What was your worst day's detecting?

[Easylife]

Just what a bad detecting day I had recently, I searched a new 1 acre paddock. I started from the roadside hedge and immediately started finding shotties, but I didn't mind them at all as I've not found any for absolutely ages, but they did come in like pre-decimal coppers so had to be dug. It became quite clear that the builders had used this paddock when they extended the bungalow from the fragments of modern roof tiles on the surface and even a steel trowel minus it's handle. Just so much iron present and not much good showing apart from just a single Vicky halfpenny, the rest was just trash. Then the cattle entered from the adjoining field and an over friendly black fella came right up for a head rub and was getting rather too licky so I made a hasty retreat to the metallic green-waste contaminated field from which they had just departed. I have had a few good finds from this field long ago including a Roman coin and a Saxon brooch so it still has potential to produce. First targets were couple of chunks of aluminium and then, Oh what's this, perhaps some sort of ancient brooch with that design on it? No, just part of a bleedin' draw handle!

Many more aluminium chunks of green-waste followed but then finally a coin, a pre-decimal penny, which turned into a five coin pocket spill totalling 4d, and not a silver amongst it. But then a rather crude copper/alloy trade weight showed which seems to be Georgian as it has a 'G' on it? Being in Central England it was quite ironic that the only button to show was a Coast Guard button. Another find had writing which seems to read 'by me I am free!', so that's for the bin with most of the rest! I think it's the worst detecting day that I've ever had finds wise on my own permissions for keepers compared to trash, yet I endured the heat for it! It's as if someone was having a larf! Though once on a club dig my best finds were just plain buttons!

Here's my miserable return.

The worst of it - the green-waste!

Copper and lead trash.

Shotties and harmonica remnants.

What was your worst day's detecting?

[Dave The Slave]

You must have high standards, would be happy to find 6 coins on an inland session, my best is 3.
The Coastguard button is interesting, any idea on age ? Looks to be pre 1840, going by the Unscrolled anchor.
My worst days detecting inland was a small paddock i had for 2 weeks, with mainly scaffold clamping joints and as i said i would remove any waste, had to haul out around 20kg.
Good luck,
Dave.

[Easylife]

You must have high standards, would be happy to find 6 coins on an inland session, my best is 3.
The Coastguard button is interesting, any idea on age ? Looks to be pre 1840, going by the Unscrolled anchor.
My worst days detecting inland was a small paddock i had for 2 weeks, with mainly scaffold clamping joints and as i said i would remove any waste, had to haul out around 20kg.
Good luck,
Dave.

I had expected the paddock to produce more keepers than just one coin. The coppers of 200 years or less don't really appeal to me. The weight and button are okay, but still not much to show for the amount of targets dug. The button appears to be 1812 - 30 from another reference. The green-waste is a downer knowing that it was needlessly dumped on the field and is indistinguishable from good targets.

[shaggybfc]

I actually think my last 2 outings would be close to my worst days.
Back on the fields that’s delivered hammered and gold coins, Bronze Age and medieval artefacts. All I’ve come away with, after 8 hours of searching is a few toasted coppers, loads of buttons and junk, lots of junk.
It’s Amazing just how different a field can be on different visits...
On a club meet tomorrow, and a new field to go at, so good time are just around the corner.
I’ll post some photos later.

[Ladybird66]

Hard to distinguish when it comes to my fields. They’re all poor as we’re peeps who worked them.
I’ve had a couple of outings were I’ve come back with nothing, both beach outings. Easy to excuse them. The sand was piled high but as I’d got there I had a go. The only signals coming through were iron and I’ve learned NOT to dig them on the beach.
I had a nice walk in the end and nothing more. Doesn’t get much worse or better, depending on how you like a nice walk

[joemole]

Today was my worst . New permission right next to a roman road . I had high hopes but every 2 steps was scrap copper or scrap lead . I'll not be going back there . What nightmare.

[Easylife]

I guess you set your standards depending on what is par for your area?

[joemole]

I guess you set your standards depending on what is par for your area?

3 roman settlements and a roman fort all within 3 mile . I was expecting something good . But thats just how it goes sometimes .

[Easylife]

3 roman settlements and a roman fort all within 3 mile . I was expecting something good . But that's just how it goes sometimes .

It'll be there, but sometimes like finding a needle in a haystack!

[alloverover]

When I stummbled and broke my lower stem ?

No


When I as good as broke my ankle in a Scottish river slipping on the weed covered boulders after a day and night in the pub that adjoined it, laying in the water screaming in agony, just managing to toss my detector to the shore and finaly, unceremonially being dragged up the bank when help arrived ?

No


Forgetting to take toilet paper and spare pants after a particularly heavy night on the Guiness ?


Got to be

[joemole]

It'll be there, but sometimes like finding a needle in a haystack!

Hopefully a better day tomorrow on a friends new permission in yorkshire . Fingers crossed .

[Mucky]

My worst days have been the days when I have found sod all! And there have been many of those days.
You have to be either kidding or boasting; That certainly was not a bad day!

[Steve_JT]

Worst Month for me, it’s either been baked hard pasture, or stubble to tall and stiff, today the rape & barley stubble still not disked down, today ventured onto a field but stubble still a little resistive to the swing and loosing height, to sum it up so far this month

" Pants"

To be fair its been dry and hard so the conditions are not great, roll on the autumn when its cool and better digging.
I’m of on hols for a week so will have time to ponder and plan and hope on return the fields have been disked, I so want to get onto the new 60 acres field that yielded a Roman and strap end in the tram lines only. Things can only improve

All I’ve got to show for it is this below, no gold, no silver and no hoard, the reality of detecting

Oh, I did get this nice buckle but that's it





Some of the iron was eyes only but picked it up



Regards Steve

[Easylife]

My worst days have been the days when I have found sod all! And there have been many of those days.
You have to be either kidding or boasting; That certainly was not a bad day!

Not kidding or boasting at all, I know my land quite well and know what to expect from the different areas of it, this was just not a good day at all to the norm! But don't get me wrong as it's really now't special but has previously produced a few great finds so always good when something new shows.

[murkey]

This day haunts me!!

Was on a rally/dig and near the end of the day after not finding much I enter another field with a footpath, to my surprise there wasn’t many dig holes so I thought I’ll give it all my attention for the rest of the day.

Once I got to the stile for the next field I started to grid around it, it was then a fellow detectorist was showing a mate near by a lovely hammered groat he had earlier In the day, I went over to take a look, with that I heard the shout out ...GOLD!!!!!

Another detectorist had made his way near to the stile and found a mint perfect full Guinea, absolutely stunning coin that I missed by a few feet and surely would have had if I didn’t get distracted..

Still gives me nightmares now!!