Otis Campbell
05-20-2014, 11:22 AM
Story of my 1881 $5.00 coin & more!
I have not been a member here very long, but when I set up my profile, I mentioned that I had been lucky enough to find a 1881 $5.00 gold piece! I was asked then to tell the story, but felt it would show a bragging, look what I found type of person I am not. So here is my story!
While I was stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA. I was told about a cowboy bar that had good dancing and being newly single headed out to find it on a long weekend. I found the place and had fun that night and ended up being around the bar for years. Years later and after meeting my wife to this day, we started metal detecting. The place was called Big Stone Lodge in the 50's, and in the 20's it was Topsy's Roost! Back then it was half a day ride through the mountains to get there from the city. As it turned out it was a stage stop from the Butterfield & Overland stage, San Diego County, and lastly the US Army stages all stopped there. It was a change station from all three and where the VFW stands today were the corrals for the livestock. Knowing everyone in the little valley, I was given free access to all places there as all the locals visited the bar and I got to know most of them and they all were to happy to have a US Marine and show him a good time.
Having the run of the valley, we set in to learning our metal detectors. Most of the soil there is only 4 to 5 inches deep and dry most of the time so we didn't have trouble finding the large amount of coins dropped over the years. One day while hunting alone, I was using my Tesoro El Dorado up against a large oak tree that littered the valley and got a signal that knocked my head off! At the time some friends of mine across the creek were throwing coins at me because they were wanting me to join them. Ignoring them, i dug down and there was nothing there yet, so I went over the hole again, same sound, stuck the digger once more and flipped out what I thought was a play coin or something yellow! I looked at it, stuck it in my mouth, washed it good and spit. Then I saw the 1881 and that beautiful Liberty with that crown and I knew it was a gold coin! Then I got so excited I just left and went home to call my wife who was at an Indian casino had her paged and told her what I found! She came home and we went back! I showed her where I had found it and she ran her detector over the spot and said, theres still something in the hole! I said no its just residual reading or something smart, so I dug back in the hole to find a nearly worn flat 1901 Morgan Silver dollar! All the coins in the photo were found all over that little valley where I cut my teeth and caught the bug to swing a detector wherever and whenever I find the time!392103921139212
I have not been a member here very long, but when I set up my profile, I mentioned that I had been lucky enough to find a 1881 $5.00 gold piece! I was asked then to tell the story, but felt it would show a bragging, look what I found type of person I am not. So here is my story!
While I was stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA. I was told about a cowboy bar that had good dancing and being newly single headed out to find it on a long weekend. I found the place and had fun that night and ended up being around the bar for years. Years later and after meeting my wife to this day, we started metal detecting. The place was called Big Stone Lodge in the 50's, and in the 20's it was Topsy's Roost! Back then it was half a day ride through the mountains to get there from the city. As it turned out it was a stage stop from the Butterfield & Overland stage, San Diego County, and lastly the US Army stages all stopped there. It was a change station from all three and where the VFW stands today were the corrals for the livestock. Knowing everyone in the little valley, I was given free access to all places there as all the locals visited the bar and I got to know most of them and they all were to happy to have a US Marine and show him a good time.
Having the run of the valley, we set in to learning our metal detectors. Most of the soil there is only 4 to 5 inches deep and dry most of the time so we didn't have trouble finding the large amount of coins dropped over the years. One day while hunting alone, I was using my Tesoro El Dorado up against a large oak tree that littered the valley and got a signal that knocked my head off! At the time some friends of mine across the creek were throwing coins at me because they were wanting me to join them. Ignoring them, i dug down and there was nothing there yet, so I went over the hole again, same sound, stuck the digger once more and flipped out what I thought was a play coin or something yellow! I looked at it, stuck it in my mouth, washed it good and spit. Then I saw the 1881 and that beautiful Liberty with that crown and I knew it was a gold coin! Then I got so excited I just left and went home to call my wife who was at an Indian casino had her paged and told her what I found! She came home and we went back! I showed her where I had found it and she ran her detector over the spot and said, theres still something in the hole! I said no its just residual reading or something smart, so I dug back in the hole to find a nearly worn flat 1901 Morgan Silver dollar! All the coins in the photo were found all over that little valley where I cut my teeth and caught the bug to swing a detector wherever and whenever I find the time!392103921139212