Well, here's something that doesn't happen every day.
I found a coin when tilling my garden. A 1944-D Mercury dime in excellent condition, once I cleaned it off. Very cool. From it's condition I would guess it only circulated a few years before being lost, so my guess is that it's been there for some 70 years.
Last year I found a 1919-S Lincoln cent (in terrible shape but still an interesting find).
I often find car parts from cars dating before WWII. I think they once fixed cars in my suburban back yard where I now garden.
After fall comes, and gardening is done, I'm going to get a metal detector and wand over the garden. Here's to hoping some interesting coins turn up!
Never anything of value ever comes up in the yard or garden here, but all kinds of junk. Mostly chunks of glass and lots of rusty car parts. We live where my wife's family lived for eighty years and her father was a mechanic and they tended to toss the old parts and even some tools into the brush that we cleared out and made into a garden. Anybody need some well worn 1950s radiator caps or a nice set of rusted pliers?
Here at home, nothing much. It is a 120 year old home and I have found newspaper pages from the '70's in the house and garage. There was a William McKinley campaign button in the basement - that was really cool 
. And, there was a Buffalo Nickel that turned up in the front yard but it was barely identifiable and with no date, of no value.
At another garden, the finds were interesting. There were so many square nails that I lost interest in picking them up. I did find a very old chisel that was still in good shape. I suspected that an old building had been pulled down.
It was in an interesting location geographically. Previous to the U.S. taking over this territory and making changes in the river bed, it was an area that flooded. After I found a net weight there, I did some looking at maps detailing elevations. Yes, it was the lowest ground outside of the river for a mile or so upstream. Right against a hillside, water likely flowed right through the garden area during Spring runoff, every year.
The net weight was a simple rock, likely found onsite and just beaten into something that would work. I had a friend and neighbor who was recovering from heart surgery and then, cancer with all the difficult treatments to go through. I gave him first the McKinley button and later the net weight. I don't know what his family did with those after he passed away.
Steve
. And, there was a Buffalo Nickel that turned up in the front yard but it was barely identifiable and with no date, of no value.At another garden, the finds were interesting. There were so many square nails that I lost interest in picking them up. I did find a very old chisel that was still in good shape. I suspected that an old building had been pulled down.
It was in an interesting location geographically. Previous to the U.S. taking over this territory and making changes in the river bed, it was an area that flooded. After I found a net weight there, I did some looking at maps detailing elevations. Yes, it was the lowest ground outside of the river for a mile or so upstream. Right against a hillside, water likely flowed right through the garden area during Spring runoff, every year.
The net weight was a simple rock, likely found onsite and just beaten into something that would work. I had a friend and neighbor who was recovering from heart surgery and then, cancer with all the difficult treatments to go through. I gave him first the McKinley button and later the net weight. I don't know what his family did with those after he passed away.
Steve
You all may already know this, but I was surprised to find that metal detectors are quite advanced these days. And they're not very expensive.
For example, I bought one for less than $140 that seems to work very effectively. It even can distinguish between iron or steel items (like nails) versus the more valuable items like coins. This is useful because then you only spend the time and effort to dig up items that are likely of value.
@digitS', that 120 year old home sounds like a fun place to thoroughly inspect. Maybe you'll find something there yet. Maybe under a floorboard or hidden in an obscure part of the attic. People in the old days had a fondness for hiding valuables that is lost to most of us today. I'd sure metal-detect your yard! A lot of times old coins will be buried under 2 to 4 inches of soil, and a detector can find them for you. Best of luck!
For example, I bought one for less than $140 that seems to work very effectively. It even can distinguish between iron or steel items (like nails) versus the more valuable items like coins. This is useful because then you only spend the time and effort to dig up items that are likely of value.
@digitS', that 120 year old home sounds like a fun place to thoroughly inspect. Maybe you'll find something there yet. Maybe under a floorboard or hidden in an obscure part of the attic. People in the old days had a fondness for hiding valuables that is lost to most of us today. I'd sure metal-detect your yard! A lot of times old coins will be buried under 2 to 4 inches of soil, and a detector can find them for you. Best of luck!
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Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7419
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
When I was in college 1970 my room mate would spend 1 hour every Sunday looking for coins in the grass around coin parking meters at the campus pay parking lots with his metal detector. He would sometimes find $3 that was a lot of money back then, minimum wage was $1 and 35 cents would buy a, hamburger, fry & coke at most fast food restaurants.