Tombac Baby Spoon, Brass Jaw Harp, 3 more cufflinks and much more...

[OutdoorAdv]

I had quite the weekend sifting... but that wasnt the original plan I hadnt been detecting in over two weeks since I was up in Maine on my trip with Ahab8 and Scrappy. Because of family obligations and work obligations, it would be at least another two more weeks before I could get out... unless I could find time last weekend.

So I planned on going out on Saturday. The day started really slow with a 1871 IHP (semi key date) and a few buttons, and what looks like another slice of a KG Copper (second one from this site). Not much was turning up, so with only a couple hours left I went to dig nails in the area I've been sifting for the last year in hopes that I find a plug to mark and sift later. Many plugs later, I open one that has thick black dirt, ash and lots of iron. The signal I was after was a large needle with a tapered point. The plug looked very promising and since I only had 30 min or so left, I decided to open the plug a little bigger and look around. I didn't have my magnet and there was so much iron I couldn't possibly chase it all with my pin pointer, so I just moved dirt around. I got a button and a tack head and was thinking this is a spot I am definitely going to sift in the future. I decided to hack away at the side wall just a bit more before filling it in and a couple shovels later, a flippin brass Jaw Harp fell right into the bottom of the hole. A brass Jaw Harp is something I have wanted for so long, so it was a big deal for me. It was so masked with iron I never heard a peep on the Deus. So, rather than sift this section in the "future" I was so excited I wanted to sift it now... problem was, I was supposed to be putting in a new kitchen sink on Sunday.

So I figured I'd still have enough time for the house project if I went sifting from sunrise on Sunday and just did one section. Well... I started finding stuff in the first section and it was so much fun I kinda opened another section... so two sifting sections later it was now about 3pm and I had to get back to reality.

Here is a group shot of the non-ferrous from Sat and Sun! About 95% of this came from the pit on Sunday. If it wasnt for the needle, leading me to the Jaw Harp, leading me to this sifting section, this would not be a hunt I would have shared on here.



The brass Jaw Harp... I have about 5 iron ones from this site, but this is my first brass one. Personal items, such as these musical instruments are some of my favorite types of relics.



Now for my favorite find of the bunch. I take a lot of dirty pictures, but don't typically share them just because my posts already have way too many pictures... but in this case, it was such a special find I want you guys to enjoy what I saw.

In the first section on Sunday, I pulled this small Tombac handle from the side corner... the pit was probably about 14 inches deep when it came out.



I IMMEDIATELY thought of a tombac spoon bowl that I dug last year with my T2 about 40 yards away from this handle. You can see the bowl in this post from last year. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/480881-colonial-civil-war-buckles-buttons-more.html I remember digging the bowl like it was yesterday! I never really mentioned it in that post because I wasnt certain it was a spoon bowl until sometime later.

I was thinking it was a long shot that they went together... well it wasnt until late Sunday, after I finished with the sink, that I could actually get into my relic containers. I pulled the bowl from the display... then I smiled like an idiot for a solid 10 minutes. A perfect match... a complete Tombac Baby Spoon After I took the photos for this post, I glued them back together for a nice front and back photo.



Three more cufflinks turned up in this section, although all are very broken.



The link that's broken is another Spanish facsimile cufflink. Here it is between the other two of the same type that I dug there this spring. I thought it was a broken flat button before I put some Aluminum Jelly on it and saw some letters. It looked hideous, so I hit it with boiling HP, more jelly and finally electrolysis... thats as good as its getting. Not pretty, but at least IDable.



A nice designed pewter turned up in the first section too.








Any ideas what these are? They match, but ones missing the clip pieces.



This is part to a later style pipe bowl. It is clay that is glazed and this part would actually hold a reed as the stem. So it had removable stems from the bowl.



I didn't realize this was a good date and I lucked out with the condition on it.



CW era GS coat button with a Waterbury Scovill backmark



And the cut copper. I can see part of a bust on it... or at least something



Now the ferrous! BTW, this is only about 1/4 of the iron I dug up. Some is still processing and some just got tossed into buckets. Some interesting smaller pieces turned up... most of which I have no clue what they are. But more variety stuck to my magnet than normal... including 3 iron buttons. One has a flower on it, one I broke and threw out trying to do electrolysis on it and the other is crusty. But the flower one has its shank still and I actually had to sand the rust off the front because it was so fragile.



This 2" long pocket knife blade came out of the tank this afternoon. I couldnt believe it, but both sides of the blade are clearly marked and the font is TINY. Click a few times and zoom in on this one.



I still cant read it all.. but its "Rodgers Millers... " something... maybe.



Some flower designed thumb screw cleaned up nice in the tumbler. No clue what it goes to, but probably a set screw for something fancy. Now the piece below the knife blade and to the right of the button, I believe is a pistol trigger, with about 3/4 of the hook on the trigger broken off. Its more intricate than most old triggers, but has the proper shape to function as such.



The iron star button was a nice surprise.



A few button shanks stuck to the magnet.



Here are some of the smaller tacks and some of the rose head nails.



The large needle that lead me into the great pit section. Its thick with a odd taper and bend to it... perhaps used for leather?



Here is the cut copper from this weekend, next to the cut copper from earlier in the year. Its like 1/8th of a 1/2 penny, or 1/16th of a penny. The one in the case from earlier in the year is a KG2 with a clear 1740's date on it. These things have to practically be on my coil to find them.



Since I added 3 more cufflinks to my collection from this site, it was time to pull them all out for a group picture! All but two of these links from this site were found this year and all were in the bottoms of the pit sections, too deep and masked by iron. I was on a link roll this spring and then it stopped, so it was nice to see a few more turn up.



Thanks for reading everyone... it was a long one for sure, but a fun sifting trip like this deserves a good post to tell the story.

Happy Hunting all.

 

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[Stef45]

Great finds and great post as usual. i found a silver spoon very similar to the spoon you found...same basic design.

 

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[Diggin Dude]

Nicely done! What a great variety of awesome finds! Congrats and HH

 

[OutdoorAdv]

1 st , No relic cleaning in the new Sink , It's a Nice one.

I also admire your "Quickness" at Cleaning & taking photos so quickly esp , the Iron Stuff.

I wish my few IH's a year were pre-1880 .

Also a Great post that was fun to read.
Thanks
Davers

Thanks Davers! She doesn't know it yet, but now that I'm evicted from the new kitchen sink, I've migrated down to the basement bathroom sink. I did some horrible things down there Sunday evening involving dirt, buttons and aluminum jelly. After a driveway hose off of the iron, the nails and small stuff to right into my tumbler... A day later they go into wax. I have another batch from Sun tumbling now. My electrolysis tank zaps that small stuff in a few hours... I process way more iron than I should considering I've run out of room and toss it into boxes when it's preserved... I'm just addicted. Ha

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Dude, you're on fuego! That Jews harp is a super find, and I've never seen a pewter baby spoon posted. Great buttons and link too. Dang I'm jealous of those facsimile pewters

Thanks a ton man! It had been a while since I got into a section like that. Lately my sections had been like the one in Maine, where lots of iron and a few buttons turn up... Enough to make it fun, but nothing off the hook. It was tons of fun to find a section like last weekend where each unmasked tone made me smile. That tombac baby spoon is one of my all time favorite finds and I'm thrilled I found both pieces. I think those facsimile links are some sort of low grade brass or tombac alloy.... That sure don't hold up well, but come in a bit higher than pewter.

 

[btjbtj]

hahaha Thanks Lisa! If I remember correctly you guys were moving dirt at your property to get to more stuff. That's essentially what I do, but by hand and in areas that saw very high traffic in the past so I maximize the return. Its astounding whats under our feet that current technology cant access and never will unless some entirely new technology replaces VLF for detecting. But what works is the old fashion way of just moving tons of dirt, getting the iron out, and finding those little targets.

Thanks again Lisa!

Great method, and something John should definitely do when he has time. It's a large space, 4 acres, so it is a daunting but enjoyable task. We just know that there is stuff down deep that we simply can't detect, especially given the property's past as a stagecoach tavern, school, and farm. That earth was tilled, tread on, and ridden on by countless wagons over the centuries! Some day...we've got to dig, detect, dig some more, repeat! Thanks, -Lisa

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Wow... stellar hunt.

You have a little bit of everything cool. heh

Well done and then some.

Thanks a ton man! Sifting trips like this one are an insane amount of fun. I will be back out there in a couple weeks.

Ok bud on a serious note I am loving that tombac baby spoon and don't believe I've seen one before. The links youve pulled from this site is pretty amazing. I love the deep green on some of them! You have proven that a site with a good long history is filled with staggering amounts of keepers that are hidden and masked and take dedication and hard work to get out. You have done an outstanding job getting the tough ones out of the dirt. You have all of my respect.

Thanks buddy! I didn't even know a "tombac baby spoon" was a thing... but apparently it is! ha I was pretty sure the bowl was to a spoon, but finding the handle answered all questions. That Dankowski masking experiment is what really opened my eyes to what could be down there and I'm constantly surprised. As you know from moving dirt yourself, there is a blanket of iron hiding some of the best stuff yet if we're willing to do the work. I really appreciate it man.

Very impressive bunch of finds congrats on them and a great post. Nice job on the sink

Thanks Art! I really appreciate it.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Well you knocked another one out of the park, buddy! Finding the handle to go with the pewter spoon bowl 40 yards away and matching them is pretty incredible.

Also you have again proven how productive removing all of the iron can be-I'm still working on that one. It takes a ton of discipline to see that through and you definitely have it.

Congrats!

Thanks a ton man! My new 400lb magnet arrives today. I'll let you know if its a noticeable difference between the 250lb magnet. I'm a little scared of the 400lb one and even more so of getting the two magnets close together... I doubt I will be able to get them apart. As you know my process has evolved over the last year, mostly to improve efficiency. I have no doubt that I left a lot of good stuff behind in those first sections I sifted because I didn't remove all the iron. As always, I'm really looking forward to your next trip out to do some excavation.

I speechless!

Thank you Professor!

Nice haul Brad, I'm sure completing that tombac spoon was a thrill. Never ceases to amaze me just how many targets are masked by iron... despite even the best of equipment and skill. Love the jaw harp, dug 2 very similar copper examples earlier this year...sink isn't to shabby as well

Thanks Jon! That spoon really was a thrill... It seems like when things broke they would throw half of it as far in one direction as they could, then turn around and throw the other half in the opposite direction. I'm still amazed at whats masked by the iron in heavy use areas... and you're right, none of the existing equipment or skill can find it. It just takes moving lots of dirt... a strong magnet helps to speed up the process too. ha

Great finds and great post as usual. i found a silver spoon very similar to the spoon you found...same basic design.

Thanks a ton Nick... your spoon was awesome. If I remember correctly, it has a similar connection where the bowl meets the stem. That was mid to late 18th C. right?

Nicely done! What a great variety of awesome finds! Congrats and HH

Thanks Diggin Dude!

 

[Stef45]

Yeah no earlier than 1810...so mid to late 1700's to 1810. I believe

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Another boatload of relics from that incredible and never-ending honey hole site of yours. I hope some new display cabinets are in the works . And awesome find with that complete tombac spoon. I've found a number of bowls to those spoons over the years, but never a complete example. Very cool stuff man!

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Another boatload of relics from that incredible and never-ending honey hole site of yours. I hope some new display cabinets are in the works . And awesome find with that complete tombac spoon. I've found a number of bowls to those spoons over the years, but never a complete example. Very cool stuff man!

Thanks a ton Bill! I keep thinking I've exhausted the productive sifting areas here, but stumbling into this one has made me think again... I still have much more to sift.

Funny you mentioned the display because I was just thinking of how I need to make more room in this sites display. This is the top shelf, but the other 3 shelves are equally as cluttered. It's going to be a huge pain, but this winter I will take everything out and rearrange it... To save space, I think I am going to put the buttons in piles in the bowls I've reconstructed and move some of the less appealing relics into storage boxes. Guess that's a good problem to have.



That single site display is one of two large displays I have in my office and the other one is just as packed.... So I think I might also move some furniture and make a 3rd display for some other sites relics I just have in piles right now.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Yeah no earlier than 1810...so mid to late 1700's to 1810. I believe

Cool... thanks man. That fits into the heaviest use time period of this place. It's too bad my spoon doesn't have a makers mark on it or something.

 

[Stef45]

Cool... thanks man. That fits into the heaviest use time period of this place. It's too bad my spoon doesn't have a makers mark on it or something.

Yeah...did they put makers marks on pewter or tombac spoons? I wonder. I'm still trying to figure out who made my spoon and why he doubled his makers mark.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Yeah...did they put makers marks on pewter or tombac spoons? I wonder. I'm still trying to figure out who made my spoon and why he doubled his makers mark.

I'm not totally sure, but Abe might know... he has some latten spoons, which are a copper and zinc alloy, that have a seal or makers mark on them. I also have a brass shoe buckle frame piece with a makers mark. So perhaps some of the makers did?

 

[Wildcat1750]

Awesome finds! Sometimes an area is so target intensive that you are better off sifting. I've had great success with that before. I am especially impressed with the recovery of the rest of that spoon!

 

[Scrappy]

I was really impressed by that 250 lb magnet in those 1812 war pits we hit. I would imagine the 400 pounder is going to work wonders. Just don't get it within 3' of your phone and Credit cards. Lol

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Awesome finds! Sometimes an area is so target intensive that you are better off sifting. I've had great success with that before. I am especially impressed with the recovery of the rest of that spoon!

Thanks Wildcat1750! Spot on man... it's a great method in those infested areas. Glad to see more people moving dirt and sifting to unmask targets... It sure is a ton of fun.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

I was really impressed by that 250 lb magnet in those 1812 war pits we hit. I would imagine the 400 pounder is going to work wonders. Just don't get it within 3' of your phone and Credit cards. Lol

The 405lb beast arrived today. I carried it like it was a bomb, then set it all alone in the middle of the room... kept it far away from everything. I'll get it bolted and expoxied onto a pole this weekend. It does suck a nail straight up from about 6" away though. Haha. I have a feeling the 250lb one will get much less use now.

 

[Patriot Relics]

Just set up my 250 for pit digging tomorrow

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Just set up my 250 for pit digging tomorrow View attachment 1380180

Awesome man! Lemme know how you like it. I have my 250lb one mounted on an oak dowel... Haven't decided what I'll mount the new one on yet, but I like the PVC idea.

 

[Patriot Relics]

Have to give DownNDirty credit for the design- 1 inch pvc, coupler, and an end cap. Drilled a hole for the bolt and good to go... and can swap magnets out on site if needed