Last Hunt at the Old Site

[ANTIQUARIAN]

I was travelling for work all week, so I drove by this site on my way home on Friday afternoon and noticed they hadn’t started to grade yet. This site is slated for new home construction to start any day now. So, on Saturday morning I decided to make one last visit to this site. My first find was the flagpole tip, then the small cuff button, followed by the 1837 Lower Canada Halfpenny One Sou Bank Token. I also found a sash buckle fragment, a severely damaged thimble and some pewter cutlery pieces.

The first pic is how the site looked in 2018 after the Arkies left. The overgrown area circled in red is where the house was located.
Yesterday I was mainly hunting in cut corn stalks and mud.

Obverse: Canadian Habitant standing in traditional winter costume.
Script: Latin
Lettering: PROVINCE DU BAS CANADA UN SOU
Engraver: John Shaw
Reverse: Arms of the City of Montreal with the name of the participating bank on the ribbon.
Script: Latin

Thanks for looking,
Dave

 

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[Squirrel322]

How did you clean that coin? it looks great!

Nice finds!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

How did you clean that coin? it looks great!

Nice finds!

Thanks for your post Squirrel.
I use a fine brass wire wheel on a bench-mounted polisher, then a coat of Conservator's Wax.

I'm aware some folks prefer to leave these as they come out of the ground and I can appreciate that. When the verdigris is intact and looks great, I won't restore the relic or coin. I've also found that once the metal is exposed to the air, the metal will naturally darken down.

 

[Gare]

Nice finds :_) Nice job on cleaning the coin up Thanks for explaining how you cleaned up !1 dO YOU HAVE picture of your fine brash wire tool and what drives it ?

 

[creskol]

Nice batch of goodies. I am pretty sure that the flagpole tip is actually an acorn tip off of either a neck yoke or singletree.

 

[Bamasteve]

Nice finds

 

[NorILdigcollector]

Those are some great finds. It's too bad the site is getting bulldozed. I found a cap just like yours a couple months ago at an 1830s farm site.

 

[Kona Koma]

I was travelling for work all week, so I drove by this site on my way home on Friday afternoon and noticed they hadn’t started to grade yet. This site is slated for new home construction to start any day now. So, on Saturday morning I decided to make one last visit to this site. My first find was the flagpole tip, then the small cuff button, followed by the 1837 Lower Canada Halfpenny One Sou Bank Token. I also found a sash buckle fragment, a severely damaged thimble and some pewter cutlery pieces.

The first pic is how the site looked in 2018 after the Arkies left. The overgrown area circled in red is where the house was located.
Yesterday I was mainly hunting in cut corn stalks and mud.

Obverse: Canadian Habitant standing in traditional winter costume.
Script: Latin
Lettering: PROVINCE DU BAS CANADA UN SOU
Engraver: John Shaw
Reverse: Arms of the City of Montreal with the name of the participating bank on the ribbon.
Script: Latin

Thanks for looking,
Dave

View attachment 2082377 View attachment 2082378 View attachment 2082379 View attachment 2082380 View attachment 2082381 View attachment 2082382 View attachment 2082383 View attachment 2082384 View attachment 2082385

Really nice finds. Good job.

 

[scruggs]

Very nice finds you made!

 

[ticndig]

I love the bank token and the clean up restoration.

 

[plehbah2]

I empathize with losing a special hunting spot. I live in one of the states where the development never seems to end, and I have seen 100s of neat areas lost. I even moved to a ghost town in the mountains to get away and damned if they didn't start developing it too. It's hard, but I have learned that part of having something worthwhile means that it's going to hurt when it goes away. Hunting spots, pets, people, etc. A couple of my spots were so precious and sacred to me that I actually sat in an arroyo with tears coming down my ugly dusty face when I saw the bulldozers arrive.

I have read your posts over the years and appreciate you taking us all along with you in your adventures at your special spot. Here's hoping another one comes along soon.

 

[plehbah2]

I forgot something in my earlier reply. Maybe consider this not being your last trip. Check the site on Saturdays and Sundays when they are not working. I have seen some nice early glass in your posts, and grading will reveal trash pits and privies most likely. Early in the construction, you could noodle around without doing any damage to the engineering as they will just be scraping. Check the dirt piles as well.

Good luck!

 

[Digger RJ]

I was travelling for work all week, so I drove by this site on my way home on Friday afternoon and noticed they hadn’t started to grade yet. This site is slated for new home construction to start any day now. So, on Saturday morning I decided to make one last visit to this site. My first find was the flagpole tip, then the small cuff button, followed by the 1837 Lower Canada Halfpenny One Sou Bank Token. I also found a sash buckle fragment, a severely damaged thimble and some pewter cutlery pieces.

The first pic is how the site looked in 2018 after the Arkies left. The overgrown area circled in red is where the house was located.
Yesterday I was mainly hunting in cut corn stalks and mud.

Obverse: Canadian Habitant standing in traditional winter costume.
Script: Latin
Lettering: PROVINCE DU BAS CANADA UN SOU
Engraver: John Shaw
Reverse: Arms of the City of Montreal with the name of the participating bank on the ribbon.
Script: Latin

Thanks for looking,
Dave

View attachment 2082377 View attachment 2082378 View attachment 2082379 View attachment 2082380 View attachment 2082381 View attachment 2082382 View attachment 2082383 View attachment 2082384 View attachment 2082385

Very Cool!!! Congrats!!!

 

[oldmxrat]

Neat stuff Dave, congrats and thanks for posting!

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

I was travelling for work all week, so I drove by this site on my way home on Friday afternoon and noticed they hadn’t started to grade yet. This site is slated for new home construction to start any day now. So, on Saturday morning I decided to make one last visit to this site. My first find was the flagpole tip, then the small cuff button, followed by the 1837 Lower Canada Halfpenny One Sou Bank Token. I also found a sash buckle fragment, a severely damaged thimble and some pewter cutlery pieces.

The first pic is how the site looked in 2018 after the Arkies left. The overgrown area circled in red is where the house was located.
Yesterday I was mainly hunting in cut corn stalks and mud.

Obverse: Canadian Habitant standing in traditional winter costume.
Script: Latin
Lettering: PROVINCE DU BAS CANADA UN SOU
Engraver: John Shaw
Reverse: Arms of the City of Montreal with the name of the participating bank on the ribbon.
Script: Latin

Thanks for looking,
Dave

View attachment 2082377 View attachment 2082378 View attachment 2082379 View attachment 2082380 View attachment 2082381 View attachment 2082382 View attachment 2082383 View attachment 2082384 View attachment 2082385

That bank token, I’ve seen one recovered at Fort Reading in California-a long ways away from eastern Canada, huh…?

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Nice finds :_) Nice job on cleaning the coin up Thanks for explaining how you cleaned up !1 dO YOU HAVE picture of your fine brash wire tool and what drives it ?

Thanks for your post Gare. I use a bench-mounted polisher with a brass wire-wheel at on end and a buffing pad on the other end. It turns at 1500rpm.

Nice batch of goodies. I am pretty sure that the flagpole tip is actually an acorn tip off of either a neck yoke or singletree.

Thanks for your suggestion creskol. I've not found one of these before, so this is great information. I'm trying to figure out what kind of wood was preserved inside the final? I'm not sure but it looks to possibly be oak or walnut?

Nice finds

Thanks Steve!Those are some great finds. It's too bad the site is getting bulldozed. I found a cap just like yours a couple months ago

Those are some great finds. It's too bad the site is getting bulldozed. I found a cap just like yours a couple months ago at an 1830s farm site.

View attachment 2082486

Thanks for your post and for the pic George, they certainly look similar.

Really nice finds. Good job.

Thanks Kona, I appreciate you posting.
Dave

Very nice finds you made!

Thank you Sir, best of luck to you!

I love the bank token and the clean up restoration.

Thanks tic, this one cleaned up surprisingly well. I couldn't believe the condition of it either, as this field had cows grazing on it for many years too.
Dave

I empathize with losing a special hunting spot. I live in one of the states where the development never seems to end, and I have seen 100s of neat areas lost. I even moved to a ghost town in the mountains to get away and damned if they didn't start developing it too. It's hard, but I have learned that part of having something worthwhile means that it's going to hurt when it goes away. Hunting spots, pets, people, etc. A couple of my spots were so precious and sacred to me that I actually sat in an arroyo with tears coming down my ugly dusty face when I saw the bulldozers arrive.

I have read your posts over the years and appreciate you taking us all along with you in your adventures at your special spot. Here's hoping another one comes along soon.

Thank you for the kind words and for sharing your sentiments my friend. You and I share the same feeling when it comes to these old site. I know it sounds corny, but I truly feel a sense of inner piece when I'm detecting some of these old sites. It's almost as if the spirits of the people who lived here 180 years ago where watching over me as I recovered the items they lost so long ago.

I forgot something in my earlier reply. Maybe consider this not being your last trip. Check the site on Saturdays and Sundays when they are not working. I have seen some nice early glass in your posts, and grading will reveal trash pits and privies most likely. Early in the construction, you could noodle around without doing any damage to the engineering as they will just be scraping. Check the dirt piles as well.

Good luck!

I hear you and I appreciate your advice, The photo I posted of the site is how it looked in 2018, the site is now surrounded by 4' of wire that's hung with silt fence. A silt fence, sometimes called a "filter fence," is a temporary sediment control device used on construction sites to protect water quality in nearby streams, rivers and lakes from sediment (loose soil) in storm-water runoff.

Very Cool!!! Congrats!!!

Thanks Randy!

Neat stuff Dave, congrats and thanks for posting!

Thanks buddy, hope you're keeping cool in the desert these days!

That bank token, I’ve seen one recovered at Fort Reading in California-a long ways away from eastern Canada, huh…?

That is incredible my friend! I know detectorists who've found these on the west coast of Canada on Vancouver Island. I also know that Fort Reading was built in 1852, so it may very well have been a souvenir that was lost by one of the soldiers or a British ex-patriot who worked in the area. It's also approximately 750miles to the Canadian border from Fort Reading, so it's not impossible to think that one of these coins made it that far south.

 

[Almy]

I'd have to have a closer look to tell for sure, but it looks like your guess of oak for the wood is correct. I think I see that it is ring porous and has big rays. Walnut has less distinct rings and the rays are not easily visible. BTW my profession was wood science and IDing wood one of my specialties. I have a couple of microscopes I still use for the purpose sometimes and am happy to help anyone with an ID.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

I'd have to have a closer look to tell for sure, but it looks like your guess of oak for the wood is correct. I think I see that it is ring porous and has big rays. Walnut has less distinct rings and the rays are not easily visible. BTW my profession was wood science and IDing wood one of my specialties. I have a couple of microscopes I still use for the purpose sometimes and am happy to help anyone with an ID.

Now that sounds like an interesting science. I regret not having gotten into Dendrochronology as a career, I too am fascinated by how much information can be gained by studying ancient wood.