A couple of pictures of displays, From different settlements.

[Old California]

Hello Californians,

Here are a couple of the several displays I have put together from different settlements, One is from an earlier site which a good friend (Tom Tanner) invited me several times and the other is from the 49er Gold Rush era. The 49er settlement is an old area I found many years ago and to this day still gives up an old coin or two if one has the patience.

The earlier site which is one of my favorite places gave up several good pieces of relics and an 1836 Bust half dollar, Tom was there when I dug up this beauty. In addition to the Bust Half two different parts of musket butt plates surfaced, One of these butt plates may even be from a rare (limited made) musket rifle in which only about 100 had been made for the war. Even parts from two different powder flask surfaced, And many mission era flat gilt buttons.

The second display are finds from a Gold rush settlement which has given up many seated and just recently an 1852 ($5.00) gold coin, I'll have to dig up some other pics of some of the other displays I have made during my career. Most of the displays are now with the owners of the property, Hopefully I can find pictures of these and share those here as well.

Thanks for looking and Happy New years!
Paul (Ca)

 

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[bedpanmoneyman]

Is that a gold coin in the lower display?

 

[aa battery]

Nice pics Paul.....aa

 

[Old California]

Thanks gang,

Bedpan...Yes, That is a gold coin in the lower display. An 1852 $5.00 gold piece, From a gold rush settlement located up in the Mariposa mountains.

Thanks AA Battery, I was in your city yesterday. Dropped off a friend on the way back from a hunt. I'll be going there again today to visit a friend in the hospital, One of these days we'll get together.

Thank you Treasure Tales....Yes, I gave the lower display with the gold coin to the property owner. Three seated dimes from that same area are displayed with the $5.00 gold piece as well, Allot of Chinese cache coins came out of there...I think I dug close to 90 Chinese coins within a two month period from here, The only coins I kept are but a handful of Chinese cache coins and displayed the rest in the display.

Some of my other friends found seated coins and with permission from the owner he allowed them to keep their finds including the seated coins, I didn't hide anything from the property owner and he wasn't one to (want) my friends finds as he new I was going to make him a real nice display from the finds I had recovered.

Thanks again gang and have a Happy new year, May it bring you joy and good finds.
Paul (Ca)

 

[aa battery]

Sounds good Paul maybe i could learn some new tricks from you......aa

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Paul, thanx for sharing your displays for this forum venue.

At the first display's site, we had actually worked the tar out of it in the mid to late 1990s. It is an indian rancheria site, where contact period indians had an ancestral village, and continued to live in, and contact with (trade) with mission era sites. Apparently by the 1840s, the last of the indians had been assimilated into the nearby missions, died off, etc.... and the land went on to incoming westerners. It is nothing but a cow pasture today. Since there had been no one but indians, there were no structures, in the European construction sense (wood or adobe homes, etc...) so there was very little iron (relatively speaking). So there were never too many targets even at the beginning. Just random metal, buttons, trade items, trinkets, gun parts, etc..... I believe my friends and I worked about 7 or 8 coins from there, several phoenix buttons, and misc. other buttons and nick-nacks. It eventually got down to where we weren't finding much, so we gravitated on to other new spots.

Then about 5 yrs. ago, after starting with the Explorer, I decided to see what the newer deeper seeking machines would get. I ended up with a quick phoenix button, and decided to suggest to a few friends that it was still work working. After that, another 6 or 7 coins were found, but not without lots of patience! Coins ranged from reales, up to early seateds. It was fun to see you find that bust half that day. That is a beautiful coin! I've only heard of a small # of bust halves found out here in CA. Heck, even Bust coins themselves are a hard find out here, much less a half!

Happy new year Paul!

 

[stefen]

I find that the octogon is particularily interesting as the Chinese were a major part of California history.

 

[Old California]

Thanks again Gang,

Thanks Tom amd a Happy New years to you as well...The 1836 bust half was a cool find and I can still remember yelling out to you with the coin in my hand In fact, I didn't even look at it as I thought it was a reale at first and had you peel away the clay like mud from the coin. That's when we realized it was a bust half not a reale, Still a rare find for Ca and from one of the oldest sites.

I think I may have mentioned to you or others I no longer have the 1836 Bust half dollar, Some of my coins (Five seated) disappeared last year including this bust half while my home was painted It doesn't bother me they are missing or stolen, The real joy is making the find and those are priceless memories for a lifetime.

And thanks for allowing me to hunt some of your sites, I appreciate you trusting me and of course the fellowship we encountered during the adventure of these sites are worth far more than the find themselves.

Stefen, You're right as the Chinese are a major part of Ca. history. Without them the west would have not grown as fast.

Thanks again fellow Californians and Happy New years to you,
Paul (Ca)

 

[caroline63]

Paul,

Nice pictures, nice history. Thanks for sharing.