u/history_fan69

I just received my 2026 Best of the Mint Gold Mercury Dime and Silver Medal set and looking for advice, but a bit of backstory first.

I began metal detecting in February and in April found my first-ever silver coin, a 1943 Mercury dug up in a school playground. It was love at first sight. I've never held a Mercury dime in my hands and was enamored with its classy design and relief. It was soon after that I started seeing US Mint online promos commemorating our semiquincentennial and noticed the gold mercury was one of the coins being commemorated. I had to buy one. I've never purchased anything from the US Mint before so was a little nervous spending the money and had to wait a few months for it to arrive, but it finally came and it's a beautiful coin and I'm happy with the purchase.

My request for advice is: is this coin worth grading or do I leave it in its box, occasionally bringing it out to admire and be content with the purchase? I've never sent a coin off for grading, so that's another new experience for me.

My next purchase that I'd love to make is for the 2016 100-yr anniversary commemorative gold Mercury dime. I've seen graded and ungraded coins being sold online and honestly, I'd prefer finding an ungraded one in its original US Mint box, like the 2026 coin. Any input appreciated.

My fav brand new sentence of the bunch, a true poet.

Fuck! TGIF

Hello from Southern Oregon. I spent the day in a neighboring town swinging the stick and dug up my best find of the year: a premier-year 1892 Barber dime! That's a big deal in a small rural community in Eastern Oregon! It was located next to an old elementary school from the early 1900s. But that's not all... Also found just feet from the dime is what I think looks a lot like a hip replacement? I'm familiar with what they look like because my father had two hip replacements over the years. If it IS a hip replacement, what was it doing a few inches underground next to a school?? Thankfully, I didn't find any bones. This is a show & tell post but also an ID request. Thanks for any insight!

Say it in your best Looney Tunes character voice!

BIG wheatie spill! It was the end of a hot, muggy day yesterday metal detecting in a neighboring town and opted to hit a park's quieter, lesser-used area. So glad I did, I encountered a 20 wheatie spill in a 3x3 foot area. It was a surreal experience witnessing my Manticore continue to beep away just when I thought I had recovered my last penny. One. Two. Five. Ten. Twenty! It got to the point that the grass was starting to look beat up from all the plugs I pulled. A park maintenance gentleman stopped by to introduce himself and we both just shook our heads in amazement at the number of wheaties I was pulling up. Then, as soon as he left, I hit my second-ever silver Rosie 10 feet from the spill. All I could think about during that moment was how some young lad (assumingly) dumped 20 pennies, and possibly the dime, 68 years ago. That was a lot of money to lose in 1958 (the park opened in the early 50s)! Enjoy the photos! 😎

BIG wheatie spill! It was the end of a hot, muggy day yesterday detecting in a neighboring town and opted to hit a park's quieter, lesser-used area. So glad I did, I encountered a 20 wheatie spill in a 3x3 foot area. It was a surreal experience witnessing my Manticore continue to beep away just when I thought I had recovered my last penny. One. Two. Five. Ten. Twenty! It got to the point that the grass was starting to look beat up from all the plugs I pulled. A park maintenance gentleman stopped by to introduce himself and we both just shook our heads in amazement at the number of wheaties I was pulling up. Then, as soon as he left, I hit my second-ever silver Rosie 10 feet from the spill. All I could think about during that moment was how some young lad (assumingly) dumped 20 pennies, and possibly the dime, 68 years ago. That was a lot of money to lose in 1958 (the park opened in the early 50s)! Enjoy the photos and happy hunting out there. 😎

Greetings from Southern Oregon! Sharing my haul of goods detecting with my Manticore, it was a great day for quarters, my largest haul to date ($14.25), two silver rings, a 1952 Canadian penny, an 8gb flash drive and a Matchbox truck. I believe the gemstone on one of the silver rings is amethyst. I'm still learning the nuances of the Manticore but am very pleased with its capabilities, especially its discrimination settings. Happy hunting out there!

Hello from the Pacific Northwest. I wanted to share my three-day haul of clad.i did find a couple of wheaties and a couple of firsts: a Canadian penny and a high school class ring from 1967. Be sure to scroll through the photos to the end, a surprise awaits... 😉

It was a great two days of swinging the stick at a local park I haven't been to. All clad and cheap jewelry but I did find a 1952 wheatie and a 1964 Lincoln in the best shape of any 60+ year old penny I've ever dug up. Happy Father's Day from Southern Oregon!

After 14 years of metal detecting off and on, I finally found my first gold after poking around at a school pkayground! A small 10k Black Hills gold girl's ring. It registered a loud and solid 24 on my newer Manticore. The adrenaline was definitely flowing after digging it up. I also found a corroded 1937 wheatie, some cheap jewelry, and lots of clad, including a Sacagawea dollar and a car wash token. Overall, a great day of detecting! Happy hunting out there from Southern Oregon

I spread some Scott's Turfbuilder prior to two weeks of on and off rain and it helped make my front and back yard thicker and greener in preparation for 85-90° temps for the next week or so. Raised the lawnmower blade an inch for the summer heat and plan to water a little more as well. Just wanted to share from Southern Oregon!

I'm lazy and didn't want to make a gazillion burgers and flip them all on the Blackstone, so I made one gigantiburger and cut into squares which fit perfectly on sliced bread. It took half the time. Work smarter, not harder! Happy griddling 😎

I'm happy to share after 14-plus years of metal detecting I finally found my first mercury dime this past Saturday. It was in great shape too, located in the middle of a school playground, about six inches underground, with my new Manticore and new 8-inch coil. I also found a beautiful silver ring with what I think is a topaz stone. Living in a rural area in the Pacific Northwest makes locating old coins a little more challenging but perseverance paid off. Happy hunting out there.

I spent four hours at a school playground and couldn't believe how active it was. I literally couldn't walk more than a few feet at a time without hitting a coin or other. I recently purchased a smaller 8-inch coil for my Manticore that really centered on coins quickly and made pinpointing them fast and easy. I found a few wheat pennies a good 7-8 inches underground and a nickel a good five inches under a tree root. The jewelry is cheap but I just enjoyed the thrill of a great day of detecting. Happy hunting out there!