Labor Day weekend hunts yield Musketballs, Coppers, Silver and more!

[Steve in PA]

I got out to three different places over the Labor Day weekend. First spot was my most productive Colonial/Federal era coin site. I hunted the place hard 20 years ago and hadn't been back since 2010. To give you an idea just how sweet this place was, here are all the coins I dug there. A total of 91 in all including the one I found Friday. Dated coins ranged from 1718 to 1826.

The vegetation was just ridiculous, making the most productive areas impassible. The greenbriers and thorn bushes have really covered the place compared to 20 years ago. Nevertheless, I was able to pull a few French & Indian War musketballs, a Tombac button, and a toasted copper

Saturday I had a short hunt at the site of a mid 19th century inn. The area also saw some activity in the 1920s based on the 1917 Standing Liberty Quarter, and Lincoln pennies dated 1910, 1917, and 1918. The older coins were an 1827 LC, and 1860 and 63 IHPs.


Finally, yesterday I did a little yard hunting in the neighborhood. My neighbor is selling the family home which at one time was a schoolhouse. I went over most of the backyard yesterday and found a couple pieces of silver and a few wheat ear pennies. I also found three lead toy soldiers which I gave to the owner who is a Vietnam Veteran.

 

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[sutphin]

MAN WHAT FINDS..

 

[trapperart]

Very nice congrats

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

Wow that place is a once in a lifetime site in PA. We need to find another one in Allegheny County... working on it... Congratulations on your finds, it is definitely tough going with the briars and rain we had over the weekend.

 

[Steve in PA]

Wow that place is a once in a lifetime site in PA. We need to find another one in Allegheny County... working on it... Congratulations on your finds, it is definitely tough going with the briars and rain we had over the weekend.

Thanks Thad. And not to mention 100 spider webs in the face and hair.

 

[Steve in PA]

MAN WHAT FINDS..

Thanks Supthin!

 

[Steve in PA]

Very nice congrats

Thank you Art!

 

[dirtlooter]

wow, you have some very awesome finds, okay a lot of them. very sweet places to hunt, places that a lot of us dream about. you have dug a lot of history in many forms. congrats

 

[joeyfresh]

Man Steve, that place has been real good to you over the years. Hard to find places like that anymore.....but they're out there!
Nice recent hunts and hopefully you'll be able to get into those overgrown spots when it dies back

 

[scruggs]

Now that's a hunt! Way to go!

 

[RVRoamer73]

Some mighty fine detecting!! Congrats on all your hard earned success.

 

[Diggin Dude]

Sweet finds!!! Love the display !!

Congrats and HH

 

[Centsless Detecting]

That is a Labor Day to remember!

Congratulations!

 

[Gridwalker306]

Man that first picture makes me dizzy! I can see why you wanted to go back. Your latest digs are fantastic, I love that SLQ

 

[Steve in PA]

Thank you Art!

wow, you have some very awesome finds, okay a lot of them. very sweet places to hunt, places that a lot of us dream about. you have dug a lot of history in many forms. congrats

Thanks DL, they are getting harder and harder to find!

Man Steve, that place has been real good to you over the years. Hard to find places like that anymore.....but they're out there!
Nice recent hunts and hopefully you'll be able to get into those overgrown spots when it dies back

I have many fond memories of that place Joey, and I have a dossier if you will of historical events there. It was nice to walk that ground again after so many years.

Now that's a hunt! Way to go!

Thanks Scruggs

Some mighty fine detecting!! Congrats on all your hard earned success.

Thanks. It was hard earned if you knew how much perseverance it took to get on there in the first place.

Sweet finds!!! Love the display !!
Thanks

Congrats and HH

Thanks

That is a Labor Day to remember!
Yes it was!

Congratulations!

Thanks!

Man that first picture makes me dizzy! I can see why you wanted to go back. Your latest digs are fantastic, I love that SLQ

I was happy to see the SLQ. I don't run into many of those, especially with a legible date.

 

[Wampum]

Great finds! When you think about it musketballs are just a round lump of lead but they are so satisfying to find.

 

[GB1]

sweet finds keep digging

 

[Steve in PA]

Great finds! When you think about it musketballs are just a round lump of lead but they are so satisfying to find.

Thanks, I love finding dropped .69 Caliber balls from the French & Indian War.

sweet finds keep digging

Thanks GB!

 

[johnnyblaze]

20 years ago eh Steverino!Not your first cookout ...
Nice digs i just watched the documentary on The French and Indian War and was wondering if any battle sites were detected..

~Blaze~

 

[Steve in PA]

20 years ago eh Steverino!Not your first cookout ...
Nice digs i just watched the documentary on The French and Indian War and was wondering if any battle sites were detected..

~Blaze~

Hi Blaze, there are six major French & Indian War battle sites within 50 miles of my hometown.
Fort Necessity - National Park
Braddock's Defeat - under a steel mill
Grant's Defeat - under the city of Pittsburgh
Battle of the Loyalhanna at Fort Ligonier (my hometown) - partially under the town of Ligonier
Battle of Bushy Run - Pennsylvania State Park

There were also two significant skirmishes near my hometown, one in which George Washington was almost killed by friendly fire.
George Washington | Fort Ligonier

So my F & I War relics have come from encampments and fortifications along the military roads used during the conflict.

Here is an amazing piece of history. The certificate I received from the lead archaeologist after the 1964 excavations (part of the fort was where our house stood). I was 6 going on 7 at the time, but was busy plucking musketballs, pipe stems, buttons, etc. from the sifting screens that summer.