🥇 BANNER Beyond Epic Colonial Hammered Coin Cache!

smokeythecat

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Nov 22, 2012
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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 IMG_1446.jpg View attachment 1674975 000BBB.JPG These are finds from then and the piece of glass. IMG_1533.JPG

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 000ccc.jpg 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 IMG_1538.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.

000111.jpg 000222.jpg View attachment IMG_1547.jpg View attachment IMG_1542.jpg IMG_1537.JPG View attachment IMG_1543.jpg IMG_1533.JPG 000888.JPG 000999.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 IMG_1538.JPG View attachment IMG_1542.jpg View attachment IMG_1547.jpg View attachment IMG_1466.jpg IMG_1537.JPG View attachment IMG_1543.jpg IMG_1446.jpg IMG_1553.jpg IMG_E0173.jpg
 

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huntsman53

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Jun 11, 2013
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Smokey,

Most of the pic attachments are not working and we would really like to see every thing you found. Can you edit the post and try to fix the attachments? Thanks!
 

Gene Mean

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Awesome! Retry the pics though. You've got us drooling.
 

OreElse

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Agreed about the attachments not opening. But the story is amazing, Smokey!
 

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smokeythecat

smokeythecat

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I've had problems with the site for a couple days. The attachments link to this site so they are safe and you should be able to open them. I'll try again.
 

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Gene Mean

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Nice finds! Someone here will help you id the flintlock side plate.
 

coinman123

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Incredible finds!!! That cache/spill of hammered 1600's coins is insane!! The gun lock looks to be off a very early flintlock, possibly 1600's or early 1700's. Probably the coolest hunt I have seen posted in 2019 so far!! Banner!!
 

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smokeythecat

smokeythecat

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Nov 22, 2012
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Thank you all. I don't have a pic of the hoe yet. Also a couple weeks ago found about a 20 pound pig iron. It's outside waiting for spring. The rain will help clean. I have the iron soaking in "iron out" at the moment. It loosens some. I think I will try to manually clean the lock plate by hand. Lots of little pieces hanging on, then maybe wire brush. Also heard heating with a torch then plunging into old motor oil will get a lot of the crud off fast. Electrolysis won't work without me drilling a hole in it which I don't want to do. ALSO, the other little hammered coin from a couple weeks ago or whenever I posted it was from 20' away. Here it is again: IMG_0109.JPG IMG_0113.JPG If you zoom into the coins you can see better. I'll take a group shot in a few minutes. The two I don't have anymore, as I gave them to my digging partner. He was not expecting that! But remember, this is "stuff", really cool stuff, but still stuff. I can move today! It's a miracle.
 

RVRoamer73

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Awesome history saved. Congrats on your finest day.
Banner!!
 

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smokeythecat

smokeythecat

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Nov 22, 2012
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Better coin pics: IMG_0109.JPG IMG_0113.JPG The first one found 12/20/18 in silver, the coin dealer THINKS it's German 14th century. Now dog food.

German Jetton and Charles I shilling (I gave to Tom).

Spanish 1702-1728 Half Reale Cob, OM, Mexico City mintmark (on left), Charles I sixpence, Two Charles I Rose Farthings, and lastly Charles I something or other, seems to be copper or brass.

Seven from the one hole, the first again, found about 20' away. The others were all a minimum of 18" deep.
 

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Gene Mean

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Dang that's incredible! And this is in Maryland right? 14th century coin is amazing.
 

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smokeythecat

smokeythecat

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Yes, Maryland, on private property with permission of course. And we very carefully filled the hole in, and put beautiful dead grass on top of it as a decoration!
 

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smokeythecat

smokeythecat

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Nov 22, 2012
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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.
 

villagenut

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Looky there, Smokey is on another hot spot. Banner post and I can't help but wonder what you pop out next.:thumbsup:
 

Whyme

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WOW WOW WOW! Holy cow! This is beyond awesome! Congrats! :icon_thumleft: Banner!
 

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Save any little pieces of aluminum you may find.it could be jewelry.in colonial times aluminum was worth more than gold.as today guys want to give their woman expensive jewelry,so you could actually find a diamond mounted in aluminum.
 

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smokeythecat

smokeythecat

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Nov 22, 2012
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Villagenut next weeks it’s a Civil War group dig 100 miles in a different direction!
 

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