The 2022 Dirt-Fishing Season didn’t end with a whimper. I caught my first Norwegian coin, Ring #24, and a collection of sweet toys. As always, I’ll post the best finds categorically: Coins, Accessories, and Etc.
Coins
Wheat Pennies – As the most commonly dropped (and therefore most commonly found) coin, the humble penny is often a great way for detectorists to gauge the age of a location. I’m always happy to find some wheatback pennies, because that means the location might also have some silver available. Two locations during the Fall of 2022 gave up some wheats and some other goodies besides. The dates I recorded were: 1946D, 1950, 1951, 1956, 1956D—plus seven more.
1947 Rosie (below) – I dugs all 5 of the coins in this first picture from the same yard at a log cabin on Lac Corte Oreilles, Northern Wisconsin. The cabin was first built in the 1920s, so I was hoping for a whole lot more than this, but I’m not complaining. The 1947 Rosie was the only silver coin I found all Autumn.
1922 Norwegian Ore (above) – The coin in the bottom right of the first pic is smaller than a dime, and it was almost too dirty for me to read. I could make out the name and date, however, and so I’ve posted 2 pics of a cleaned-up version for you to see what it would look like had it not sat in the dirt for 100 years. Norway. Who’da thunk?
Accessories
Rings #23 and #24 – Of the 2 rings I found that Fall, only this tri-banded silver ring was anything special. The other was clearly a cheap, silver-placed thing from which most of the silver had already rubbed off. I have no special stories for either of them, besides the fact that my family was picnicking in the park when I found this banded ring. It’s always nice to share the joy of discovery with them!
Etc.
Hubly P-38 (below) – My favorite find from the whole Autumn season came in early August at a city park where I’d found a number of ’50s-era coins and objects. In fact, all the toys in this section came from this same park, and almost all from under the same tree. This Hubly P-38 plane (missing its tailfin—see one in great condition here) was about 18 inches in the ground, and I honestly can’t believe I chased it that deep! But the number on my Nox 600 was right, and I had just found some cars nearby, so I thought it might be something special. When I first saw the red paint way down in the hole, I knew it definitely was! It’s close to being my largest toy ever, and I had it hanging in my hobby room until we moved away this summer. P-38s, incidentally, were a Lockheed fighter aircraft (American) most commonly used in the Pacific during WWII. Learn more about it here.
Midgetoy Bus (below) – Patent #2775847, ca. 1950s. I found this but in the same park as the others, and it’s in good enough condition to find all the pertinent info. You can see one in similar condition here. Mine just needs a little paint, right?
TootsieToy Truck (below) – I have not been able to find a good-looking example of this truck online, and I’m hesitant even to call it a “truck.” It’s more like a snub-nosed El Camino (like I found in November 2020). If you’ve got a good site for checking antique toys, I’d love the recommendation!
1907 Stanley Steamer by Tootsietoy (below) – This Classic Series vehicle by Tootsietoy has seen better days, but it was definitely a looker way back when, as you can see in this well-preserved model. I rechecked the hole to see if I could find the spoked wheels, but no luck.
La Crosse Pen (below) – To be honest, when I first dug this thin piece of metal, I thought I might have a piece of ancient copper culture. No such luck! I found this pen no more than five miles from La Crosse, WI, so the fact that I saw “La Crosse” written on it meant virtually nothing to me. After doing a bit of research, though, I discovered that this pen, first manufactured by Jonathan Bradley Pens in 1969, had a very short lifespan. In 1972, the A.T. Cross Company (famous for the Cross pens—my dad’s favorite) sued Bradley’s for intentionally naming his product to sound like “Cross.” The court filing says it all. I hope I still have this unique piece somewhere in my box of treasures! Kinda cool.
Cap gun #1 (above) – This was my first cap gun in about a year, and I found it in the same park as all the cars. It wasn’t to be my last of the season, however, because Roy Rodgers would soon ride in to save the day!
Roy Rodgers guns (below) – I found this pair of toy pistols buried at the foot of a wooden fencepost that surrounded the same city park that kept delivering the 1950s pieces. They’re nearly disintegrating now, but the signature above the trigger and the “RR” on the handle with Roy riding Silver are beautiful and intact. I guess I did get some more silver before the year was out! “Hi Ho!”
Face Values of All the Coins Dug in 2022…
March and April, 2022: $9.42
May, 2022: $11.70
Summer 2022: $30.29
Autumn 2022: $17.73
TOTAL for 2022: $69.14
(TOTAL for 2020-2021: $91.12)
Hobbies with Elliot 