Unreal day!! Relics, and a 13 projectile point cache!!!

[Jon Phillips]

I'm still amped up from this, even though I'm exhausted!

Me, my father, and a good friend went relic hunting today at a site that my friend had hunted for years. It's been a good spot for him in the past, but isn't producing a whole lot these days. He had found a few musket balls recently, and invited us to hunt with him. We gladly took him up on it, as it was a beautiful day, and had rained yesterday, so the ground was conductive, and easy to dig in the sand. (not so much in the wet clay).

Not long into it, I found some melted camp lead, and then a nice .69 cal. musket ball.




After a while, we had all found some musket balls, some buck shot from buck and ball loads, and some fired pistol shots, more camp lead, some iron relics, and some glass from an 1800's wine bottle, common to these sites.

Towards the end of the hunt, we decided to try another area at the site.

After a few more musket balls and buckshot, I got a signal that indicated another piece of buckshot.

As I was digging it, I heard a scrape that sounded like glass or ceramic, and saw what I thought was the side of a milkglass medicine bottle, and assumed I had detected the metal lid of it......As I put my fingers under it, and popped it out.....I almost had a heart attack, when out popped this.......






Not only was it the first complete point I had ever found....It is one of the nicest ones I have ever seen in person!

I was in shock, and called my dad over to look....I told him I hadn't dug the target yet, but he needed to come look! I was shaking!!

I dug the target, and it was a tiny piece of buckshot....

I calmed down, and we went back to hunting...but my mind wasn't really into it after that!

After about 30 or 40 minutes, I came to an area about 50 yards away that was covered in flakes...I picked up a handful to see if they matched the material of the point.

When we had about all we could take for the day, my dad said he had once found a nice point in a wash while bird hunting, and then found another on in the same spot a few weeks later...so I should go back and check that hole again......

I found the spot, and used his relic shovel to loosen the dirt (very carefully).....I heard a scrape, then pulled it out....and heard another scrape.

I stuck my hands in there and pulled this out.....



I was freaking out, but managed to remember that other scrape....and reached back in and pulled out two broken tips.....I was about to be sick, then I noticed they had already been broken by the looks of them....so I decided to see if the rest of them were in the hole. They weren't, but the next handful brought these up....




Of course at this point I am like a dog digging for a bone, and the next handful is a stack of about FIVE of them in one stack....I guess they were burried in a leather sack maybe, the way they were stacked up. They were all obviously made by the same man....then I guess stashed and he either died, was run off, or forgot about them or something...who knows....but they sat there for what thousands?? of years until I dug them up?

I imagine they represented some kind of wealth at the time.

It ended up being 13 points in all, counting the 3 broken tips.






I calmed down enough to get my buddy to come over...I showed him the first point, which I had put in my wallet, and he about freaked at how big, and nice it was....then I said: "Hey....look at this", and opened out my pockets with them stuffed in there!!! He perked up even more, and said: "What have you got there" I said "thirteen in all....come over and see if you can find any more."

He dug up all around and finally popped out these two chunks that never got worked, about two feet away.....



We called a couple of people on the way home...My buddy thinks they are Hillsborough Points. The consensus was a cached stash, and a hunting camp or villiage because of the abundance of flakes. I haven't cleaned them yet, but most seem to be coral. I've heard it's a one in a million deal to find a cache of points...let alone ones like these.

It's definately a once in a lifetime deal for me...and I'm thankful for my dad and my buddy being there to witness, and share it with me!!!

A very nice start for my point finding career!!!

We talked about how hard it would be to believe, if we didn't see it with our own eyes...







Everything together except some big iron...mostly railroad stuff...and one item that might be a section of musket barrel....I'll have to get a better look tomorrow.....


















Those are camera phone shots...and that's a quarter in those last few shots.....

I'm extremely happy with the way today turned out!!!


Edit: Added some new pics to the thread in the North American Artifacts forum...

Found a point cache today!! Help with I.D. Please...







And what I think is a rifle barrel that my dad found...

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[firemac]

very nice hunt!

[birdman]

That is a banner find!

[digging440yrs]

AMAZING !!!!! NICE JOB---

[River Rat]

Most excellent finds!!

[Jon Phillips]

Thanks folks!!

[frogginfish]

I think I would have had a heart attack finding those!!!! AMAZING DISCOVERIES!!!

[SOHIO]

Enjoy that rush as long as you can ....

I'd say banner find too.

[JmCraz8]

Holy moly fantastic job!!!!

[Jon Phillips]

Thanks! I really want to go to sleep, but I'm still so excited....I never thought I would find anything like that!

[Steve in PA]

Congratulations on an amazing find!

[Ohio river coin hunter]

I think you out did your self lol I would have to go back and make sure I didn't overlook any thing else what you found is a very rare find this day and age ,In Ohio were i live It wasn't to hard to find nice Adena points back in the 80s but not any more The plowed fields and everyone hunting has taken a major toll.

[vadigger89]

Unbelievable, that is awesome congrats on the GREAT find!

[Metal Magnet]

i dont comment too often. but that is an amazing find. a hearty congratulations to you!

[wells]

Great find - search The Batwing Cache on the internet - to see some more Hillsborough points.

[Tim(Mo)]

Very Nice !

[Ia.FurTrade]

Congratulation's !!!!!!!!
I just voted "BANNER" !!!!!!!!!

[hotrod]

nice find!

[Argentium]

Absolutely Banner , You will want to check that find in with the archies/anthropology folks in your area , it's that important !!!
reason being - to find a quantity like that in one location -(a cache) and the style of these points is so similar , these are obviously
from a known time period / culture , it may be the single best dicovery of it's kind in your area ever , as such, please carefully document
the find precisely - this is a museum level find ! Congrats !!!! Argentium .

[Jon Phillips]

Thanks everyone! I didn't get much sleep!