Colonial Digging

[The Patriot]

Well made it out on Sunday, was a frosty morning with hunthicks and another local detectorist to hit site that has been good to me with targets coming out less and less everytime there. Typical finds of course were crusty, musketballs, crotal bell (size no 1), buckles and a nice designed Tombac button. I then dug a crusty Geo III coin and about a foot from that I dug this colonial balance scale weight. This is only my second one and rang loud and true on my Explorer, I could see after digging it how one would think it was off something modern but looking at the marking and finding one several years ago I knew what I had. The picture of the black and white one is a better looking example.
Most of the day after that was spent securing future hunts in a new area with the farmer pointing out more colonial cellar holes and history lessons of the area....

 

[treblehunter]

Nice finds, sounds like you have some more good ones coming up.

 

[pepperj]

Nice! The button is a nice keeper, but the weight is the cream of the hunt any day! It's sure in nice shape and the marks are sure sharp still, congrats on the keeper.

 

[Zodiacdiverdave]

Fantastic hunt Patriot, that trade weight and Dandy are awesome. Congrats.

 

[Hunthicks]

It was a good day out, some neat finds, and lots more permission secured for next weekend(or spring!) I think that little site we hit had some older stuff around, thinking the coin I got there was french!

 

[romeo-1]

Nice finds...a scale weight is pretty high on my list!

 

[The Patriot]

No can't see anything on the spoon but a neat design on the handle...

Patriot
Thats one good hunt ,love the Tombac....buttons and Colonial eating utensils are some of my favorites to dig...any markings on the spoon ?
Gary

 

[CRUSADER]

I had theses references for trade weight marks :



If theses are good that would make the one the OP found a George I era (1714-1726) (but I could be wrong)

Simon

Those are good:

I was IDing the wrong photo. I thought it looked in great condition.

 

[Iron Patch]

Great going!

i haven't seen one if those weights in a very long time, I like them!

good to hear you got new sites ready and waiting

Yep, only think I have one and it was dug forever ago. Really strange because they're not expensive items to buy, but clearly they held on pretty tight back in the day.

 

[robfinds]

Nice find, that's a very big weight

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Love those trade weights. I've dug 3 of them, the last being found this past winter. The marks are cool too, especially the ewer (looks like a coffee pot).

 

[robfinds]

Wow never seen trade weights as big as those. Think I may be suffering from trade weight envy !!!

 

[The Patriot]

Now they are honkers! thanks for sharing..

Love those trade weights. I've dug 3 of them, the last being found this past winter. The marks are cool too, especially the ewer (looks like a coffee pot).

View attachment 1093475

 

[The Patriot]

I found and took a picture of the one I found a few years back…lots more details on that one…but not as old as the crusty one..

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Very cool, do you know what the symbols all mean ? just curious.

Very nice tombac too. I like those as don't have many decorated ones.
Just a bonus to be getting out at all this time of year.

 

[Mathurin]

Very cool, do you know what the symbols all mean ? just curious.
.

- The A mark is for the french (or florence) weight system avoirdupoids (ie. 16 onces in a pound)
- The Sword/dagger is for the city of London
- The Royal Cypher with a letter under it is for the King at the time (G = George, W = william, A= Anne etc...)
- The ewer is an assayer's mark I believe. some time with a date after it.

the position of the symbols also indicate which George we are talking about :

George I - - crowned G at 11 o'clock- sword at 12 o'clock - A at 1 o'clock - ewer at 6 o'clock.
George II -- crowned G at 9 o'clock - sword at 12 o'clock - A at 3 o'clock - ewer at 6 o'clock.
George III - crowned G at 3 o'clock - sword at 12 o'clock - A at 9 o'clock - ewer at 6 o'clock.

so the OP has two nice pieces of history, one from George I era (1714-1727) and one from George III's era (1760-1820)

 

[joeyfresh]

I don't know how I overlooked this one! Great finds and I love seeing those old trade weights.