wheatie and 925 ring

[johnj45586]

Today was the day I chose for going to Salt Creek Beach to try what I learned at San Clemente (hunting in eroded sand). I was sure that I would have good luck so I went ahead and put 4 hours on the parking ticket.
It was a beautiful clear morning. I could see the Channel Islands, Catalina and even all the way to Los Angeles. The cliffs on the south end of Catalina were clear (they have yellow dirt with green vegetation on top). The ocean was a deep blue.
But the beach was a mess. The high waves had not eroded the beach at all. But it had dropped tons of seaweed all over. I made a couple of passes along the beach at the wet sand level with very little luck. Nothing but a couple of pennies and dimes.
On the south end of Salt Creek is a "drive way" and a lifeguard building that separates Salt Creek Beach from Strand Beach. I walked over the road to take a look at Strand Beach. The last time over there was a big zero.
Strand Beach was eroded. In fact the north 100 yards or more had no sand at all, only rocks. It was still several hours from low tide so the rocks were being washed by waves. I went along the walkway and managed to get on the beach where there was still sand. There was an erosion line for me to search along. I found a place for my wife to sit and rest while I walked the length of Strand Beach and back. The trip netted me a piece of foil, an aluminum can, a nickel and a dime.
We went back to Salt Creek Beach and had a diet coke from the cooler I had hauled down to the beach. All I had to show for a couple of hours of searching was a couple of coins. We were sitting next to an area of vegetation. There used to be some tall plants in the middle that surfers had used for shade. For some reason they have all been cut down to ground level. I have been eyeing this area since my first trip to Salt Creek. I figured there should be some goodies from all the surfers that used it. Before I didn't know how to set up the ACE 250 for grass and had gotten garbage signals all over the place every time I approached it. The problem was simple and shown on the DVD that came with the ACE - I had to turn the sensitivity down to a rational level.
The area extends about 30 feet from the cliff and is maybe 20 feet wide. I made a couple of sweeps and targeted a quarter immediately. I tried to dig for it and was unsuccessful. I had only planned working in the sand so I didn't have my digging tool or handheld pinpointer with me.
It was kind of obvious I would need the right tools to work the vegetation. There were two varieties. One type was about like grass with runners like strawberries have. The mat was a few inches thick and mostly sand underneath. The other had stems and roots that extended several inches down in a tangled mat.
I got a fantastic hit in the grassy area. I was able to move some of the dirt by hand and with a stick. I kept pinpointing with the ACE 250 and finally saw that it had moved. There wasn't anything bad in the dirt so I reached in with my bare hand and moved the dirt around. I felt something large and round that registered just after I dropped the dirt. I looked and didn't see anything. I was expecting to see a coin, and didn't. I reached into the dirt I had just dropped and found a great ring. It was really shiny and heavy. I thought I had a gold ring. I cleaned the mud off the inside and found the mark. It was 925 (sterling silver). I ended up checking three or four more times before I left the beach.
This is the biggest ring so far. I finally found a ring that just fits my little finger. After I cleaned it up at home I discovered another interesting fact. It is a "fidget" ring. The design spins independently of the rest of the ring. I first heard of a fidget ring on this forum. This ring has an ID of .9 inch, width of .35 and thickness of about .08 - it is approx. 12 grams. (I gotta get a good gram scale!).
I sat my wife down again and I headed up the hill for my grass tools. That ring sold me. I have a hand spade, knitting needle with a head for a probe and a Bullseye hand held electric pinpointer.
I started searching the grasslike area. I discovered very soon that I need to get a better digging tool. The probe didn't seem to help. But the hand held pinpointer was worth everything I paid for it. In the grassy area everything was about 2 inches down. I found an old pocket spill.
Then I started on the other vegetation. There was no way to dign in it. But I found this wasn't to great a deficit. There was no way coins or other treasure could sink in the roots. The routine became, locate and pinpoint with the ACE 250. Probe with the handheld pinpointer until the coin was found. Untangle and separate the plants to reveal the coin. About two coins into this routine I found a 1938 plain wheatie.
I worked my way back to where I had first looked in the vegetation and had located a quarter, but didn't find it. I detected the quarter again, and didn't have to do any further digging. I had moved it to the top of the ground but didn't see it when it was still wet. Now that it was dry there was contrast.
The take from working this small grassy area was 10 quarters, 11 dimes, 4 nickels and 12 pennies. Keepers included 1 wheatie, 1938-P and 1 great silver ring.
My original plan of searching eroded beach fell through, but the backup of looking in the dirt worked fantastic. I'm thrilled.
I may have time to check out Crystal Cove tomorrow to see if there is eroded beach there - then I have regular stuff (not THing) to do the rest of the week. Of course I will be looking for an opportunity to sneak away and try more beaches.
Happy hunting!:grinningelf:

[NC_Hunting]

Good finds and good story ... congratz and wishing you continued success!

[MinelabMan]

Nice ring John, I found one a while ago that the center spins, never knew it was called a "fidget". Thanks, constantly learning something here!

[EPC Guy]

Nice ring, John - congratulations!

[I Find History]

Nice ring, I had never heard of a fidget ring before - thanks for the education. I really enjoy the thoroughness of you posts, it really helps the reader visualize the location and the dig.

[HaveFaith]

Awesome ring~congrats!! I really enjoy reading your posts. Some posts you wish were longer. I enjoy the details, thanx.

HaveFaith:merrychristmas:
:christmaswindow:

[EBCIII]

Congrats on the Ring, it is a very nice one! I had not heard the term "fidget" ring before. It makes sense in a way, like a worry stone. I enjoyed the story a bunch as usual. Good hunting.

I guess the next thing tou gotta get is a good "inland" digging tool, Beale.

[JCWhite]

Great hunt. My best ring this year was the one I found with Buster in Fort Walton. It was a worry ring with fish on it. Pretty cool and thanks for another great story. JC

[creekrat]

guess the fidget ring will be good for you when you cant get out on the beach and chase the cuts ...good luck to you ..creekrat

[cntrydncr1]

Beautiful ring!