MrBling
Sr. Member
Hi everybody. I've been lurking for a few months and really enjoying the finds and the discussions here, so much so that I finally broke down and bought an Ace 250 a few weeks ago.
After reading the manual and thinking a bit, I realized the natural place to start would be on my parent's farm. Their house was built in 1904 and I knew from helping my dad with construction projects and gardening that the ground is filled with junk just about anywhere you happen to dig.
Below are photos of some of my more interesting finds. Of the buckles, the best is the rectangular brownish one- it is marked " silver plate" and "Giant Grip" and the patent number is even noted. I researched then patent and found it was granted in 1918 for the particular type of closure which was sold under the Giant Grip trademark. The buckle likely dates to the 1920's.
The there are the two pocketknives and the two identical locks which were not found in the same place. My favorite though is the hitching post ring which I found near the road just a few feet from the mailbox.
The pocket watch and gold plated wristwatch were surprising finds.
The button was found under the limbs of a fig tree about fifty feet from the back porch. I got a coin signal and about 4 inches down a button suddenly popped into the air. I knew it was something good right away. As you can see, it is a brass, 2 piece Scovill button. I know nothing about buttons, but my research on the web leads me to believe that it is a Marine Corps button. I found many iterations of this design stretching back to the early 1800's, but nothing that matches my button exactly. I checked local libraries but was unable to procure a button reference book. If any button experts could help me with identification and dating, I would be very appreciative.
Finally, the very nice scraper was an "incidental find" when I was digging some deep junk-about 10 inches. It is quartz, and quite skillfully designed. There is a curvature where the thumb is to be placed, and a beveled edge on which to position a curled index finger. Gouge marks are apparent on the bevel. The cutting edge is still very sharp. As there are no quartz deposits anywhere nearby, (North Florida) the material must have been traded for with people further north.
I've also found a few wheaties, but surprisingly no silver yet. My dad has in the past found a 1960 Washington quarter and a 1944 Mercury when just randomly digging in the yard, so I know it's here somewhere
After reading the manual and thinking a bit, I realized the natural place to start would be on my parent's farm. Their house was built in 1904 and I knew from helping my dad with construction projects and gardening that the ground is filled with junk just about anywhere you happen to dig.
Below are photos of some of my more interesting finds. Of the buckles, the best is the rectangular brownish one- it is marked " silver plate" and "Giant Grip" and the patent number is even noted. I researched then patent and found it was granted in 1918 for the particular type of closure which was sold under the Giant Grip trademark. The buckle likely dates to the 1920's.
The there are the two pocketknives and the two identical locks which were not found in the same place. My favorite though is the hitching post ring which I found near the road just a few feet from the mailbox.
The pocket watch and gold plated wristwatch were surprising finds.
The button was found under the limbs of a fig tree about fifty feet from the back porch. I got a coin signal and about 4 inches down a button suddenly popped into the air. I knew it was something good right away. As you can see, it is a brass, 2 piece Scovill button. I know nothing about buttons, but my research on the web leads me to believe that it is a Marine Corps button. I found many iterations of this design stretching back to the early 1800's, but nothing that matches my button exactly. I checked local libraries but was unable to procure a button reference book. If any button experts could help me with identification and dating, I would be very appreciative.
Finally, the very nice scraper was an "incidental find" when I was digging some deep junk-about 10 inches. It is quartz, and quite skillfully designed. There is a curvature where the thumb is to be placed, and a beveled edge on which to position a curled index finger. Gouge marks are apparent on the bevel. The cutting edge is still very sharp. As there are no quartz deposits anywhere nearby, (North Florida) the material must have been traded for with people further north.
I've also found a few wheaties, but surprisingly no silver yet. My dad has in the past found a 1960 Washington quarter and a 1944 Mercury when just randomly digging in the yard, so I know it's here somewhere
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