Stunning Gold Gilted Wax Seal!!!

paleomaxx

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Aug 14, 2016
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Completed unexpected, actually the entire site was unexpected! I started looking through a new section of woods that I suspect could have early 1700's settlements. The rock walls certainly seem older than the 1800's and there are patches of fruit trees around the woods. Unfortunately I wasn't having much luck locating older sites, but there's an obvious set of two foundations next to the walking trail. I figured they'd been pounded since they're literally right there. The first is a large and shallow square and then the other is sturdier and built into the hill, but smaller in size. Figuring the smaller one was the house I did a few circles just for fun and as expected there wasn't a single target in the ground. Annoyed I walked back to what I thought was the barn and decided to do a loop since the detector was on anyways. Seems I was wrong on several counts!

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There were relics everywhere and most were obvious signals right near the surface. This definitely wasn't the barn and maybe neither site had been detected or maybe everyone else figured exactly like I did that the barn wasn't worth the time. Whatever the reason I'm glad I gave it a chance! Not a super old site, but a great variety of 1860's-1880's relics.

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Above is a Victorian picture border and it's quite ornate with flowers and columns stamped into the brass. I also found something that answered a long-standing series of mystery relics. Maybe everyone else already knows what they are, but I find these little brass rings all over the place. Too plain for jewelry and too thin for horse tack and I'd been told they were gaskets, but I still wasn't sure that was it. I finally found one in context!

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Suspenders buckle ring; in retrospect it's obvious, but I'm glad I have one that I can point to and say for sure that's what they are. :laughing7:

One coin, a nice 1864 IHP:

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But now for the best finds of the day! This next one has been on my bucket list for some time:

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A wax seal! Out of the ground it was completely encased in hard clay, but I saw the purple stone and knew it was special.

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No engraving on the stone (which is probably glass since amethyst wouldn't scratch as easily), but it cleaned up very well and a little lemon juice revealed much of the gold gilt had survived.

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It has a very nice flower motif all round and the only issue is that one of the legs is bent up. Looks like contemporary damage and maybe that's why it was lost or discarded. The royal purple and gold are beautiful together and it must have been something when it was new.

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The weeds were pretty high and its hard to top something like that so I was hiking back through the woods and swinging the detector blindly. Literally, I didn't even have the remote mounted to the Deus, I was just listening for iron grunts in case I randomly walked over a homesite. In the middle of nowhere I got a high tone, but no clue as to the VDI I flipped over the dirt anyways and to my shock there was a large silver disc:

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Talk about random chance 1908-D half dollar; this is only my fourth barber half ever! Must have been a hunter drop since there was absolutely nothing else around. That's about all the luck you can reasonably expect for one day so I headed home happy! :laughing7:
 

Upvote 40

Steve in PA

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Nice hunt even though it's about 80 years later than your usual sites. I had found a number of those annoying rings before I finally found a suspender clip with one and realized what they were.
 

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paleomaxx

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Nice hunt even though it's about 80 years later than your usual sites. I had found a number of those annoying rings before I finally found a suspender clip with one and realized what they were.

:laughing7: Yeah, I've been pretty spoiled lately. But cool stuff turns up at 19th century sites too so it's always worth a shot. This time it definitely payed off!
 

cudamark

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I suspect it's more likely the end off a watch chain or similar, rather than a seal matrix. I would think it wouldn't have a stone in the end, but, instead would have a monogram, logo, or family crest if it was for sealing wax. Cool find though!:icon_thumleft:
 

xcopperstax

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Wow that seal is amazing! I feel like there's been a few seals on here with blank stamps. I wonder why there was not some kind of image. Serious Month maker right there! The barber half!? It doesn't get any better than that! Thanks for sharing!
 

A2coins

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Thats has to be the coolest one I've seen nice job
 

Oct 5, 2014
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Great hunt, congrats on the nice seal! :occasion14:
 

Silver Tree Chaser

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Good Finds. Good write-up. Always a surprise to pull a silver half dollar from the ground. :icon_thumright:
 

dirtdigginfool

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Mar 8, 2014
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Just your FOURTH Barber half...!? Heck, I've found that just this week! Lol, kidding of course...I have, let's see now...uhhh carry the two, divide by 3.14, which brings my grand total to...NONE. Kidding aside, those are some awesome saves! Congrats, Ddf.
 

grasshopper

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Awesome hunt. Wax seal is crazy cool. Can never go wrong with a barber half either. Congrats!!
 

Valley Ranger

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Mar 24, 2011
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Great finds, love the wax seal!
 

Inspector

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Awesome hunt, that's a fantastic seal, really nice silver & IHP, Great suspender clip, congrats on all & HH
 

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