Museum display and recent finds...

[Bavaria Mike]

Finally getting around to posting my museum display. We had a nice grand opening with a champagne toast, a few guest speakers, town mayor, journalists and many people. The theme was “old town business”, the town got together with the owners of the buildings that make the inner town, they were all businesses at some point in history. Everyone donated something from the antique businesses of yesterday, most items were still in their boxes with a faded price tags. Some items were from the early 1800s, a very nice display. My display came out very nice, a collection of my favorite finds. There is no mention of metal detecting for political reasons. Here’s the empty case.

The display complete however, it is a work in progress and I still have some fine tuning to do.

These are caltrops and a huge door key.

Musket balls, percussion gun works, small canon balls from a hook gun.

Canon balls, coin weights, apothecary weight, nesting weights. The nesting weights can date back to the late 1600s to early 1700s, archies found a set at the shipwreck of Blackbeard, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, http://www.qaronline.org/ , interesting site to visit. These weights were designed the way they were only to be stacked within each other to save space, it is often confused with putting something in them to be weighed, which defeats the purpose because you would need another set of weights.

17 wax seal matrixes, two are rings.

Crossbow bolt tips, long bow arrow tip, lead seals and lead spindle whorls. I don’t have close up pictures of everything in the case. I may get to the museum today as I want to conserve a few items and make a few changes.

A friend received a tip on a hunt site, supposedly an offensive position that attacked a castle with earth works. We chased down the site, found the earth works but nothing old. We determined it was a WWII site, fun hunt and busted a myth. Earth works.

Earth works.

More earth works.

Some finds from the local fields this past week. I like finding some of this old junk, LOL.

A nice little cross, unfortunately broken and a brooch.

Three musket balls, a brass weight and a brass or bronze ring.

Coins, 1858, silver 1840ish, 1874, not sure of the bottom two, probably around the 1800s.

Reverse of the coins, bottom right was converted into a button. HH, Mike

[drgeorge]

Great display! Excellent photos!!
Keep up the good work and congrats!!!!!

[Reverend B*IKE*]

Great Display!!! and thanks for sharing!!!
Bravo!

[steelheadwill]

Great work on that display!
honorable mention for your the work and donation

[Goes4ever]

beautiful display, curious but why do you say no mention of metal detecting for political resons? Can u explain?

[ModernMiner]

Mike,
Congrats on a well deserved Honorable Mention. That museum case is outstanding. Those relics look great in there and the lighting really sets everything off nicely. How big is it, 3' x 4' possibly?
Congrats on the recent finds too. Great post!
-Doug-

[Bavaria Mike]

Doug, that is correct, 3' X 4' X 15". Goes4ever, The political correctness is this, we were advised by an Archaeologist who has something to say in the scheme of things that we should not advertise metal detecting. They do not want people getting the idea they can buy a metal detector and get rich quick by invading historical sites. The other political reason, some of the finds come from a local castle site, there is a club renovating the castle ruins and we don't want to start a war between clubs, LOL. I have a detecting permit, more politics, clearly states the castle site is off limits however, due to people coming and detecting at will, I was given permission to detect the castle by the town mayor as long as I worked with the museum and Historical Society I have belonged to for several years. Those finds are the canon balls, crossbow bolt tips, long bow arrow tip, hook gun balls and a few others. I do agree we should not advertise detecting, ironically everyone knows me as they see me on the fields so it is not a local secret either, LOL. HH, Mike

[drgeorge]

Mike, we have a similar situation here in Hungary--politics, get-rich-quick-looters and graverobbers, intra-association squabbles, professional envy, etc.
(I think it may be an EU-thing with no solution in sight )

[Bavaria Mike]

Drgeorge, I have to tell you that looting is being watched at the borders very closely! The archaeologists say they are watching what we post and what is found, I do not think they look at us very much. I do watch the archaeologists and they are catching everything at the border customs, imports and exports are being checked. Museums are giving back their ancient relics to where they come from that includes all nations. Eventually and soon, looting will become a non profit way of life and will probably stop because of the reality that they can not sell their looted relics, only to local museums. The black market will always exist but will be very hard to trade over borders, even if a country is willing to let go the relics, the receiving country will realize the significance of antiques and send it back. Hope you understand what I mean. HH, Mike

[CRUSADER]

Doug, that is correct, 3' X 4' X 15". Goes4ever, The political correctness is this, we were advised by an Archaeologist who has something to say in the scheme of things that we should not advertise metal detecting. They do not want people getting the idea they can buy a metal detector and get rich quick by invading historical sites. The other political reason, some of the finds come from a local castle site, there is a club renovating the castle ruins and we don't want to start a war between clubs, LOL. I have a detecting permit, more politics, clearly states the castle site is off limits however, due to people coming and detecting at will, I was given permission to detect the castle by the town mayor as long as I worked with the museum and Historical Society I have belonged to for several years. Those finds are the canon balls, crossbow bolt tips, long bow arrow tip, hook gun balls and a few others. I do agree we should not advertise detecting, ironically everyone knows me as they see me on the fields so it is not a local secret either, LOL. HH, Mike

As you know I work in similar circles, it does pay to get involved & give something back, instead, of take, take, take... 8)

[birdman]

Mike awesome display! You unearthed some nice pieces of history for the locals. Give me a couple of years on station and I will be back over there to give you a hand. 8)

[umrgolf]

Very awesome post Mike.. This is what its all about.

[beerbarrel]

AWESOME display Mike! Thanks for sharing!

beerbarrel

[allen]

that is a marvelous display !!!!

[CanadianTrout]

Wow Mike, that looks amazing. Thank you so much for sharing and "giving back" to the community and us fellow detectorists. A lot of stuff is dug up, admired and sits in someones house. That's ok for a guy like me that finds some clad, modern jewellry, little odds and ends etc.

But Mike, I have admired your finds for a long time and this display is simpley the best. Well done!


(I love the caltrops and the apothecary weights! thos are the little stackable cups right??)

[kuger]

Thats the kind of display I like seeing in a museum!I am/have done the same thing myself,and it is rewarding.I have also dug quite a collection of the Nesting weights,great description

[Westfront]

That is a nice display! It shows off Your finds perfect! And good to see that sometimes it is possible to work together with archies....

[HISPAN]

very nice ... but I saw a little late

[Lanny in AB]

Excellent display and collection--nicely done!

All the best,

Lanny

[TheRockCollector]

Nice display case!