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Colonial Relic Clean Up..Hunted OUT vs. DEUS 9" Coil

Patriot Relics

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Location
Lowcountry, South Carolina / Richmond, Virginia
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Detector(s) used
CTX-3030, Deus XP II
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Hey guys,

Recently picked up a 9" coil for the XP Deus from Keith at Bedford Detectors on the advice of Brad (OutdoorAdv) after my tried and true colonial homestead went quiet. Not unexpectedly, 2 months of constant gridding on the same iron patch had resulted in diminishing returns, although sifting revealed iron masking of non-ferrous still out of reach of the CTX and DEUS (with 11" coil). Given the recent Luckenbooth brooch and Spanish silvers, we aren't quiet ready to throw in the towel. Admittedly my flying schedule has been nuts, so I'm posting the last 3 hunts as a group.

Given my minelab background, I run the DEUS in full tones with 0 discrimination. The constant iron chatter can be overwhelming, but I find that full tones really lets me get between the iron...and with the smaller coil the finds went way up. First up are a nice pile of buttons that range from the 18th to early 19th century. These 4 all with back marks ranging from double gilt to standard colour

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Also recovered a variety of unmarked tombac and coppers

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Underwear button and late 1800/early 1900 blazer button (naval themed but with typical civilian style iron back)

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Then there were my 2 favorite digs, both close to amazing but no cigar... first up was a small pewter cuff. Any marked pewter gets my heart pounding given the early military potential and this one had the look of a tutor rose...sadly it's 1 petal to many for a British lieutenant and is a civilian flower variety.

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Next up was another heart breaker, but still a nice 35mm dandy button. Fresh out of the ground it had a familiar design to George Washington buttons I had researched in the past.

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After a bit of cleaning, it was clear that inside the inner border was a 6 pointed star rather than the monogrammed GW...strike 2 :BangHead:

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Further investigation and tweaking with the XP led to a nice gilt buckle and partial shoe frame

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On a site this productive, copper coins are always a bonus. Pulled only 2 coins, one of which was my second 1857 FE from the site

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The second copper coin, has at least 1 "A" counter-stamp and has a diameter of 27.5mm. The only clear detail is a large 6 on the edge...a size and font unlike the KG1/2/3s recovered in the past. Any help on ID is greatly appreciated, this coin is driving me nuts.

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Front and Back after cold peroxide

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and a black and white to help with contrast

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Rounding out digs was a small pewter spoon bowl, iron ladle, and furniture hardware

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Still working my way through a gaint pile of ceramics and surface finds, but here are my favorites...and yes it's a piece of colonial pottery with my name on it and is therefore awesome!

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All in all what can I say...the XP rocks on iron. Few more return trips planned, but at this rate I may need to wait for the next software update to squeeze a few more targets from that dirt. Thanks for looking, hopefully check the GW off the bucket list one of these days :laughing7:

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Upvote 70
Looks like the addition of the smaller coil will allow you to pull more nice finds from other previously hunted sites.
 
That just proves that with the right equipment, plenty of experience, and a lot of patience you can work wonders at a pounded, iron-riddled site. Wayda pick thru it Jon ....

Thanks Bill, I'll be revisiting a few ole faithful dig sites over the next couple weeks for sure
 
Great digs Jon. Quit the variety of finds. The gilt on the buckle was really outstanding! Looks like you're gonna have to invest in some more display boxes for all of the buttons!

:icon_thumright:
 
Looks like the addition of the smaller coil will allow you to pull more nice finds from other previously hunted sites.

Hopefully the streak continues, 90% is site selection, but the smaller coil helps pick the remaining meat from the bones
 
Hopefully the streak continues, 90% is site selection, but the smaller coil helps pick the remaining meat from the bones

It took me over 2 years to realize how going smaller is better than bigger in many circumstances.
 
Great digs Jon. Quit the variety of finds. The gilt on the buckle was really outstanding! Looks like you're gonna have to invest in some more display boxes for all of the buttons!

:icon_thumright:

Thanks John, quite a little display for the owners of the property coming together
 
Nice digs! Cant believe we are still digging relics out of this site! Had me going with the GW the other day thought it was going to be one! Congrats on all the great finds! Time to do some sifting!
 
I have a few places that are infested with iron and have hit with the 11" coil, never thought about getting the 9" and taking it through these areas. I'll have to start saving up some money to get the 9" to try out in the trashy areas.
 
Nice digs! Cant believe we are still digging relics out of this site! Had me going with the GW the other day thought it was going to be one! Congrats on all the great finds! Time to do some sifting!

Yea dirt was pretty quiet again, time to sift
 
Great group of digs Jon! I'm really glad you're liking that 9". It is a beast when sifting a section too... I typically use deus fast and my big magnet to sterilize the dirt when sifting. Looking forward to your next post man.
 
Nice digs and cleanup Jon. I bought my Deus mostly for trashy sites so the 9" is all I use. I must say it works great and picks through the iron very well. Then, if a site opens up enough, I'll switch right to the CTX.

I see you're still working on the ID of that copper. I'm betting it's a French, as you know.
 
Killer finds Jon!

WOW man wow.
 
Thanks for an outstanding post.
When digging all targets, including iron targets, it makes sense to use a larger coil. The larger coils usually go deeper and cover more area. I am someone who tends to focus on non ferrous targets.
I use the nine inch coil on the DEUS.
In the past, I have used the smaller coil on the
AT PRO and the E-Trac. Using the smaller coil has always given me an edge when trying to isolate the good targets that are buried alongside iron or trash. If I was hunting a site like yours, I would dig everything regardless of whether it is giving up an iron signal or not.
Congrats on some really nice finds.
 
I have a few places that are infested with iron and have hit with the 11" coil, never thought about getting the 9" and taking it through these areas. I'll have to start saving up some money to get the 9" to try out in the trashy areas.

Highly recommended the 9" great compliment to the 11
 
Great group of digs Jon! I'm really glad you're liking that 9". It is a beast when sifting a section too... I typically use deus fast and my big magnet to sterilize the dirt when sifting. Looking forward to your next post man.

Headed overseas for a few weeks, but you can bet the sifter will be back out in March
 
First of all, what an AWESOME post! Great, clear pics, organized, fun to read. I bet the 35mm Dandy had you really thinking all the way home. Still a beauty as is. Nice assortment of finds, thanks for taking the time to put so much detail in to your post! HH, Mark
 
Nice digs and cleanup Jon. I bought my Deus mostly for trashy sites so the 9" is all I use. I must say it works great and picks through the iron very well. Then, if a site opens up enough, I'll switch right to the CTX.

I see you're still working on the ID of that copper. I'm betting it's a French, as you know.

Yea I flip back and forth between the machines quite a bit, near the coast it's the ctx no question
 
First of all, what an AWESOME post! Great, clear pics, organized, fun to read. I bet the 35mm Dandy had you really thinking all the way home. Still a beauty as is. Nice assortment of finds, thanks for taking the time to put so much detail in to your post! HH, Mark

Thanks Mark, I try and add context to everything I dig. Glad you enjoyed the pictures and narrative
 

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