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Unexpected phone call leads to the recovery of spanish silver #17 for the season

Bill D. (VA)

Silver Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2008
Messages
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Golden Thread
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Location
SE Virginia
🥇 Banner finds
6
Detector(s) used
F75 SE (land); CZ-21 (saltwater)
Primary Interest:
Other
I had already hung the detector up for the season, and was about to send it in for some much needed repairs. Good thing I didn’t as this morning I received a phone call right after getting back from my 3 mile run. It was from the woman who owned the site where I found a ton of colonial artifacts a couple months ago including the gorgeous 1795 liberty cap cent, a W&M copper, 4 spanish silvers and a ton of buttons and buckles. She told me the farmer had been to the field last week and sprayed weedkiller, and now the field was huntable again. That was great news and I really appreciated the heads-up. Not often a property owner will go to that much trouble. Especially one that almost didn’t let me hunt the site at all.

During our talk she was trying to tell me about some very old pottery she’d found years ago in another section of the field, one that I had roamed a couple of times before without any luck. But before she could give me a specific location she had another call coming in and had to leave. I ended spending almost 2 hours zig-zagging all over that spot and could only come up with a small caliber musketball. I ended up going back to the other area that contained the 2 hotspots that I’ve hit very hard. I did a bit of roaming around the edges of those areas, but others who have hunted the site before seemed to have vacuumed everything outside of the iron patches, but were apparently scared off by all that iron. I was getting ready to leave for the day when I noticed that many of the thick strips of soybean stubble left from the last harvest had settled down from 6-8” thick to only about 2-3”. So I took my time slowly covering those 3 ft wide spots, especially in the irony areas. I was surprised I started getting a good signal here and there. At the first hotspot I recovered a larger roundball, a button and a couple buckle pieces. When I moved to the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] area I hit a button immediately, then my next target was an unexpected surprise – a nice little cut piece of silver. I ended up with a few more buttons, and 2 other them were huge with designs. Finally called it quits after about 3.5 hours, but I was very pleased that it all worked out and I was able to close out the season (again!) on a high note.
 

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Upvote 27
Congrats on a spectacular hunt, love all your finds.
 
WTG Man - I sort of knew you would pull one out after I received your text message. I am trying my hardest to eak one more out of this spot...though some good stuff has come out - I still can't believe silver did not show
 
I had already hung the detector up for the season, and was about to send it in for some much needed repairs. Good thing I didn’t as this morning I received a phone call right after getting back from my 3 mile run. It was from the woman who owned the site where I found a ton of colonial artifacts a couple months ago including the gorgeous 1795 liberty cap cent, a W&M copper, 4 spanish silvers and a ton of buttons and buckles. She told me the farmer had been to the field last week and sprayed weedkiller, and now the field was huntable again. That was great news and I really appreciated the heads-up. Not often a property owner will go to that much trouble. Especially one that almost didn’t let me hunt the site at all.

During our talk she was trying to tell me about some very old pottery she’d found years ago in another section of the field, one that I had roamed a couple of times before without any luck. But before she could give me a specific location she had another call coming in and had to leave. I ended spending almost 2 hours zig-zagging all over that spot and could only come up with a small caliber musketball. I ended up going back to the other area that contained the 2 hotspots that I’ve hit very hard. I did a bit of roaming around the edges of those areas, but others who have hunted the site before seemed to have vacuumed everything outside of the iron patches, but were apparently scared off by all that iron. I was getting ready to leave for the day when I noticed that many of the thick strips of soybean stubble left from the last harvest had settled down from 6-8” thick to only about 2-3”. So I took my time slowly covering those 3 ft wide spots, especially in the irony areas. I was surprised I started getting a good signal here and there. At the first hotspot I recovered a larger roundball, a button and a couple buckle pieces. When I moved to the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] area I hit a button immediately, then my next target was an unexpected surprise – a nice little cut piece of silver. I ended up with a few more buttons, and 2 other them were huge with designs. Finally called it quits after about 3.5 hours, but I was very pleased that it all worked out and I was able to close out the season (again!) on a high note.

Wow, we just don't get that Colonial era stuff around "these parts"
Just 100 years ago the most contemporarily popular and coveted places in Southern California consisted of uninhabited sand dunes as far as a man could see.
 
Congrats on the cut silver a nice surprise for sure.
 
I was excited about an unidentifible worn smooth silver that might be my 3rd Spanish of the year ! Hear YEAH Hear YEAH on your confirmed 17th of the year ! May you live beyond your years ! MaineRelic
 
very nice finds!!
 
Congrats Bill. Awesome finds. You're like the Energizer Bunny. Your season keeps going and going. :thumbsup:
Sweet silver,
Doug
 
Great hunt that shows no place is ever hunted out!
 
Very nice Bill D.... cur silvers are awesome. Nice to have landowners who call YOU !

I have yet to find one up here but they shoud be here !

Were they everywhere there was regular Spanish coins ?
 
Thats amazing! Spanish silver #17!!?? Heck im on regular silver 17, ur on spanish 17, yeah im a bit jealous. Wtg!!!
 
Hey Bill, I think your entire year was a high note, and it doesn't want to stop. Congrats on adding to the silver count but those buttons are really cool too, excellent finds for sure.
it is Obvious you have the charm when land owners are calling you to tell you that the land is still huntable. You have developed a great rapport with them, a very important ingredient for MDing.
I have been struggeling to get my season off to a start, just way too many things to do around the house but I am about to go pick up rick to do a local hunt and maybe get me some of that Spanish silver too.
HH,
Dave
 
Great job Bill. I know it isnt as good as last year's count but 17 colonial silvers is impressive. Congrats!
 
Very nice Bill D.... cur silvers are awesome. Nice to have landowners who call YOU !

I have yet to find one up here but they shoud be here !

Were they everywhere there was regular Spanish coins ?

We've had that discussion many times before on this forum, but for some reason cut silver is quite prevalent down here in Tidewater Va, and very few seem to show up in the northern areas. And the opposite seems to be true about coppers, but somehow I managed to dig quite a few of those this season which was quite unusual.
 
Okay, this is a treasure site and I know Bill's 17th spanish silver of the year is fantastic. But how come no one has remarked about the coolest feat--Bill made all of these finds AFTER completing a 3 mile run! That's really the story line here.
 
Great job buddy. What a great property owner to call you! That's great and you must've left a good impression
 
That's a good story, and great silver too. This might be a dumb question, but why would your detecting season be over at this time? Seems odd to me, I am just starting my season.
 
Nice of her to call you Bill. I like the large colonial button with the design and of course the cut piece. Definitely worth your time to follow up on that call :thumbsup:
 
That's a good story, and great silver too. This might be a dumb question, but why would your detecting season be over at this time? Seems odd to me, I am just starting my season.

I strictly hunt cultivated fields here in southeast Va, and just about everything has been planted and is off limits until the fall harvest. My season generally runs from Oct thru April, and I spend the summer on research and doing a little beach hunting.
 

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