1849 US Large Cent / 1854 Upper Canada One Penny Bank Token

  15. #15
    Administrator del's Avatar
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    I've sold off scrap copper , brass , iron and lead but have yet to sell any of my coins or relics . Although I've been rolling around the idea to sell some of the coins off as I'm really not a coin collector .
    "Honesty is an expensive gift ,
    so don't expect it from cheap people"

    XP Deus II , DFX ,TDI sl -

    Click here to view my finds album


  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by OxShoeDrew View Post
    WOW, Donnie....you must have found some seriously valuable stuff to keep lawyers busy!!
    I dug in coal camps for ten years when I first started metal detecting and found quite a few rare coal and lumber tokens. I had several "book pieces" that had never been seen by collectors. I had also acquired a very nice collection of non-dug pieces over the years and sold those for a chunk of money to a well heeled collector. Like I said, I still regret selling them but on the the advice of my crappy (but very expensive) lawyer I sold anything of value before filing for divorce. Once you file for divorce then you can't sell anything until its settled. Not to mention that your future ex-spouse could also attempt to claim half of your finds. I needed the money because I not only had to pay the lawyer but also temporary alimony until the divorce became final. Like the old saying, divorces are expensive because they are worth it!
    Last edited by Donnie B; 01-10-2018 at 08:51 AM.
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  17. #17
    What, the stuff we find is worth money??? Shhh, don't tell my wife!
    Oldest Coin: 100-60 BC Gallic bronze coin (Sequani Tribe)
    Oldest Silver Coin: 1156 hammered Pfennig from (now) Bavaria
    Oldest U.S. coin: 1805 Draped Bust Large Cent
    Best Coins EVER: 1625 4 Sols from Kingdom of Chateau Renaud, France
    1662 15 Kreuzers, Leopold I, Austria
    Best Relics: Bronze Age Arrowheads & Spearhead, 2c Roman silver ring, complete medieval knight's spur (x6)
    YouTube Channel: Full Metal Digger

  18. #18
    Global Moderator aloldstuff's Avatar
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    Over the years I have sold a couple of plain gold wedding bands. I did sell one of my RR baggage tags (cause I had found 4 or 5 of them) at the Springfield RR show. I have traded in some rosies and common mercs of which I took the proceeds and bought silver rounds. As far as the junk (copper, brass, lead) I currently have about 5 or 6 five gal buckets in my garage full of junk. I keep telling myself that I "will" get to them someday. As far as the relics go I proudly display them in the formal parlor (pretty sure I might have stepped over the line with the wife on this move).
    V3i- Prism IV- Pro Pointer
    2020 GOAL: Any Flowing Hair coin

    TOTAL 100 YEAR OLD COINS - -280
    2020:
    Silver: 11


    Oldest U.S. Copper - 1795 Liberty Cap
    Oldest U.S. Silver - 1829 Capped Bust Dime extra large 10C
    Click here to view my album

  19. #19
    Global Moderator Ill Digger's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by aloldstuff View Post
    .As far as the relics go I proudly display them in the formal parlor (pretty sure I might have stepped over the line with thje wife on this move).
    It looks awesome though Al! I remember seeing your stuff displayed all over the room and thinking to myself, "It's like a museum in here!" Tell the Mrs., it looks great
    Some days you get the corn, some days you get the cob
    ​Oldest coin: ​70 B.C. "Harlow Flyer" gold qtr. Stater
    Oldest U.S. coin: 1814 Capped Bust Dime

  20. #20
    Global Moderator aloldstuff's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ill Digger View Post
    It looks awesome though Al! I remember seeing your stuff displayed all over the room and thinking to myself, "It's like a museum in here!" Tell the Mrs., it looks great
    Thanks for the kind words Tim. Now if a discussion arises concerning the display area I can say "hey I have it in writing that this is a great look"
    V3i- Prism IV- Pro Pointer
    2020 GOAL: Any Flowing Hair coin

    TOTAL 100 YEAR OLD COINS - -280
    2020:
    Silver: 11


    Oldest U.S. Copper - 1795 Liberty Cap
    Oldest U.S. Silver - 1829 Capped Bust Dime extra large 10C
    Click here to view my album

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