Wally69's Nugget Hunting Practice. The By-Catch.

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Wally69

Paul
Joined
Dec 13, 2013
Messages
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Location
Sydney
I thought I would start a new thread for my coins and relics finds.

I first got into coin and relic hunting in order to practice using my detector so that when I hit the distant gold field I would be somewhat competent. It has since become an exercise that I enjoy, particularly exploring old sites/parks and unearthing buried history.

Tonight I tested a park near home, it has been around for a long time and I had presumed that it would have been worked over quite well. My first target was a $2 coin down about 4" so I moved onto some shallower looking soil areas and struck silver straight away with a 1936 threepence. The strike on the coin is great and that silver certainly does shine, infact, part of the rim of the coin was exposed, so I was pretty excited.

Not more than three feet away and at about 3" I struck my best looking halfpenny, it is a 1918 coin and again the strike and detail is brilliant and it wears a wonderful green colour. The difference in soil type to my usual hunting grounds is encouraging as most of my pennys to date have been quite corroded. I have not been game to clean the dirt off it yet as I don't want to ruin it.

A bit more scouting uncovered a few other relics including an un-fired 303 round, AMF button and a silver pen all at shallow depth. I was now thinking how could anyone have missed these, could this be a detecta-virgin park?

I had another commitment, so I did a swing around the perimeter back to my car and picked up 1c, a 1960 sixpence and finished off with a $1 coin. Again, all shallow and a good indication of some further potential.

Needless to say, I will be paying this spot another visit. :p

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Might be a virgin spot, time will tell as more finds come to hand I guess. Well done on picking up the pre-decs. :)
 
Pulled this last night along with 1913, 1921, 1923 Pennys and a pocket full of change some of which were sun baking on bare patches under the trees.

Any ideas???

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Liverpool, NSW, 1914-1917

The first internment camp for political prisoners was established at Liverpool in New South Wales at the outbreak of World War I. Little is known about this camp but it is of numismatic interest because the first Australian internment camp tokens were issued for use there. Perhaps setting a precedent for the WWII camps, the Liverpool token was radically different from any coin in general circulation

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Thanks guys, it is a shame it wasn't intact as it would fetch between $1-2k.

I think I know why the deterioration has hit one corner, it may have once been worn on the same chain as this one

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Here is the bit out of the book with the correct orientation for you may still be worth a bob, as they are not making them anymore.
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These photos of images are for research purposes only and are considered to be fair dealing in that respect( and should not be reproduced further from here).
 
Good finds. Pity about the internment camp token condition - but still you got something fairly rare. Congrats.
 
Thanks guys, sorry I didn't see your responses, I must have been away gold hunting.

Anyway, all this talk of GPZs and gold stirred me up so I went out for a night hunt.

Was very happy to find another 2 silvers and some coffee money from this spot. I thought I pulled a Victa-roo halfpenny but when I got home it turns out I have another personal first, I could just make out a spear and seated figure and got excited. After 10 patient minutes in olive oil I can just make out 1902......I'm stoked :cool:

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Bummer about the victa killing the brittania penny, though a first one for you is always a highlight and the silvers also make it all worthwhile. Are you doing parks, or were those goldfield finds? :)
 
The funny thing is I was saying to a mate yesterday that I would love to find a Pre-1911 penny and my best chance to find one was on the goldfields. To find one a couple of clicks from home that night made me chuckle a bit.

It is a shame it has taken a blade but it is a good indicator that this park has more goodies to give up.
 
GPZ.........GPZ.........GPZ........GPZ.......... :rolleyes: if only it was that easy.

Just cleaned the 20c pieces and the three that were in a stack are all 1966, so I will go out on a limb and say, being the first year of circulation, they have been in the ground since then.

Are they wavy's ? - unfortunately not 8.(
 
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