paleomaxx
Hero Member
- Aug 14, 2016
- 824
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- 6
- Detector(s) used
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- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
As I'm sure everyone else in the North will agree, the past few weeks of cold have been frustrating with each weekend seemingly trying to outdo the last in terms of how cold it could possibly be. Finally we had a thaw Thursday and Friday and while I attempted to detect on Thursday, the snow was still too deep to recover much in the woods. A little sad, but after an entire night of rain and 50+ temps the snow was completely gone on Friday and all but the most stubborn sections of the ground had thawed. It was prime detecting time!
The last two homesites I've been posting about are part of a cluster in these woods and there's one cellar hole that I had found immediately, but it was in the middle of several logging paths so the ground was already clear and rock hard. Not wanting to tease myself with unrecoverable targets I just moved deeper into the woods and found the second and third site. However Friday was a different story.
I started on the section next to the cellar hole and almost immediately recovered an IHP. Then four or five huge aluminum targets which gave overload signals. (I dig these anyways because it's easier to find whisper targets once they're gone) The sixth overload was actually partly sticking out of the ground so I just pulled it out by hand:
Unbelievable! Nearly a surface find and I instantly knew it was special, so I took a very rare (for me) field photo and then wrapped it and put it in the Tupperware that I bring for just such relics.
From similar examples posted here I think it's an 1815-1825 militia belt plate (17 stars), but I haven't seen any others with a silver wash like this one. Is there any significance to that; is it just a different style that some people wore? I could also use some advice on preservation. The logging trucks likely bent it when they ran over it (I have not attempted to bend it back), but more importantly it put stress on the patina and I know that if I let it fully dry it'll start to flake off and take the wash with it. Any thoughts?
Obviously the buckle find takes the cake, but there were a couple other relics from the hunt that would still make my day! I found a nice chunk of silver which is always welcome.
I initially thought it was aluminum, but the "sterling" stamp said otherwise.
Any idea on how old though?
I also found a nice 1817 large cent. The ground was wetter, so not as much detail survived, but the date is legible and sometimes that's all that counts!
There were a few of the usual bits and pieces between the trash. The IHP is very toasty, but 1907. The folded over piece may have been a dandy button, but no trace of a design. A pewter spoon bowl and a few buckles rounded out the finds. This really was an incredible hunt and, while the ground is once again frozen, I have plenty of research to do until the ground thaws again and I can see what other treasures are to be found!
The last two homesites I've been posting about are part of a cluster in these woods and there's one cellar hole that I had found immediately, but it was in the middle of several logging paths so the ground was already clear and rock hard. Not wanting to tease myself with unrecoverable targets I just moved deeper into the woods and found the second and third site. However Friday was a different story.
I started on the section next to the cellar hole and almost immediately recovered an IHP. Then four or five huge aluminum targets which gave overload signals. (I dig these anyways because it's easier to find whisper targets once they're gone) The sixth overload was actually partly sticking out of the ground so I just pulled it out by hand:
Unbelievable! Nearly a surface find and I instantly knew it was special, so I took a very rare (for me) field photo and then wrapped it and put it in the Tupperware that I bring for just such relics.
From similar examples posted here I think it's an 1815-1825 militia belt plate (17 stars), but I haven't seen any others with a silver wash like this one. Is there any significance to that; is it just a different style that some people wore? I could also use some advice on preservation. The logging trucks likely bent it when they ran over it (I have not attempted to bend it back), but more importantly it put stress on the patina and I know that if I let it fully dry it'll start to flake off and take the wash with it. Any thoughts?
Obviously the buckle find takes the cake, but there were a couple other relics from the hunt that would still make my day! I found a nice chunk of silver which is always welcome.
I initially thought it was aluminum, but the "sterling" stamp said otherwise.
Any idea on how old though?
I also found a nice 1817 large cent. The ground was wetter, so not as much detail survived, but the date is legible and sometimes that's all that counts!
There were a few of the usual bits and pieces between the trash. The IHP is very toasty, but 1907. The folded over piece may have been a dandy button, but no trace of a design. A pewter spoon bowl and a few buckles rounded out the finds. This really was an incredible hunt and, while the ground is once again frozen, I have plenty of research to do until the ground thaws again and I can see what other treasures are to be found!
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