Highwater
Full Member
- Nov 3, 2007
- 145
- 0
- Detector(s) used
- White's: XLT, MXT, Tesoro: Sand Shark, Tiger Shark. Fisher: 1266X. Minelab: Musketeer.
I had posted one of my most unusual items on the 'Best Finds' board a few days ago. Someone has suggested that I post this item on this forum topic to try to help answer some questions of it's possible origin. I will clip and paste the thread from the best finds board below and add the photos. You can also go over to the best finds board and read the comments posted there. Any thoughts, ideas or comments would be much appreciated. Highwater
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Here is a photo of one of my most unusual finds. It measures about 4 inches long and 1 3/4 inches wide. It is obviously hand wrought. It seems to be brass or bronze. I found it about 9 - 10 inches down in fairly compact soil in the Seattle area. It has some strange lettering on the reverse that are from top to bottom interlaced, about 4 letters, or symbols. Look kind of like t or j and maybe L, but you really can't tell. There is a very deep patina. This was obviously in the ground for a very long time. It is pretty heavy, although I have never weighed it. (maybe it is proof that the Vikings were in the area a long, long time ago?) It really looks like midevil. I sent a scan of it to a nearby university history dept in Seattle. They were very interested in inspecting it, but the Prof that I was supposed to meet to have a look had some kind of accident and it never happened. I have no idea where it came from or why it was where I found it. Just one of those strange mysteries.
In the same area this was found we located a few relics from some kind of logging jamboree that must have been held there around the turn of the century. We found a couple tokens and other related period artifacts which were not nearly as deep as the heart amulet. Can anyone give a guess as to what, where, how and when? Ever see anything like it before?? The modern history around Seattle,only dates back to about 1850. This seems to be much older than that, but that is just my guess. I could be very wrong about that, but the patina is really thick and old looking.
I finally hooked up my scanner and scanned the back side of this object. I have often wondered if this may have been an authentic relic that someone later came along and added the engraved initials on the back side. It is also possible that someone made this in modern times? I do know that it came from very deep in the earth and has a very rich patina. The items we found in the same area were from around the turn of the century and they were found several inches shallower than this object. They included trade tokens and a variety of things that appear to have been connected with some type of logging jamboree or gathering.
What it is, who made it and how did it get where it was found are questions that may never be answered but it is an interesting piece just the same. It looks to me like a sword stuck through a heart. There must be some reason why the creator of this item chose to make it in this style and fashion. It must symbolize some kind of thought or reason, but I have no clue as to what it may represent.
The attached photos are the back side of the object and a close up of the letters or symbols on the back. I tried to enhance the close up for more clarity.
I have been putting some more thought into this artifact. It was found in the Seattle area. I know that the Indians did a lot of trading with other tribes and all of them around Puget Sound and out on the coast used canoes to go very long distances. The Spanish Magellon fleet would make their return from the Orient and when they made landfall along the west coast would have to refresh their supplies and make repairs before turning south to head to Mexico. I have studied some of the history of these events. I am wondering if maybe the Indians didn't come by this piece, either through a trade, a ship wreck or even a raid on the Spanish. The Spanish did have a presence out at Neah Bay for a while, until the Indians ran them out for rape, plunder and kill. It is very possible that this item was of Spanish origin and somehow got lost at the site where I recovered it. There may have even been a village at that site as there is a very good spring very close by and it is the type of place that would make a good encampment. The Indians were attracted to metal objects.
I am starting to think more along the lines that it is an old Spanish artifact. It is all starting to add up. The trade routes of the Indians were tremendous. Items have been found hundreds of miles inland. This might just be a piece of the puzzle. Any thoughts, ideas or comments are much appreciated.
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Here is a photo of one of my most unusual finds. It measures about 4 inches long and 1 3/4 inches wide. It is obviously hand wrought. It seems to be brass or bronze. I found it about 9 - 10 inches down in fairly compact soil in the Seattle area. It has some strange lettering on the reverse that are from top to bottom interlaced, about 4 letters, or symbols. Look kind of like t or j and maybe L, but you really can't tell. There is a very deep patina. This was obviously in the ground for a very long time. It is pretty heavy, although I have never weighed it. (maybe it is proof that the Vikings were in the area a long, long time ago?) It really looks like midevil. I sent a scan of it to a nearby university history dept in Seattle. They were very interested in inspecting it, but the Prof that I was supposed to meet to have a look had some kind of accident and it never happened. I have no idea where it came from or why it was where I found it. Just one of those strange mysteries.
In the same area this was found we located a few relics from some kind of logging jamboree that must have been held there around the turn of the century. We found a couple tokens and other related period artifacts which were not nearly as deep as the heart amulet. Can anyone give a guess as to what, where, how and when? Ever see anything like it before?? The modern history around Seattle,only dates back to about 1850. This seems to be much older than that, but that is just my guess. I could be very wrong about that, but the patina is really thick and old looking.
I finally hooked up my scanner and scanned the back side of this object. I have often wondered if this may have been an authentic relic that someone later came along and added the engraved initials on the back side. It is also possible that someone made this in modern times? I do know that it came from very deep in the earth and has a very rich patina. The items we found in the same area were from around the turn of the century and they were found several inches shallower than this object. They included trade tokens and a variety of things that appear to have been connected with some type of logging jamboree or gathering.
What it is, who made it and how did it get where it was found are questions that may never be answered but it is an interesting piece just the same. It looks to me like a sword stuck through a heart. There must be some reason why the creator of this item chose to make it in this style and fashion. It must symbolize some kind of thought or reason, but I have no clue as to what it may represent.
The attached photos are the back side of the object and a close up of the letters or symbols on the back. I tried to enhance the close up for more clarity.
I have been putting some more thought into this artifact. It was found in the Seattle area. I know that the Indians did a lot of trading with other tribes and all of them around Puget Sound and out on the coast used canoes to go very long distances. The Spanish Magellon fleet would make their return from the Orient and when they made landfall along the west coast would have to refresh their supplies and make repairs before turning south to head to Mexico. I have studied some of the history of these events. I am wondering if maybe the Indians didn't come by this piece, either through a trade, a ship wreck or even a raid on the Spanish. The Spanish did have a presence out at Neah Bay for a while, until the Indians ran them out for rape, plunder and kill. It is very possible that this item was of Spanish origin and somehow got lost at the site where I recovered it. There may have even been a village at that site as there is a very good spring very close by and it is the type of place that would make a good encampment. The Indians were attracted to metal objects.
I am starting to think more along the lines that it is an old Spanish artifact. It is all starting to add up. The trade routes of the Indians were tremendous. Items have been found hundreds of miles inland. This might just be a piece of the puzzle. Any thoughts, ideas or comments are much appreciated.
It could have been traded with the indians and brought further inland.
![:-\](https://www.treasurenet.com/smilies/undecided.gif "Undecided :-\")
