Hello All,
Shagalang and I both had Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday off (which is RARE!) so we did what sensible people would do--we went digging for three days!!
Had no idea when we started our marathon hunt that we would break our personal records for an individual hunt, and I'd end up bringing back some ANTEBELLUM GOLD!
Here's a video of the weekend, which you'll want to see!
We decided to hunt a field where targets are thin but payoff is high when something is dug. We'd hunted the site last several years ago with success. Friday afternoon we got busy digging and Shang got a nice 1798 Spanish Silver Half Real!
After that excitement, we dug a few flat buttons, melted brass, and lead bits and called it a day.
Yesterday started with us back out scratching the earth, trying to scare up some more coins. Shang dug two nice civilian "flower buttons" and then yelled "Hi Ho!" when he dug a second silver. I ran over to see him grinning and hold up an 1807 Half Real!
My only consolation prize was a beautiful English Gun Flint which I eyeballed.
This morning we got up and out early, inspired by the previous digs. My wife, diggergirl, decided to join us since we were digging goodies
First thing, Shang eyeballed a nice, larger-than-normal trade bead. I thought I might get skunked for the third day in a row, but then I dug a nice mid-range signal and out popped an 1839-O Seated Half Dime!
Circled around and got another nice signal and BOOM, a second Seated Half Dime! 1841! Was sticking straight up and down in the row!
I decided to move out of the area and let Shang have a go, so I got way out of the iron patch and hunted the fringe area a while (I do this a lot when I've made some good finds and need to let my pulse lower some LOL). Well in this case my pulse got MUCH faster as I got a nice mid-range beep and looked down to see GOLD STICKING OUT OF THE TOP OF THE GROUND!!! My friends, one thing you NEVER see when hunting the types of sites I hunt, is GOLD. I yelled at Shang and DG to come see, and got down on my hands and knees to see.
Gently prying it out of the hard dirt, it was the top of a pre-Civil War Gold Ring!! I'm completely shocked that the stone has stayed intact. Unfortunately, the loop is not intact--but I feel certain that it is in the field somewhere waiting for us.
After searching around for about an hour for the missing loop, I decided to join the others. On my way toward them, I got another nice, mid-range signal and popped out a THIRD silver for the day--1842-O Seated Half Dime!!
Now--let me just say that we have never dug more than three silvers in one day. Well, we weren't done. Shang then goes and digs himself a BLAZING 1839-O Seated Half Dime!! Seriously, one of the finest condition Seateds we've ever dug here.
It starts to get to afternoon, and DG had to go home to go to a meeting--so we reluctantly left and Shang decides to stay another hour or so. Then I get a video from Shang on the way home--silver AGAIN! 1814 Half Real!
Five silvers in one day is just crazy. Add the gold to it and I'm just in a state of shock. Here are photos of the 5 silvers dug today, for a total of 7 for the weekend.
And the GOLD! I'm STILL shocked that this was in the ground, and survived intact for 180 years! Looks like the inner piece (around the stone) was put in, bent and shaped, and braised together. Then the outer, decorative piece was bent and braised together (note the seams), then the loop portion would have been braised onto the bottom of the ring. Any ideas what era this dates from? My hunch is Federal Era. I'm still on cloud nine over this find!
Best Wishes and Happy Hunting,
Buckleboy, Shangalang, and Diggergirl
Shagalang and I both had Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday off (which is RARE!) so we did what sensible people would do--we went digging for three days!!
Had no idea when we started our marathon hunt that we would break our personal records for an individual hunt, and I'd end up bringing back some ANTEBELLUM GOLD!Here's a video of the weekend, which you'll want to see!
We decided to hunt a field where targets are thin but payoff is high when something is dug. We'd hunted the site last several years ago with success. Friday afternoon we got busy digging and Shang got a nice 1798 Spanish Silver Half Real!
After that excitement, we dug a few flat buttons, melted brass, and lead bits and called it a day.
Yesterday started with us back out scratching the earth, trying to scare up some more coins. Shang dug two nice civilian "flower buttons" and then yelled "Hi Ho!" when he dug a second silver. I ran over to see him grinning and hold up an 1807 Half Real!
My only consolation prize was a beautiful English Gun Flint which I eyeballed.
This morning we got up and out early, inspired by the previous digs. My wife, diggergirl, decided to join us since we were digging goodies
First thing, Shang eyeballed a nice, larger-than-normal trade bead. I thought I might get skunked for the third day in a row, but then I dug a nice mid-range signal and out popped an 1839-O Seated Half Dime!
Circled around and got another nice signal and BOOM, a second Seated Half Dime! 1841! Was sticking straight up and down in the row!
I decided to move out of the area and let Shang have a go, so I got way out of the iron patch and hunted the fringe area a while (I do this a lot when I've made some good finds and need to let my pulse lower some LOL). Well in this case my pulse got MUCH faster as I got a nice mid-range beep and looked down to see GOLD STICKING OUT OF THE TOP OF THE GROUND!!! My friends, one thing you NEVER see when hunting the types of sites I hunt, is GOLD. I yelled at Shang and DG to come see, and got down on my hands and knees to see.
Gently prying it out of the hard dirt, it was the top of a pre-Civil War Gold Ring!! I'm completely shocked that the stone has stayed intact. Unfortunately, the loop is not intact--but I feel certain that it is in the field somewhere waiting for us.
After searching around for about an hour for the missing loop, I decided to join the others. On my way toward them, I got another nice, mid-range signal and popped out a THIRD silver for the day--1842-O Seated Half Dime!!
Now--let me just say that we have never dug more than three silvers in one day. Well, we weren't done. Shang then goes and digs himself a BLAZING 1839-O Seated Half Dime!! Seriously, one of the finest condition Seateds we've ever dug here.
It starts to get to afternoon, and DG had to go home to go to a meeting--so we reluctantly left and Shang decides to stay another hour or so. Then I get a video from Shang on the way home--silver AGAIN! 1814 Half Real!
Five silvers in one day is just crazy. Add the gold to it and I'm just in a state of shock. Here are photos of the 5 silvers dug today, for a total of 7 for the weekend.
And the GOLD! I'm STILL shocked that this was in the ground, and survived intact for 180 years! Looks like the inner piece (around the stone) was put in, bent and shaped, and braised together. Then the outer, decorative piece was bent and braised together (note the seams), then the loop portion would have been braised onto the bottom of the ring. Any ideas what era this dates from? My hunch is Federal Era. I'm still on cloud nine over this find!
Best Wishes and Happy Hunting,
Buckleboy, Shangalang, and Diggergirl
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