Dug My Oldest Coin in 20 Years Today--272 Years Old!

[BuckleBoy]

Hello All,


My apologies to all for the late night post. Close to 20 hours of the last 48 have been spent detecting. But true to form, here's a great story and some fantastic finds. First off, something to listen to while you look at the post.



I got up yesterday morning and met Shanegalanag and hit the cane fields.





We knew that the fountain of Spanish Silver coming from our Colonial site would not last forever, so we decided to track down another spot in the morning. So we hit an old plantation property we have permission for hoping to find some goodies. We split up and walked the cane fields searching for the Big House and any other structures on that vast farm. Eventually we ran across the row of tenant houses. We were hoping that there might be some mid-to-late 1800s finds underneath the modern crappe, but after I dug the 4th wheat cent I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. Here's Shane with one of his wheats and a cheesy grin. Massive fields out behind him. We had rough gridded the fields for hours with little to show but farmer-dropped coins. You do that much wandering around, and you get happy just to find a site.





After picking up a few marbles and digging some aluminum crappe I was ready to go and leave these for another day--or another decade. So we decided to spend our last two hours of daylight back at the Spanish Silver Field of Dreams. We got started and immediately were digging flat buttons. It was like coming home to a warm freshly baked pie.

After digging a few buttons, I got a nice can slaw signal and opened up a hole. The silty mud in the bottom of the hole was dense, and I took out a nice chunk, separating it in half and in half again until I had a small clod in my hand. I broke it in half once more, and saw a tiny silver coin staring me in the face.








I knew immediately that it was another half real. This is the SIXTH Spanish silver from the site. The plow had done its work on this one, bending it into a Colonial Taco. I put the coin in my pouch without investigating the date or type and kept swinging.

Feeling the confidence that only someone with a spanish silver in their pocket can feel, I left Shane to clean up the scraps and headed towards a spot in the field that I had eyeballed a pipe stem or two on a previous hunt. I started right in gridding, digging can slaw and pieces of old melted lead. After a couple flat buttons came up, I was feeling much better about my choice. Then in the bottom of a cane row I got a great signal. When I picked up the button, I couldn't believe it. A Second War of 1812 Artillery button!





It's pretty beaten up by the fertilizer and the plow, but I'll take it gladly.

Darkness was falling, and after digging a few more targets we called it a day. When I got home, I investigated my finds, and to my surprise the half real was a pillars type rather than the usual bust type. I was thrilled to see the date of 1740, which makes this my oldest coin dug in 20 years of detecting.

Somehow I managed to get to sleep after that rush, then met up with Shane again before dawn to drive to the site by first light. Bolstered by my success with the 1740 Half Real the day before, we headed back to the Field of Dreams. We dug a few more buttons, and I got a Jew's Harp. The field was starting to thin out a good bit, and we were having to work hard for each target. By noon we decided to take a lunch break.

During a fantastic Cajun Lunch, we discussed our plans, and decided to take a drive to another property and look for an early house. When we got out on that massive property, we drove a while, hoping to eyeball some brick, pottery, or oyster shells, then when that failed we got out in the field and started swinging. We rough-gridded some of the field, and found a site. After I eyeballed a large marble, and Shane dug an old brass skeleton key, we knew it was late 1800s. I dug a V nickel, and a Catholic medallion. (I was actually angry that the nickel was a nickel and not a flat button.) We piddled around for a while, then decided to spend the rest of our time back at the Field of Dreams again. :P

When we got out there, we decided to tightly grid a section that we had never done before. We picked up a few more flat buttons, more pipe stems, and some pottery shards.

We pause our regularly scheduled Canefield Bandits program to bring you a game called "Find the Colonial Clay Pipe Stem in the Sugar Cane Stubble."





Let me give you a hint. Those little things are hard to see!





Now back to the story... On the next cane row I dug a nice octagonal plantation token. Then I got a great hit that I was sure would be a copper. When I flipped the soil over, I saw the flash of silver and thought 8Reales--





--but it was a Walking Liberty Half. My last Walker was dug in the 90s (although I have dug Seated Halves since), but that big silver is always a welcome sight.








I took ten steps and got another great signal, and dug this:





An 1892 Barber Dime. Thank you, Farmers, for dropping some goodies for us to find. Later on I dug a Buffalo Nickel in the middle of the field, and thanked the farmers again. I didn't mind digging some coins today of types that I haven't dug in years.


Here are my finds from the two days of detecting. Shane will either post his, or I'll add them to this post later on.

First off, I have to show you the Gaw Gag. Pack studs and pocketwatch parts (Gaw), Wheat pennies (Gag!), melted old lead, mardi gras doubloon 8), etc.:




MORE PHOTOS OF FINDS BELOW!!!

 

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[cellar dweller]

great post!!and a great read!! not to mention great finds!! thanks for sharing.

 

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[JOE-DIRTDIGGER]

great finds

 

[oldsalty19]

 

[RFrady]

An awesome, well-written post. What an amazing bunch of finds. Looking forward to the next post.

 

[Breezie]

Great hunt Buckles! Way to go on your coin as well as all your other goodies. Breezie

 

[Wallhangers]

Killer spot you have there, I would take a colonial taco any day!

 

[BuckleBoy]

Awesome finds. Congrats on your oldest silver and I hope you find older silver next week.
Congrats
Dman

That will be a tall order, but I am going to do my best.

Congratulations on the Pillar Reale and the Early Artillery button; a very solid day in anybody's book

For sure. Glad it happened exactly the way it did.

The Gumbo Gang strikes again!!!

Will,
Congrats on your oldest coin in 20 years. 1740 is no spring chicken. As I was reading your post, picture after picture it just kept getting better. Spanish taco silver, large silver, buttons, and a token - FANTASTIC recoveries out there in the field of dreams Guys. It was great talking to you the other night. Sorry I couldn't get your call last night as I was out with family for my birthday, and had consumed two high octane margaritas by that point.
Great post!

-Dug-

The Gumbo Gang. That's great! If we hadn't already thought up a name, I'd steal that one. Hope you had a great birthday. It looks like those margaritas were strong, if that tortilla was any sign. We'll catch up soon, my friend.

O.K.,first off,awesome choice of music!!!Thanks for that,I listened and looked twice!
Second top rate post,and of course fantastic finds.I could feel the feelings you were experiencing all the way,as I have felt the same way.....trying to branch out from a productive site,and have it pulling at you from the back of your mind,digging "non-period",targets,even though they are coins.Man,I can really relate to digging big silver ina period camp with Spanish on the brain only for it to be much later!!!Shoot I am getting so bad,a non period Seated is almost a let down,I know that aint right,but ..... That Transfer ware is always a huge indicator for good things to come while scouting....always a sign of "earlyness"

It's great to hear from you, Kuger. You know, sometimes I think our brains are both our worst enemies and our best friends while detecting. All those times I think "maybe I should be over there, or on that next row," or "maybe I missed something because I didn't stick the searchcoil in those briars." With the running dialogue in my head while I dig, it is a wonder that I actually find anything. It's funny that you mention the late Seateds. When I dug that 1892 dime I can remember thinking something like this: "That's the first year of the Barbers...well, if it was a year earlier it would've been a seated...but that'd be a late seated, and I would much rather find an early one...well, it's ok that it's a barber...I don't ever dig many of those."

Buck,

I knew it was a matter of time before the real early coins started popping! The Louisiana fields have soooooo much stuff waiting for the Cane Field Bandits! It is going to be enjoyable to watch your mouths drop when you guys hit on more Colonial parcels loaded with pouch goodies!

Kyle

Kyle, are you as fired up as I am?! I have got the PASSION big time! We will track down some more early sites. It's just a matter of time. We are going to hunt the antebellum stuff, pick at the post-CW stuff, and leave the early 20th c. stuff for the next guy.

I read a source that listed my plantation token is an R-9 (2-4 known), but with no photo ID of the token I need to confirm with an expert before I announce that officially in an update at the top of the post. Now granted that's not the same type of rarity system as the coin world, so an R-9 token would not be worth much, but it definitely improves the "cool factor" of the piece. And it is a piece of history specific to this state, and this area.

 

[Deno]

Congratulations on your oldest coin and the button, the Walker ain't bad either.

Those cane fields look hard to hunt.

Good hunting to both of you.

 

[tennessee digger]

Wow. One of the best post ever and great pictures. I felt like I was hunting with you! Tennessee digger

 

[johnnyblaze]

Sweeeet

What more could you ask for

Big modern silver

Historic war button

Colonial spanish silver

And the rest of the cake


Blaze

 

[Missouri_John]

That's quite an interesting array of finds there

 

[Joe88]

Very NICE!!


Joe

 

[thrillathahunt]

Positively without a doubt your best find was that plantation token! $$$

 

[Goldirocks]

Holy Moley! That is sure one heck of a hunt. Just to see all that silver and great finds is something else! Congrats on your oldest coin yet and I am sure there are more out there for you to find.

 

[shanegalang]

I vote banner for the pack stud that's in the ash tray in the picture!! Get ready, tomorrow is my day..........Shane

 

[BuckleBoy]

Awesome adventure . I think your field of spanish goodness will be remembered after the last piece of silver has been found but I am sure that place will still be huntable for many years.

For sure it will be long remembered. And I think you're right. Every time it is plowed there is a chance for more. The relic and coin spread on the site is immense, and it will be almost impossible to find every keeper. But now we must focus on finding a new site that is the right age.

Big congrats Buck on that oldest silver! Now I am going to have to set my goals even higher! Never thought I would be disappointed digging a 1918 wheat cent I was actually happiest with the brass skeleton key. The shoe buckle pieces are cool as well as the flat button with silver still on it.
Anxious to get back down there and check out the new sites.
went back and listened to the Cajun track, had to get my Taylor out and pick along. Brings back many memories of growing up, co chon delaits, sitting in with my dads bands and just passing a good ole coonass time!!

Is the shoe buckle piece you dug the same style as the last one you found? Inquiring minds want to know! I wish I could find more of the cool one I dug the first day. That brass key is a great find. I have a small box of brass keys--only maybe 5 or 6 complete ones I've dug over the years. I don't think you saw the brass key box when you were here.

Congrats on an oldie

It is funny to hear you say that about a 1740 coin. BUT, the redeeming factor is that I know you're hunting for a Spanish silver too. This will be your year, my friend.

Congratulations on your oldest coin and the button, the Walker ain't bad either.

Those cane fields look hard to hunt.

Good hunting to both of you.

They are a pain in the A$$. Whiskey or Ibuprofen needed after each hunt. Thanks for the well-wishes.

Wow. One of the best post ever and great pictures. I felt like I was hunting with you! Tennessee digger

TD,

I write posts in the same style that I most enjoy reading. When I see a Tnet post, I want to be there seeing what folks are talking about while I read. It's this "online magazine" style that really gets my blood pumping. Good photos and a great read too. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

Sweeeet

What more could you ask for

Big modern silver

Historic war button

Colonial spanish silver

And the rest of the cake


Blaze

Blaze, I have nothing to add. You've hit the nail on the head. Thanks for the reply.

Holy Moley! That is sure one heck of a hunt. Just to see all that silver and great finds is something else! Congrats on your oldest coin yet and I am sure there are more out there for you to find.

I was very pleased with the way the weekend went. Wish they could all be that way. 8)

I vote banner for the pack stud that's in the ash tray in the picture!! Get ready, tomorrow is my day..........Shane

Yes. Banner on the pack stud.

By the way, about tomorrow... we'll see about that. I'm bringing the 1266 again, and it's hungry for old silver and military buttons. I'm looking forward to it.




Thanks to everyone for their replies.



Cheers,


Buck

 

[wvdigginduck]

Nice! Maybe some day, I can break into 1700's. congrats. wvdigginduck

 

[steelheadwill]

Great Story and Finds

Big congrats on the Old and New Silvers!

Your Eagle & Cannon is in better shape than most I've found
Best wishes & HH

 

[Michaeldoc]

Buckleboy,

First, may I commend you on your very good writing ability! Many times I cringe at the sloppy English seen on sites like this which makes reading a chore. Your recounting of your finds reads like a good novel and the pics are super too. A real joy to follow your adventures and those of your partner.

Second, your finds are second to none in my book. I don't put as much time into the hunt as the both of you, but you do it right by gridding, research and asking for permission. Good stewards of the hobby. May I ask which state you do your hunting? I live in SC as my profile indicates. Where do you do most of your hunting? I don't need to know the town. Also, do you do much detail map work like Google Maps and Earth coupled with archival map works, etc. or is it just talking to old timers.

Would like to hear from you some time. Which detector do you use for the hunts depicted in this post?

Thanks,

Michael

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Great finds as usual BB. If you're interested in straightening out that reale you can use the hot oil method. Just heat up some vegetable oil in a shallow pan and drop the coin in for a couple minutes. Remove it with tweezers and immediately roll it out with a wooden rolling pin, or use a rubber mallet to pound it flat. Just don't start a kitchen fire like I did. Or you just may want to leave as is depending on your preference. Either way - great find! Love that early button too.