Colonial/1812 Hunt w/ Ahab8 and OutdoorAdv! Pewters, coppers, tombac and Bells

Scrappy

Gold Member
Mar 6, 2014
9,204
14,019
17th century
🥇 Banner finds
7
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX 3030 & XP Deus
Primary Interest:
Other
UPDATE: New Pics added.

So I got away for a hard earned vacation - and what a vacation it was...

Earlier this summer after Abe was kind enough to invite us up, Ahab8, OutdoorAdv, and I decided to plan a killer fall hunt. I've been friends with Abe for close to 2-1/2? years, and Brad for about a year, but haven't met either one of them until this trip.

So I met up with Brad in Connecticut and we carpooled to Maine to connect with Abe. We quickly repacked at Abe's house and off we went. Crossing the lake, we loaded the canoe with so much equipment that we literally had 5" of freeboard. The paddle was about 1.5 miles to the island but the view alone was worth it.
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477477759.407276.jpg
Once we arrived we quickly got into digging some signals. Brad scored early but it took me a while to adjust. I was able to score a few nice flat buttons and finally, a beautiful pewter US general service button!
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477477797.393825.jpg
After a 5-Star dinner of spit fired sirloin strip steak, potatoes, and roasted garlic, we smoked cigars and had a couple beer. That's when Abe had a great idea to do a night scouting mission. We quickly found iron and followed by scoring a button each, of which I found a pewter underwear button.
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477477867.973050.jpg
After finding a foundation that was on no known map, I cleaned up real nicely with a few iron spoons (not pictured yet) and a beautiful crotal bell!
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477477903.006360.jpg followed by my first rat-tail spoon (not pictured yet).
Abe and Brad ripped on me good for hogging all the good stuff;)

The a bucket-lister came out - a pewter rat-tail spoon!! Absolutely amazing.

After a downpour all night we were back at it. I was sure to ring my crotal bell in the morning to wake everyone up! Haha!

We all dug some more buttons and I scored a ton of musketballs in the mud flats. Brad also cleaned up on some signals my CTX missed. That GPX is something else. Being in a grouped area and mostly impacted, Brad and I figured that it must have been a target range. We must have dug 30 round balls between the two of us.

We continue on the mud flats and I dig a French copper with a square hole in it. Turned out to be a French Sol. Killer hunt!
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478014.326892.jpg

After that we packed up and headed home to rest our sore backs, and eat 75 lbs of sushi. Abe was slightly off with his 40lb estimate;) lol. Here's a pic of us loading ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478056.580059.jpg


The next day we hit two islands, and the second one paid off big time. Here is a pic of Brads head... ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478089.898517.jpg and Abe ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478137.436589.jpg
With just a little searching, we came across an interesting pile of rocks. Within a few minutes I came across a blowhole button (not pictured yet). Another first!!! It was game on after that and we went to town. After a few more buttons I had a great signal - a KG2.
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478163.118864.jpg
Buttons and spoons started popping out everywhere and we had a great time. Everyone scored some beautiful items. I found some more buttons, mostly tombacs, all early. We estimate the site as mid 18th century, and nothing newer than ~1780's. Here's a picture from the shoreline ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478535.789624.jpg

ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478193.751680.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478211.559844.jpg silver faced buttons, no back marks. ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478228.550083.jpg

ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478264.086578.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478275.526301.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478288.497503.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478307.792158.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478323.150382.jpg

Button with thread.... ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478355.736434.jpg Pewter baby spoon ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478372.965411.jpg a KG2 that didn't fare well in cleaning
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478400.804486.jpg

ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478468.337676.jpg


What a hunt. Abe was a gracious host and really put in the effort to make our trip a memorable one. Brad, meh, he's ok....just kidding. Great guys, great times, and a trip I'll remember always.
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478618.232083.jpg

To wrap things up, we all had MONSTER lobsta' rolls.

ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477478600.723163.jpg

Enjoy and good hunts!

Steve

Just added:

1812 Iron nails used for the fort all cleaned up

ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477752786.807138.jpg

And a colonial iron spoon. It was folded in half!!

ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477762732.477391.jpg

And finally, a Crushed Blowhole button crushed by that Abe fella- AKA "Magilla Gorilla"

ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477765786.428190.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477765799.832545.jpg

ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477765859.376025.jpg

Rat tail ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477766025.895855.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1477766035.748946.jpg
 

Last edited:
Upvote 36

CASPER-2

Gold Member
Jan 3, 2012
17,158
19,959
NEW ENGLAND
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
6
Detector(s) used
WHITE'S XLT, PI PRO, GARRETT 2500, 3- FISHER CZ21s, JW FISHER 8X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting

OutdoorAdv

Bronze Member
Apr 16, 2013
2,457
3,350
East Coast - USA
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus,
GPX 4500,
Equinox 800,
AT Max
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Awesome post man :occasion14: You forgot to mention the part where you appeased the Coin Gods by releasing a Silver Washington Quarter back into the wild and were instantly rewarded with that killer token. I don't see the merc in there either. :laughing7: Me... well I kept that hideous silver rosie and got burned in the coin category. haha I really like that bell and it was awesome to see you dig that marked pewter... those little pewter cuff buttons are tough to find. What a great time dude... I really like the picture of the three of us after digging in the dirt all day. It'll be even more fun to go back and read our three posts 6 months from now and remember the trip all over again. I'm going to edit my post now and put a link to yours at the top of it!
 

CRUSADER

Gold Member
May 25, 2007
40,860
45,451
ENGLAND
🥇 Banner finds
27
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II v0.6 with 11" Coil
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Great post & pictures.

The buttons would point to a wider window than 1780s, maybe even tipping into 1800.
 

Ahab8

Gold Member
Oct 15, 2013
8,408
8,288
Topsham, Maine
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Teknetics T2 SE w/15' SEF Coil/ Minelab GPX 4500/2 Garrett Pro Pointers/3 Sets Killer B Headphones/ Koss Headphones/ Detekniy Wireless headphone Adapter
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Great post man! That little pewter spoon is something I don't believe I've ever seen before. Glad you were able to both score your first rat tails and that petal bell is a beauty. It was fun trying to figure out what your copper was with the giant rectangular cutout. That's a very cool piece in my opinion. But the US pewter may be my fave. It was so cool to see you pull your first marked pewter. Pretty sure I was way more excited than you were lol. I'm looking forward to the next time we are able to get together and hopefully dig up some more Colonial goodness. Truly an awesome few days.
Btw everybody I'm not really that short! I'm standing in a hole....I swear lol
 

btjbtj

Bronze Member
Aug 27, 2016
1,546
1,412
Massachusetts
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro with NEL Big Coil DD. Garrett Pro-Pointer Plus.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hey--there's our T-Net boys!! Loving these posts about your detecting adventures! Look how teeny that crotal bell is! Great buttons, and what a gorgeous area to hunt in! Congrats on all of your finds. -Lisa & John
 

Steve in PA

Gold Member
Jul 5, 2010
9,582
14,128
Pittsburgh, PA
🥇 Banner finds
4
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, XP Deus, Equinox 600, Fisher 1270
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Quite an adventure gentlemen! You guys obviously roughed it to get to those isolated relics. Paddling 1.5 miles to an island? Where's the motorboat? Well you all did good, especially in the eating department - lol
 

Steve in PA

Gold Member
Jul 5, 2010
9,582
14,128
Pittsburgh, PA
🥇 Banner finds
4
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, XP Deus, Equinox 600, Fisher 1270
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hey Steve, the item in the top left of this pic looks kind of like a bayonet scabbard clip. If you are digging War of 1812 buttons and musketballs, I wouldn't be surprised to see a bayonet scabbard clip turn up.


Here are some examples:

Side.JPG Top.JPG
 

Last edited:

Bill D. (VA)

Silver Member
Oct 7, 2008
4,711
6,212
SE Virginia
🥇 Banner finds
6
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
F75 SE (land); CZ-21 (saltwater)
Primary Interest:
Other
Another outstanding post about the "Great Maine Hunt". It's been fun to read about this through the eyes of each of you, but the common theme is that you guys had a blast both with the digging as well as hanging out. Thanks for all those site photos Steve, especially that panoramic view which says it all. And congrats on a nice pile of early finds. I'd be happy with a single flat button right now, but not sure when I'll be able to get back out. Guess I'll have to keep living vicariously through you guys. Again, great post!
 

against the wind

Gold Member
Jul 27, 2015
24,797
24,977
Port Allegheny, Pennsylvania
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
E-trac, Excalibur, XP Deus, & CTX 3030.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
You guys are truly dedicated.
Congrats on all of your finds and thanks for the literary wrap up.
How do you guys stay so healthy looking after gorging yourself on so much food? lol
 

Last edited:
OP
OP
Scrappy

Scrappy

Gold Member
Mar 6, 2014
9,204
14,019
17th century
🥇 Banner finds
7
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX 3030 & XP Deus
Primary Interest:
Other
That sure looks like it was a fun trip. Congrats on some nice finds

We had a great time Art. The story was written in three posts, so if you read all three you'll probably end of with 60% of the story. The rest will wash out over time, if we remember it at all!
 

OP
OP
Scrappy

Scrappy

Gold Member
Mar 6, 2014
9,204
14,019
17th century
🥇 Banner finds
7
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX 3030 & XP Deus
Primary Interest:
Other
Awesome post man :occasion14: You forgot to mention the part where you appeased the Coin Gods by releasing a Silver Washington Quarter back into the wild and were instantly rewarded with that killer token. I don't see the merc in there either. :laughing7: Me... well I kept that hideous silver rosie and got burned in the coin category. haha I really like that bell and it was awesome to see you dig that marked pewter... those little pewter cuff buttons are tough to find. What a great time dude... I really like the picture of the three of us after digging in the dirt all day. It'll be even more fun to go back and read our three posts 6 months from now and remember the trip all over again. I'm going to edit my post now and put a link to yours at the top of it!

Shhhhh! That's a secret to finding older stuff. Don't anger the coin gods more than you already did by keeping that Roosevelt dime. I probably would have found more but I forgot to rerelease the merc.....

The bell was a favourite. I enjoyed ringing it for you two the following three days.
 

OP
OP
Scrappy

Scrappy

Gold Member
Mar 6, 2014
9,204
14,019
17th century
🥇 Banner finds
7
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX 3030 & XP Deus
Primary Interest:
Other
Great post & pictures.

The buttons would point to a wider window than 1780s, maybe even tipping into 1800.

Thx Cru. I agree about the buttons. The ones dug on the first site were most certainly later. So you think a few of those tombac are that late as well?
 

Last edited:

Calabash Digger

Gold Member
Apr 18, 2016
5,300
11,756
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
XP DEUS II ,XP DEUS, EQUINOX 800, EXCALIBUR II,
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thats a killer hunt you guys went on. congrats on all the finds.
 

metalev4

Bronze Member
Aug 12, 2006
1,165
565
Outstanding post Steve. The pictures are excellent as well as the finds. Looks like a good time had by all. 3 days of straight digging sounds like heaven right about now.
 

Steve in PA

Gold Member
Jul 5, 2010
9,582
14,128
Pittsburgh, PA
🥇 Banner finds
4
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, XP Deus, Equinox 600, Fisher 1270
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thx Cru. I agree about the buttons. The ones dug on the first site were most certainly later. So you think a few of those tombac are that late as well?
Steve, here are my thoughts on tombac buttons found in North America (for what it's worth). Tombac buttons were still being worn on coats (and lost) well into the first decade of the 19th century. But I believe they stopped being manufactured by the button makers in the 1780s when brass buttons started to take over. That's my story and I'm sticking to it :thumbsup:
 

bill_wabo

Bronze Member
Sep 12, 2014
1,055
876
Quebec
Detector(s) used
helmet from pomelo
Teknetics Delta 4000,
Tesoro Mojave,
Garrett Carrott
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Great posts (read all 3) and saves. Seems it was a relic hunter dream day ;)
Thanks for posting.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top