From the Webmaster's Desk...

     It looks like winter is starting to settle in the northeast once again.  I noticed the ground was frozen hard as a rock last week when the temperature dropped to around 20°F.  This past weekend was fairly mild as temperatures once again rose to the 60s.  I didn't have the opportunity to get out though.  Christmas shopping and end of the year projects at work have the priority right now.  The last couple of years we have had some pretty mild winters.  Hopefully, this year will be the same and we will not have to put the detectors in the closet.  I don't mind hunting in 30 and 40° weather.  It is refreshing and every time a silver coin pops up it warms the body!

     This is also the time to do research.  I have been putting off the research on that military fort that we hunted last spring.  The developers haven't bulldozed the property yet but there are a lot more signs up now.  I have talked to a few of the "old timers" in the area but none remember the fort ever standing.  According to what I have read so far, it was still around in the 1940's.

     Winter is a good time to pull maintenance on your equipment.  I know I have a pair of headphones that needs a new cord soldered on.  Knives need sharpening and probes need to be dulled on the ends.  My XLT could use a good cleaning too.  I have also accumulated quite a bit of "clad" coins that need to go in the rock tumbler.  This spare change could pay for a new probe and cord for the headphones.

     Last week me and my coinshooting partner, Roy hit an old church in Bucks County, PA.  I have been detecting the old church (1872) for the last 20 years and have walked off with at least an Indian head penny every visit.  On various trips I have recovered Barber dimes and quarters, lots of Indian head pennies and one seated Liberty dime.  I had been wanting to hit it with my XLT for the longest time.   We had only been at the church no more that 10 minutes when I got my first solid reading of a half dollar at 4 1/2".  Digging down to this level produced another seated Liberty dime dated 1878 and would grade at least very fine.  I can only attribute the half dollar reading to the "halo" effect and overnight heavy rain.  I also scored two more Indian head pennies.  They have always hit in the pull-tab to VDI 60 range.  I have always dug 3 and 4" signals in this range while in a church yard or any old area where good coins can be recovered.  I have mentioned before on HDWT that even half dimes fall into this range making it very important to dig those deep, pull-tab or less than a coin indication on the VDI meter.  It can be very rewarding!  Be sure and visit the logbook to view the seated Liberty dime.

     I have added another article, "Confessions of a School Yard Coinshooter".  Hunting old schools can be very productive and fun at the same time.  I will admit that it is getting harder and harder to find a school yard that hasn't been hunted to death.  All you can do is SLOW DOWN and hunt a smaller area of the school yard.  Hunt the areas that are further from the main school yard.  Also, a bush that is now 10 to 15 feet in diameter wasn't like that when it was first planted.  Hunt under the branches or inside toward the base if you can.  With all of the competition out there you have to come up with new ideas.

     There is a web site out there that has taken the liberty to evaluate and assign a numerical rating to treasure hunting and metal detecting web sites.  I believe there are approximately 35 sites that have been examined with the hope of evaluating all of the web sites devoted to treasure hunting and metal detecting.  Have Detector Will Travel was one of the sites rated and received a favorable evaluation.  I visited this web site and saw that a lot of the web sites that I frequently visit were listed and evaluated, with good and not so good ratings.  I believe that anyone that goes through the trouble of putting a treasure hunting  and metal detecting web site on the internet should be highly commended.  It is a lot of hard work and it shows the devotion to the hobby and the desire to share with the fellow treasure hunter, metal detectorist, and coin shooter.  They are ALL good sites!  No numerical rating is needed.  These treasure hunting and metal detecting web sites are as different as is the person that put the web site on the internet.  Everyone has their own unique style and interpretation of what treasure hunting and metal detecting is about.  The bottom line is that we enjoy the hobby and want to share it with everyone that is willing to listen or read about our adventures and what we are finding.

     I asked that Have Detector Will Travel be removed from the evaluation because of the numerical rating system.  My request was granted.  Reviewing web sites and letting viewers know what can be found on the site is one thing, but assigning a numerical rating of the site is not necessary.
 

See you in the field!

J.R. Hoff

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