OutdoorAdv
Bronze Member
- Apr 16, 2013
- 2,457
- 3,350
- 🥇 Banner finds
- 1
- Detector(s) used
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XP Deus,
GPX 4500,
Equinox 800,
AT Max
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
I sifted some more of my trash pit on Saturday, however that was not my plan. Rewind to Friday... I had off work for Good Friday, and decided to wake up with the Sun and find a cellar hole. I had about a 3 mile hike up a mountain and 3 miles back down. Based on my map overlays and topo maps, I thought I knew just where it was. Either I was way off, or I was standing next to it and it was hidden in the underbrush. The sky opened up and dumped rain on me... soaking wet, I got a hand full of modern shell casings and bullets.... I hiked back out to hit another cellar... shell casings there. So I went to the site I got the pillars and globe cufflink at a month ago and only dug clad and foil. The day was a bust, so I was home by noon to do yard work.
Saturday rolled around and I decided I needed a good hunt. I have some "good hunts" left in this trash pit that I was saving for the summer. So I decided to open up a section and sift some more. I had high hopes of unmasking a copper or a silver, but it wasnt meant to be. I did however get some good buttons, including an incredible King Louis the 16th of France button, cast with a drilled shank. Some other odds and ends turned up including a early to mid 1800's fork handle with wood intact and a cool heart inlay. Some pipe stem pieces and a few bone buttons also popped up. Other than that, a ton of glass and pottery... two 3 ringers and some carved lead.
King Louis XVI of France was in power when the French fought for the US during the American Revolution. He was married to Marie Antoinette and eventually they were both executed at the guillotine for treason and various other crimes. I originally thought this was King George, but then I googled "LUD XVI D G FR" on the button and turns out, its a facsimile of a Louis XVI ECU silver coin obverse. I don't know what denomination a French ECU is, but it looks like its a half dollar sized silver coin. I couldn't be happier with this pewter button
Into the case he goes, along with King Carlos on the reales and King George on the coppers!
Here he is fresh out of the dirt.
While this post is about my hunt on Sat (3/26), I did get out for a few hours last Sun (3/20) evening (same site) and right when I thought that short hunt was going to be a bust, I wandered out of my typical grid area where its quiet and nailed this 1800 DBLC. It was in plowed soil and only an inch or two deep. Very loud and thought it was going to be big iron. It actually looks like its one of the overdate varieties.... but pretty toasted.
This really cool fork handle came out of the pit with wood intact. I've had some experience preserving this sort of relic... after its out of the dirt and it starts to dry out, the wood will basically warp and turn to dust. Mineral oil and rubber bands will keep it together until it dries out and the oil soaks into the wood.
There is another tiny doll arm in there. Also some more pigs teeth and some boar jaw bones turned up... and of course, some more rose heads! I actually tumbled all the nails from this pit section and I included all of them just tossed around between the pottery.
Here is the pile of all the glass and iron. Lots of work to sort and clean all this stuff. Most if it will be put into storage and hopefully I can put together some more of the plates and bowls when I finish the pit.
More pig and cow bones... I leave all this stuff behind, but its helps tell the story of what they were eating.
Anyone know what this is? Its brass on the inside and iron on the outside. Perhaps a ferrule to a fork\knife or spoon.
Some nice iron turned up too. What I believe is a chisel with some wood still on the handle. And that curved piece that reminded me of one of those "Brick Ties" that you see on the side of an old brick house to help support the wall... but I'm not sure that's what it really is.
Saturday rolled around and I decided I needed a good hunt. I have some "good hunts" left in this trash pit that I was saving for the summer. So I decided to open up a section and sift some more. I had high hopes of unmasking a copper or a silver, but it wasnt meant to be. I did however get some good buttons, including an incredible King Louis the 16th of France button, cast with a drilled shank. Some other odds and ends turned up including a early to mid 1800's fork handle with wood intact and a cool heart inlay. Some pipe stem pieces and a few bone buttons also popped up. Other than that, a ton of glass and pottery... two 3 ringers and some carved lead.
King Louis XVI of France was in power when the French fought for the US during the American Revolution. He was married to Marie Antoinette and eventually they were both executed at the guillotine for treason and various other crimes. I originally thought this was King George, but then I googled "LUD XVI D G FR" on the button and turns out, its a facsimile of a Louis XVI ECU silver coin obverse. I don't know what denomination a French ECU is, but it looks like its a half dollar sized silver coin. I couldn't be happier with this pewter button
Into the case he goes, along with King Carlos on the reales and King George on the coppers!
Here he is fresh out of the dirt.
While this post is about my hunt on Sat (3/26), I did get out for a few hours last Sun (3/20) evening (same site) and right when I thought that short hunt was going to be a bust, I wandered out of my typical grid area where its quiet and nailed this 1800 DBLC. It was in plowed soil and only an inch or two deep. Very loud and thought it was going to be big iron. It actually looks like its one of the overdate varieties.... but pretty toasted.
This really cool fork handle came out of the pit with wood intact. I've had some experience preserving this sort of relic... after its out of the dirt and it starts to dry out, the wood will basically warp and turn to dust. Mineral oil and rubber bands will keep it together until it dries out and the oil soaks into the wood.
There is another tiny doll arm in there. Also some more pigs teeth and some boar jaw bones turned up... and of course, some more rose heads! I actually tumbled all the nails from this pit section and I included all of them just tossed around between the pottery.
Here is the pile of all the glass and iron. Lots of work to sort and clean all this stuff. Most if it will be put into storage and hopefully I can put together some more of the plates and bowls when I finish the pit.
More pig and cow bones... I leave all this stuff behind, but its helps tell the story of what they were eating.
Anyone know what this is? Its brass on the inside and iron on the outside. Perhaps a ferrule to a fork\knife or spoon.
Some nice iron turned up too. What I believe is a chisel with some wood still on the handle. And that curved piece that reminded me of one of those "Brick Ties" that you see on the side of an old brick house to help support the wall... but I'm not sure that's what it really is.
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I look like Oscar after a day of sifting.... covered in dirt and sweating mud... I'm also pretty grouchy! ha Thanks a ton Ken. You should totally sift it some... put together a sifter with some 1/2" screen and go to town. When the pit is producing, its more fun than detecting. 
