This past weekend some friends from our metal detecting group “SPHRG” Southeastern Pennsylvania Historical Recovery Group which I founded four years ago met in Concord Township, PA.
We did some research on an old farm that sits back about two hundred yards from Smithbridge Road. Using Google Earth and Bing Maps we saw that there was a large home and barn that did not show on the maps after 2002.
Two of us were using Minelab E-TRAC and the rest were using Garrett and White’s detectors. I was at this same location the week before using my Garrett AT-Pro and failed to detect my find of the day.
Using my new Minelab E-TRAC I was re-checking the area alongside of the long driveway near the stairway where the house used to be and the E-TRAC sounded off a nice higher tone with 12-47 on the FE-CO number display. It also told me the target was around five inches down.
My friend was there video taping our recoveries so I called him over to capture this recovery.
I cut a nice plug with my relic shovel and started digging down to see what target was hiding there, and after about four to five inches down there was my “FIRST EVER” 1847 Large Cent in Very Good Condition.
I have been hunting for over 30 years and had never found one of these or an Indian Head penny, so I was thrilled to cross this one off my bucket list.
I was telling my friend how much I wanted to come back to this site and use my E-TRAC so I could find the deeper targets and now here was the proof in my hand.
Woody McKay - PA, USA
