The Official Newsletter for the Nor easters Metal Detecting

The Official Newsletter for the Nor’easters Metal Detecting Club! Vo l um e 1 20 0 6 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: HT TP:/ /WWW.NOREA STER S. NET Hi all! Well, we have an official newsletter now. I will be putting this together in Quarterly installments. I will also mail this out to those who do not have access to email to keep them up to date on all of the Nor’easters activities. WEBSITE As many of you know our website http://www.noreasters.net Is up and running with information that can be quite helpful to all detectorist. It has sections on weather, tides, a for sale area, a club forum, chat room and even a general store where you can purchase Nor’easter logo imprinted items. MEMBERSHIP At this point we have close to 30 members in the club. Not bad for a club that just started in February 2006. Among the membership we have members that work with Historians in both Stamford and Norwalk and a Parks Department Manager. Our membership dues are due in February of each year and you can pay them online using PayPal or the old fashioned way of mailing a check into us. All members in our club are also members in the NMDL which is an association dedicated to the sport of metal detecting. Their website is: nationalmetaldetectingleague.com This dual membership affords us our insurance for sponsored club hunts and gets you 20 dollars off your entry fee for the Annual Hunt called the CASH BASH. But more info on that in this newsletters section called CASH BASH. I was mulling over the idea of adding 5 dollars to the dues to cover the O c to b er 2 00 6 O u r F i r s t Ne w s l e t t e r 1 Favorite Finds History of the V-Nickel Cream De M int Di g i t a l p h o t o g r a p h y Cash Bash 2006 2 2 3 4 5 FMDAC dues, but I want this to be decided by the group, as there is another group that is out there called AMDA doing a similar job. I also thought that many of you belong to other clubs and have already paid dues to one of the two national clubs. Why have you pay twice. This is not a mandatory affiliation. I encourage participation in one of the two clubs as they do much to boost the hobby and serve as a home base of sorts for us to act as a whole on a national level rather than just a bunch of smaller clubs. There is always power in numbers. HUNTS We are now working on getting some spring hunts going . Please help us by keeping a eye out for a possible hunting sites. Old Farms, Scout, religious and summer camps, schools even ski resorts would make a nice jaunt. I would also like to thank Roger Touhy and Pat Darinzo for the efforts they put forth this year in getting us places to hunt. Well done gentlemen. New Metal Detecting Store I thought I would take this moment to mention that one of our Nor’easter Club Members, namely Pat Darinzo will be opening a Metal Detecting Shop in Stamford called Yankee Metal Detectors. He will be selling Garrett, Fisher, Bounty Hunter and Minelab! He is in the works of getting the Whites line in his store as well. The address will be 521 Glenbrook Road Stamford, CT 06906. The Phone number is (203) 356 1020. He will also have a presence online as well. His store will be operated Monday through Saturday 10 to 4. So if you are in the area and or need a new detector or other related material books, headsets, trowels etc… Give him a shout. It will really be nice to have a real true store around this area. You may also buy items from his website at http://www.yankeemetaldetectors.com . He will be taking checks, credit cards, PayPal and oh yeah CASH. Remember to call first for now as he is just opening up and has not done a grand opening yet. The Metal Detecting Creed By Jessie Thompson We are Metal Detectorist. venturing forth in search of relics lost to time, only to be discovered and secured for future generations. Diligent in our endeavors to detect, we will not trespass on to posted lands and will always obtain lawful permission in advance. Detectorist are protective of earth’s creatures, natures landscapes and tributaries. We close all gates and leave no refuse in our wake. When requested, we will endeavor to assist in the recovery of lost items of sentimental value to the best of our ability. History being the tie that binds us, any item recovered of a singular significant historical value will be reported to local historians. Remember Metal Detecting is to be conducted in a respectful and courteous manner; we are the ambassadors of our hobby to all who may survey us. Vo l um e 1 20 0 6 h tt p :/ /w w w. n o re ast e rs . ne t Pag e 2 Nor’easter Meetings 11-13-06 12-11-06 01-08-07 02-12-07 03-12-07 04-09-07 05-08-07 06-11-07 07-09-07 08-13-07 09-10-07 10-08-07 11-12-07 12-10-07 The Nor'easters club members have had quite the year as a new club goes. Amongst some of their favorite finds this year are the following . Roger Tuohy picked up a gold heart locket and gold ring at Purchase which ranks as his favorite finds this year. Tony Sabatto picked up a 1876 seated dime and a 1723 Hibernia Woods Farthing. Pat Darinzo dug up an old Champion Lever 1 lock and it still works, He was offered 300 dollars for this one. Matt Krois picked up a an 1853 Calendar Coin and his first Spanish Reale in awesome condition. Dan Lewis scooped up a nice 14k US Marines ring and a 10 dollar gold coin as well as a bust dime which put a huge smile on his face, what a year for this guy. Ron Aldridge got a nice seated dime at the Purchase hunt. Russ Bergenson not to be outdone just discovered a George Washington inaugural button it had a listing from the cobb collection book as being a RRR rating(ultra rare)find he is unsure of the worth but makes it his most favorite find of the year. Joe Saunders was mulling over his favorite find of the year and says it must be his silver and ruby, cobra shaped pendant. Barbara Kappus, the only lady in ourgroup (and a new grandma) has not quite made up her mind, She has had a nice year, with an Old Victorian era Turquoise ring a Two Ore Gustav the 2nd coin or the 1903 Barber quarter and 1901 Barber dime. Oh and me Jessie Thompson, I unearthed a 1747 Reale that I am pretty fond of. Pictures of some of the finds below. 1747 Reale a 1723 Hibernia Woods Farthing 1853 Calendar Coin Champion Lock The History of the Liberty or V-Nickel The Liberty Nickel, commonly known as the “V” nickel for the Roman Numeral "V" on the reverse was officially produced from 1883 to 1912. We use the word officially because one of the most famous coins of all is the 1913 Liberty Nickel which was produced under suspect circumstances. For more on the famous 1913 Liberty Nickel please refer to the article titled “History of the Famous 1913 Liberty Nickel”. In 1881, A. Loudon Snowden, Superintendent of the Philadelphia Mint directed Chief Engraver at the time, Charles Barber, to create designs for the cent, three-cent piece and the nickel. Snowden believed that all three coins should be similar in design and metal composition. The designs created by Barber were all simple in appearance with Lady Liberty on the obverse and a Roman Numeral I, III or V on the reverse to represent the denomination. Barber completed the request later that year with all three coins stuck in copper-nickel which was the same as the Shield Nickel currently in circulation. The Shield Nickel, introduced in 1866, was the first “nickel” sized coin. The half-dime, made of silver, had previously filled the need for this denomination. The Shield Nickel was well received despite the fact that during this time period, consumers liked their coinage in silver and/or gold. And although the nickel was relatively new, its bland design made it ripe for a redesign. Additionally, during this time period, there was not yet a federal law establishing the minimum life expectancy for US coin designs. Changing the cent, three-cent piece and nickel was not to be. Congress opposed a change in composition to the cent and the Treasury would not approve a design change for the three-cent piece. The three-cent silver piece has been discontinued several years before and the three-cent nickel, with the exception of 1881 had seen declining mintage numbers. With the nickel seeming to be the only viable option for change, Barber and Snowden concentrated on making the change to the nickel a reality. In addition to a design/appearance change, Snowden also changed the size from 20.5 mm in diameter to 21.2 mm. Snowden believed that by increasing the diameter and reducing the thickness (the weight stayed the same), die life would be extended. After all the finishing touches were complete, there was a special ceremony on January 30th, 1883 to introduce the new nickel. Those who attended, and were deemed important, received first strike coins. A few days later, regular production began. The new nickels had hardly been circulated when a major problem surfaced. The coin did not contain the word “cents” and con artists of the day were plating the nickel with gold and passing them off as $5.00 gold pieces. Because the nickel was still new, the general public was not aware of the new nickel and since the “V” was the only symbol of value, it could mean 5 cents or 5 dollars. Unfortunately for the mint, nearly 5 ½ million nickels had already been produced and released. Barber quickly created a new design, this one with the word cents prominently displayed on the back. The first nickels soon became known as the “no cents” nickels. The nickels that were gold plated became known as “racketeer nickels” and can still be found in old hoards and collections. In the end, over 16 million nickels were produced in 1883. Even though far more 1883 nickels with the word “cents” were produced, they are harder to get in good grades. The “no cents” variety was saved by people thinking that they would be recalled/replaced. After this initial controversy, the Liberty Nickel settled down to a calm life. There were no significant changes during the life span of the nickel, and for all but the final year, all the nickels were made in Philadelphia. In the final year of official production, 1912, nickels were also made in Denver and San Francisco. 1913 gave way to the Buffalo Nickel followed by changed in the dime, quarter and half dollar. Vo l um e 1 20 0 6 h tt p :/ /w w w. n o re ast e rs . ne t This area of our news letter will be dedicated to news from the USMINT.GOV website. The title Cream De Mint is a play on words. Pag e 3 The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 The United States is honoring our Nation’s Presidents by issuing $1 circulating coins featuring their images in the order that they served, beginning with Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison in 2007. The United States Mint will mint and issue four Presidential $1 coins per year, and each will have a reverse design featuring a striking rendition of the Statue of Liberty. The composition of the new Presidential $1 Coins will be identical to that of the Golden Dollar featuring Sacagawea. The Presidential $1 Coin Act (Public Law 109-145) seeks to revitalize the design of United States coins and return circulating coinage to its position as an object of aesthetic beauty in its own right. Accordingly, the new Presidential $1 coins will feature larger, more dramatic artwork, as well as edge-incused inscriptions of the year of minting or issuance, "E Pluribus Unum," "In God We Trust" and the mint mark. Removal of Barriers: Obligations of Certain Agencies, Businesses and Transit Systems In addition to authorizing these new coins, the Presidential $1 Coin Act specifies measures to ensure that an adequate supply of $1 coins is available for commerce and collectors. It requires Federal agencies and instrumentalities (including certain nonappropriated fund instrumentalities), entities that operate any business on Federal property, the United States Postal Service, and certain transit systems to be fully capable of accepting and dispensing $1 coins and to display signs and notices of this capability. Outreach Activities Public Law 109-145 also requires the Director of the United States Mint to work closely with consumer groups, media outlets, and schools to increase public awareness about the inauguration of the Presidential $1 Coin Program and the availability of the $1 coin. Presidential Dollar Coin Release 11 James K. Polk 1845-1849 12 Zachary Taylor 1849-1850 2010 13 Millard Fillmore 1850-1853 14 Franklin Pierce 1853-1857 15 James Buchanan 1857-1861 16 Abraham Lincoln 1861-1865 2011 17 Andrew Johnson 1865-1869 18 Ulysses S. Grant 1869-1877 19 Rutherford B. Hayes 1877-1881 20 James A. Garfield 1881 2012 21 Chester A. Arthur 1881-1885 22 Grover Cleveland 1885-1889 23 Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893 24 Grover Cleveland 1893-1897 2013 25 William McKinley 1897-1901 26 Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909 27 William H. Taft 1909-1913 28 Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921 2014 29 Warren Harding 1921-1923 30 Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929 31 Herbert Hoover 1929-1933 32 Franklin Delano Roosevelt 19331945 2015 33 Harry S Truman 1945-1953 34 Dwight David Eisenhower 19531961 35 John F. Kennedy 1961-1963 36 Lyndon B. Johnson 1963-1969 2016 37 Richard M. Nixon 1969-1974 2007 1 George Washington 1789-1797 2 John Adams 1797-1801 3 Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809 4 James Madison 1809-1817 2008 5 James Monroe 1817-1825 6 John Quincy Adams 1825-1829 7 Andrew Jackson 1829-1837 8 Martin Van Buren 1837-1841 2009 9 William Henry Harrison 1841 10 John Tyler 1841-1845 Vo l um e 1 20 0 6 h tt p :/ /w w w. n o re ast e rs . ne t Pag e 4 Digital macro (small) photography may be the way to go if you are planning to upload a picture of your coins to the web. Digital close-ups will be the quickest and cheapest route to go, but which camera is your best choice for such digital macro photography? Do you need to look at digital SLR cameras, or will you get good enough results with an appropriate digital macro photography compact or "prosumer" (professional consumer) model? For close up digital macro photography work, many of the compact or prosumer cameras are considered good enough. For instance, if it is for getting those rings and other jewelry items up there on the web, a 3 Mega Pixel camera will produce adequate images that will still need to be reduced in size. Because of their small sensor size, the compacts often have better depth of field which could be very good for this task. For big close-ups, rather than true digital macro photography, you can couple a good prosumer camera with a 2 dioptre Close Up lens. For example, you can use the KonicaMinolta Z1 with its 10x zoom, which would get you in very close. Or you could use the Nikon 5700 in a similar manner - without having to spend a lot more on a comparable Digital SLR plus lens. On the other hand, if you want to go the DSLR route, a good example - and if money is a concern! - is the Canon 300D Rebel, which produces excellent close up digital macro photography images. As your web products are unlikely to be scared off by getting too close, a 50mm macro lens such as the Sigma 50mm f2.8 EX DG MACRO should do the trick! If you are on a tight budget, and you need to get those products out there on the web without risking too much scarce capital, careful consideration of all the options available for digital macro photography is necessary. You may decide on the seemingly less expensive DSLR's, only to find that you have to purchase an additional lens at considerable cost, in order to equal the image quality of the better prosumer cameras. A few general digital macro photography hints to get you started: 1. Jewelry is often tricky because of the reflective surfaces. Use reflectors to create a soft surrounding light. 2. When using window lighting, you can use a paper reflector on the far side to fill in the dark areas. 3. It is easy to make your own reflectors, using cooking foil or white paper. 4. If you like use an old box and tape foil or white paper all around. Use a white or black bottom for the box and place the object to be photographed in the box and snap the pic as close as you can get without being out of focus. You may even use direct overhead lighting to assist a flash fill. Remember lighting is important to get that just so shot. Also save your shots as .jpg or .png format as they tend to be smaller in file size. Vo l um e 1 20 0 6 h tt p :/ /w w w. n o re ast e rs . ne t Pag e 5 So you want to know what is that CASH BASH Hunt! Well it is the dream of a nice down to earth kind of guy Named Jeremiah Burr. This fellow has out of his own generosity funded several years of these hunts. He scouts the site does his research bargains with the land owner and then publicizes the event for all to attend. Yeah there is a fee but the fee is used to buy the awards and help to defray other unforeseen expenses. Jeremiah is a person who is bent on making the Hobby of Metal Detecting into a sport. One that could be considered competitive with sponsors. He has approached the Guinness Book of records people in trying to create a category for The Worlds Fastest Metal Detectorist . He has also recently been featured in print in the Boston Globe for his Metal Detecting endeavors. Each year in and around October Jerry gets all of us in the Norteast in a tizzy for the latest hunt that he puts on and this year was no exception. He Brought out the big guns with a 300 Acre Colonial Farm and Homestead! This site was known to the locals as Logue Farms and although it was established in Woodbury, Connecticut in 1905 as a dairy farm, this property and its surrounding acreage has been part of the active farming community since the 1700`s. This year the group pulled out several copper coins some from England and some from Colonial America. One I remember especially was a Massachusetts Copper dug by the Nolan Brothers. Also some nice silver such as a nice seated Dime and a couple of Large Cents by my good friend Steve Barrett (You go Steve). That Saturday evening Jerry’s wife Laura prepared a nice Lamb dinner for us. Wow, was that good. Jerry took the mike and presented the awards and then we got some nice after dinner talk from Mike Scott from Outdoor Outfitters. Nothing is better than that to get the old gold fever going. Well the next day Jerry held the seated and kids hunts to the thrill of all. I am so looking forward to Next year…... Natural finds winners 1st place Steve Barrett with an 1802 large cent and an 1832 large cent both in nice condition and a seated dime 2nd place Mark Nolan with a beautiful Mass. Copper in perfect condition 3rd place Kim Cox with a bust Dime and a rosa Americana copper Organized team 1st place team X-Men, Kim Cox, Linda Pavlischak, Dennis Bjorkland, Mike Race- score 55 2nd Place team ECRXA, Joe Jorgensen, Mark Stieve, Paul Ratalino, Frank Cannas – score 37 3rd Place team Swingers, Rick Browne, Mike Giannette, Tony Cwikla, Bob Cwikla – score 33 CASH BASH Dinner 2006 NMDL National Championship State Team- PAR 9 1st Place Team PA –score 9 2nd place Team NJ – score 3 3rd Place Team CT- score 1 NMDL National Individual PAR 9 1st Place Joe Jorgensen score 9 2nd Place Dennis Bjorkland score 8 3rd Place Howard Ratcliff score 4 Please Support Our Advertisers http://www.noreasters.net Page 7 http://www.yankeemetaldetectors.com 521 Glenbrook Road Stamford, CT 06906 (203) 356 1020 http://www.nationalmetaldetectingleague.com Nor’easters Metal detecting Club PO BOX 2232 STAMFORD, CT 06906-0232 Jessie Thompson - mr.metaldetector@aol.com We are on the web at http://www.noreasters.net Please deliver to: Happy Haunting To All!