Tombac Conestoga Bell & Other Things

[Driftwoood]

Well, I finally managed to make the best of the balmy weather here in the Northeast and go out to a home site off in the woods near my home. It was quite marshy out there due to all the melted snow and rain... nice for the detector, nasty for digging. I spent about four hours in a part of the site that (I believe) was a small barn or shed situated against the house, or very close to it. Most of the items I find in that spot are iron pins, hangers, carriage parts, horse shoes, etc., so I've been trying to get all that big stuff out of the ground to see if there is anything hiding out. Here are some photos of the typical stuff:



Lots of big chunky iron bits...



and lots of unidentifiable, but intriguing items...



and, of course, iron.

So, today I am seeing my work pay off (not that I don't enjoy digging big crazy rusty stuff) and some non-ferrous items started showing up:



First was a pewter spoon/fork handle 'C. PARKER & Co'...



and just as I was about to leave, I got this beauty. Its' dinger is gone, but if you ding it with something else, it rings quite nicely. I think it is made of tombac. I have found bits of broken ones at other sites, but never a whole one. I was stoked! Needless to say, I didn't go right home after that... figured I'd try to find out where its' friends were hiding... probably 8" under a big hunk of strap iron. Well, that was my last good find of the day... not a terribly productive hunt, but fun for a 65 degree February hunt!

 

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[MrMikeJackie]

Nice finds bud! I do a lot of fishing in the schoharie creek in Prattsville. I have a cabin and 60 acres in Stamford. Beautiful country. Need to start hitting some of the foundations I've found in the past while grouse hunting.

 

[Driftwoood]

Thanks! There are foundations/home sites everywhere around these parts... seems like at one time the population must have been double what it is now. If you're ever in southern Schoharie County (Breakabeen area), shoot me a message... maybe I can put you on to some walleye, too!

 

[Wildcat1750]

Nice looking bell! Is that iron full size or miniature? I once found a miniature one that looks very similar to yours.

 

[Driftwoood]

Nice looking bell! Is that iron full size or miniature? I once found a miniature one that looks very similar to yours.

Thanks! The iron is a full-sized one. I guess the miniature ones were made for young kiddos to learn with... wouldn't go well with today's overprotective safety standards.

 

[treblehunter]

Cool finds, I love that bell!

 

[dirtdigginfool]

Nice stuff Driftwood! I'm betting the bell "rang" up high...!? Ha...sorry couldn't resist. Keep pulling that big iron out the ground and those little silver signals will poke through...congrats..ddf

 

[Driftwoood]

Thanks treblehunter & dirtdigginfool! Yeah, it did ring up pretty sweet... thought it was gonna be sheet metal, like a piece of tin roofing laying just under the leaves. I'll keep my fingers crossed for some silver.... these old hill farms were generally pretty poor. The only coins I have found at this site so far have been a 1865 IHP, an 1863 token and a cut large cent (1/4 of a cent!). Pretty slim pickins, but the other kinds of relics are plentiful.

 

[Evolution]

Nice finds. I love it when one of those bells comes up. makes for a good hunt every time.

 

[trapperart]

Congrats on the bell and other nice finds

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Congratulations on the fine relic hunt!

 

[CRUSADER]

Yeap, I only have a couple of whole ones as well, had loads of bits....

 

[Scrappy]

That's beautiful! I've only found shattered bits of tombac ones. Amazing condition!

 

[Relicific]

That bell is the best of the lot
Congrats