So...How Many Reeds Does it Take?

Nana40

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I dunno. I haven't kept count. :P :D But last week, while hunting a favorite site, I came across another whole harmonica reed. I've found many of them, but never found the 'outside' part. Just after digging it, my next signal was this...
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I thought that was so cool! I wasn't expecting it, but was fun to find. Says it was made in Germany. Has two four leaf clovers with writing in the middle of them. Left one says: The very best made...and the right one says: Nothing to equal it. And then in the middle are the words: Lover Harmonica. This site is a doozy to hunt. There are plants here called Vinca. It grows like crazy....kinda like kudzu..only smaller and only on the ground. Vines everywhere and difficult to swing the detector without having them wrapped around the coil at every pass. But I know there are some hidden goodies here, so every so often we hit it.
Another first for me to find was a REM/UMC Colt 45 shell. It's a keeper. Found a neat little buckle with the word SOLIDE on it. Dates the site. Another buckle or two..one has PERFECTION on it and the other, NeBone. Always like to find the buckles. Then there's the square lead thingy that I think is a lead seal? Of course the ever present tax token, but I was a bit surprised to find it here at this site as the site is older than the tax token era. :icon_scratch: But you know it's pretty much a standard that they are like magnets to my detector. :P :D
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Found a neat trinket buried in the mass of vines and tin. I didn't think it would clean up as good as it did. Had to sit and pic all the dirt off with a tooth pick. Took quite a while, but it's a keeper even tho it looks to be gold plated. I'm thinking this is a pretty old piece and maybe why I like it so much.
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And then the round thing with the two pieces I found about 20 feet apart. It says: Horlick's Malted Milk. Maybe some type of advertisement?
Got in another hunt around the site where Terri found her first Injun'. These houses were not on the late 1800's map, but according to the 1905 maps, there were quite a few in this same area about 500 feet apart. Then they're all gone on the 1910 maps. :icon_scratch: I got to wondering what could have happened to all these places for them to be gone in a five year span. Well...Lisa has a series of books that I had read thru last year, and I thought I remembered reading about a huge storm that came across the area. I asked her to look thru the book with the time period that we were interested in, and sure enough in 1908 there was a tornado outbreak that went right over this area. So my theory is that in one day everyone on this hillside lost their homes. So sad to think about all these folks that had worked so hard, only to have it swept away in a day.
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Across the road we spent a couple of hours hunting where one of those houses use to sit. There was also an old site that was around till the 40's maybe 50 feet away, so some of these relics I'm sure are from that one as well. Here's what I found in between both places:
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Lisa found the bowl part of the spoon and I found the other end. The piece on the bottom..maybe a scarf tie? Looks like it was silver plated at one time. Only a bit left on it here and there.
Not much in comparison to what I have seen here this morning, but it was fun to get out when I could. I have a new site I hope to get to next week if the weather holds out. You guys up north need to close that door!!!! BRRR! It's cold! :-X

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Nana :-*
 
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I hope you will string a lovely gold necklace through the gold piece, and wear it. It is a beauty.
Great hunt. When I was in "Bama" I found a few of those tax tokens, too. And found the Missouri about as often as I
did the Alabama one. Great hunt.... :thumbsup:
 
Congrats Really neat finds. I have not been on TN in a while but it looks like you are still finding good stuff.
 
Great research and Wonderful finds! :thumbsup: That little gold plated pendant is a real beauty. It would be a fantastic addition to Anyone's collection for sure. Some of your finds are mid-1800s--like the little rectangular suspender clip for example.

Great stuff!


-Buckles
 
Wow! Thanks ya'll!

Thanks, Seager! :hello:

No marbles on these two hunts, Vol. :dontknow: But I did look for them. :wink: And if MM wants to move rocks, I'll give him directions to the local quarry. ;D :D

WSD...I just love you so much! You always know how to make a gal feel like a million! :-*
.......and yes, bring the backhoe when you swing by. :D

JG...You are absolutely correct. I should have looked at the big picture, huh? :P Thanks!!

Plah...Thank you. Do you have any theory's as to why the outer part of the harmonica doesn't seem to come up as often as the reeds? :dontknow: Only answer if your mood is still as lovely as yesterday. :-* ;D :wink:

TofTH...Thanks! I thought the same until I got to the bottom end. A small section is buffed off and is a different color.

AHHH! IIIII love the Christmas card, MM! I see you there standing all proud beside your brother. You must have shown an interest in frilly dresses even way back then. AND...is that a rock you are holding on to? OH..and such a pretty bow in your hair. I love it! ;D Thanks!

Thanks, Country!

Plenty of room, Burdie. Come on over. :wink:

Thanks, 4H & Jim!

Bob...this is a pic of the 'doozy' site....

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The top pic is where the tornado's came thru back in the day. :wink: Thanks!

Thanks, Ty!

Thanks, Mike! BRRR..Stay warm and don't get lost out in the forrest!

Yes, thanks Romeo! :)

Thanks, Randy! I wish you could think of me when you find a 'seated'...dime...quarter? :D Actually, it's very nice to be thought of any how. :wink: Like that Mississippi tax token. :thumbsup:

Thanks, Gypsy! Glad you got your internet back!

Thanks, Himts! I just may do that. And I wonder if it was WSD that lost all those MO tokens in AL? :D

Thanks, Nugget! I like interesting...really, I do. I just wonder where all the coins are? :P :D

Thanks, Burt & Allen!

Thanks for the date on the clip, BB. And thanks for the kind comment.

Thanks, Rob! Merry Christmas!!

Hope you all are keeping warm! BRR..it's cold out there!

Nana
 

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Nana, there must have been some 'blowing fools' down South cause I've never found the outside of a harmonica . .congrats! I love the pendant, and it looks to be gold. Breezie
 
Nana40 said:
Plah...Thank you. Do you have any theory's as to why the outer part of the harmonica doesn't seem to come up as often as the reeds? :dontknow: Only answer if your mood is still as lovely as yesterday. :-* ;D :wink:

I have often wondered this as well. I have only two examples of the outer part, after having dug hundreds of reeds and reed pieces. I used to think it was because of the plow--since the outer piece is so thin, it would sound like a nail if busted up into tiny bits...

But that doesn't explain the fact that even in the woods/unplowed soil I find many reed plates, yet no outer pieces.


Perhaps the outer covering of most of them was made of something like tin?


:dontknow:
 
"AHHH! IIIII love the Christmas card, MM! I see you there standing all proud beside your brother. You must have shown an interest in frilly dresses even way back then. AND...is that a rock you are holding on to? OH..and such a pretty bow in your hair. I love it! Thanks!"

Ha,ha,ha. Laughed my b-tt off on that one Nana. You got me that time girl. :laughing9: :icon_thumleft:
As far as that thing I'm holding, it is not a rock. It was actually grandpa Charlies dentures. I was hiding them from him.
I wonder if they are still at the bottom of that old privy? :icon_scratch: :dontknow:
Happy holidays Token Queen,
Doug
 
Great finds ! I am glad you and Lisa and Teri got out to hunt ! You do need to bring them to CTHIII !
Love all your finds can't pick a favorite! :hello:






Hope your not having to much cold ! its cold here, maybe 5 inches of snow starting tues with rain freezing mix then Wed night the dump, but they said they don't know yet ... maybe nothin?
I don't get it? I was praying for snow with NO travel problems for Shannon! Since they want a White Christmas! :icon_scratch:
 
Nana , Great looking old homesites there ! What really jumps out at me , is that although
you have a very target rich environment , the coin harvest is almost nonexistant . This
may suggest that these folks were rather cash poor , or perhaps more likely , the coins
were carefully looked after . Argentium.
 
Thanks, Breezie!

Maybe so, BB. :dontknow: Thanks for your thoughts on it. Just kind of strange not to find them more often.
MM... ;D

Evy :o You must have over prayed a little. I think they've changed the forecast here. Now we can expect more T'storms for Christmas eve. :-\ Stay safe and warm. :)

Argent...Yes. :-\ I do know that most of these places we hunt have already been hunted many times since the 60's and 70's and that we're probably lucky to be finding anything. Maybe that's why there are so many tax tokens? They found 'em..didn't want them, and tossed them back? :P :D And then there must be the chance that at some of these places they didn't have much to lose. I'll keep trying tho. :wink:
 
I know this is an ancient post but as a novice harp player I can say that the reed plates are disposable. That's why we see tons of them instead of combs and cover plates on these posts. They tend to warp and go out of tune. Todays harmonica reed plates are made of plastic, steel and aluminum and last longer.
My theory is that when a reed plate or two is found at a camp site, the musician was most likely a helluva harp player. Most reed plate damage occurs on the draw note especially during 'bends', a trick I haven't mastered yet. A cross harp is a harmonica played mostly at second position and utilizing more draw than blow notes which greatly reduces reed plate life.
 
that jewellry piece is exquisite, as are all your finds. that tiny bullit in the bottom photo is neat too any idea what it is ? .22 cb, .32 s&w short ? keep up the good work and thanks for sharing, we got another snowstorm heading our way .
 
The snow storm we were going to get 5 to 10" was big wet flakes covered the ground and left it melted by early afternoon and so it ended up just being a dusting! So maybe others will be lucky too! :icon_sunny:
 
Aw some finds :icon_thumleft:
 

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