Finds From Early-Late 1800s Church & House Site

Driftwoood

Full Member
Mar 31, 2016
188
281
Schoharie County, NY
Detector(s) used
Ace 250, AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Finds From Early-Late 1800's Church & House Site

I've been detecting this site for a month or so now and have recovered enough items for a pretty full post... maybe too full. The site is a Dutch Reformed church that was built around 1800 (still standing) and a few houses that are no longer there. One of the houses, I am told, was an Inn. I have been using a Garrett Ace 250... not the best, I know, but all I have for now. I look forward to getting a better detector and seeing what I have missed. There are one billion nails at this place!

First, the coins:
My son (the lucky dog) found the 1781 1/2 Real and the 1785 'Constellatio Nova' copper.
1781 Real.jpg
1785 Pattern.jpg
I dinged the 1845 LC with my shovel... arrgh.
1845 Large Cent.jpg
Civil War 'DIX' token (1863 -this one has no date)
1863 DIX Token.jpg
1865 Two Cent Piece (I love these coins!)
1865 two cent.jpg
1891 IH Cent was found inside of a neat old match safe (I'll post it in the next section)... looks like it wasn't circulated for very long.
1891 IH Cent.jpg
Well-worn 1893 IH Cent.
1893 IH Cent.jpg
The most modern coin from the site -1945 'war nickel'.
1945P Nickel.jpg
...and there were a half-dozen wheats that were from 1910-1946. Since I don't know how many photos are allowed per post, I'll put this up and continue in a moment.
 

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Driftwoood

Driftwoood

Full Member
Mar 31, 2016
188
281
Schoharie County, NY
Detector(s) used
Ace 250, AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Next, the buttons: By the way, If anyone has any info to add on any of these items, please feel free to do so!
ButterflyButton.jpg
FlowerButton.jpg
PatternButton.jpg
StarButton.jpg
ThreePieceButton.jpg
The Federal Navy button had an iron shank that has rusted away, so no photo of the back... it's just ugly.
FedNavyButton a.JPG
 

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Driftwoood

Driftwoood

Full Member
Mar 31, 2016
188
281
Schoharie County, NY
Detector(s) used
Ace 250, AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Here are a few odds and ends...
A great big brass buckle... it was really deep. I kept digging, though thinking it would be a beer can or something.
Buckle 2.jpg
This is an ox shoe and what I believe is a very old horn knob. It is cast brass and threaded inside... the threads taper slightly from one end to the other.
Shoe & Knob.jpg
'SALT UNION' Lead Seal from, I suppose, a bag of salt.
Lead Seal.jpg
Two tiny pewter teacups!
Pewter Teacups.jpg
Dog License Tags
dog license tags.JPG
Here's the match safe that the IH cent came in. It has a hunting dog inscribed on both sides. The coin was wrapped in straw or grass... pretty neat!
MatchsafeWithCent.JPG
This is, I think, a railroad sign/signal reflector. It is made of brass with a glass ball in the top. I have found two of them so far.
Reflector1.JPG
 

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Driftwoood

Driftwoood

Full Member
Mar 31, 2016
188
281
Schoharie County, NY
Detector(s) used
Ace 250, AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Lastly, these items are all stamped with the name of one of the past residents. I believe the three lead thingies are homemade fishing weights (they all weigh just over 2 ounces)... the site is near a good sized creek (Schoharie Creek). An 1860's map lists a 'D. Becker' and I think 'W.D. Becker was a later relation... maybe the son. I have no idea what the tag went to.
W.D.Becker 4.JPG
W.D.BECKER 2.JPG
 

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Driftwoood

Driftwoood

Full Member
Mar 31, 2016
188
281
Schoharie County, NY
Detector(s) used
Ace 250, AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
@villagenut: Yeah, she's a beauty, eh?! Do you suppose it would be worth having something like that graded and slabbed by PCGS or something? I've never done that, but I've also never had such a historical coin before.
 

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Kentucky Digger

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Mar 29, 2016
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Boyd County, KY
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I would get it graded by NGC or PCGS but no one else. It would come back as a details grade- almost all dug coins receive this grade.
Any questions please contact me - KY Digger
 

laidback4sho

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Wow! Nice finds! Need to get you one of them Deuses and them nails will magically disappear.

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dfallis1

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Jan 5, 2016
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Somewhere below the mason-dixon
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Wow nice finds. You def got your moneys worth from that ace 250. Just imagine what else could be out there. Great work GL&HH
 

jimzz977

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Jun 23, 2012
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Nice looks like you found a great spot , congrats on your find (super cool)
 

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Driftwoood

Driftwoood

Full Member
Mar 31, 2016
188
281
Schoharie County, NY
Detector(s) used
Ace 250, AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Wow! Nice finds! Need to get you one of them Deuses and them nails will magically disappear.

Thanks! Man, I'd love to make those nails disappear! I think that machine, though, is a little too spendy for me... I'll likely upgrade to an AT Pro soon... dunno if that will help much with the tiny iron, but I do need a waterproof machine anyways.
 

Chizzy

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Feb 11, 2015
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Amazing site!!! Keep after it.............!!!
 

Carolina Tom

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Apr 4, 2014
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Congrats on the really sweet selection of finds. Wow!
 

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