Past week, Medieval castle, restoring and exploring...

Bavaria Mike

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Location
Bavaria Germany
Detector(s) used
Minelab XT70, Fisher 1280, Garrett Ace 250 and MH5
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I got out a few days ago knowing it was frozen solid but had to try a forest anyway, frozen solid, not even my new digging tool could get through the ice. I was close to a medieval castle and town built around 1107 so I decided to explore a little. It can be exciting walking along 900 year old roads that are still evident today. Here’s the side of an old cart road where I started up the hill.
28Dec07cart1side.jpg

I walked up the middle for a ways, being stone roads they do not have deep ruts however, if you look closely you can see them. This road runs into another road.
28Dec07cart1mid.jpg

This road would have lead directly into the middle of town. The roads were used up until the 1750s and beyond after the town had burned down for the third time. Three wars and three battles with nature fought here, they moved the town down hill after this, took all the building material to include most of the castle and rebuilt 500 meters downhill.
28Dec07cart2mid.jpg

Close to the castle are several stone walls still intact.
28Dec07stonewall.jpg

Another stone wall.
28Dec07stonewallup.jpg

The castle ruins with cellar holes across the hillside where the town was. Must have been about 50 homes here across this side of the castle.
28Dec07castle.jpg

Yesterday I got out with a friend exploring for a few hours. The weather has been a bit warmer, still freezing though. We found this unusual looking area and explored it, we figure it was a rock mine for the neighboring town.
28Dec07cellarhill.jpg

Found this cellar near the bottom of the hill beside a stream, belongs to a farmer friend just across from the cellar. Not very big, empty so we detected it. Only found a few pull tabs and pieces of aluminum foil. My friend found an aluminum religious pendant just a few meters from the opening.
28Dec07cellar.jpg

Found several pieces of crockery in the cellar.
28Dec07crock.jpg

My new digging tool. Detecting friend Bernd who is a good friend with Rayredditch made these for Ray and I, works very well in tough digging areas.
28Dec07XT70.jpg

Some jewelry from the late 1800s or early 1900s, look to be gold plated but no hallmarks, belonged to my wife’s mother’s aunt. Obverse
28Dec07jewelO.jpg

Reverse of the jewelry.
28Dec07jewelR.jpg

A large wooden beer keg quality assurance seal I have been restoring. It was found by my friend Alaskan George who came over for a detecting visit over two years ago. He had found two in one week, I have not found one, LOL, he gave the other nicer seal to a land owner whose land we detected a lot and gave me the other. Obverse of the keg seal before I started and a number that fits into the seal found separately by me.
23Dec07beer1O.jpg

Reverse of the seal before starting.
23Dec07beer1R.jpg

I used electrolysis to get the crud off the seal, here it is after 3 hours.
28Dec07beer2O.jpg

After six hours of electrolysis. You can see the second number was a 0. Obverse
28Dec07beer3O.jpg

After six hours, reverse.
28Dec07beer3R.jpg

After most of the crud and rust was cooked off I used a Dremel and wire brush to clean it up more. The seal is made of brass, the second number “0” was iron/steel and had a nail in it, the third character is an “=” sign made of copper, had a nail under it and was sealed with lead. 4th character is an “L” for liters. The lead square under the “=” was where the quality assurance persons initials were stamped, so I was told but not sure about that.
28Dec07beer4O.jpg

Reverse of the seal, cleaned up nicely I think. Dates from the mid-late 1800s. HH, Mike
28Dec07beer4R.jpg
 

Upvote 0
Mona Lisa said:
rayredditch said:
Basically a bit of Stainless tubing, then two triangles of thick stainless weld on the end, one lengthway´s (Axe position), the other crossway´s (Digger/Scraper position). The stainless is thick though, and sharpened !!

Have got one on mine, but a bicycle grip or some rubber tape like you use on racing bike handles would do !!

Where did you get the rubber handle? I think I know someone who will make me one. :)
 

Thanks for sharing and for the great read.

HH and Good Luck this year.
 

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