Liking the IDX Pro

I went back to the school where I found the V and buffalo nickels along with many wheats. I had not found silver there until this morning - 1944 merc and then found a 1915 wheat. I'm still getting use to the Pro - both coins had low hits - thank God for the headphones or I would have never heard it. I don't think the Prizm would have found them. I am liking this detector a lot. But as they say - practice makes perfect.

Last several hunts

I've still been hunting at lunch time and then when I get home. Still trying to figure out the pro machine.  My take for the last few hunts are - 2-q, 5-d, 5-n and 24 pennies. I am noticing that I am finding a lot more pennies than before. The total count is a buck 49 with a coin count of 36.  I also found another foreign coin - a franc from France.

                               2010 coin count
                                     Q-411
                               2 -  53,59-d washington
                                     D-472                             
                               3 - 1923,39-d,41 merc
                               2 - 1964,64d Rosie
                                    N -198
                               1 - V nickel - 1899
                               1 - buffalo - 1924   
                                    P - 788                            
                               1 - Indian head - 1864
                               38 - wheats  - 1910,34,37(2),38(2),39,41-d,42,44(7),45(3),46(2),48,49(2),50,52,52-d,53,53-d(2),55,56d,(2),57,57-d,58,58-d
                               2 - Dol
                               1 - Half
                               5 - Foreign 
                                    1902 coins
                                $170.71 total
                                9 - silver rings
                              27 - total rings 

Last couple of hunts with Prizm II

Here is the take of my last hunts with the Prizm II.  I did find ring #27 - thought it was gold but of course - too good to be true and a foreign coin from Cyprus  1955.  Strange to find a coin from there.  So my findings were 1-q, 14-d, 7-n and 6 pennies - 28 coins for 2 bucks and 46 cents.

                                   2010 coin count
                                     Q-409
                               2 -  53,59-d washington
                                     D-467                             
                               3 - 1923,39-d,41 merc
                               2 - 1964,64d Rosie
                                    N -193
                               1 - V nickel - 1899
                               1 - buffalo - 1924   
                                    P - 764                            
                               1 - Indian head - 1864
                               38 - wheats  - 1910,34,37(2),38(2),39,41-d,42,44(7),45(3),46(2),48,49(2),50,52,52-d,53,53-d(2),55,56d,(2),57,57-d,58,58-d
                               2 - Dol
                               1 - Half
                               4 - Foreign 
                                    1866 coins
                                $169.22 total
                                9 - silver rings
                              27 - total rings 

First hunt with new IDX Pro

I received my IDX Pro today and tried it out for a couple of hours. I couldn't hunt the school I wanted because of soccer practice so I went to my backup school. My first find was a 1957 wheat penny. Then I found some jewelry and pennies buried deep. I have hit this area with the Prizm II many times so either I missed them before or it's the new detector. I say the later. I think I will like the pro - so far so good.

                              2010 coin count
                                     Q-408
                               2 -  53,59-d washington
                                     D-453                             
                               3 - 1923,39-d,41 merc
                               2 - 1964,64d Rosie
                                    N -186
                               1 - V nickel - 1899
                               1 - buffalo - 1924   
                                    P - 758                            
                               1 - Indian head - 1864
                               38 - wheats  - 1910,34,37(2),38(2),39,41-d,42,44(7),45(3),46(2),48,49(2),50,52,52-d,53,53-d(2),55,56d,(2),57,57-d,58,58-d
                               2 - Dol
                               1 - Half
                               4 - Foreign 
                                    1838 coins
                                $166.76 total
                                9 - silver rings
                              26 - total rings

Wheat penny #37

Found wheat penny #37 at lunch today along with a buck 6 in clad. 2-q, 5-d, 1-n and 1 penny. Tomorrow I get my new detector - can't wait to try it out.

                                 2010 coin count
                                     Q-408
                               2 -  53,59-d washington
                                     D-452                             
                               3 - 1923,39-d,41 merc
                               2 - 1964,64d Rosie
                                    N -186
                               1 - V nickel - 1899
                               1 - buffalo - 1924   
                                    P - 750                            
                               1 - Indian head - 1864
                               37 - wheats  - 1910,34,37(2),38(2),39,41-d,42,44(7),45(3),46(2),48,49(2),50,52,52-d,53,53-d(2),55,56d,(2),57-d,58,58-d
                               2 - Dol
                               1 - Half
                               4 - Foreign 
                                    1829 coins
                                $166.58 total
                                9 - silver rings
                              26 - total rings

Barber Half Dollar

History:
Barber or Liberty Head type half dollars were minted between 1892-1915. They were designed by Charles E. Barber with a weight of 12.50 grams and a composition of .900 silver and .100 copper. They are a little larger at 30.6 mm. diameter. They have a reeded edge and they were minted in Philadelphia, Denver, New Orleans, and San Fransisco.
The mint mark location is on the reverse below the eagle. The most valuable ones are the 1892O or an 1892S. This is on my wish list.

Reverse (Quarter/half dollar)

How Metal Detectors Work

The basic operation of any metal detector is to transmit, receive, and discriminate. But with new technology you have underwater metal detectors, gold prospecting metal detectors, metal detectors that can discriminate between gold and silver coins and jewelry.

Transmit Inside the search head of a metal detector is a wire coil called a transmit coil. Electricity is sent through the coil to create an electromagnetic field. The direction of the electricity is reversed thousands of times per second. When the electricity moves in one direction, a magnetic field is created whose polarity is pointed outward, or in this case to the ground. When the polarity is reversed, it sends a signal back to the machine. If there is metal in the ground, the electrical current will pass through the metal, allowing it to create its own magnetic field, which will work opposite of the transmit signal, forcing itself back to the detector.

Receive
A second coil inside the search head is arranged so that all the currents sent back by the transmit coil will be wiped out. This way, it can pick up only the current sent by the magnetic field of the metal object and receive only that object.

Discrimination
Once the electrical current has been transmitted and received, the simplest form of discrimination allows the metal detector to respond with an audio output when it passes over a metal object. Each different type of metal will have a signal unique to its own properties.

As a result, the machine will then be able to distinguish between, for example, a quarter made of silver and copper and an aluminum can tab. The metal detector can then be adjusted in sensitivity so that it responds only to heavier metals.

Today's lunch hunt

Got a chance to hunt at lunch today since yesterday was a total wash out. Found a buck 66 with the oldest coin being a 1946 king george canandian penny.  The count was 3-q, 7-d, 3- n and 6 pennies.

                                 2010 coin count
                                     Q-406
                               2 -  53,59-d washington
                                     D-447                             
                               3 - 1923,39-d,41 merc
                               2 - 1964,64d Rosie
                                    N -185
                               1 - V nickel - 1899
                               1 - buffalo - 1924   
                                    P - 750                            
                               1 - Indian head - 1864
                               36 - wheats  - 1910,34,37,38(2),39,41-d,42,44(7),45(3),46(2),48,49(2),50,52,52-d,53,53-d(2),55,56d,(2),57-d,58,58-d
                               2 - Dol
                               1 - Half
                               4 - Foreign 
                                    1817 coins
                                $165.52 total
                                9 - silver rings
                              26 - total rings