Wayne Burke found an L.A. Ostrich Farm medallion at a high school in Covina, CA in January 2010, as shown on the left.  After some cleaning he displayed it as is relic find for the month at our February 2010 general meeting.

See the following link for more information and photos from the L.A. Ostrich Farm in Lincoln Heights in East L.A.: www.lincolnheightsla.com/ostrich/

Detector: White's DFX

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Jerry Myers found a gold chain later the same day and at the same high school in Tustin where Wayne Burke found his Seated Liberty dime.  The chain has been chewed up by a lawnmower, but has 14K stamped on one part, so at least it's worth its weight in gold.

Jerry said that it showed up with a VDI of 8 and 9 at a depth of 3-1/2 inches.  He said that he really didn't want to dig it up but he did anyway because it was a pretty strong read for that depth.  He's glad now that he did, which gives him two gold finds (his first and his second ever) in the same weekend.

Detector: White's Spectra V³

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Wayne Burke made an outstanding find at a high school in Tustin in February 2010.  He got a dime read at four inches and was surprised when up came a 1838 Seated Liberty dime instead of a Roosevlt clad.  It has been holed and the ring that kept it attached to a chain has corroded.  Wayne should be able to clean it up pretty easily and have it looking good for the March general meeting.  The reverse is worn almost completely flat.

There are four varieties of 1838 Seated Liberty dimes, but it is unclear which one it is at this time.  The four have book values ranging from $17.50 to $40.00 in GOOD condition.

Detector: White's DFX

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Korry found this lady's earring at a high school in Chino, CA in February 2009.  It is stamped ".925 (c) LC" on the back, but appears to be plated rather than solid as some of the plating seems to be coming off.  The gems could be diamonds or simulants, but we'll have to wait until the next general meeting to find out.  Stay posted!

Detector: Famous Trails MD-7030 Discriminator II.

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Jerry found his first gold ring at a local high school in Chino, CA in February 2010.  Coincidentally, it was found at the same location where he found his first silver necklace last year.  The ring is stamped 14K and appears to be for a young girl or boy based on its size.  It has three cat-like animals on it, which appear to be lionesses or jaguars.  It has no other identifying markings.

Detector: White's Spectra V³

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Here's an updated photo of Richard's mariner's crucifix as it appeared on display at the February 2010 general meeting, after Wayne Burke's polishing job.  This item was voted Best Jewelry Find for January 2010.

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These are some of Richard Alaniz's significant finds from the group hunt at Ontario Lots on 01/23/10.  The item on the left appears to be a medallion comprised of a anchor, ship's wheel, crucifix and rope.  It is marked 14K on the back and rang up as gold jewelry, but its condition makes us think it was just plated.  Richard plans to soak this for a while in a gold cleaning solution to see what happens.  (Click on the following link for a similar item in 14K gold: www.lnt.com/show_product/210576/)

The item on the left is a Girl Scouts pin; Richard is very familiar with GS pins but did not recognize this particular one.  After he does some research on both items, I'll update this description accordingly.

Jerry Myers

UPDATE 01/29/10: According to a posting from Richard today, the anchor/crucifix medallion is a mariner's cross.  It weighs 8 g (after cleanup) and was confirmed as 14K gold, with a street price new of about $350 and a melt value of $165.  It had a low tone and low VDI on both his White's DFX and my White's Spectra V³.  As for the Girl Scout pin, his research showed it to be a 1956 Girl Scout Friendship Pin (value unknown). 

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Korry found this spent M83 smoke grenade at the President's Club Hunt in Amboy, CA back in November 2009.  This item won for Best Unique Find at the December 2009 meeting.  Detector: Famous Trails MD-7030 Discriminator II.