1st and Last hunt of 2011- UPDATE on Gold Bar!

umrgolf · Jan 16, 2011

-Update on gold bar in reply 52

It's been a while since I've been out at all, but decided to head down to Arkansas to visit some family and gave Matt (peanut) a call. He took me to a couple of his sites that he and several others have hit real hard over the years on Friday and Saturday. I'll be leaving the country here in about three weeks for a year, so it was nice to sneak in one last hunt :headbang:

Friday, January 14

Matt sitting next to my freshly dug silver.. All we could see was the reeded edge sticking out of the clump.

short video of the silver, sorry about the wind ::)

Nice Arkansas sunset as we were leaving the field on Friday

Friday's Take

I believe the gold bar is solid gold. Nowhere on the piece is there any evidence of it being plated and I put a nice scratch on the side and it still looks gold. It's also very heavy for it's size. I think this could have been a personalized Lt. shoulder bar and I also believe that it's from the same period as the coin. There was literally zero modern trash in this field. This field has given up 30+ pre-CW silver coins and old gold jewelry over the years. Any input is appreciated.

1850-O halfdime (appears to have initials carved from 9-11 o'clock)

Continued

umrgolf · Jan 16, 2011

Re: 1st and Last hunt of 2011- great weekend in Arkansas

Yard Digger said:
peanut said:

Yard Digger said:

Just curious, but what are the two items I've marked in this pic?
Yard Digger

Click to expand...

The top one is camp lead. The bottom one is a pocket knife bolster.
peanut

Click to expand...

Ok thanks peanut, but now you're causing me to ask another stupid question. What is camp lead? And, is it actually lead? And, what is it used for? Well, that's 3 stupid questions but at least I'm trying to become less --deleted--? Thanks again for your enlightenment. Yard Digger

Not stu.pid questions at all.. Yes the camp lead is actually lead and it's simply excess, melted lead leftover from bullets, etc.

Yard Digger · Jan 16, 2011

Re: 1st and Last hunt of 2011- great weekend in Arkansas

Not stu.pid questions at all.. Yes the camp lead is actually lead and it's simply excess, melted lead leftover from bullets, etc.

Thanks again for answering my questions. I thought that the lead was possibly from making bullets, but wasn't sure til now. So Long and have a safe and enjoyable year over the seas. :wave:

Yard Digger

umrgolf · Jan 17, 2011

Re: 1st and Last hunt of 2011- great weekend in Arkansas

dwayne sueño said:
sweet digs, Jeff.
looks like gold from here!

sure hopin so! good luck in 2011 Dwayne, you never disappoint :thumbsup:

umrgolf · Jan 17, 2011

Re: 1st and Last hunt of 2011- great weekend in Arkansas

Tuberale said:
We're definately going to miss your posts here on TNet, Jeff. Be safe.

Thank you, I'm gonna be around as much as I can, just not digging.. good luck this year :thumbsup:

umrgolf · Jan 17, 2011

Re: 1st and Last hunt of 2011- great weekend in Arkansas

civilman1 said:
Awesome hunt Jeff....look's like you all ran your coil over some killer target's.Best of Luck to ya oversea's Sneaking your detector in the duffle

I wish I could sneak the ugly stik, but it's all good

good luck in 2011

umrgolf · Jan 17, 2011

Re: 1st and Last hunt of 2011- great weekend in Arkansas

Woodland Detectors 4-H said:
Whats up brothern? Great to see you got out. Great looking silver too! We're moving up to VA. in a few weeks. Josh says were about 3 hours from each other. Hopefully we can dig this year.

Mike

I hope you guys meet up and hunt, I know its always tough to get 2 schedules to cooperate sometimes.. best of luck to you this year Mike :thumbsup:

umrgolf · Jan 17, 2011

Re: 1st and Last hunt of 2011- great weekend in Arkansas

jamesbibb said:
Nice digs brotha!! Sweet half dime! I hear your going to Russia-wow

Enjoy your trip and be good will catch up when you get back

you heard right, and we will be catchin up in 2012 for sure.. gonna have a couple weeks of diggin in VA no doubt, good luck to you this year

umrgolf · Jan 17, 2011

Re: 1st and Last hunt of 2011- great weekend in Arkansas

easttndigger said:
good lookin relics....VA has got me spoiled

I hear that.. its tough to leave, trust me man :thumbsup:

umrgolf · Jan 17, 2011

Re: 1st and Last hunt of 2011- great weekend in Arkansas

cntrydncr1 said:
wow! great hunt Jeff! Good luck with your trip/travels. You will be missed! Hope you find everything you are looking for while you are away! keep in touch on fb...

thank you Deb, will definitely keep in touch! Dig the good stuff for me this year :headbang:

Ronfrommichigan · Jan 17, 2011

Re: 1st and Last hunt of 2011- great weekend in Arkansas

Great finds and videos.Thanks

penniesmine · Jan 17, 2011

Re: 1st and Last hunt of 2011- great weekend in Arkansas

Hey Jeff nice dig :hello2:

Hope to see you when you get back, Stay away from that russian VODKA :thumbsup:

umrgolf · Jan 17, 2011

Re: 1st and Last hunt of 2011- great weekend in Arkansas

penniesmine said:
Hey Jeff nice dig Hope to see you when you get back, Stay away from that russian VODKA

thanks Alan! will-do man!! on my way to get the gold bar tested

umrgolf · Jan 17, 2011

UPDATE on Gold Bar!

So this morning I took the piece into a local jeweler to have it acid tested and right off the bat he tells me "This piece will not be gold" after seeing that there were no marks, but agreed to do the test. After a couple minutes he brings it back over and says "I'm very surprised, but it is 14K gold and I'll give you $100 for it". I told him thanks anyway but that I'm gonna hold on to it. He also mentioned that he had never seen anything like it. The next thing I'm gonna do today is forward these pictures to a CW expert and see if he's ever run across anything similar. In all reality, I'll never definitively know its intended purpose, but it's pretty safe to say that it's old being that it's not marked and the context of the site where it was found.

The corner that he rubbed for the test

Bavaria Mike · Jan 17, 2011

Nice post and finds! Take care while you are out of country for a year. HH, Mike

Silver Searcher · Jan 17, 2011

Jeff super find

as soon as I saw it I said to myself....Gold Uniform Name Bar. Great find and take care on your trip :headbang:

SS

umrgolf · Jan 17, 2011

Bavaria Mike said:
Nice post and finds! Take care while you are out of country for a year. HH, Mike

Thanks Mike :icon_thumleft:

Silver Searcher said:
Jeff super find as soon as I saw it I said to myself....Gold Uniform Name Bar. Great find and take care on your trip

SS

Thank you SS... really wish the guy had carved some initials or something on it if that's what it is

dg39 · Jan 17, 2011

Your gold bar is a gold hair clip or bar pin with the clasp broken off...A very nice item of jewelry.
1st rate find!
DG

{Sentinel} · Jan 17, 2011

Its very pretty did you clean it up? She's a beauty :icon_thumleft:

BTW, I talked to Lori Eledge on the phone earlier and she said that she would be on the lookout for your email personally.

boondocker · Jan 17, 2011

nice finds, I think the gold bar is a pin on Lieutenant's bar for the shoulder straps. Dean

umrgolf · Jan 17, 2011

dg39 said:
Your gold bar is a gold hair clip or bar pin with the clasp broken off...A very nice item of jewelry.
1st rate find!
DG

thanks for the thoughts.. I value your opinion after exchanging pm's as you seem like a very knowledgeable individual.. I agree though, almost impossible to pinpoint a date (although certainly pre-1906)

{Sentinel} said:
Its very pretty did you clean it up? She's a beauty BTW, I talked to Lori Eledge on the phone earlier and she said that she would be on the lookout for your email personally.

a little soap and water.. thanks I spoke with her too, looking forward to hearing the opinions