🥇 BANNER Beyond Epic Colonial Hammered Coin Cache!

[smokeythecat]

Or, perhaps call it a spill. How many coins does it take to make a cache anyway? A friend of mine has a nice colonial site which has been totally hammered for years and years and years. At the end of the year I got a HUGE iron signal on the XP Deus, and decided to go for it and dig it. Well, it was a nearly intact colonial hoe. Now that's something you don't see every day. It was about 15" deep. I noticed some shells and charcoal in the hole, so covered it over and determined to come back and dig some more. I did that a couple weeks ago (I really lose track of time these days). In the hole was a little piece of exquisite yet broken late 17th century Venetian glass. The ground was so muddy, and the cat so out of shape, I recovered that and a couple buttons and called it a day and covered the hole back in and left.

View attachment 1674974 View attachment 1674975 These are finds from then and the piece of glass.

Well, the ol' cat was just itching with curiosity as to what was in the hole? There was a lot more metal there, for sure. So my buddy Tommy couldn't go Friday, so I went by myself and started digging the same dirt out...now for the third time. The owner came by and said hi, and the sight of me sitting in what amounted to a mud pit with a newly found piece of the glass had to have him laughing for hours. Well, the first thing out of the hole, didn't want to come out of the hole. I keep prying and banging and banging and prying and finally this big iron thing plopped out of the side and into the bottom.

View attachment 1674976 View attachment 1674978 View attachment IMG_1535.jpg A side plate with frizzen to an extremely old flintlock gun! Amazing! But Wait! There's more! I found a few buttons, late 17th to early 18th style, and a few tiny buttons (which were not buttons) with no shanks. It's coming, hang in there. The oyster shells were huge. Check it out. View attachment 1674979 View attachment IMG_1536.jpg View attachment 1674980 That's my HAND holding it! Bigger than my outstretched hand they be!

Then some pipe stems started falling out of the sidewall, along with some ceramics. I was actually looking for the ceramics, and glass, I wasn't expecting much else. View attachment 1674981 View attachment IMG_1540.jpg View attachment IMG_1541.jpg View attachment 1674982 Redware, Delftware, stoneware, and a piece to a pancake onion bottle.

View attachment IMG_1545.jpg View attachment IMG_1546.jpg

View attachment 1674983 View attachment IMG_1539.jpg At that point I'm excited. I noticed another icky button (not a button) and a grey lead disc pop out, and put them in a pouch. Again, not a lead disc. When I quit, leaving the huge hole open, I started cleaning up stuff.

I had SEVEN HAMMERED COLONIAL COINS, TWO IN SILVER! From one tiny (but huge to me) hole! I had six, then a last one came tumbling out. Including the one, shown below, the old German one, that's EIGHT in 2019.

So Tommy and I went back Saturday (yesterday). The glass and ceramics had disappeared. We started finding "rocks" in a place that should have not had them, and we also detected after we got tired of the hole. Hidden in all my "stuff" were three little square pieces of metal. One was just a square little piece of metal, the second, a late 17th century to early 18th century brass hand made nut and the third - I couldn't believe it! A Spanish 1/2 reale cob! The first one I ever found! Actually these are pretty much firsts of everything.

I got 1 broken buckle, a nice 1575-1700 buckle, and from another spot a couple hundred yards away while just detecting a complete tombac button and broken late 18th century shoe buckle.

OMG! Thank you Lord! If this isn't the best day detecting and digging I have ever had, I do not know what is.

And to boot, one of the rocks looks like a sharpening stone, and the roundish rock I think is an American Indian game ball or other stone. Your comments appreciated. I have a lot more iron, I do not THINK I have the hammer to the gun, but one of those larger pieces looks really odd.

View attachment IMG_1547.jpg View attachment IMG_1542.jpg View attachment IMG_1543.jpg

View attachment 1674993 View attachment IMG_1551.jpg


I hope nothing is upside down. Iphones are not picture friendly for me.

The coins again: View attachment IMG_1531.jpg German 17th Century token or jetton and Charles I Shilling

View attachment 1675001 And since the other one won't load again, Two Charles I rose farthings, one Charles I Sixpence and a 1702-1728 Spanish 1/2 Reale cob, minted in Mexico City. Plus Another copper Charles I something or other.

I can't believe I dug the whole thing. I gave the shilling and token/jetton to Tommy. We only got 1 coin Saturday. Same hole.

SEVEN HAMMERED COINS IN TOTAL, ONE HOLE! View attachment IMG_1540.jpg View attachment IMG_1539.jpg View attachment IMG_1541.jpg View attachment IMG_1535.jpg View attachment IMG_1536.jpg View attachment IMG_1542.jpg View attachment IMG_1547.jpg View attachment IMG_1466.jpg View attachment IMG_1543.jpg

 

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[smokeythecat]

Will that make me "Smokeycatsuperhero"?

 

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[A2coins]

I like it good job I like seeing one of us tnetters doing so well!!!We work hard for it Keep it up!!!!

 

[smokeythecat]

It has almost stopped hurting since Saturday!

 

[UnderMiner]

A 14th Century coin in the States, that was already an antique when Columbus arrived, this is a crazy early site you've found if the people still possessed such ancient pieces of silver!

 

[Greastart]

I would like feedback on the lockplate, and the two rocks. I am certain one is a sharpening stone, a 300 YEAR OLD sharpening stone! How about the round one with beveled edge? I bought an American Indian game ball some time ago, but this? As a matter of fact, I have a knife that needs to be sharpened....hmmmm!

So seven out of the hole and the other German one to boot from 20' away! My buddies from the other house site a couple hundred yards away got two toasted coppers, probably George II or George III, no other coins from the site.

I can tell you that there is absolutely no doubt you have part of a sharpening stone. 20 years working as a butcher and the first thing I thought was "wonder how old that whetstone is?"

Congratulations on an incredible hunt!

Grease

 

[dfallis1]

Just amazing. Im kicking myself for not going that day. You got my banner vote. That is def a unique hoard of relics. Absolutely amazing, cant wait to see the stuff up close.

 

[Switchblade]

Nice score!!

 

[smokeythecat]

I took a couple of the hammered coins to the one coin dealer who really knows his old stuff. He was pleasantly surprised. I've known him for years.

I looked at some coins he had for sale and commented the 1/2 reale was probably clipped and he concurred. It has been clipped on four sides. Even better for me!

 

[smokeythecat]

Bump for a friend!

 

[treblehunter]

Banner vote is in

 

[smokeythecat]

Thanks treblehunter, we'll get together soon. Frozen hard as a rock here right now.

 

[xcopperstax]

Smokey congrats! You probably don't need advice from a beginner like me but I think that when you dig again you should bring a sifter. Incredible finds! Can't wait to see what else you find!

 

[DownNDirty]

Wow, what a site! Very impressive-congrats! I know I don't need to tell you this, but keep going back to that site and hammer it (pun intended) until you can't find any more.

Oh, and if you don't have a sifter, build one!

 

[fishstick]

Damn Smoke!!!!! You sure do have one thing going your way. LUCK!!!!!! Huge CONGRATZ......

 

[park pirate]

Outstanding hunt...

 

[HI-McDunnogh]

Congratulations on the amazing dig!!

 

[Truth]

Banner!!!! Smokey “Queen of the Dirt”. I hope all the pics come in. Congratulations totally incredible. I’m officially sick. Lol

 

[smokeythecat]

Ah! But Wait! Digging again this weekend. Wanna guess where? Signing off for now.

 

[smokeythecat]

Xcopperstax, I do have screens, this soil crumbles when you touch it, so I doubt we missed much. But we do have them.

 

[smokeythecat]

Here's a picture of the three pieces of Venetian glass. Hopefully we'll be able to get some more of it.