McCallum High School, Visit #1

So I decided to change things up this past weekend and picked a different location to metal detect: McCallum High School.



A.N. McCallum High School, Home of the Knights, opened in 1953. It is the second oldest high school in AISD and is currently the oldest operating high school campus. It was named after AISD's first high school superintendent, and the location was chosen because of population growth in North Austin.



I remember going to the sports field when I was younger to watch my brother play soccer. A few years ago, the old wooden bleachers, original to the field, were torn down. My target for the day was the sides of the track, where these bleachers used to be.

Unfortunately, when I arrived at around 8:00AM on Saturday morning, the track and field were occupied by a soccer game. This is the reason why I always have a plan B. I headed to the front of the school only to find out that an orchestra competition was taking place. There were people everywhere and I really didn't feel like detecting within feet of people waiting to enter the theater.

Aha! I had a plan C.

While doing my aerial photo research of the area, I noticed that the dirt/gravel parking lot from 1964 was actually across the street from the main entrance. According to current Google Maps, that old parking lot is now a vacant grassy lot. While probably not an ideal area to dig, it was definitely better than nothing.



This lot was JUNKY. Old pull tab beer and soda cans, rusty tin cans, nails, screws, and even more unidentifiable junk.



I found hardly any coins, but did manage my oldest coin for the day, this 1956-D wheat penny:




About the coolest thing I found was this candle snuffer:



When the school finally cleared out a little, I went to a side entrance and managed a few bucks in clad coins.



I still haven't pulled my first silver! However, some of the dimes and quarters were 1965 and 1966, so I will be going back to McCallum High School to look some more!

Don't stop digging!
Krakken

Old Anderson High School, Visit #2

I found this crest for the old L.C. Anderson High School online while doing research. I think it was designed after the school was shut down, but it is pretty cool, nonetheless.

There is a lot of ground to cover at this school, and because it is so close to my home, there will be many separate blogposts covering my metal detecting outings there. If I remember to take my camera, I'll get some current photos of the school grounds the next time I go out.

There is a large and steep hill on one side of the track that leads up to the old school buildings, and that is where I focused the majority of my hunt on Saturday. I'd like to think of it as extreme metal detecting.

You saw the junk I pulled in the last post, so here the coins and other cool finds. My apologies for the weird angle on the picture.




This is the most pennies I have ever found in one hunt. I'm happy, but would rather find quarters.

Here are some close ups of the token. I think it is pretty cool.





It reads "Serving Austin Texas and the Capital Area" on one side, and "Capital Metro Transit Token" on the back. You will also notice that on the back there is some sort of metal clip or rod. I was a little puzzled about this at first, but got my answer after some internet searching. It turns out that these tokens were used from 1989-1999, and after they were discontinued, all old tokens CapMetro had were turned into pins, like the one I have was. The actual pin on mine has just been bent down next to the token, and I lack the pin back. Here is a picture I found online.




It was a good hunt, but still no silver. I know I'll find some. There is still plenty of ground to cover, and I have found dimes and quarters from 1964 - only one year off!

Don't stop digging!
Krakken

You have to dig a lot to get a little.

I've labeled the junk for you.



And here be the buried treasure from the same metal detecting trip.



Full post and coin count in the next update.

Don't stop digging!
Krakken

Breathing new life into an old, crusty nickel.

What a sad coin. Mr. Jefferson has definitely seen better days.

I dug this coin while metal detecting at at L.C. Anderson High School, which I visited in a previous blog post. I decided to give this eyesore his own feature, as it turns out this is the oldest coin I have dug to date.

This Mr. Jefferson looks like a 1939. This is actually quite cool, as Jeffersons only started being minted in 1938! After doing a little more research, it turns out that 1939-D Jefferson Nickels are the rarest Jefferson nickels that were intended for circulation. Awesome!

But is that what I have? My coin could be from Philadelphia, San Francisco, or Denver. Even with my magnifying glass, I can't really tell with all this gunk.

Most of the time, you shouldn't clean older coins. They can actually lose value when their patina is removed! But this is a nickel. It is made of 75% copper and 25% nickel... not something more valuable like silver. I checked ebay and 1939-D Jeffersons in better shape were only going between 5-10 bucks.

I decided that this coin was destined for my coinbook, and since I never intend to sell it, should be cleaned!

After polling fellow detectors on the Friendly Metal Detecting Forums, someone mentioned a mixture of white vinegar and table salt did wonders on his Liberty Head V Nickel (minted 1883-1913). Seeing as his nickel was over 30 years older than mine and came out looking great, I decided to give it a shot. Two hours soaking on each side and this is the result:




It is a 1939-D! And what a looker! You can even make out the eyebrow and cheekbones, which is something most coins in circulation from the 1960s lack. Removing the crust has also revealed a slight gash on the rim of the reverse, which I am not surprised about as I pulled a quarter not far from this nickel that had been through a lawnmower. Oh well. Because it has such a low mintage, this coin has definitely earned a spot in my coinbook!

Don't stop digging!
Krakken

Old Anderson High School, Visit #1

I bought a metal detector about two months ago with the intention of getting out of the house and increasing the size of my coin collection.  My metal detecting near end of 2011 was delayed by both a faulty metal detector from the factory (which was replaced under warranty) and rain every two days. Now sunny and with a Fisher F2 that works great, I have decided to hunt the nearby school and track.

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