Got in a little hunt before the snow and cold

[Bill D. (VA)]

Got an invite from my friend Joey to hit a new site he had researched and gotten permission for back in the fall. The fields were expansive, and the best spot seemed to be a nice knoll in a cut peanut field where bare dirt was showing which is always nice. We both dug a few buttons and musketballs along with a barrel tap before moving on to other parts of the property. Joey eventually stumbled across a little brick and iron in an unsuspecting spot so we slowed down to give it a good look. There were quite a few signals and most targets were of a colonial nature. I started out with a nice piece from a 1600s trapezoidal buckle, and then we both dug a few more buttons and tacks. I also heard a very high, deep tone which really had me excited for a bit. It turned out to be a huge trade weight with some unidentifiable markings. I've dug a few of these before of various sizes, and all had the British crown mark. Not sure that's what I see here, but that's OK as I was happy with the find none-the-less. I think it probably dates to c1800 give or take a few years. We had to abandon our hunt by mid-afternoon due to the arctic air and impending snow getting ready to move in. But I'm sure we left behind a bunch more goodies which I hope we can get back to recover at a later date. But for now its back to research time with the snow cover and single digit temps.

 

[CASPER-2]

 

[Valley Ranger]

Wow, that's a HUGE weight. I've never seen one that big before.

 

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

promising finds! single digits up here too! not gettin out this weekend too damn cold!

 

[Zodiacdiverdave]

Those are masive weights Bill, I dug one up like that but it was about the quarter size of your small one, still really nice artifact and fairly rare too. Looks like it might be a promising site looking forward to your next hunt there.
Do you get snow in VA every year or just occasionally?
ZDD

 

[CRUSADER]

Thanks a bunch Cru. I've added a couple better pics showing the marks. Looks like a sword/dagger for sure, and maybe an "A" to the right of it. And maybe some kind of mark to the left as well. By the way, what's a "ewer" and how old is that mark?

View attachment 935249

View attachment 935250

A Ewer is the bottom mark on its own - (often used to carry water) it's a pitcher/jug with a spout.

The Ewer was a London mark from 1590-1826.

Believe it or not the right hand mark does look like an A & the left hand mark next to the sword is actually the crown G, just poorly done.

Therefore, this one dates to Geo I 1714-27. This surprised me a little because it looks so similar to my Geo III + IV examples.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Those are masive weights Bill, I dug one up like that but it was about the quarter size of your small one, still really nice artifact and fairly rare too. Looks like it might be a promising site looking forward to your next hunt there.
Do you get snow in VA every year or just occasionally?
ZDD

Dave - the climatological average snowfall for this area is only about 5-10 inches, but many winters go by with none and some without the temp ever getting below 20F. This year we've only had about 2-3", but the unusual cold has been a problem (it was 6F the other morning). Frozen ground is relatively rare around here, but that's not been the case recently. I'd love to see a big one every once in a while, but no way could I deal with what you guys have to put up with. Hope spring comes early for you guys.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

A Ewer is the bottom mark on its own - (often used to carry water) it's a pitcher/jug with a spout.

The Ewer was a London mark from 1590-1826.

Believe it or not the right hand mark does look like an A & the left hand mark next to the sword is actually the crown G, just poorly done.

Therefore, this one dates to Geo I 1714-27. This surprised me a little because it looks so similar to my Geo III + IV examples.

Great info Cru! I'll see if some additional cleaning will allow more detail to show up on that crown G mark. The earlier date for the weight makes sense as some of the finds that came from this spot were 17th century. Thanks again for your expertise.