Its getting real (or is that REALE?)

[DownNDirty]

It's getting real (or is that REALE?)

I have been researching a small colonial town that existed from circa 1750-1820 or 1830 in my part of South Carolina (the Midlands); there is a housing development that was built on the site in the latter half of the 20th century. I secured permission from a couple of homeowners there & last Saturday I located a small home site from the old town. I detected it with a good friend and we found quite a few period relics-flat buttons, shoe buckles, three pieces of a keg tap, black glass fragments, pistol balls and buck shot, pipe stems , etc.

I hit the spot Monday evening for a couple of hours & found a button and a pipe stem. There is a lot of iron on the site so I knew there had to be more there. Itching to get back I left work early yesterday and made a beeline for the site, which is in the homeowner's back yard. First I found a button, then a pipe stem. Then a couple of fired buck shot.

Then...I hit a nice 70's signal on the AT Pro and dug the hole. After some searching I pulled out a cut piece of an 8 real-my first!!

As luck would have it I found the piece that had the latter half of the date-"72"-so I knew it was minted in 1772. Four years before the Declaration of Independence was signed. I am pretty stoked about this; I'm leaving work early again today-and guess where I'm heading to?

 

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[FreeBirdTim]

You are so lucky to get the date! That's a 1 in 8 chance! Great find!

 

[Isaac]

Nice little sliver of Spanish silver. Research paid off for sure! GL at your next stop there!

 

[The Rebel]

Awesome! Love that cut Reale!

 

[Mackaydon]

0.90 silver is good in every denomination;great save!
Don....

 

[Steve in PA]

Nice relics and sweet piece of Spanish nectar! That's my kinda digging there!

 

[testing123]

nice cut piece! pretty sure it's "real"

 

[CTwoods]

I detected it with a good friend and we found , three pieces of a keg tap,

I'm working a very old site here, and found the same brass elbow. How did you ID it, and is there a way to approximate the age ? (My site gave a 1726 One Reale, and buttons and buckles like your site.)Thanks

 

[port ewen ace]

SSSWWWEEEEEETTT

 

[digging440yrs]

Awesome save !

 

[celtic fox]

well done cracking little find

 

[gwdigger]

Excellent hunt. Great cut Spanish!

 

[kingskid1611]

Wow, that is a beauty! Congrats and hope you can find the rest.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Very nice "slice" of silver with date...awesome!

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Great hunt and great job with the research. That's a good looking piece of cut silver and awesome mix of relics. Haven't found a cut piece yet. We get housing developments built on old Colonial house sites all the time around me. Really stinks, but you killed it finding the old site in the backyard.

 

[DownNDirty]

I'm working a very old site here, and found the same brass elbow. How did you ID it, and is there a way to approximate the age ? (My site gave a 1726 One Reale, and buttons and buckles like your site.)Thanks

I found an almost complete one recently at another site that dates from the mid-18th through the early 19th century & id'd it through posts on Tnet. The pieces of the one I just found were identical.

 

[DownNDirty]

Great hunt and great job with the research. That's a good looking piece of cut silver and awesome mix of relics. Haven't found a cut piece yet. We get housing developments built on old Colonial house sites all the time around me. Really stinks, but you killed it finding the old site in the backyard.

Thanks OA. We are thinking about sifting the site-I think it will turn up some interesting relics.

 

[Patriot Relics]

Congrats on the cut silver and dandy button. Outstanding digs