Meadow
Full Member
- May 27, 2014
- 214
- 250
- Detector(s) used
- Ace 250
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
After buying a MD earlier this summer I had so little spare time that I was able to search my own backyard exactly once, and at that only for a few minutes. It wasn’t especially fun - constant beeps (no, I don’t know how to use the machine), heavy clay mud, and a complete inability to locate any object in the trenches I was digging. Before I had to get back to my real work in the house where I belong I did find one roofing nail, which made me ecstatic. My first find! I still have it on display.
But finally we were able to go to my in-laws’ farm. It’s been in the family about 100 years, my brother-in-law still owns it but no one lives on it now. He and hubby had some things to do there so I had a chance to fire up my MD. I figured I’d look on the path between the garage and the house. I got signals so I’d dig but not find anything (no, I still don’t know how to use the machine). Husband walked by and said something husbandy, like, “You sure are digging a lot of holes”. Brother-in-law walked by and said what I thought was, “You know, you should try under the maples where Billy and Doug dug up the purse of coins.” Whaaaat!? Doug is a relative with a metal detector so I was cursing Doug…and Bill, whoever he was...before I realized he’d actually said “...where Billy the dog dug up the purse of coins”!
He said that many years ago Billy the collie had been digging under the maples and brought him a leather purse with a few coins. He didn’t remember the dates, they weren’t terribly old, but it was all a bit of a mystery. On the way to the maples the brother-in-law said, “Watch out for the droppings…” I thought, yeah, yeah, I’m not bothered by a few bits of cow… “...they’re bear.” Oh. Okay then. I avoided the bear signs and walked under the maples and immediately got a very strong signal. I hacked through dried grass and roots and pulled out a large piece of iron. My initial thought was that it was a bit of farm equipment, which is what I’d been hoping to find. It’s a knife. I was, and still am, completely astonished. It’s iron, hand made, heavy, double-edged, doesn’t seem like something the family would have had.
I’m thinking it may be a Hudson Bay Company trade knife. Does anyone have any thoughts??
That was the second thing ever that I’d found with my metal detector! Incidentally after that I did get better, and have since found more nails and bits of wire, but now have to pack things up, the ground is freezing today. By the by, after reminiscing about the dog finding the purse of coins the in-laws found my rusty knife a bit of a letdown.
I’m not even sure how I feel about this, on the one hand I can’t wait to get out next spring, on the other hand I know I’m unlikely to find anything this awesome ever again.
But finally we were able to go to my in-laws’ farm. It’s been in the family about 100 years, my brother-in-law still owns it but no one lives on it now. He and hubby had some things to do there so I had a chance to fire up my MD. I figured I’d look on the path between the garage and the house. I got signals so I’d dig but not find anything (no, I still don’t know how to use the machine). Husband walked by and said something husbandy, like, “You sure are digging a lot of holes”. Brother-in-law walked by and said what I thought was, “You know, you should try under the maples where Billy and Doug dug up the purse of coins.” Whaaaat!? Doug is a relative with a metal detector so I was cursing Doug…and Bill, whoever he was...before I realized he’d actually said “...where Billy the dog dug up the purse of coins”!
He said that many years ago Billy the collie had been digging under the maples and brought him a leather purse with a few coins. He didn’t remember the dates, they weren’t terribly old, but it was all a bit of a mystery. On the way to the maples the brother-in-law said, “Watch out for the droppings…” I thought, yeah, yeah, I’m not bothered by a few bits of cow… “...they’re bear.” Oh. Okay then. I avoided the bear signs and walked under the maples and immediately got a very strong signal. I hacked through dried grass and roots and pulled out a large piece of iron. My initial thought was that it was a bit of farm equipment, which is what I’d been hoping to find. It’s a knife. I was, and still am, completely astonished. It’s iron, hand made, heavy, double-edged, doesn’t seem like something the family would have had.
I’m thinking it may be a Hudson Bay Company trade knife. Does anyone have any thoughts?? That was the second thing ever that I’d found with my metal detector! Incidentally after that I did get better, and have since found more nails and bits of wire, but now have to pack things up, the ground is freezing today. By the by, after reminiscing about the dog finding the purse of coins the in-laws found my rusty knife a bit of a letdown.
I’m not even sure how I feel about this, on the one hand I can’t wait to get out next spring, on the other hand I know I’m unlikely to find anything this awesome ever again.
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