N.J.THer
Silver Member
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2006
- Messages
- 3,283
- Reaction score
- 240
- Golden Thread
- 1
- Location
- Middlesex County, New Jersey
- 🥇 Banner finds
- 1
- Detector(s) used
- Whites DFX w/ Sunray DX-1 probe and Minelab Excalibur 1000, Whites TRX Pinpointer
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
Does this count
The park I've been hunting at lunch time has produced multiple silver Rosies and Barbers but I never found a Merc until this past Friday. When it popped out of the ground I knew right away that I had a Merc but the dirt was caked on so I did not know the year. I placed it in my finds pouch and continued to hunt . The only other keeper I found was a 1908 Indian Head.
When I was driving back to work I wiped the Merc with my finger to see the date and the 1916 was as clear as day. I did not want to try cleaning it any further in the car so I waited until I got back at work. I knew the odds were against me so I did not clean it right away. I don't know if anyone else does this but I wanted to savor the feeling that I might have a good key date. After an hour or two I did rinse off the back and there was no D mint mark. Oh well...maybe next time.
In an earlier post I mentioned that I never found a large cent in this park then within a week out popped a large cent. I also mentioned that I thought it was weird that I have not found a Mercury dime and then the Merc appears. So I'm now going to state that 'I can't believe I have not found a Gold Coin in this park'...lets see what happens.
Here are some other finds from a short Saturday hunt. I found a plain button that was gilt-ed at one point. The front is blank and all the gilting is gone but the back is in great shape and marked Double Gilt with stars between the two words. The button on the right looks to be some type of school band button and I don't remember the back mark on that one. The button to the left has the back rotted out but looks to be just a plain ball button.
Does anyone know what the little buckle is for? I've found a few of these in the past. I don't think they are extremely old but I like them. There is a beat up pocket watch face.
A little heart pendant that is not marked but it is hollow so it maybe silver.
My favorite is the 'D' printing typeface. At the same site I found a 'W' a week or so ago. The town I live in had a colonial printer named James Parker and they don't know where his printing press was located so I'm hoping that these letters at least date to that era. It would not prove that the press was there...it could be the local dump but it would still cool to have the typeface.
Here are both letters:
Here is a link to the story of James Parker's press:
http://www.commonbondhistorians.com/NJs_First_Print_Shop.html
My town is working on funding a town museum and if they pull it off and these prove to be from colonial times they are going to be given to the museum. From my own research I have found printing samples of James Parker and his son Samuel and these samples match the same style of the letters I found. Now a archaeologist from a local University is work on find out if the letters can be dated somehow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
NJ
The park I've been hunting at lunch time has produced multiple silver Rosies and Barbers but I never found a Merc until this past Friday. When it popped out of the ground I knew right away that I had a Merc but the dirt was caked on so I did not know the year. I placed it in my finds pouch and continued to hunt . The only other keeper I found was a 1908 Indian Head.
When I was driving back to work I wiped the Merc with my finger to see the date and the 1916 was as clear as day. I did not want to try cleaning it any further in the car so I waited until I got back at work. I knew the odds were against me so I did not clean it right away. I don't know if anyone else does this but I wanted to savor the feeling that I might have a good key date. After an hour or two I did rinse off the back and there was no D mint mark. Oh well...maybe next time.
In an earlier post I mentioned that I never found a large cent in this park then within a week out popped a large cent. I also mentioned that I thought it was weird that I have not found a Mercury dime and then the Merc appears. So I'm now going to state that 'I can't believe I have not found a Gold Coin in this park'...lets see what happens.
Here are some other finds from a short Saturday hunt. I found a plain button that was gilt-ed at one point. The front is blank and all the gilting is gone but the back is in great shape and marked Double Gilt with stars between the two words. The button on the right looks to be some type of school band button and I don't remember the back mark on that one. The button to the left has the back rotted out but looks to be just a plain ball button.
Does anyone know what the little buckle is for? I've found a few of these in the past. I don't think they are extremely old but I like them. There is a beat up pocket watch face.
A little heart pendant that is not marked but it is hollow so it maybe silver.
My favorite is the 'D' printing typeface. At the same site I found a 'W' a week or so ago. The town I live in had a colonial printer named James Parker and they don't know where his printing press was located so I'm hoping that these letters at least date to that era. It would not prove that the press was there...it could be the local dump but it would still cool to have the typeface.
Here are both letters:
Here is a link to the story of James Parker's press:
http://www.commonbondhistorians.com/NJs_First_Print_Shop.html
My town is working on funding a town museum and if they pull it off and these prove to be from colonial times they are going to be given to the museum. From my own research I have found printing samples of James Parker and his son Samuel and these samples match the same style of the letters I found. Now a archaeologist from a local University is work on find out if the letters can be dated somehow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
NJ
Upvote
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I stopped taking dirt off, put it in my pocket and hoped for a D. Got home cleaned it off with water and no D.... 
Will get real ones one day. 
