The ground I am hunting is L.C. Anderson High School, Home of the Yellow Jackets. A predominately African-American school, it opened in the location I am hunting in 1953. It was later ordered closed by a federal judge as a part of desegregation in 1971. The facilities are still in use and it is now the Alternative Learning Center (ALC) for the local school district. Anderson High School was reopened in its current location in 1973 with a new mascot, The Trojan, and is now home to spoiled white kids.
Here are two aerial shots of the 1953 campus:
As you can see, most of the school was built before 1964. This is great for me, because I want to pull silver coins.
If you didn't know, The Coinage Act of 1965, enacted July 23, 1965, eliminated silver from the circulating dimes and quarter dollars of the United States, and diminished the silver content of the half dollar from 90% to 40%. This act was in response to coin shortages caused by the rising price of silver in terms of a devaluing U.S. dollar.
Since I am looking for silver coins, the best places to look are places built before the Coinage Act! I am unlikely to find any Mercury dimes (minted 1916-1945) at this location, but there are still plenty of silver Roosevelt dimes, Washington quarters, Franklin halves, and Kennedy halves to find!
Here is the results of four hours on 1/14/2012:
No silver, but not too bad for what I feel is my first real metal detecting outing! And I have only hit half the bleachers and a little bit next to the track. So much more to hunt!
Next time:
Can this crusty coin be saved?
Don't stop digging!
Krakken
Very cool. Excited to see what other stuff you find!
ReplyDeleteGreat looking blog!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry too much about the silver; it will come. That research you're doing will see to it.
Good luck and Happy Hunting!