Govalle Elementary, Visit #2

I had so much fun metal detecting at Govalle Elementary, I just had to go back.

Click here to see the previous post about my first metal detecting visit to Govalle Elementary.

This is the playground that I would be focusing most of my detecting efforts on for visit #2.


And here is episode #2 of my video blog, Don't Stop Digging! It contains all details of this hunt:


Here are all of coin my finds:








$4.77 total for the day! I'll take it!

And here is a really beautiful sterling silver ring that I found in the playground:


You can see the "925" stamp in this image:



I am very happy with my second visit to Govalle Elementary. I will definately be going back in the near future. I may not be pulling silver coins, but I am perfectly happy digging silver jewelry!

Thank you for continuing to come back and read my blog. I hope you will subscribe to both it and my YouTube Channel. By doing so, you can receive an email update whenever I post a new blogpost or episode.

I am really trying to do something different with my videos. While you may find tons of metal detecting videos on YouTube, you won't find very many that are meant to be "webisodes". I hope you enjoy both the metal detecting aspect and my humor as much as I have enjoyed making the episodes. And they should get better as I go. I think #2 is already much better than #1.

Thanks again!

Happy Hunting!

And don't stop digging!
Krakken

Govalle Elementary, Visit #1

Metal detecting this weekend took me to Govalle Elementary in Austin. Govalle is about three minutes away from my house, and I don't know why it never occurred to me to hunt there previously.


With the exception of an addition to the northeast side of the school and some totlots, most of the grounds from 1964 are the same.

Now for something completely new and different - a video blog!


This is my first attempt video blogging. I would appreciate any feedback and suggestions you may have.

Here is the final count of my metal detecting hunt on Saturday, Feb 25:


Visit #2 at Govalle Elementary took place the next day, on Sunday, and the results were even better. Stay tuned!

Don't stop digging!
Krakken

Ridgetop Elementary, Visit #1

This past weekend was very muddy but I had an itch to do some metal detecting. I decided to hunt what we metal detectors call "totlots". "Totlots" are essentially the areas around playgrounds or swing sets or any other structure that has gravel, sand, or woodchips on the ground. Hunting these areas make for easier digging and item recovery after heavy rains. While you may not get many old items, you recover items faster and holes are a gazillion times easier to fill neatly.

This is an aerial view of Ridgetop Elementary in Austin. Ridgetop was built in the 1930s and is about five minutes from my house.


The grounds themselves are likely to produce older items, but for the most part I focused on the "totlots" due to all the mud.

Let me tell you, this was the first time I ever hunted a gravel playground, and it was EASY. I didn't have to worry about making a mess, cutting through roots, or making it look like I was never there. I dig as much as I want, then I just push the gravel back in the hole. It was just too simple.

I did manage to get off of the playground and onto some of the sidewalks, so all of these finds are either from the gravel or from some of the sidewalk areas.


This toy NFL ring about made me have a heart attack. When I dug it out of the playground, for a split second I thought it was a gold class ring. Unfortunately, it is likely brass or pot metal. The gold colored finish is already tarnished on the other side.


This cool little copper colored crown pin still has the backing on it. Kinda weird, since it means it was not being worn when it was dropped.


These little religious charms were found about two feet apart from each other in the gravel. They are tiny - about half the size of a dime. I was surprised that my F2 with the stock coil pinpointed them so well.

Here are my finds:


This was a day of many highs and firsts: Not only was this the most dimes I had ever found in one hunt, but this was also the most jewelry I had ever found. Lastly, the 1992 50 Centavo piece from Mexico is the first foreign coin I have found.

I am very happy with my trip to the "totlots" at Ridgeview Elementary and plan on revisiting the grounds as soon as the ground is drier! Still hunting those silver coins!

Don't Stop Digging!
Krakken

Lousy weather allows little digging.

Weather has been cold and rainy over the past two weeks and I have only managed about 5 hours of digging at random locations. I just couldn't handle the 30 degree temperatures with wind for more than 30 minutes, and my detector isn't waterproof.

When I did manage to get outside, the weather was beautiful.



I love Texas sunsets.



Anyway, here is part of my junk haul:



As you can see, lots more pulltabs and foil than before. I found out from other metal detectors that the metal detector lumps gold rings into the same categories as foil and pulltabs. If I wanna get the gold, I gotta start digging more trash! What I really wasn't excited to find were the razorblades. Luckily I wear gloves when I did my holes.

I did dig this cool looking thing. I think it is part of a candle stick. It is a little corroded and crusty, almost like the zinc pennies around here tend to be:



You can see what looks like a lion head in this picture. There is also a line right down the center, which makes me think it was stamped or something:



I also dug this fencepost "topper". It is so big and heavy:



What amazes me about something like this is that it was only one inch below the surface, laying on the side. How does one drop and lose something like this?

Lastly, here is the coin and jewelry haul:



Not too shabby, I guess. No wheats or silver this time, though. And the jewelry was just kids stuff.

Hopefully the weather will allow me to get out and do some digging. It is currently raining and will continue through Saturday, but Sunday is supposed to be sunny.

I can't believe I'm still after my first silver coin! So frustrating!

In an upcoming post, I'll show you the new gram scale I received in the mail. You can see how much my silver finds weigh!

Don't stop digging!
Krakken

My first jewelry find!

Even though it rained all last night, I decided to get out of the house for a quick two hour metal detecting hunt this morning.

I couldn't wait to share this with you - my first jewelry find!



This is a James Avery sterling silver ring. The hallmark and STER can be seen here:



I believe I have found the same ring on their website. Follow the link below:

James Avery Wide Crosslet Ring

$86.00 brand new! What a score! This one is definitely in used condition, so it won't be worth as much.

Amazon.com is currently shipping me this gram scale, so I will weigh the ring to see if the melt value of the silver exceeds the average eBay selling price for this ring in used condition.

Either way, very happy with my find!

Thanks to my co-worker Jay and wife Carrie for recommending the location! I've only metal detected a very small area of the dirt there, but it seems like good dirt!

The full details of the hunt and finds will be shared in an upcoming post... I'm going to head back tomorrow morning! (RG EDIT 2/5/2011: TOO MUCH RAIN, WILL RETURN WHEN DRIER)

Don't stop digging!
Krakken