Colonial site produces 1600s apostle spoon handle + 18th century bullion weight

[Bill D. (VA)]

It was back again to our pounded 1600s site for the 3rd hunt in a row, and this time we brought along Dan's father (John) and our friend Joey. We got a late start (early afternoon), and were originally hindered by some light rain but things cleared out nicely and we ended the day with gorgeous fall-like weather. The finds weren't quite as abundant as on previous hunts, but fortunately I made a couple of nice finds to save the day. No coins this time, but one of the first targets I recovered was a surprise when I suddenly was standing there holding an early 17th century apostle spoon handle, similar to the one Dan dug a few hunts back in another part of the same property. It's the 2nd one of these I've dug, and this one is in far better shape than the pewter example I found a few years ago. I've included some additional info on these unique spoons at the end of this post for those interested. Also, near the end of the hunt I was able to pull out a nice example of a 1700s bullion weight of 5 pennyweight denomination. It was marked on both sides with 5 stamped dots (or annulets) along with a lions mark (representing London). These are not rare by any means, but cool finds none-the-less. Some other coin weights I've found dating from the late 1500s through the Victorian era are pictured below as well. Other than those 2 finds I managed just a few buttons and some other doo-dads from the 1600s thru the 1800s. It was certainly another enjoyable hunt, but it's getting time to move on and find us a fresh new site.

I did a little comparison with my apostle spoon handle and Dan's to see how they compared (see last pic below). These spoons first came into use in the 1500s, and were often produced in sets of 13 - one representing the image of Jesus and the others for the 12 apostles. Each of the spoons for the 12 apostles apparently used a slightly different design as described below:

The Master (Jesus) – typically with a cross and orb
Peter – typically a sword, key, or fish
Andrew – typically a cross
James the Greater – typically a pilgrim’s staff
John – typically the cup of sorrow
Philip – typically a staff
Bartholomew – typically a knife
Thomas – typically a spar
Matthew – typically an axe or halbert
James the Lesser – typically a fuller’s bat
Jude – typically a carpenter’[s set square
Simon Zealotes – typically a long saw
Judas Iscariot – typically a bag of money

I've been trying to see if I can determine which one(s) that our spoon handles match up with, but it's very difficult to determine what I'm seeing on them. I can't even tell if the one Dan has the same design as mine, although it does appear to be slightly different. If anyone thinks they can pick out enough detail to ID either of our handles please don't be afraid to throw out your opinion.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Congrats on digging all those nice artifacts. I am still looking for a field that produces quality finds here in ohio.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Nice goodies! Congrats!

 

[Silver Tree Chaser]

Bill - I'm late on giving my compliments on your latest and greatest finds, but at least I'll get you back on page one for a little while. The apostle spoon is awesome, and the trade weight is impressive as well. I have no expectation of finding such early pieces even though I'm in southern New England. I'm glade to see your steady roll-out of fantastic fall finds. You and Dan seem to be making discoveries in tandem.

 

[metalev4]

The patina on that weight is perfect. Nice digs Bill, glad you walked over some nice early finds.

 

[Steve in PA]

I'm loving your weight collection Bill