Narthoniel
Bronze Member
Hello,
As I have already written, on Friday I received permission to hunt a large field in a very historical area. History of settlement in this area goes back to before the revolution, and possibly farther. Many land grants were made in this city by the King of England in the 17th century.
On Friday I found my first musketball and Indian Head Penny, as well as a very old button. Saturday yielded 2 more Indian Heads, 3 more buttons, and some other odds and ends. Today blows both days away.
When I first asked for permission to hunt this site, the homeowner walked around a little and gave me some history of the property. He showed me where several old buildings were originally located, and suggested I hunt in that area. He also said that the property had seen at least 100 other people with metal detectors. His words exactly, no exaggeration on my part. The area he indicated was about half an acre, and he said the other 8 or 9 acres of field used to be woods 50 years ago. So he said I was unlikely to find anything at all out there. So for the most part, I stayed in the small area he indicated the last 2 days, and did fairly well I think given the circumstances.
Today I started close to the area I had worked the last 2 days. I was very discouraged, and only found one interesting item for the 2 hours I put into it. This coin, or token, or whatever it is, is very unusual. I did not chop it, it came out of the ground as you see it.
On the rim I can clearly read "COLONIE OF CAYENNE", and in the middle I can make out what appears to be a 2, with an unknown word under it. Under that appears to be a date, and all I can make out is 178?, as the last number is where the end of the cut is at. I am confused as to what this could be, but with a date like that, I am very happy with this find.
It was soon after this I realized I left my lunch at home, so I called my wife, and she agreed to bring me some chow. I stayed in that area until she arrived, and after lunch I moved out to a different area. I had detected a little out in this area on Friday, but not very thoroughly. This is an area the homeowner indicated was heavily wooded 50 years ago. As I was detecting, I noticed a buzzard picking at a critter, so I headed his way to try and get a good photo. He flew off before I could do so however, so I kept on truckin. Soon after, I came across a very odd signal. The crosshairs were jumpy, but when I pinpointed, it said it was right near the surface, so I dug it anyway. When I used my probe to pinpoint it more carefully, the signal was over a huge area. A coin usually gives a signal 3 inches in diameter with the probe, but this signal was a foot in diameter. I doubted the signal given, and dug a normal plug like it was coin sized. I regret it now, because the pinpointer did not lie, and I quickly hit metal with the shovel. A quick flip of the dirt revealed what I thought was a copper pipe of some type, which I was not happy about having to lug around for a while. So I yanked it out of the dirt, and slammed it on the ground to break off as much dirt as possible. Then I realized I had just dug a gun!! I kicked myself for hitting it and slamming it down, and stood at it stunned for a minute. The handle was missing, but I assumed it was wood and had rotted away. After I regained my composure, I kept on hunting, and 15 feet away I get another target. I pinpointed, dug a huge plug, and out pops the missing gun handle! I cannot believe the odds of walking 15 feet between 2 pieces of one object, and getting them both.
It appears this has been in the ground a very long time. The hammer was in the position you see it when I dug it, so I assume the gun is loaded. I am sure I will discover the truth once I get to restoring it. It appears the plow did a number on it, and I am impressed with how an object can be moved so far by a plow.
After some celebratory text messages to some friends, I get back to hunting. 3 feet from the gun handle I hit another target, and it reads like a penny. I have dug pennies near here, so I was not expecting much. When I dug the target, and located the object, I was not surprised to see a small dark dirty coin. I wet the coin a little with some saliva and gently removed a little dirt, and almost fell over when I read the word "DIME" on the back. Before this, my oldest dime was a merc, and to see that word was a thrill. I flipped the coin over, but the obverse was completely covered in dirt. I couldn't resist, I had to know what type it was, and when some dirt was gone, and I saw a head, a hand, and a flag, I really did do the happy dance! A little more very gentle cleaning revealed the date: 1859!! Yesterday I dug my oldest coin to date with an 1882 indian head. 24 hours later I beat that with an 1859 SEATED DIME!!!
It took even longer to get back to huntin than when I found the gun. Phone calls and text messages aplenty were sent out to celebrate. When I did get back to hunting, I randomly meandered around the field picking up odds and ends here and there. After a slow period I decided to go back where I found the gun and dime. Right by the holes I hit a sweet signal. I carefully dug a huge plug, and found a nice big disc in it. It looked copper, and I wondered, did I just find my first LC? I did the very gentle and careful wetting and patting to try and beg some detail, and after about 2 or 3 minutes, I had some. It was then I realized I had just wasted all that time on a clad quarter! Talk about anticlimactic.
I found nothing else of interest there, and meandered off again in a different direction. About 100-200 feet away, I get another signal like the clad quarter. Once again, I dig a huge plug, realize I missed, dig a bigger plug, and find another disc I cannot identify. After 5 minutes of gentle coaxing, this coin gives up no detail at all. I am a bit saddened, but think, there is a time to hunt, and a time to clean, lets get back to it. I tried more gentle cleaning once I was home, but still couldn't get any detail. My wife thought she could see the letters ONE written on it, but it was very faint. I took some photos to post here, and would you believe, looking at the picture I see more detail than in my hand? I am amazed, but I am also convinced this is a LARGE CENT!!!
I do not want to damage this coin, so I will wait to clean it any more right now. I am sure there is a good deal of detail left since there seems to be a thin layer on the coin that has chipped off in places along the rim. I cannot wait to see what my oldest coin find is now
. The 1859 seated dime held that honor for about half an hour.
I have permission to return and hunt at my leisure. I think I will be hunting here for at least a few more weeks, because there sure seems to be a lot of good old treasures laying in wait. He has also told me that he is in the process of rezoning the land so he can lease it out for a shopping center. I am very glad I spoke to him when I did. I have driven by this house for years and been in awe of it. Once I started detecting, I looked at it differently, and now I am very glad to have asked and been given the opportunity to hunt such a generous site.
I am sorry for writing so much. Thank you for reading, and happy hunting!
Anthony
As I have already written, on Friday I received permission to hunt a large field in a very historical area. History of settlement in this area goes back to before the revolution, and possibly farther. Many land grants were made in this city by the King of England in the 17th century.
On Friday I found my first musketball and Indian Head Penny, as well as a very old button. Saturday yielded 2 more Indian Heads, 3 more buttons, and some other odds and ends. Today blows both days away.
When I first asked for permission to hunt this site, the homeowner walked around a little and gave me some history of the property. He showed me where several old buildings were originally located, and suggested I hunt in that area. He also said that the property had seen at least 100 other people with metal detectors. His words exactly, no exaggeration on my part. The area he indicated was about half an acre, and he said the other 8 or 9 acres of field used to be woods 50 years ago. So he said I was unlikely to find anything at all out there. So for the most part, I stayed in the small area he indicated the last 2 days, and did fairly well I think given the circumstances.
Today I started close to the area I had worked the last 2 days. I was very discouraged, and only found one interesting item for the 2 hours I put into it. This coin, or token, or whatever it is, is very unusual. I did not chop it, it came out of the ground as you see it.
On the rim I can clearly read "COLONIE OF CAYENNE", and in the middle I can make out what appears to be a 2, with an unknown word under it. Under that appears to be a date, and all I can make out is 178?, as the last number is where the end of the cut is at. I am confused as to what this could be, but with a date like that, I am very happy with this find.
It was soon after this I realized I left my lunch at home, so I called my wife, and she agreed to bring me some chow. I stayed in that area until she arrived, and after lunch I moved out to a different area. I had detected a little out in this area on Friday, but not very thoroughly. This is an area the homeowner indicated was heavily wooded 50 years ago. As I was detecting, I noticed a buzzard picking at a critter, so I headed his way to try and get a good photo. He flew off before I could do so however, so I kept on truckin. Soon after, I came across a very odd signal. The crosshairs were jumpy, but when I pinpointed, it said it was right near the surface, so I dug it anyway. When I used my probe to pinpoint it more carefully, the signal was over a huge area. A coin usually gives a signal 3 inches in diameter with the probe, but this signal was a foot in diameter. I doubted the signal given, and dug a normal plug like it was coin sized. I regret it now, because the pinpointer did not lie, and I quickly hit metal with the shovel. A quick flip of the dirt revealed what I thought was a copper pipe of some type, which I was not happy about having to lug around for a while. So I yanked it out of the dirt, and slammed it on the ground to break off as much dirt as possible. Then I realized I had just dug a gun!! I kicked myself for hitting it and slamming it down, and stood at it stunned for a minute. The handle was missing, but I assumed it was wood and had rotted away. After I regained my composure, I kept on hunting, and 15 feet away I get another target. I pinpointed, dug a huge plug, and out pops the missing gun handle! I cannot believe the odds of walking 15 feet between 2 pieces of one object, and getting them both.
It appears this has been in the ground a very long time. The hammer was in the position you see it when I dug it, so I assume the gun is loaded. I am sure I will discover the truth once I get to restoring it. It appears the plow did a number on it, and I am impressed with how an object can be moved so far by a plow.
After some celebratory text messages to some friends, I get back to hunting. 3 feet from the gun handle I hit another target, and it reads like a penny. I have dug pennies near here, so I was not expecting much. When I dug the target, and located the object, I was not surprised to see a small dark dirty coin. I wet the coin a little with some saliva and gently removed a little dirt, and almost fell over when I read the word "DIME" on the back. Before this, my oldest dime was a merc, and to see that word was a thrill. I flipped the coin over, but the obverse was completely covered in dirt. I couldn't resist, I had to know what type it was, and when some dirt was gone, and I saw a head, a hand, and a flag, I really did do the happy dance! A little more very gentle cleaning revealed the date: 1859!! Yesterday I dug my oldest coin to date with an 1882 indian head. 24 hours later I beat that with an 1859 SEATED DIME!!!
It took even longer to get back to huntin than when I found the gun. Phone calls and text messages aplenty were sent out to celebrate. When I did get back to hunting, I randomly meandered around the field picking up odds and ends here and there. After a slow period I decided to go back where I found the gun and dime. Right by the holes I hit a sweet signal. I carefully dug a huge plug, and found a nice big disc in it. It looked copper, and I wondered, did I just find my first LC? I did the very gentle and careful wetting and patting to try and beg some detail, and after about 2 or 3 minutes, I had some. It was then I realized I had just wasted all that time on a clad quarter! Talk about anticlimactic.
I found nothing else of interest there, and meandered off again in a different direction. About 100-200 feet away, I get another signal like the clad quarter. Once again, I dig a huge plug, realize I missed, dig a bigger plug, and find another disc I cannot identify. After 5 minutes of gentle coaxing, this coin gives up no detail at all. I am a bit saddened, but think, there is a time to hunt, and a time to clean, lets get back to it. I tried more gentle cleaning once I was home, but still couldn't get any detail. My wife thought she could see the letters ONE written on it, but it was very faint. I took some photos to post here, and would you believe, looking at the picture I see more detail than in my hand? I am amazed, but I am also convinced this is a LARGE CENT!!!
I do not want to damage this coin, so I will wait to clean it any more right now. I am sure there is a good deal of detail left since there seems to be a thin layer on the coin that has chipped off in places along the rim. I cannot wait to see what my oldest coin find is now
. The 1859 seated dime held that honor for about half an hour. I have permission to return and hunt at my leisure. I think I will be hunting here for at least a few more weeks, because there sure seems to be a lot of good old treasures laying in wait. He has also told me that he is in the process of rezoning the land so he can lease it out for a shopping center. I am very glad I spoke to him when I did. I have driven by this house for years and been in awe of it. Once I started detecting, I looked at it differently, and now I am very glad to have asked and been given the opportunity to hunt such a generous site.
I am sorry for writing so much. Thank you for reading, and happy hunting!
Anthony
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