Another virgin camp - TWO plates in one afternoon!!!

[dcooper1]

I finally got out on Monday for the afternoon. Made a few passes through the camp we hunted back in December and a little in January. Picked up a few items to include the "curb chain" and an item I think may be the top to a flagpole. Both of these were found on the edges of the area we had been working. I then decided to make a pass straight thru the middle of the camp to see if we had missed anything. I managed to pick up a single bullet and the 1837 large cent. Even though the temperature was in the 50's, the ground was still frozen SOLID in a lot of places. I then moved up to another field that I hadn't hunted yet. I immediately got a LOT of iron signals, so many I had to turn the mixed mode off (for the whites users), and slow way down. I managed to pick up the "U.S" bit boss and a few small buckles.

This afternoon I went back to the same field where I picked up the bit-boss on Monday, hoping to score some more civil war items. After about a half hour of lots of iron, I decided to move on. I had been wanting to get out and explore some more, I knew there had to be another hot spot near where I hunted last year. I eyeballed a really nice looking hill and decided that was the one, there had to be something there. So off I went, headed towards the top. A short time after starting up the hill, I got a "bullet signal" and decided to dig it. I ended up with 2 bullets from the same hole, I was hoping I was onto something.

Within about 15 minutes I hit a really good "big" signal and knew it had to be something good. When I turned the plug over, I was amazed to see this eagle breast plate laying there looking up at me!!! I admired it for a few minutes, tucked it away, and returned to hunting. By this time I was doing a crossing pattering as I was making my way up the hill. I kept picking up good targets the whole time. And yes, there was a LOT of "junk" also but that let me know that it hadn't been hunted before.

Just as it was getting dark I kept saying "one more good signal and I am going to quit". After about 3 more bullets, I dediced it was too dark to continue to dig without taking the chance of damaging something in the hole. I looked up and I was still about 100 yards from the top of that hill. I decided I would just go on a recon mission and see it there were ANY signals on top of that hill,not planning on digging anything, just wanted to "listen". I made a b-line for the top, about half way up I hit a signal that I just COULDN'T pass up. It was reading a consistent "70" and one single line on my bar graph. I knew what it had to be. I pinpointed it, and dug a BIG hole, not wanting to take a chance of damaging it. When I rolled the plug over I saw a big, round, "aluminium" looking thing laying there (it was dark outside by then), I thought for a second that it was a perfectly smashed aluminium can.........but when I reached down and picked it up, I knew it was "something" by the weight. I was still puzzled by the aluminium look, with NO markings on it. It took me a second to realize that I was actually looking at the lead filled back!!!!!! When I turned it over I couldn't make out which plate it was, it was covered in dirt, and I didn't have a light. I sat there for a second, thinking about how fortunate I was to have dug TWO plates in one afternoon. I shook my head and said "I think I will call it quits now, that hill will have to wait for another day".

Hope you enjoy the pictures, the first ones are from Mondays hunt, and the others are from today.

Good luck to everyone, "git out there and git ya some"

 

[dcooper1]

Great day. those are some great pieces. What is that item in the last picture above the eagle button?

Thats a rifle sling tip

AKA - "bat wings"

 

[allen]

all i can say is awesome finds !!!!!!

 

[johnreb1980]

Very nice finds.

 

[topdog]

Truly amazing relic finds, thanks for sharing. Continued Success at that awesome site.

 

[MonkeyBoy]

Gotta love Northern Virginia!!!! ;-)

Great finds!!

MB

 

[brnn53]

Awesome recoveries!! Congrats!
Mike

 

[Ohio Jerry]

Fantastic collection of finds dc
Looking foward to hearing about your hunting that hill.

Just an observation - Harmonica Reeds
With the number I see found by TNetters, it seems every second person must have owned a harp and every second harp owner , lost theirs

Mike

DC,Sweet collection of finds for just ONE outing!! Can't wait to see what else is there.
Mike,your right about the harmonica reed bases.They turn up at just about every old 1800's site here.No tv,no radio,just the sound of the crickets in the woods and sitting on your back porch with a harmonica.Sometimes i think i was born too late

 

[dasdigger]

nice finds need any help down there

 

[mudslideslim]

awesome hunt and site!

well done buddy