Greetings all on TN, Needsome help please

[MayheM]

Hello All,
Needless to say this is my first post and I am already asking for help, but from reading an exceptional amount of posts on here I feel this is the best place to ask. You folks are extremely knowledgeable about all this, some like in a "Rain Man" way the questions and answers are so obscure. Anyways try to make this story short and get to my question. My father started metal detecting as far as i could remember, his friend got him hooked. He would tell me stories about how good his friend was and how he made a living doing it. Used to go straight to a refinery to melt the jewelry. He said his friend used to wear a gold chain he found that the links were the size of the links in a motorcycle chain. My father is known to exaggerate so after he told me I turned to my mother for conformation and she just nodded her head yes, he also told me another cool story about how he found a blunderbuss inside a chimney of a foundation. My dad has an old Whites something or other detector that looks like a Geiger counter and still works. Now after browsing the posts on this site to re spark my interest and having time to treasure hunt, I have began cataloging my fathers finds. He worked for the city in NY and had Carte Blanche to where ever he wanted to go especially while land was being excavated and house demolished, so he had very weird assortment of treasures and bottles galore. But sadly most of the stuff had to go once my father retired and my parents moved to Florida Ok so upon opening and old dog license book, I found a bunch of old photos I mean a lot. I don't know the exact number because I didn't want to handle them any further because they easily fall apart. I think they might be historically significant, I am uploading some pics of them, they all have captions of what he picture is written by a typewriter. One is of Eddie Rickenbacker, another with PT Barnum sitting with Thomas Edison. There are many others of czars, queens, princes', ministries of defense etc. and also a lot from the war efforts during WW1 from the Western Newspaper Union . Can anybody tell me who I can contact to find out if there important?, have them restored? or saved? donated? Help please I feel like this is important and it is disintegrating. Also try to enjoy the pictures my blackberry camera doesn't cut it and I know I need to get a new camera so I am not going to post that many pics due to quality, until I get a new camera.

Images 1-4 are some of the pictures and caption about illiterate soldiers being taught to read at camp Travis, Texas "see the boy hit the dog" Again I will post more just don't want to handle these pictures till I get a better camera.

5. Bayonet, US stamped on one side, 1901 stamped on other on base of blade, Looks a lot like the Fort Benning patch. Follow Me!

6-7. Only a fraction of the bottles my father kept before we moved, he would get them by the box full after an old house would get leveled or a lot would be excavated.

9-10. Johnson and Johnson first aid kit dated old though the Iodine bottle is corked. Tourniquet, bandages, and splints still there.

11. wanted posters, hehe, again tons of them, prob worthless but would be fun to post some around town Hehehe

 

[ivan salis]

see if any of the wanted posters have "famous criminals" on them -- they might be worth a few buck if so.

 

[MayheM]

Few coins and jewelry he found as well, plus his old school whites detector. I may repost these finds when I get a good camera.

 

[MayheM]

and the old school Whites, I am pretty sure this thing detects radiation as well

 

[EagleDown]

Hey, that looks a lot like my 2nd detector.

Oh, by the way, welcome to Tnet.

Eagle

 

[Tigger]

If you want to donate, I would suggest the Florida Museum of History in Tallahassee, or UF has an archives. Wherever you are in Florida probably has a local museum that could put you in touch with someone. If the photos are stuck together, don't try to pry apart, let an archivist do that. An archives or museum would probably love the wanted posters, even if they're not famous people, it's something that just didn't get saved much.

If you take more pix of the bottles and post them in the bottles part of TNet, they can tell you which ones are valuable, etc. Read some of the old posts there for ideas.

Cool stuff! Does your dad's detector still work? You could go find some more neat things of your own!
Tigger

 

[chark21798]

Welcome to tnet, Thats a 6000d I loved that machine that was my second machine too Daytona was first. That whites i remember swinging that baby, the faster u swung the deeper it went.. HH Mark

 

[MayheM]

see if any of the wanted posters have "famous criminals" on them -- they might be worth a few buck if so.

Unfortunately just your run of the mill neighborhood toughs, but still cool to look at.

Hey, that looks a lot like my 2nd detector.

Oh, by the way, welcome to Tnet.

Eagle

Thanks

If you want to donate, I would suggest the Florida Museum of History in Tallahassee, or UF has an archives. Wherever you are in Florida probably has a local museum that could put you in touch with someone. If the photos are stuck together, don't try to pry apart, let an archivist do that. An archives or museum would probably love the wanted posters, even if they're not famous people, it's something that just didn't get saved much.

If you take more pix of the bottles and post them in the bottles part of TNet, they can tell you which ones are valuable, etc. Read some of the old posts there for ideas.

Cool stuff! Does your dad's detector still work? You could go find some more neat things of your own!
Tigger

Definitely give them a call, they could point me in the right direction I hope if they don't want them. Thank you for the suggestion! When I was browsing the site they have contact information specifically for a curator dealing with military history and artifacts, so I will shoot him an e-mail. I will keep posting updates and better pictures.. just waiting on a new camera
As for the bottles my father loves them and would bring them home by the trunk full, drove my mother bananas with bottles all over the house, he would pay me to clean them in the garage while he was at work but unfortunately had to get rid of them during the move to Florida. His detector still works and like new too, just had to replace the charger, only because the old one had electrical tape wrapped up and down the wire from past fixes from past pet cats. I bought my own detector his seems like you need a Masters degree to operate

Welcome to tnet, Thats a 6000d I loved that machine that was my second machine too Daytona was first. That whites i remember swinging that baby, the faster u swung the deeper it went.. HH Mark

Thanks yeah my father tried to explain to me how everything worked, but even he was kinda hazy after not detecting for years, but i do remember him saying the good stuff sounded like a tiny buzz like a gnat or a tiny scratch.

 

[KyFreeBird]

!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your father scored some great finds !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Especially the class rings !!!!!!!!!!

 

[NOLA_Ken]

That old Whites machine is cool, my mom had one like that and it was the first real detector I ever used long ago. Seems like you'd have to hit gold every time just to keep the thing in batteries now though

 

[Charlene]

Welcome to TNet Mayhem. Looks like your father was skilled with that machine. They worked, the proof is in your treasure trove. You have many options ahead of you along with alot of decisions.
I'm to sentimental, I'd keep it all lol, just 'cause it was Dads

 

[MayheM]

!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your father scored some great finds !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Especially the class rings !!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I would have liked to try to find the owner for the Fordham ring but unfortunately I think my pops would crucify me He is like Golem from Lord of the Rings when it comes to his metal detecting finds.

That old Whites machine is cool, my mom had one like that and it was the first real detector I ever used long ago. Seems like you'd have to hit gold every time just to keep the thing in batteries now though

Still works great actually! One day I might be able to out hunt him, who knows

Welcome to TNet Mayhem. Looks like your father was skilled with that machine. They worked, the proof is in your treasure trove. You have many options ahead of you along with alot of decisions.
I'm to sentimental, I'd keep it all lol, just 'cause it was Dads

Thanks I am gonna keep the coins and bottles.. but the photos and police ledgers were found in the trash, they are harder to keep in good condition and it's breaking my heart watching the photos crumble away. So being very partial to museums I am going to donate them, Tigger gave me a suggestion of a museum in Tallahassee and I am currently in contact with a curator. Gonna post the updates of any progress.

If you want to donate, I would suggest the Florida Museum of History in Tallahassee, or UF has an archives. Wherever you are in Florida probably has a local museum that could put you in touch with someone. If the photos are stuck together, don't try to pry apart, let an archivist do that. An archives or museum would probably love the wanted posters, even if they're not famous people, it's something that just didn't get saved much.

If you take more pix of the bottles and post them in the bottles part of TNet, they can tell you which ones are valuable, etc. Read some of the old posts there for ideas.

Cool stuff! Does your dad's detector still work? You could go find some more neat things of your own!
Tigger

Done and Done contacted someone, but it is the Museum of Florida History so he is gonna get the ball rolling for me hopefully. Here is his e-mail back to me

"Your email includes a wide variety of material. In recent years the Museum of Florida History has become much more selective in the historical artifacts we accept. We focus on items specifically useful in interpreting Florida history that we believe will be useful in future exhibits. The photos you included were quite helpful, however, none of the material that you listed in your email appears to fit our needs. Your US bayonet dated 1901 is most probably a bayonet for a US Krag bolt-action rifle. The Museum as a Krag rifle from the mid-1890s, but we would be looking for a Krag bayonet dated before 1898, so it might be interpreted as one that could have been used with the rifle in the Spanish-American War of 1898.



Thank you very much for thinking of the Museum. I understand your interest in seeing your historical material preserved, and I will gather web-links for you to museums that you can contact that I think may be interested in selected pieces.

Sincerely,
Senior Curator
Museum of Florida history"

I took out his name because I m not sure about the rules with posting people info

Will be posting updates and taking better pictures though as soon as i get a good camera, just have to get off my lazy butt

 

[ivan salis]

tell mr museum fellow that the spanish american war ran thru 1901 * thus the bayonet would be "spanish american war era" duh

 

[Troyounce]

Your Dad must of had a lot of great times hunting that stuff! Very Nice!

 

[MayheM]

tell mr museum fellow that the spanish american war ran thru 1901 * thus the bayonet would be "spanish american war era" duh

I just googled it, It did! Is this guy just blowing me off then? Or maybe they are just so particular they want a bayonet issued the same year as the rifle?? Because he said they have a rifle from the mid 1890s and there looking for one before 1898, I have no clue but now I want to e-mail him again and ask.

Your Dad must of had a lot of great times hunting that stuff! Very Nice!

Yup he would come home with the biggest crap eating grin with lots of awesome stuff he would find whether it be MDing or trash diving.. or just days at work where he would be supervising an excavation and a back hoe or front end loader just unearthed a ton of bottles.

 

[Tigger]

I don't think he's blowing you off. I think he's just trying to find the right fit, both for your items to the right museum, and the right bayonet for his rifle. Museums have tight budgets, and space, and it makes sense for them to recommend other places if they want to pass on it. No reflection on your items, just trying to find the right places for them. (I took a class once in museum studies, and have volunteered with them in the way distant past, have seen the space constraints they have.)

By the way, did you check out the bottle forum? They have some guys that have showed how they showcase their finds, cabinets and such, might give you some ideas how to make your dad's collection welcome in the living room! Or help to ID the ones you have, even if you keep them, it's neat to know their back story.
Tigger

 

[Tnmountains]

Neat post. How fun to enjoy the same things all over again like your Father. It's the little kid in all of us that makes finding treasures so much fun.
Now fire up that detector and see what you can add to the collection you have

 

[MayheM]

I don't think he's blowing you off. I think he's just trying to find the right fit, both for your items to the right museum, and the right bayonet for his rifle. Museums have tight budgets, and space, and it makes sense for them to recommend other places if they want to pass on it. No reflection on your items, just trying to find the right places for them. (I took a class once in museum studies, and have volunteered with them in the way distant past, have seen the space constraints they have.)

By the way, did you check out the bottle forum? They have some guys that have showed how they showcase their finds, cabinets and such, might give you some ideas how to make your dad's collection welcome in the living room! Or help to ID the ones you have, even if you keep them, it's neat to know their back story.
Tigger

Totally checked out the bottle forum, its great! Great collections! Unfortunately my mother limited his collection to only one shelf after they moved. Bottles used to be all over there house in NY and drove my mother nuts I plan on taking more pictures to post on the bottle part of the forum, also of the coins he found MDing. Just got to get a new camera this week hopefully The bottles I am keeping, its the photos and old ledgers that is difficult to maintain I am donating. The pages are just crumbling away