Steve in PA
Gold Member
- Jul 5, 2010
- 9,585
- 14,151
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- 4
- Detector(s) used
- Fisher F75, XP Deus, Equinox 600, Fisher 1270
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
A week ago I discovered a small 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century house site on a farm I have permission to hunt. I got a call from the farmer saying he had plowed one of the fields on the farm so I made some time to check it out. I had already zig zagged through half of this field when it was in grass, so I started in the other half and started to notice some broken red ware pottery, which is always a good indicator of an early house site. Sure enough, I found a broken shoe buckle, a Jews harp, and a couple late 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century buttons. I got back there a couple times this past weekend and found a few more things, including a New Jersey Copper, which has been identified as a 1787 Maris 6-D, rarity 2 (common). It is on a large planchet and measures 29.7 mm.
Everything I've found so far is pre 1800 leading me to believe this place was only occupied for a few years, probably mid 1780s to mid 1790s. Perhaps this was a settler that got a Virginia land grant and had to vacate when Pennsylvania won the border dispute with Virginia at the end of the Rev War.
Here is what I have come up with so far. Signals are already starting to peter out. I'm not sure about the piece in the upper left. It is some type of on/off valve. The threads look kinda crude, but it is probably later than the other stuff.
Here is the New Jersey. When I first dug it I noticed it was bigger that your average copper and had a small hole in the center. I put it in my case thinking it might be a heavy Dandy button. It wasn't till I got home and cleaned it did I realize it was a New Jersey. Unfortunately the ground here is pretty rough on coppers. I still haven't identified the other copper I dug.
This button I just eyeballed on the surface...
And the big let down. Thought I had a Spanish half real considering that everything I was finding was 18th century.
But Nooo! You had to be a Mercury Dime
Everything I've found so far is pre 1800 leading me to believe this place was only occupied for a few years, probably mid 1780s to mid 1790s. Perhaps this was a settler that got a Virginia land grant and had to vacate when Pennsylvania won the border dispute with Virginia at the end of the Rev War.
Here is what I have come up with so far. Signals are already starting to peter out. I'm not sure about the piece in the upper left. It is some type of on/off valve. The threads look kinda crude, but it is probably later than the other stuff.
Here is the New Jersey. When I first dug it I noticed it was bigger that your average copper and had a small hole in the center. I put it in my case thinking it might be a heavy Dandy button. It wasn't till I got home and cleaned it did I realize it was a New Jersey. Unfortunately the ground here is pretty rough on coppers. I still haven't identified the other copper I dug.
This button I just eyeballed on the surface...
And the big let down. Thought I had a Spanish half real considering that everything I was finding was 18th century.
But Nooo! You had to be a Mercury Dime
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