Buried Mason jars question…?

[Limitool]

I went to MI. last week and stayed at an old home in Otsego. I'd MD'd this yard some last year. At that time I dug up some coins, tokens and an old Cleveland railroad button from the 1920's & 30's. Really didn't find anything of value at all but had a lot of fun with son and grandson. Then I got a strong hit right on the back corner of the house. At the time we dug down about 8-9", hit a large rock and removed it. Just below the rock was a zinc canning jar lid. We started to dig out around it but soon discovered the jar was broken in many places. We removed the pieces, lid and all loose debris. I re-MD'd and got nothing at all. The ground there was VERY wet and soft due to a gutter dumping right on this spot. This all happened last summer. The soil around there is very sandy.

Early this week I was MDing this old yard again. And… again I was finding mostly just old junk. I did find an old aluminum "Good Luck Token" from the 20's. It had Geo. W. Heene Cleveland, OH on one side and George Dewey on the other along with an American flag in the center of the star. I also found many coins but none were really old at all. Then I got a strong hit out by the driveway. Dug down about 6-7" and hit a rock. Removed rock and found another zinc canning jar lid. Same thing again. Broken jar w/lid and then nothing. Moved to center of yard and again got strong hit. Dug down, hit a large flat rock, removed and ANOTHER zinc canning jar lid (see photo). Went and got camera this time. We dug around jar and again the jar was broke. But this time no glass except where the zinc lid screwed onto the glass jar. I re-MD'd and got nothing…AGAIN!

QUESTION: I wonder if mother nature (frost line-water) broke the jars up and if they contained coins they "sank" into the soft soil deeper than my MD could pick up….? I probably should have just dug 18"-24" down and re-MD'd then. Doesn't it seem weird finding 3 jar lids each lying flat with a rock on top of each? I should probably have my son go out and dig deeper. Any ideas?

 

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[Loco-Digger]

Sorry to say I just think these may be a coincidence. More than likely when the land was subdivided and developed, they had to grade the area. Most people burned their trash back in the day. What did not burn went in a pile. The dozer most probably deposited the lids from the trash pile over the entire area during the grading operation. JMHO

 

[fongu]

Wish you could have found a quart jar full of old coins, but that's the way it goes.

 

[Hitndahed]

I would be inclined to think these WERE caches / banks that have been long withdrawn.
Although you MAY benefit by digging deeper,,(I would) just to see if they DID break by an act of nature.
But honestly I think someone dug them and broke the jars on purpose to "say" "it's gone".

Take a very close look around the area OP,,, if there were 3 possibles there that appear gone,,, they may have forgotten / missed a couple too.

Just me,,, thinking what I would do in this situation,,, keep us posted,,, unless you find the "BIG" one. Then we would NOT expect to her back. getit?
Hit

 

[Limitool]

Sorry to say I just think these may be a coincidence. More than likely when the land was subdivided and developed, they had to grade the area. Most people burned their trash back in the day. What did not burn went in a pile. The dozer most probably deposited the lids from the trash pile over the entire area during the grading operation. JMHO

I can't argue with ya.... but it's an late 1890's to early 1900's built home on a corner lot in town. From what I could find while there it's been this way since the beginning. The only thing added later was a modern detached 2 car garage where an old wooden structure once stood. That's where I found the 2nd jar. The 3rd jar was where a garden once was I believe. I just can't imagine a bulldozer ever being on this old piece of property. All the homes in this area are OLD with no new development at all apparent. I really don't know how or why.... but all 3 were lying flat with a rock right on top of each...?

 

[Worm-Slicer]

You never know, worth a try anyway. I have this one site I detect the property owner said sisters lived there in the 1800's. Never bought anything and never married. They were both teachers and when they died no one ever found any money and they always figured it was buried somewhere nearby. I've looked and every time I find a mason jar lid I get to thinking, "What if?" It's been a while since I been up there, but last time I found one up in the field behind the old home site and beside a rock I hit the top of a mason jar lid. That got my heart to pumping but ended up being just the lid. I'll probably go up there and look some more, cause you just never know. I would love to someday dig a cache of coins in a mason jar. What a great display that would make, jar and all.

 

[stefen]

I went to MI. last week and stayed at an old home in Otsego. I'd MD'd this yard some last year. At that time I dug up some coins, tokens and an old Cleveland railroad button from the 1920's & 30's. Really didn't find anything of value at all but had a lot of fun with son and grandson. Then I got a strong hit right on the back corner of the house. At the time we dug down about 8-9", hit a large rock and removed it. Just below the rock was a zinc canning jar lid. We started to dig out around it but soon discovered the jar was broken in many places. We removed the pieces, lid and all loose debris. I re-MD'd and got nothing at all. The ground there was VERY wet and soft due to a gutter dumping right on this spot. This all happened last summer. The soil around there is very sandy.

Early this week I was MDing this old yard again. And… again I was finding mostly just old junk. I did find an old aluminum "Good Luck Token" from the 20's. It had Geo. W. Heene Cleveland, OH on one side and George Dewey on the other along with an American flag in the center of the star. I also found many coins but none were really old at all. Then I got a strong hit out by the driveway. Dug down about 6-7" and hit a rock. Removed rock and found another zinc canning jar lid. Same thing again. Broken jar w/lid and then nothing. Moved to center of yard and again got strong hit. Dug down, hit a large flat rock, removed and ANOTHER zinc canning jar lid (see photo). Went and got camera this time. We dug around jar and again the jar was broke. But this time no glass except where the zinc lid screwed onto the glass jar. I re-MD'd and got nothing…AGAIN!

QUESTION: I wonder if mother nature (frost line-water) broke the jars up and if they contained coins they "sank" into the soft soil deeper than my MD could pick up….? I probably should have just dug 18"-24" down and re-MD'd then. Doesn't it seem weird finding 3 jar lids each lying flat with a rock on top of each? I should probably have my son go out and dig deeper. Any ideas?

Yeah.

Dig all signals.

 

[Zakurie84]

I really don't think the coins would have moved that far down though. If you are curious, clear off some dirt at the same level as the base of the most promising jar and scan again. If nothing, than most likely just nothing. I had almost the exact same experience, and it was just a coincidence

 

[Limitool]

You never know, worth a try anyway. I have this one site I detect the property owner said sisters lived there in the 1800's. Never bought anything and never married. They were both teachers and when they died no one ever found any money and they always figured it was buried somewhere nearby. I've looked and every time I find a mason jar lid I get to thinking, "What if?" It's been a while since I been up there, but last time I found one up in the field behind the old home site and beside a rock I hit the top of a mason jar lid. That got my heart to pumping but ended up being just the lid. I'll probably go up there and look some more, cause you just never know. I would love to someday dig a cache of coins in a mason jar. What a great display that would make, jar and all.

Maybe I was just glad to find something besides old horseshoes for a change. And I admit finding a old ceramic canning lid is not nothing new. But to find 3 all within 60 ft. of each other, between the house and barn, lying upright with a large rock on top of each just seems to weird. No other junk/trash was found around them at all (3 roofing nails by 1st one). I guess I'm just wondering if the coins would "sink" deeper than my MD would pick up. But that idea just doesn't seem logical. I think I'll call up to MI. (I live in TN.) and have him dig by the house corner where I found the first one.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

I wonder if they weren't pet graves? mice/hamsters/rats and the rock was to keep other animals from digging up,As a kid I buried my hamsters in some aluminum salt and pepper shakers oops they were Mom's favorites.

 

[1320]

Could have been fill dirt brought/dumped in to level/improve drainage. The "gutter dumping" that you mention.....my dad chased those all the time when I was a kid, one wheel barrow full of dirt at a time.

 

[RBowtie97]

Could they have buried currency instead of coins and over the years when the jar broke, it could have bio degraded? Just a thought.

 

[sutphin]

Okay you little dogs you all better move over and let the big dog in, now that little young man gonna show you two adults how its done. HE is thinking now if he would just shuffle a lit out the way and give me the trowel I can have it out the ground in seconds, we are not preforming an autopsy fellas,neat. vanzutphen

 

[Limitool]

Could they have buried currency instead of coins and over the years when the jar broke, it could have bio degraded? Just a thought.

Damn buddy.... Never thought of that at all. Good possible scenario! Again... I just find it weird to find 3 of them all lying level w/rock on top. On all 3 of them, especially the last one the ground color was really different from the surrounding soil. It was reddish/brown in color. But, after I removed the lid and broken glass I got no "hit" what so ever. You do have a good explanation if anything of value was buried though. I was only thinking of coins all along.

 

[releventchair]

Hmm.
More time in yard will tell if there is a debris level around nine inches.
Damaged jars needed disposal. Lids turn up randomly, though always inspire searching for the jar but jars not usually randomly strewn about a yard.
Your getting broken ones might be a disposal method unless they had liquid in them, lids failed and water entered then froze or heavy vehicles ran them over.
One place I dig has a debris layer about ten inches down from former town fires and the rubble being relocated. Over the years the top of the rubble has caught the deepest coins but my reach barely hits them in places so no idea what is below that rubble layer.
As you know between trains causing fires and the fires following logging lots of towns were burned and rebuilt.
A rock/brick would defend a jar from a shovel though...or be a "safer" method of disposal.
Maybe the stashes/caches were cleaned out. Leaving jars that were intact would allow reuse of cache sites. The broke is odd though. Maybe there's more to figure on site...
Bummer you couldn't even scrounge up a dang horseshoe.....

 

[Msbeepbeep]

All good guesses. Cache that was found/retrieved, paper currency that rotted, scattered jars from a trash pit, buried pet.

My guess: maybe hidden white light'n, so the little woman wouldn't find it, time capsule, stolen preserves, the little women's less that stellar preserves, My all time fav- gold coins that have sunk down out of detector range....hey I can dream! Possible markers, or critter repellant if filled with mint leaves.

Get them to check it out further, dig down a little deeper.

Nice finds by the way!

The Limitool mysteries! I like it!

 

[pepperj]

Bury something in a sealer with the lid up water will penetrate, freeze then it'll break. The gold fish expired long ago, or the pet.

 

[basque-man]

Bummer!!!! Someone already got to them, took the loot and put the jars back...........

 

[bentdiggin]

If! If it were a quart mason jar buried lid up. The bottom would be 6-8 inches deeper than lid. Unless you have a super deep detector it would not pick up what was in the jar. Everyone asses the jar would be full. Usually there not. Digging deeper is what I do when I find a mason jar lid. I then use pin pointer. And I have found two caches doing this. Both were nails though. But I keep hoping one day they will be something. Dig- dig and dig.

 

[Limitool]

Hmm.
More time in yard will tell if there is a debris level around nine inches.
Damaged jars needed disposal. Lids turn up randomly, though always inspire searching for the jar but jars not usually randomly strewn about a yard.
Your getting broken ones might be a disposal method unless they had liquid in them, lids failed and water entered then froze or heavy vehicles ran them over.
One place I dig has a debris layer about ten inches down from former town fires and the rubble being relocated. Over the years the top of the rubble has caught the deepest coins but my reach barely hits them in places so no idea what is below that rubble layer.
As you know between trains causing fires and the fires following logging lots of towns were burned and rebuilt.
A rock/brick would defend a jar from a shovel though...or be a "safer" method of disposal.
Maybe the stashes/caches were cleaned out. Leaving jars that were intact would allow reuse of cache sites. The broke is odd though. Maybe there's more to figure on site...
Bummer you couldn't even scrounge up a dang horseshoe.....

BELIEVE ME buddy.... If I'd have dug ONE horseshoe I would have quit on the spot. I thought the rocks were put there on purpose so it would be a warning that the dig was correct and to protect the jar. I didn't hit one other rock in all the holes I dug in two days. I probably covered 90-95% of the yard. 1st. jar was found right on back corner of house foundation. 2nd. by corner foundation of garage. 3rd. was where a large bush was removed last summer in middle of yard. Just can't figure out the broken jar thing either....? It sure was fun though finding them. Gets your mind reeling.... but what a tease finding 3 of them in one yard that way.