New Zealand Gold Fossicking Forums

Hi, thought I would throw up my finds. These were from this week Wednesday and Thursday night. Where? St Kilda, Middle beach, Dunedin. What time? from 9pm to 10pm and later on an outgoing tide. Featured two 1948 half crowns, 1933,1942,1946,1946 silver thruppences, 1933 & 1944 silver shillings, 1946 silver six pence. Plenty of NZ pennies, and a row of english pennies, and several post 1946 thruppences, a florin, two shillings, two nz half pennies, two english half pennies. Lastly a good contribution towards my next 5 kg parcel of demonitised coins to the NZ Reserve Bank. Tuesday night I found 105 coins, but I've sorted them away. Tonight I picked up a bunch too. I'll put those up next.

Its bloody amazing how many good coins you are finding there!

Hi, last nights finds. Includes some silver coins; includes three NZ thruppences and a NZ sixpence. Also in the photo is my silver jewellery found within the last two weeks. The heavy silver necklace came out black with oxidation. I soaked it in cloudy ammonia for a few hours. The cloudy ammonia turns blue as the oxidation dissolves in it. Then I finished it with silvo. Two silver rings. They didn't need much of a clean. Also note the two heavy lead buttons and lead solider. These were found this week. Last night I found an 1873 english shilling and a english six pence and an old silver english thruppence or two. I am treating them in ammonia. They were black with oxidation.

Hey what to do with my coins. I suddenly thought why not sell them at the markets I have. I sell s/hand books. These are the lot I will take to the Oamaru Victorian Fete. None of the shillings, florins, thruppences, six pences have any silver content. I tried them at our south dunedin midweek market on wednesday for 50cents each but that was too cheap I think. They were too easy to sell. People were fasinated by them.

they look silver though..hahaha..great idea.

Fresh of the beach tonight late. Finds include three 1853 enfield .577 projectiles, two brooches in silver: one button sized and another small rectangular shaped silver brooch both with broken brooch pins, 4 old silver coins (two english, two nz) couple pennies. Throwing most in the tumbler. I hear rumors of a couple of gold rings last couple of days, a 9 ct and an 18ct. like to see those up on the forum.

The little gun is silver I think. Hard to tell, but it has fine detail though quite dark with oxidation. May have been one of those little things that hang off a bracelet. I'll put it in cloudy ammonia for a few days see what happens. About those rings, a couple found at st kilda by a forum member last couple of days. Maybe he will show us. Promise not to snatch at them. My precious!

If I can figure out the photo thing one of these days I'll throw up a photo of the two rings. The 18ct had three clear stones which fell out in the cleaning process! Be nice if they were diamonds but knowing my luck...!

The 9ct has a central lozenge shaped amethys set at an angle across the ring and has two very small clear stones on either side as well.

In the last week or so there's also been a couple of small stg rings, a child's sterling bracelet, and today while I was watching the surf about high tide time I glimpsed a gold ring! Jumped down, grabbed it...but it turned out to be that Emma Page stuff that was around a few years ago. Got the heart racing though!

Other than that, there's been the usual live ammo found, heaps of small bits of lead, nails, pins, jean buttons, you name it and it's there.

Oh yeah, a number of coins, a lot being one and two cents etc, but still some predecimals i.e.halfpennies, pennies, threepences, sixpences, bobs, etc. Haven't come across any half crowns yet, but here's hoping!

Cheers,
Goldnugget.

Fresh of the beach. Two gold rings and a possible gold nugget 3.7 grams! also ten 1853 enfield projectiles, .577 calibre. And various other bullets. A few coins also. Two gold rings in one night! Can you believe it? Both 9ct. Gold nugget! what? at the beach. Its probably just brass. Maybe I'll take it to one of those mall places that buy gold to test it.

Not a gold nugget. dam! still a 6 gram wedding band to consol myself.