Best find you threw away?

[FriscoT06]

What's the best find you threw away because you thought it was trash?

Mine was a colonial trade bead I found at a Native artifact site and threw away because I thought it was trash. I even took it home to debate about it and still threw it away! Just went to the High Museum of Art and saw the same ones on display...

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

I was detecting a field once, in tall grass, and got one of those hard-baked enamel coated road signs. It was of the older style CA highway signs, in a shape/design that hadn't been used in decades (1930s ?). It was about 2 or 3 ft. across/around in size. I leaned it against a nearby tree, thinking "I'll pick this up when I'm done detecting, to take home". But then forgot to pick it up. Oh well, it's only a curious piece of junk afterall, eh ?

Years later, I was eating in a restaurant where the proprietor had his entire place decorated in all sorts of vintage signs. You know, like old gas station emblem signs, old Coca-cola signs, old road signs, etc.... I recalled the earlier sign , from years earlier, that I'd failed to cart out of the field. I described it to the fellow, and he immediately knew what it was. Told me it would fetch $300. Doh! That was the mid to late 1980s at that time of talking to him. So I'm assuming that by now, it might fetch much more ?

 

[FriscoT06]

Well... At least we got the fun of finding it!

 

[KangaWoo]

When I first started detecting, I was doing the site of an old 1800's homestead, and I found three little brass cylinder things, with a little tube thing sticking out from the side. I threw them away.

A few weeks later I came across a thread (on this site I think) and it was then I learned about pinfire bullets

Not a big loss, but over time I have found a few more, although none of that particular kind. I have been back to that site many times, but have never found the ones I threw away.

 

[G.I.B.]

How could I possibly know that?

I threw it away-

 

[fistfulladirt]

Smooth 1758 spanish silver I tossed into the recycle box 'cause I thought it was an electric panel knock-out.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Well I didn't do the throwing my wife did by accident.A 14k small mans gold band I had found two days before, it fit loose on her and while we were picnicking at a water spot I like, she was cleaning the table area and shook out a rag and that's when I figure she threw it off her hand, went back but others had used the site and must have found it.Oh well easy come easy go.She was quite upset but I told her not to be.

 

[Tnmountains]

I am the most guilty on this one.
A perfectly round ceremonial green stone platter I picked up and skipped across the river not even thinking. Saw one example published a year later. I also threw away reworked points,scrapers and stone tools and bases to arrowheads. Now I collect the tools for study.
Also a metal butt plate from a confederate musket thought it was newer because it had tar or pitch on it.Kept it awhile and wondered why I was keeping it. When I first started detecting I chunked all flat buttons no shanks ,toe taps and a couple of bat wings and Knap sack Hooks before I knew not what they were. I hunted alone and did not have any way to learn. I knew old bottles though and kept way to many.
Now I keep buckets of everything and what is its and from learning on this site have pulled out of it and enfield wrench and a ladder sited I restored. I am guilty of some bad mistakes but feel I have and am making up for it. I keep decent old axe heads now and just re- hafted a Wisconsin on a fawns foot for timer cutting.
Learn from you guys all the time.

 

[seekerGH]

2 things come to mind.

First one, all the dredging up in central and northern California, tossed all of the "lead", not knowing it was probably Palladium/platinum.

Second was turning down a group that needed engineering on a warehouse to open business. No money and offered me 20% of the company, but I turned them down. Turns out it was the first Price Club/Costco to open. That percentage would have been worth about $6 BILLION.