🥇 BANNER Beyond Epic Colonial Hammered Coin Cache!

[smokeythecat]

Or, perhaps call it a spill. How many coins does it take to make a cache anyway? A friend of mine has a nice colonial site which has been totally hammered for years and years and years. At the end of the year I got a HUGE iron signal on the XP Deus, and decided to go for it and dig it. Well, it was a nearly intact colonial hoe. Now that's something you don't see every day. It was about 15" deep. I noticed some shells and charcoal in the hole, so covered it over and determined to come back and dig some more. I did that a couple weeks ago (I really lose track of time these days). In the hole was a little piece of exquisite yet broken late 17th century Venetian glass. The ground was so muddy, and the cat so out of shape, I recovered that and a couple buttons and called it a day and covered the hole back in and left.

View attachment 1674974 View attachment 1674975 These are finds from then and the piece of glass.

Well, the ol' cat was just itching with curiosity as to what was in the hole? There was a lot more metal there, for sure. So my buddy Tommy couldn't go Friday, so I went by myself and started digging the same dirt out...now for the third time. The owner came by and said hi, and the sight of me sitting in what amounted to a mud pit with a newly found piece of the glass had to have him laughing for hours. Well, the first thing out of the hole, didn't want to come out of the hole. I keep prying and banging and banging and prying and finally this big iron thing plopped out of the side and into the bottom.

View attachment 1674976 View attachment 1674978 View attachment IMG_1535.jpg A side plate with frizzen to an extremely old flintlock gun! Amazing! But Wait! There's more! I found a few buttons, late 17th to early 18th style, and a few tiny buttons (which were not buttons) with no shanks. It's coming, hang in there. The oyster shells were huge. Check it out. View attachment 1674979 View attachment IMG_1536.jpg View attachment 1674980 That's my HAND holding it! Bigger than my outstretched hand they be!

Then some pipe stems started falling out of the sidewall, along with some ceramics. I was actually looking for the ceramics, and glass, I wasn't expecting much else. View attachment 1674981 View attachment IMG_1540.jpg View attachment IMG_1541.jpg View attachment 1674982 Redware, Delftware, stoneware, and a piece to a pancake onion bottle.

View attachment IMG_1545.jpg View attachment IMG_1546.jpg

View attachment 1674983 View attachment IMG_1539.jpg At that point I'm excited. I noticed another icky button (not a button) and a grey lead disc pop out, and put them in a pouch. Again, not a lead disc. When I quit, leaving the huge hole open, I started cleaning up stuff.

I had SEVEN HAMMERED COLONIAL COINS, TWO IN SILVER! From one tiny (but huge to me) hole! I had six, then a last one came tumbling out. Including the one, shown below, the old German one, that's EIGHT in 2019.

So Tommy and I went back Saturday (yesterday). The glass and ceramics had disappeared. We started finding "rocks" in a place that should have not had them, and we also detected after we got tired of the hole. Hidden in all my "stuff" were three little square pieces of metal. One was just a square little piece of metal, the second, a late 17th century to early 18th century brass hand made nut and the third - I couldn't believe it! A Spanish 1/2 reale cob! The first one I ever found! Actually these are pretty much firsts of everything.

I got 1 broken buckle, a nice 1575-1700 buckle, and from another spot a couple hundred yards away while just detecting a complete tombac button and broken late 18th century shoe buckle.

OMG! Thank you Lord! If this isn't the best day detecting and digging I have ever had, I do not know what is.

And to boot, one of the rocks looks like a sharpening stone, and the roundish rock I think is an American Indian game ball or other stone. Your comments appreciated. I have a lot more iron, I do not THINK I have the hammer to the gun, but one of those larger pieces looks really odd.

View attachment IMG_1547.jpg View attachment IMG_1542.jpg View attachment IMG_1543.jpg

View attachment 1674993 View attachment IMG_1551.jpg


I hope nothing is upside down. Iphones are not picture friendly for me.

The coins again: View attachment IMG_1531.jpg German 17th Century token or jetton and Charles I Shilling

View attachment 1675001 And since the other one won't load again, Two Charles I rose farthings, one Charles I Sixpence and a 1702-1728 Spanish 1/2 Reale cob, minted in Mexico City. Plus Another copper Charles I something or other.

I can't believe I dug the whole thing. I gave the shilling and token/jetton to Tommy. We only got 1 coin Saturday. Same hole.

SEVEN HAMMERED COINS IN TOTAL, ONE HOLE! View attachment IMG_1540.jpg View attachment IMG_1539.jpg View attachment IMG_1541.jpg View attachment IMG_1535.jpg View attachment IMG_1536.jpg View attachment IMG_1542.jpg View attachment IMG_1547.jpg View attachment IMG_1466.jpg View attachment IMG_1543.jpg

 

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[Agsalmon]

Wow!!!! This is what makes me keep going and keep digging those iron hits because you just never know until you dig it Congratulations on a great hunt! Blown away.

Continued luck and happy hunting!

 

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[smokeythecat]

I have watched a lot of folks detect, and I've got to stop giving away hints here!

 

[McCDig]

Congrats Smokey! You could write a book about that site.

 

[ARC]

Just saw this again... all attachments working now.

STELLAR.

What a dig... and definitely a banner day.

 

[collector01]

im a little late to the party but congrats on all the awesome pieces of are history. the coins are just crazy! one heck of a good site. congrats again. and well deserved. HH

 

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

Holy Smokes! wow!

 

[smokeythecat]

Funny part is this site has been hit for 10-20 years. Dig it all, let God sort it out.

 

[Davers]

Or, perhaps call it a spill. How many coins does it take to make a cache anyway? A friend of mine has a nice colonial site which has been totally hammered for years and years and years. At the end of the year I got a HUGE iron signal on the XP Deus, and decided to go for it and dig it. Well, it was a nearly intact colonial hoe. Now that's something you don't see every day. It was about 15" deep. I noticed some shells and charcoal in the hole, so covered it over and determined to come back and dig some more. I did that a couple weeks ago (I really lose track of time these days). In the hole was a little piece of exquisite yet broken late 17th century Venetian glass. The ground was so muddy, and the cat so out of shape, I recovered that and a couple buttons and called it a day and covered the hole back in and left.

View attachment 1674974 View attachment 1675036 View attachment 1674975 View attachment 1679131 These are finds from then and the piece of glass. View attachment 1675014

Well, the ol' cat was just itching with curiosity as to what was in the hole? There was a lot more metal there, for sure. So my buddy Tommy couldn't go Friday, so I went by myself and started digging the same dirt out...now for the third time. The owner came by and said hi, and the sight of me sitting in what amounted to a mud pit with a newly found piece of the glass had to have him laughing for hours. Well, the first thing out of the hole, didn't want to come out of the hole. I keep prying and banging and banging and prying and finally this big iron thing plopped out of the side and into the bottom.

View attachment 1674976 View attachment 1679132 View attachment 1674978 View attachment 1675020 A side plate with frizzen to an extremely old flintlock gun! Amazing! But Wait! There's more! I found a few buttons, late 17th to early 18th style, and a few tiny buttons (which were not buttons) with no shanks. It's coming, hang in there. The oyster shells were huge. Check it out. View attachment 1674979 View attachment 1675021 View attachment 1675023 View attachment 1674980 That's my HAND holding it! Bigger than my outstretched hand they be!

Then some pipe stems started falling out of the sidewall, along with some ceramics. I was actually looking for the ceramics, and glass, I wasn't expecting much else. View attachment 1674981 View attachment 1675015 View attachment 1675017 View attachment 1674982 Redware, Delftware, stoneware, and a piece to a pancake onion bottle.

View attachment 1675008 View attachment 1675009

View attachment 1674983 View attachment 1675016 At that point I'm excited. I noticed another icky button (not a button) and a grey lead disc pop out, and put them in a pouch. Again, not a lead disc. When I quit, leaving the huge hole open, I started cleaning up stuff.

I had SEVEN HAMMERED COLONIAL COINS, TWO IN SILVER! From one tiny (but huge to me) hole! I had six, then a last one came tumbling out. Including the one, shown below, the old German one, that's EIGHT in 2019.

So Tommy and I went back Saturday (yesterday). The glass and ceramics had disappeared. We started finding "rocks" in a place that should have not had them, and we also detected after we got tired of the hole. Hidden in all my "stuff" were three little square pieces of metal. One was just a square little piece of metal, the second, a late 17th century to early 18th century brass hand made nut and the third - I couldn't believe it! A Spanish 1/2 reale cob! The first one I ever found! Actually these are pretty much firsts of everything.

I got 1 broken buckle, a nice 1575-1700 buckle, and from another spot a couple hundred yards away while just detecting a complete tombac button and broken late 18th century shoe buckle.

OMG! Thank you Lord! If this isn't the best day detecting and digging I have ever had, I do not know what is.

And to boot, one of the rocks looks like a sharpening stone, and the roundish rock I think is an American Indian game ball or other stone. Your comments appreciated. I have a lot more iron, I do not THINK I have the hammer to the gun, but one of those larger pieces looks really odd.

View attachment 1679136 View attachment 1679137 View attachment 1675026 View attachment 1675025 View attachment 1675034 View attachment 1675035 View attachment 1675014 View attachment 1679140 View attachment 1679141

View attachment 1674993 View attachment 1675046


I hope nothing is upside down. Iphones are not picture friendly for me.

The coins again: View attachment 1674996 German 17th Century token or jetton and Charles I Shilling

View attachment 1675001 And since the other one won't load again, Two Charles I rose farthings, one Charles I Sixpence and a 1702-1728 Spanish 1/2 Reale cob, minted in Mexico City. Plus Another copper Charles I something or other.

I can't believe I dug the whole thing. I gave the shilling and token/jetton to Tommy. We only got 1 coin Saturday. Same hole.

SEVEN HAMMERED COINS IN TOTAL, ONE HOLE! View attachment 1675015 View attachment 1675016 View attachment 1675017 View attachment 1675020 View attachment 1675021 View attachment 1675023 View attachment 1675025 View attachment 1675026 View attachment 1675032 View attachment 1675034 View attachment 1675035 View attachment 1675036 View attachment 1675375 View attachment 1675385

SUPER-COOL DIG Y'ALL had there with mocho NICE! Relics . Now that's what it's all about.

 

[Megalodon]

Wow. Don't know how i managed to miss this great thread.

Great finds and congrats on the reward for your persistence. The site sounds like one I used to hunt 30 years ago. Luckily, there are plenty of great sites here in Tidewater. This is my favorite kind of hunting!

 

[Valley Ranger]

An epic hunt. Congratulations on the well-deserved banner!

 

[WG2020]

Nice find and well deserved. I always enjoy reading your detecting stories as they are well written and interesting. Good luck with your hunts. Walt

 

[Lanny in AB]

Congratulations!

Nicely done, and all the best,

Lanny

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Can't really say anything that hasn't already been said, but congrats on the banner finds, hammered coins in the U.S. are almost, almost unheard of and there you go and find over a dozen

 

[smokeythecat]

I am betting on there being more old coins and relics on the site. We have a few weeks left before the planting season starts and I'll bet there are considerably more of the little coins on the property, but when you hear them as squeakers, you're inclined to ignore the signal. Most were very deep, so if (when) we get to the second pit, we'll see if we continue to get more old stuff. We have two absolute locations for pits. It's snowing tomorrow, so maybe this weekend.

 

[Honest Samuel]

That is a very big hole in # One.

 

[Old Pueblo]

Its amazing how those coins ended up in the garbage back then! Some real treasure there for sure! The round stone looks like it was ground down for sure, maybe like an Indian pestle? The square stone thing looks like it could be a broken whetstone.