Bill D. (VA)
Silver Member
My good pal George (the ever-popular Vino) has been trying to get me to make the trek up to his neck of the woods for a bit of ānorthernā hunting and hopefully some pit digging, and I couldnāt resist any longer. But first let me say that I was extended the absolute ultimate in hospitality and generosity by George during the entire trip. They just donāt come any better than him, and it was great to finally be able to meet the face behind all those āVinoā posts, and actually hunt with him. I tell ya, for someone thatās only been in this hobby for a couple of years heās already mastered his machine as well as the art of getting permission. After talking with George for 2 minutes the owners are begging him to hunt their property ā¦ lol ā¦ but itās true.
Hunting in his area was a whole new experience for me to say the least. To find a site down my way I have to do considerable research and then roam around huge fields in search of a tiny fragment of brick, pottery or iron, hoping it might lead to an early house site. But up his way research is not part of the vocabulary as all the colonial homes were constructed of stone, and just about every one still exists. And since George knows how to recognize the oldies, he just knocks and then proceeds to pound the surrounding lawns that are frequently loaded with relics and coins. Thatās a pretty good system if you ask me. Anyway, I had a wonderful time hanging with George and I really appreciated him taking me to many of the sites where heās experienced loads of success.
Although the overall quantity of keepers was not as great as we expected, some nice individual finds were made by both of us. My 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] favorite find of the trip was made on the first day at a very historic site that served as a hospital for Washingtonās army during the Rev War, and it was a gun flint complete with the lead wrapping. Very cool indeed, and a first for me. Trips to other sites produced a few buttons, a KG2, an 1835 LC, and a few other misc relics. Late on Day 2 we visited a site that was the home of Robert Morris who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. George and some of his other buddies had done well there in previous hunts, and with heavy iron in spots it looked promising for something nice to possibly pop out. But nothing of significance was recovered that day.
On Day 3 we were joined by Brad (aka Outdoor Adv) and we went back to the Morris site. Just like George, Bradās a super guy who Iāve already established a great on- and off-line relationship with, and who obviously has the same passion for recovering history as George and I. It was certainly a pleasure to finally meet and hunt with him. The 3 of us eventually ended up in a small garden plot that had just recently been plowed under, and thought some good targets might show up. Plus we wanted to help the elderly lady owner find a long lost ring she believed was lost in that area. But there were very few targets in the garden, and other than a couple small buttons and aluminum can shards it was pretty clean. But then out of the blue I suddenly got a big blast through my headphones and was sure it was a soda can or huge piece of junk. I stuck my shovel in and flipped a pile of dirt out, and it magically revealed the edge of a large silver disk. I didnāt have my glasses on but thought I saw a reeded edge, and figured it was probably a walker or barber half. I quickly summoned my 2 buddies to come over and witness the revealing of the mystery coin, but not before everyone took several in-situ pics. Brad immediately observed that the edge design was exactly like that of a Spanish 8 reale which really got the excitement going. And when I finally got the courage to lift it from the moist soil I was not disappointed ā it was finally that long-sought big silver that has been eluding me for the past 20 years. George accused me of my hand shaking while I was holding it for pics, and I have to admit he was right. I wasnāt this excited when I dug the Lord Baltimore sixpence a year ago. And I couldn't believe it had been found in a garden that had been plowed for 50+ years and didn't have a scratch on it.
We left a short time later and made a quick stop at one last site before calling it a day, and this was the end of my trip. This whole adventure was a wonderful and exciting experience for me, and I feel that Iāve solidified my friendship with 2 of the best guys Iāve ever hunted with. So thanks again George for putting me onto that awesome coin and for everything else you did to make my visit so enjoyable. I hope I can return the favor to you one day. Now back to toiling away in the fields of southeast Virginia ā¦..
Hunting in his area was a whole new experience for me to say the least. To find a site down my way I have to do considerable research and then roam around huge fields in search of a tiny fragment of brick, pottery or iron, hoping it might lead to an early house site. But up his way research is not part of the vocabulary as all the colonial homes were constructed of stone, and just about every one still exists. And since George knows how to recognize the oldies, he just knocks and then proceeds to pound the surrounding lawns that are frequently loaded with relics and coins. Thatās a pretty good system if you ask me. Anyway, I had a wonderful time hanging with George and I really appreciated him taking me to many of the sites where heās experienced loads of success.
Although the overall quantity of keepers was not as great as we expected, some nice individual finds were made by both of us. My 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] favorite find of the trip was made on the first day at a very historic site that served as a hospital for Washingtonās army during the Rev War, and it was a gun flint complete with the lead wrapping. Very cool indeed, and a first for me. Trips to other sites produced a few buttons, a KG2, an 1835 LC, and a few other misc relics. Late on Day 2 we visited a site that was the home of Robert Morris who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. George and some of his other buddies had done well there in previous hunts, and with heavy iron in spots it looked promising for something nice to possibly pop out. But nothing of significance was recovered that day.
On Day 3 we were joined by Brad (aka Outdoor Adv) and we went back to the Morris site. Just like George, Bradās a super guy who Iāve already established a great on- and off-line relationship with, and who obviously has the same passion for recovering history as George and I. It was certainly a pleasure to finally meet and hunt with him. The 3 of us eventually ended up in a small garden plot that had just recently been plowed under, and thought some good targets might show up. Plus we wanted to help the elderly lady owner find a long lost ring she believed was lost in that area. But there were very few targets in the garden, and other than a couple small buttons and aluminum can shards it was pretty clean. But then out of the blue I suddenly got a big blast through my headphones and was sure it was a soda can or huge piece of junk. I stuck my shovel in and flipped a pile of dirt out, and it magically revealed the edge of a large silver disk. I didnāt have my glasses on but thought I saw a reeded edge, and figured it was probably a walker or barber half. I quickly summoned my 2 buddies to come over and witness the revealing of the mystery coin, but not before everyone took several in-situ pics. Brad immediately observed that the edge design was exactly like that of a Spanish 8 reale which really got the excitement going. And when I finally got the courage to lift it from the moist soil I was not disappointed ā it was finally that long-sought big silver that has been eluding me for the past 20 years. George accused me of my hand shaking while I was holding it for pics, and I have to admit he was right. I wasnāt this excited when I dug the Lord Baltimore sixpence a year ago. And I couldn't believe it had been found in a garden that had been plowed for 50+ years and didn't have a scratch on it.
We left a short time later and made a quick stop at one last site before calling it a day, and this was the end of my trip. This whole adventure was a wonderful and exciting experience for me, and I feel that Iāve solidified my friendship with 2 of the best guys Iāve ever hunted with. So thanks again George for putting me onto that awesome coin and for everything else you did to make my visit so enjoyable. I hope I can return the favor to you one day. Now back to toiling away in the fields of southeast Virginia ā¦..
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Glad I was able to post in time to help push your monster 8-Reale to a well-deserved banner finish. I've never come close to digging such a big piece of early silver. I've only managed a single 2R in all my years of detecting. I remember the hefty weight of the 2R when first recovered, so I can hardly imagine the thrill of pulling up a huge, heavy 8R. 
What a big, beautiful coin! To recover such a big coin without any scratches or gouges is all the more reason to enjoy such a great recovery. For now, I think you've run out of superlatives - oldest, biggest, rarest, etc. Perhaps some of these current coin recoveries will in the course of time become you're 2nd most rare, oldest, etc. Time will tell. Banner vote is in for your latest big find (literally and figuratively).
