Two Homesteads – 2-Cent Piece, Brass Wedding Band & other Relics

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Yesterday I met up with my buddy pepperj east of Kingston, ON for a 7hr hunt. He’d recently received permission from a local farmer for us to detect two homestead sites on their farm. My buddy has been detecting since 1974, so whenever we get together for a hunt, I end up getting schooled on my detecting technique. I have learned so much from him about how to read the topography, soil conditions and detecting techniques. Almost immediately he started texting me pics of an 1850s token he just found, then a silver ’74 Vickie Dime, another Upper Canada Token, then a 1905 Silver ‘Little Nickel’. This all came before I’d even made my first decent find!

My first good find was a pocket watch, followed by several flat buttons. I found an early Victorian sash buckle, a lady’s brass wedding band stamped 18K inside the band. When I found the 1864 US 2-Cent Piece I noticed that it was in rough shape, after I washed it off I knew it was. At first, I thought the hefty round brass relic with the ‘flower shape’ inset into it was a horse rosette, but there’s iron in the back of it? My next interesting find was the brass ‘Canada Carriage Co.’ nameplate (c1892 – 1909).

The last pic is of Kingston, ON located about 20 miles from Watertown, NY.

Canada Carriage Company 1879 – 1930
"This company was originally started in 1879 in Gananoque, Ont., by C.W. Taylor and his brother George Taylor, M.P., where it was known as the Gananoque Carriage Co. In 1891, being constrained by capacity and space problems, it was decided to move the business to Brockville, where a substantial bonus was offered by the town. A large 4-storey brick plant was built in 1892 on Park St., on the north side of the mainline of the Grand Trunk Railway. Just to the west was the line the north-south of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. At first in Brockville, they used the name Brockville Carriage Co., but soon incorporation of the new Canada Carriage Co. was granted on March 28, 1892.

By 1895 this plant was possibly the largest of its kind in the Dominion of Canada. The company manufactured carriages, surreys, traps, phaetons, wagons and sleighs. These were shipped throughout Canada and the United States, as well as foreign countries. About 300 to 400 men worked in the factory, and the payroll amounted to $3,500 each week. On Jan 4th, in the winter of 1905, in the late afternoon, the plant again caught fire, and within three hours the entire structure was in ruins. At the time, they had 4,000 orders on file and no place to build the merchandise.

In the fall of 1909, James B. Tudhope, owner of the 'Tudhope Carriage Co.' of Orillia, purchased the Canada Carriage Co., along with two others, E.N. Henry Co. Ltd., Montreal, and Munro & McIntosh Carriage Co. Ltd., Alexandria, and organized all his businesses into the 'Carriage Factories Ltd.' This new company became a selling and distributing agent for the vehicles of each factory, but they retained their individual names and identity."

Thanks very much for looking,
Dave

 

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[joe_dirt]

Cool finds looks like a nice spot I like the bit of carriage Co history

 

[Hawks88]

Another excellent hunt Dave. Some nice saves. Congrats. Beautiful photos along with the story. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Hillbilly Prince]

Fascinating finds and history. I am curious about something. Anybody finding relics from the Jesuit presence in "New France"?

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Here are the pics of my detecting partner pepperj's finds... finally!
And he's been detecting since 1970, not '74 as I mentioned.
Dave

 

[DigToChina]

Two Homesteads – 2-Cent Piece, Brass Wedding Band & other Relics

You may get schooled on your technique Dave but those are all top notch finds. Pepperj’s too.

Btw, that flower thing looks like some type of wheel to me. Maybe from a child buggy or something?

 

[Carolina Tom]

Looks like you gents had a good time

Congrats on the nice set of finds!

 

[RVRoamer73]

Nice hunt for the both of you. Lots of green stuff is always easy on the eyes. Congrats!!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Cool finds looks like a nice spot I like the bit of carriage Co history

Thanks very much for your post Joe.
I find it interesting to research anything with writing on it that pops up.
Dave

Another excellent hunt Dave. Some nice saves. Congrats. Beautiful photos along with the story. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks buddy,
I like to say... as long as the finds are interesting, then so is the hunt.

Best of luck to you,
Dave

Fascinating finds and history. I am curious about something. Anybody finding relics from the Jesuit presence in "New France"?

Thanks for your question Prince. The territory of 'New France' that you're referring to was a massive area.
The guys who detect colonial settlement sites in the Province of Quebec to the east of where I live in Ontario tend to find those types of related relics.

"The territory of ‘New France’ consisted of five colonies at its peak in 1712, each with its own administration: Canada, the most developed colony and divided into the districts of Québec, Trois-Rivières, and Montréal; Hudson's Bay; Acadie in the northeast; Plaisance on the island of Newfoundland; and Louisiane. It extended from Newfoundland to the Canadian prairies and from Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico, including all the Great Lakes of North America. In the sixteenth century, the lands were used primarily to draw from the wealth of natural resources such as furs through trade with the various indigenous peoples. In the seventeenth century, successful settlements began in Acadia and in Quebec. By 1765, the population of the new Province of Quebec reached approximately 70,000 settlers. The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht resulted in France giving Great Britain its claims over mainland Acadia, the Hudson Bay, and Newfoundland. France established the colony of Île Royale, now called Cape Breton Island, NS where they built the Fortress of Louisbourg.

The British expelled the Acadians in the Great Upheaval from 1755 to 1764, which has been remembered on July 28 each year since 2003. Their descendants are dispersed in the Maritime Provinces of Canada and in Maine and Louisiana, with small populations in Chéticamp, Nova Scotia and the Magdalen Islands. Some also went to France. In 1763, France ceded the rest of New France to Great Britain and Spain, except the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, at the Treaty of Paris which ended the Seven Years' War, part of which included the French and Indian War in America. Britain received Canada, Acadia, and the parts of French Louisiana which lay east of the Mississippi River, except for the Île d'Orléans, which was granted to Spain with the territory to the west. In 1800, Spain returned its portion of Louisiana to France under the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso, and Napoleon Bonaparte sold it to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, permanently ending French colonial efforts on the American mainland."

You may get schooled on your technique Dave but those are all top notch finds. Pepperj’s too.

Btw, that flower thing looks like some type of wheel to me. Maybe from a child buggy or something?

Thanks very much for your compliments my friend.
We all want to find a coin or two when we're detecting these old sites, I particularly love detecting sites that have been gone for 100+ years, as omost of the finds are all old.

Thanks for your theory on the 'flower wheel' but you need to hold it you see how heavy it is... very unusual.
Dave

Looks like you gents had a good time

Congrats on the nice set of finds!

Thanks Tom, I always look forward to spending time with pepperj, he's one hell of a guy!
Dave

Nice hunt for the both of you. Lots of green stuff is always easy on the eyes. Congrats!!

Thank you Patriot.
I hear you, there's nothing more satisfying then seeing green as opposed to rust colour in the plug.

Best of luck to you Sir,
Dave

 

[Joe-Dirt]

Nice job Dave, that 2 cent’r isn’t too bad. I need one of those things. Is that “little nickel” considered a “fish scale”? I found a 1890 Vicky dime so naturally I need to find silver Canadian stuff as well as all the American and Spanish.
Great job!!

 

[Gridwalker306]

Nice work Dave! Cool to find a 2 cent, and I quite like the charming little bunny button. If pepperj had a heart he'd have let you find at least one of those Vickies 🤣

 

[Digger RJ]

Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[CRUSADER]

I like your Hunts Button with the hunkered down Hare, variety I need.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Nice job Dave, that 2 cent’r isn’t too bad. I need one of those things. Is that “little nickel” considered a “fish scale”? I found a 1890 Vicky dime so naturally I need to find silver Canadian stuff as well as all the American and Spanish.
Great job!!

Hi Bob,
I've been pretty lucky this year with the condition of the coins I've found, so I was a bit disappointed when this US coin came out in rough shape.
Unfortunately, my buddies coins look to have suffered the same fate.

Yes, these 'little nickels' are affectionately referred to as 'Fish-scales or Fishies', due to the fact that they resembled the scales of the cod fish.

"The Canadian five-cent silver coin (1858 – 1920), commonly called a nickel, is a coin worth five cents or one-twentieth of a Canadian dollar. It was patterned on the corresponding coin in the neighbouring United States. This denomination was introduced in 1858 as a small, thin sterling silver coin, that was colloquially known as a "fish scale," not a nickel. The larger base metal version made of nickel, and called a "nickel," was introduced as a Canadian coin in 1922, originally as 99.9% nickel metal."

I'd love to find Spanish silver some day here in Ontario, pepperj has been lucky that way this year.

Nice work Dave! Cool to find a 2 cent, and I quite like the charming little bunny button. If pepperj had a heart he'd have let you find at least one of those Vickies 藍

Thanks for the suggestion buddy, but I just appreciate pepperj's generosity of letting me join him on his permissions.
I sure wish the 'Bunny Button' didn't have a push in the front though.
Dave

Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!

Thanks Randy.

I like your Hunts Button with the hunkered down Hare, variety I need.

Thanks for noticing this beautiful little button Cru, if you want it I'll mail it to you.
My only wish is that it didn't have the damage to the front.

Here are some better pics,
Dave

 

[xcopperstax]

Thanks for sharing the fascinating history. Congrats on the finds!

 

[CRUSADER]

Hi Bob,
I've been pretty lucky this year with the condition of the coins I've found, so I was a bit disappointed when this US coin came out in rough shape.
Unfortunately, my buddies coins look to have suffered the same fate.

Yes, these 'little nickels' are affectionately referred to as 'Fish-scales or Fishies', due to the fact that they resembled the scales of the cod fish.

"The Canadian five-cent silver coin (1858 – 1920), commonly called a nickel, is a coin worth five cents or one-twentieth of a Canadian dollar. It was patterned on the corresponding coin in the neighbouring United States. This denomination was introduced in 1858 as a small, thin sterling silver coin, that was colloquially known as a "fish scale," not a nickel. The larger base metal version made of nickel, and called a "nickel," was introduced as a Canadian coin in 1922, originally as 99.9% nickel metal."

I'd love to find Spanish silver some day here in Ontario, pepperj has been lucky that way this year.




Thanks for the suggestion buddy, but I just appreciate pepperj's generosity of letting me join him on his permissions.
I sure wish the 'Bunny Button' didn't have a push in the front though.
Dave




Thanks Randy.




Thanks for noticing this beautiful little button Cru, if you want it I'll mail it to you.
My only wish is that it didn't have the damage to the front.

Here are some better pics,
Dave

No need thanks, I only collect buttons I find - cheers

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Thanks for sharing the fascinating history. Congrats on the finds!

You're very welcome Sir.
My buddy had a great day, at least my finds were interesting.

Best of luck to you in MA,
Dave

No need thanks, I only collect buttons I find - cheers

No trouble Cru, I only display the relics I find as well.

 

[ARC]

Looks like a great day out and about on the carriage route.

Cool post / share... and well done.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Looks like a great day out and about on the carriage route.

Cool post / share... and well done.

Thanks for your post ARC.
It was a long day for sure... a 2hr drive from home to get to pepperj's house, then almost 8hrs of detecting.
I should've taken up this hobby when I was younger, because my knees were killing me for the next two days!

Dave

 

[montcalm]

Nice variety of finds Dave an nice pic.I guess we all dream about good shape for our finds. Lucky once in a while some good show up .