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Randall C. De-Haven secured a place among the 1995 winners with a 239-year-old silver medal from the French & Indian War. Here's his story as he shared it with Western & Eastern Treasures...
"The first day's hunt began with my partner, A. Beau Ouimette, receiving permission to search a site in an area with a stream and several springs, features which often indicate a good chance of finding artifacts. However, as we worked the front of the property, we found little to justify our efforts.
"On the second day, Beau found a thimble as we started up a steep hill. In fact, the hill was so steep that we circled it, following the contour. Near the top, I noticed several large patches of irises growing among some rock outcrops. Why would irises be in the middle of a cow pasture? It had to be a house site.
"After digging a small pewter spoon and an early gilt button, we slowed down and began to hunt methodically, recovering numerous flat buttons and a couple of dozen coins, including King George coppers from the mid 1700s and large cents from the late 1700s to 1816. These dates were to prove important in authenticating my next find.
"Getting a good, shallow signal next to a thistle, I carefully cut a semicircular plug. There it was... the largest piece of silver I had ever found. At first I thought it was a Spanish silver coin, but looking at it more carefully I could read, 'The Gift of the Corporation of the City of Philadelphia.' The other side was not as clear, but later cleaning revealed, 'Kittanning Destroyed by Coll. Armstrong, September 8, 1756.'
"This was too good to be true! Here was a medal commemorating a specific military action not of the Civil War, the War of 1812, or even the Revolutionary War, but the French & Indian War! After only three years of metal detecting, I had made the find of a lifetime!"
Randall later contacted W&ET's Mark Parker about the medal, and Mark offered the following comments:
"During the French & Indian War, troops under the command of Col. John Armstrong of Carlisle, Pennsylvania attacked and burned Kittanning, an Indian village northeast of Pittsburgh. Silver medals like this one were presented to commissioned officers who took part in that action. Bronze and pewter versions were issued as well. Although restrikes and copies appeared through the 1800s, they can be identified by a number of die variations, and this certainly appears to be one of the original c. 1756 silver medals."
As such, it is rare in any condition and, from a detectorist's perspective, a discovery which few others are likely to duplicate anytime soon. After all, asks Randall, "How many Kittanning medals are out there, buried in the ground?" |
