🥇 BANNER Unreal day!! Relics, and a 13 projectile point cache!!!

Jon Phillips

Hero Member
Mar 10, 2009
535
326
Riverview Florida
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
F-75, MXT, 6000di sl
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I'm still amped up from this, even though I'm exhausted!

Me, my father, and a good friend went relic hunting today at a site that my friend had hunted for years. It's been a good spot for him in the past, but isn't producing a whole lot these days. He had found a few musket balls recently, and invited us to hunt with him. We gladly took him up on it, as it was a beautiful day, and had rained yesterday, so the ground was conductive, and easy to dig in the sand. (not so much in the wet clay).

Not long into it, I found some melted camp lead, and then a nice .69 cal. musket ball.

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After a while, we had all found some musket balls, some buck shot from buck and ball loads, and some fired pistol shots, more camp lead, some iron relics, and some glass from an 1800's wine bottle, common to these sites.

Towards the end of the hunt, we decided to try another area at the site.

After a few more musket balls and buckshot, I got a signal that indicated another piece of buckshot.

As I was digging it, I heard a scrape that sounded like glass or ceramic, and saw what I thought was the side of a milkglass medicine bottle, and assumed I had detected the metal lid of it......As I put my fingers under it, and popped it out.....I almost had a heart attack, when out popped this.......

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Not only was it the first complete point I had ever found....It is one of the nicest ones I have ever seen in person!

I was in shock, and called my dad over to look....I told him I hadn't dug the target yet, but he needed to come look! I was shaking!!

I dug the target, and it was a tiny piece of buckshot....

I calmed down, and we went back to hunting...but my mind wasn't really into it after that!

After about 30 or 40 minutes, I came to an area about 50 yards away that was covered in flakes...I picked up a handful to see if they matched the material of the point.

When we had about all we could take for the day, my dad said he had once found a nice point in a wash while bird hunting, and then found another on in the same spot a few weeks later...so I should go back and check that hole again......

I found the spot, and used his relic shovel to loosen the dirt (very carefully).....I heard a scrape, then pulled it out....and heard another scrape.

I stuck my hands in there and pulled this out.....

IMG_20121227_141154.jpg

I was freaking out, but managed to remember that other scrape....and reached back in and pulled out two broken tips.....I was about to be sick, then I noticed they had already been broken by the looks of them....so I decided to see if the rest of them were in the hole. They weren't, but the next handful brought these up....

IMG_20121227_141324.jpg


Of course at this point I am like a dog digging for a bone, and the next handful is a stack of about FIVE of them in one stack....I guess they were burried in a leather sack maybe, the way they were stacked up. They were all obviously made by the same man....then I guess stashed and he either died, was run off, or forgot about them or something...who knows....but they sat there for what thousands?? of years until I dug them up?

I imagine they represented some kind of wealth at the time.

It ended up being 13 points in all, counting the 3 broken tips.

IMG_20121227_143515.jpg

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I calmed down enough to get my buddy to come over...I showed him the first point, which I had put in my wallet, and he about freaked at how big, and nice it was....then I said: "Hey....look at this", and opened out my pockets with them stuffed in there!!! He perked up even more, and said: "What have you got there???" I said "thirteen in all....come over and see if you can find any more."

He dug up all around and finally popped out these two chunks that never got worked, about two feet away.....

IMG_20121227_145312.jpg

We called a couple of people on the way home...My buddy thinks they are Hillsborough Points. The consensus was a cached stash, and a hunting camp or villiage because of the abundance of flakes. I haven't cleaned them yet, but most seem to be coral. I've heard it's a one in a million deal to find a cache of points...let alone ones like these.

It's definately a once in a lifetime deal for me...and I'm thankful for my dad and my buddy being there to witness, and share it with me!!!

A very nice start for my point finding career!!! :laughing7:

We talked about how hard it would be to believe, if we didn't see it with our own eyes...


IMG_20121227_151331.jpg

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Everything together except some big iron...mostly railroad stuff...and one item that might be a section of musket barrel....I'll have to get a better look tomorrow.....

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Those are camera phone shots...and that's a quarter in those last few shots.....

I'm extremely happy with the way today turned out!!!


Edit: Added some new pics to the thread in the North American Artifacts forum...

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/n...-found-point-cache-today-help-i-d-please.html



artifacts 003.JPG

artifacts 018.JPG

And what I think is a rifle barrel that my dad found...

artifacts 022.JPG


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artifacts 024.JPG


artifacts 026.JPG
 

Last edited:
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Jon Phillips

Jon Phillips

Hero Member
Mar 10, 2009
535
326
Riverview Florida
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
F-75, MXT, 6000di sl
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
OP
OP
Jon Phillips

Jon Phillips

Hero Member
Mar 10, 2009
535
326
Riverview Florida
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
F-75, MXT, 6000di sl
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Absolutely Banner , You will want to check that find in with the archies/anthropology folks in your area , it's that important !!!
reason being - to find a quantity like that in one location -(a cache) and the style of these points is so similar , these are obviously
from a known time period / culture , it may be the single best dicovery of it's kind in your area ever , as such, please carefully document
the find precisely - this is a museum level find ! Congrats !!!! Argentium .


Thanks!

I marked it on my GPS, and plan on going back....I plan on documenting the whole thing, but not too sure about sharing anything with the current regime of state archies...not unless they release their arrogant stranglehold on Florida history. I have no problem sharing with the "amatures"...which are, most times, more knowledgeable than the pro's.
 

DFW_THer

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Feb 20, 2008
1,184
1,493
Coinslaughtersville
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Very, very nice post. Superb finds. Nominated banner and mega 'liked'.
 

Bill D. (VA)

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Oct 7, 2008
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SE Virginia
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That is an amazing story. Those points are absolutely beautiful, and huge! Many congrats on an awesome find, and my banner vote is in.
 

Diggin-N-Dumps

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Sep 9, 2009
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Very Cool...I bet that was a great feeling finding those..Banner vote from me!
 

Digs68

Sr. Member
Apr 14, 2012
258
79
Mid-Missouri
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That is a cache of points! Those are extremely rare to find and extremely valuable most of the time! The native Americans manufactured a pile of them for future use, then never utilized them for one reason or another. I've collected artifacts for years and I can tell you that finding a cache is something most people never have the privilege of doing. To top it off, if these are very colorful fossilized coral, it only increases the value! From the looks of the points, you must be in the Florida area somewhere. There are several point types that have that similar design in that region, and fossilized coral was often used.
Those could be more valuable than any jewelry you've ever found. Could be like Newnan, Marion, or Hillsborough points, which are of the Archaic period. You definitely need to talk to someone who knows about Florida points and their worth. Look up "artifact authenticators" on Google, or visit some artifact forums to find a few knowledgeable folks who can help you.
Good luck! Definitely a banner find!
 

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flyinryan2

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Dec 19, 2011
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Winchester, VA.
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Wow congrats on a awesome hunt!!! 13 points in one day, way to go!!!
 

fishstick

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Oct 28, 2012
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Indiana
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SIMPLY STUNNIN!!!!!!!! Your feet wont hit the ground for a long time to come.lol. By the way, how's ur friend takin the find knowin he's been huntin the site for years? CONGRATS on the BANNER!! HH
 

RiverRat3

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Apr 1, 2009
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Maryland
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Very nice finds. Those points will be a great display/conversation piece for your collection.
 

Wildcat1750

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Nov 18, 2012
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Western CT
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You stumbled into an artifact bonanza for sure!
Nick
PS: great avatar :thumbsup:
 

OP
OP
Jon Phillips

Jon Phillips

Hero Member
Mar 10, 2009
535
326
Riverview Florida
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
F-75, MXT, 6000di sl
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
SIMPLY STUNNIN!!!!!!!! Your feet wont hit the ground for a long time to come.lol. By the way, how's ur friend takin the find knowin he's been huntin the site for years? CONGRATS on the BANNER!! HH


He took it in stride!....he ended up digging a couple of "blanks" about three feet away. I'm sure we'll all be back out there....

He had actually dug one like one of the smaller ones a while back, while digging another target....he is now kicking himself for not digging up the whole spot back then!

He is a great guy though! Not selfish at all, and he donates his finds to museums all the time.
 

naturegirl

Bronze Member
Mar 21, 2009
2,356
402
WooHoo!!!!! ancient artifacts back up on the banner! WTG, congratulations!!! it's got me smilin' ;)
 

TomPA

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Feb 13, 2011
406
285
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A dream find (and banner) for sure. Congrats!
 

Subterranean

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Jan 31, 2012
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Congratulations on finding an underground museum! 8-) Sub
 

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Erik in NJ

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Oct 4, 2010
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The Garden State
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Absolutely Banner , You will want to check that find in with the archies/anthropology folks in your area , it's that important !!!
reason being - to find a quantity like that in one location -(a cache) and the style of these points is so similar , these are obviously
from a known time period / culture , it may be the single best dicovery of it's kind in your area ever , as such, please carefully document
the find precisely - this is a museum level find ! Congrats !!!! Argentium .

First of all congrats on the rare cache of points -- they are beautiful even to the untrained eye! I agree with Argentium's post in that the pros have the means and resources (money and equipment as well as time) to properly document (for posterity) and excavate the site if warranted to extract as much information as possible about the site and culture responsible for the points. Otherwise there's the danger of this being lost forever which would indeed be a shame. I think more cooperation between detectorists and "archies/anthropology folks" is a good thing. I hope you'll contact them regarding this find and congrats again! Regards, Erik
 

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