What may have been the last hunt of the season produces navy and marine buttons

[Bill D. (VA)]

I decided to make one last trip to one of my newer sites where I've found about 50 buttons (including 2 gilted navy cuffs) plus 2 pieces of spanish silver in 3 trips there. Yesterday I did a lot of roaming around the perimeter of where most of the finds have come, and occasionally would stop and grid small areas after something was found. I did locate 2 mini-hotspots with a few buttons in each area, but nothing major. I was able to recover, however, a 3rd navy cuff but this one is toasted. A very nice little marine cuff also showed up as well. I also found a few other tidbits including part of a large pewter spoon bowl. All-in-all it was a fun though rather unproductive hunt, but at least I came home with some keepers.

On another note, the owner had told me about this "sinkhole" that was located in a low area about 75 yards down from the house site. He said over the years he keeps having to add fill dirt, but it slowly continues to sink. It has an obvious circular shape, and I was wondering if this could possibly be the well that served the house. Next fall I need to go back with my probe and see if I can locate the outline of a possible brick well. Seeing how this same circular area never changes shape I would think it might not just be a natural phenomena. Be interesting to check it out.

Unless Dan and I can get lucky and find one of our 2 remaining fields still unplanted by Sat it looks like our season will be done until the fall. Guess its about time for some year-end wrap-ups once I can get everything organized. Good luck to those who can still get out.

 

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[HomeGuardDan]

WTG Bill - will you pay for me to retire so that I can keep pace with you? This weekend warrior approach is just a big tease.

Nice finds man - shot you an email.

Dan

 

[CASPER-2]

 

[metalev4]

Beautiful Marine button Bill. I agree with Dan, win the lottery quick I spend too much time living vicariously through your digging adventures. Good luck with the weekend, hope there are a couple more holes in your future. I guess its my turn to finds some relics for you to look at until fall.
-Evan

 

[ModernMiner]

Bill, Those buttons are really top-notch. You guys have had a fantastic season that most of us can only dream about.
Congrats to you and Dan.

That sinkhole reminded me of a property I detected here about 6 months ago. I was a well behind an old late 1800's house. The current owners said the house was previously owned by a school teacher and he had filled the well in with old text books. They said they were constantly having to fill it in with dirt as the books decomposed.

Thanks for the post and good luck in the fall,
Doug

 

[Steve in PA]

You guys had a great season Bill, capped off by some nice military buttons. Can you not get into some wooded sites after the fields are planted?

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

You guys had a great season Bill capped off by some nice military buttons. Can you not get into some wooded sites after the fields are planted?

I don't do woods anymore in warm weather after Dan and I walked into a tick bomb last Aug and ended up with hundreds of seed tick bites. One of the worse things I've ever been through. I'm gonna have to satisfied with hitting the beaches this summer, and hope fall comes quickly.

 

[Davers]

Congratz on a great season ( while many peoples seasons are just beginning )

Your last hunt Would be a Banner hunt For Me.

Davers

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

WTG Bill - will you pay for me to retire so that I can keep pace with you? This weekend warrior approach is just a big tease.

Nice finds man - shot you an email.

Dan

With all the success we've had this season with mostly half day hunts, just think what kind of damage we could do hunting full-time. I guess we need to start playing the lottery as my retirement pension won't quite cover your expenses over the next 50 years .

 

[VOL1266-X]

Bill, you have been the "Button King" on Tnet the first part of 2014 and reaffirmed your title with this hunt. I know you hate to see to see the grass grow & the fields cropped. Well Bud, we can look forward to fall & research new sites in the meantime. WTG, Q.

 

[Bass]

Nice finds as always and wishing you continued success. I do believe the hole is a well

Sent from my iPhone using TreasureNet

 

[huntsman53]

Congrats on what IMHO was a productive hunt! Most folks would love to find all what you found in 3 or more hunts much less one. That sinking area is intriguing! What is the diameter of the circular area? I know that pics can be deceiving especially without a reference to something of a given size but it appears to be fairly large. Some but not many sinkholes have collapses in a perfect circle and (again) from the pic, it appears too large for most commonly hand dug wells. Something for fill may have been placed in the well (if that is what it is) that is decomposing as ModernMiner stated about the books placed in a well and could possibly be wood but heavy objects will sink in loose lower density soil and cause a similar effect. There is a sink hole near where I lived in West Virginia and besides all of the other debris the property owners have thrown into it over the past 100 to 200 years, I was told that a Civil War Cannon was also thrown in it at the end of the War and the story is that the cannon made the hole sink more. A heavy cache of Gold and/or Silver can do the same. Just a thought and why wait until fall to see what might be hidden in the hole!


Frank

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Congrats on what IMHO was a productive hunt! Most folks would love to find all what you found in 3 or more hunts much less one. That sinking area is intriguing! What is the diameter of the circular area? I know that pics can be deceiving especially without a reference to something of a given size but it appears to be fairly large. Some but not many sinkholes have collapses in a perfect circle and (again) from the pic, it appears too large for most commonly hand dug wells. Something for fill may have been placed in the well (if that is what it is) that is decomposing as ModernMiner stated about the books placed in a well and could possibly be wood but heavy objects will sink in loose lower density soil and cause a similar effect. There is a sink hole near where I lived in West Virginia and besides all of the other debris the property owners have thrown into it over the past 100 to 200 years, I was told that a Civil War Cannon was also thrown in it at the end of the War and the story is that the cannon made the hole sink more. A heavy cache of Gold and/or Silver can do the same. Just a thought and why wait until fall to see what might be hidden in the hole.
Frank

Frank - I believe the diameter of the sinkhole is about 6 ft as best as I can estimate. I agree with you that most hand dug wells of that period were smaller - maybe 3-4 ft across. But if the top of the brick-lined well was a couple feet below current grade, and the fill inside started collapsing, it might pull some of the surrounding dirt with it which would make the hole appear bigger than the actual well. And since the soil here is very sandy that could easily happen. The location of the sinkhole is also in a natural low area of the field, and only a couple hundred feet at most from the house site. That would be a perfect location for a well. My thoughts are that this may have a good chance to be the well serving that late 1700s home, and the best way to prove it would be to take my 4 foot probe and insert all around the perimeter of the sinkhole to see if I can hit any brick. If that doesn't work I guess I'll never know. If I get a chance to check that out this week I'll provide an update. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks ..... Bill

 

[lesche Is More]

Awesome buttons I just recently also dug the navy and marine you posted
My Marines similar quality bit your Navy's in wayyyyy better condition
Huge Congrats. -LIM-

 

[joeyfresh]

Outstanding buttons Button-Bill. We really need to walk some creek banks this summer and find some bottles. Maybe I'll look back into getting a boat again.