Last weekend the stars finally aligned and I was able to venture out to one of my remote relic sites with my brother and a couple of friends. This site has seen diggers since the 50s, so the easy targets have vanished into collections, however trash pits abound if you know what to look for. I ended up locating 2 different pits both with a nice ash layer, hundreds of square nails, bones, broken glass and a cool assortment of relics mixed in. A broken pipe bowl (reconstructed) and the bottom of an early wine thrown out by a gopher helped me locate the first pit. I love non-metallic relics (especially glass) which has turned me into a sifting fanatic over the last 6 years. With the sifter you know that if it was there you found it. Some of the memorable moments included one shovelful of dirt containing 3 GS eagle coat buttons, indicating that at least a portion of a uniform was burned in that spot. Both of the sewn on components of the epaulette arrangement were within a few feet, likely from the same coat. Sifting in heavy iron, you never know what will turn up and I was shocked when a coin shaped object appeared. After some dry brushing an Apothecaries One Dram Weight was revealed with a British Crown. The patina is absolutely stunning for 150 years in the dirt. These weights were used to measure powder, pills, and liquid medicine for dosing purposes on a small scale. Although not rare on the internet, this artifact had an incredible journey by ship and wagon and is rarely seen dug. Other unique finds included the sole of a Brogan Shoe, open pontiled perfume bottle, friction primer, 1855 dated suspender buckle, squeeze box reeds and of course a couple of mystery brass finds. Although I didn't do much detecting on this adventure, I did locate a large 12lb Borman Frag on a nearby hill which definitely deserves more attention in the future. Due to the dry nature of the soil the Iron comes out perfect, no pitting or damage. To cap off the hunt we located a small Indian Camp and eyeballed some arrowheads. Overall a great time, with quality company and decent relics. Thanks for looking and if you have any ideas as to the identity of the 2 brass relics, it would be much appreciated.
-Ev
-Ev
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