yard sale leads to colonial tavern site!!!

[jerseyben]

Ok so I don't often post detecting finds because I don't detect often and when I do my finds usually aren't too impressive. Well this weekend I got VERY LUCKY so here is my best post in over a year:

Saturday I was driving around following signs for yard sales in my area. I turned down a winding wooded road that "just looks old". I followed a sign to the end for a yard sale. After I bought some stuff there I overheard the woman say something about a "stagecoach stop". I left and ran some errands but her comment stuck with me. So on my way home I went back and asked her about it. Turns out the next property over was for sale and had a colonial tavern on the site. Now, driving down this road you cant see anything on the property to make me think it was colonial. Either way, I managed to get permission so I raced home to get my E-trac. This is the type of site you dream about. I have researched this area and I never came across any taverns at this particular spot. The road has a name that might be a clue as does the location. When you set foot on the property it clears out and then there is a hill surrounded by grapevines and old growth. There is only a small depression and a few pieces of fieldstone to indicate that there was ever a structure here. Detected for about 3 hours. Not a single piece of modern trash was to be found, besides some shell casings. Dug an 1862 British half penny which was a nice find but strange considering these did not really circulate here that late. Also dug a large copper but was unable to attribute any detail on it at this time. Also plucked some buttons and assorted pieces. The cast lead/pewter button with the large shank was my favorite find of the day.

Sunday morning, had to help my brother move so I woke up early and flew over to the spot. Decided to take the T2 SE this time to really "clean the place out". And I did! It was like night and day using the T2 vs the E-trac. The E-trac picked up all the easy targets but the T2 sucked up a bunch of buttons that the E-trac simply missed. The most surprising find of the day was a large copper that I dug. I flipped over the plug and saw it sticking out so I snapped a pic. In my hand I could just make out that it was a New Jersey copper!!! The buttons and whatnot were a great find. The one cufflink is peculiar as it has some sort of clear glass/stone insert inside the casing.

The NJ is soaking in olive oil to help protect it as it was very brittle as soon as I attempted to clean it. The pic is a little blurry but the shield is clearly visible (I think it is a "J" reverse, will confirm later). Thanks for looking. Not a hunt I will soon forget!

 

[BigWaveDave]

That's how you do it! GREAT HUNT!

 

[Tony12100]

Wow . That's super cool. I love NJ coppers. Found one in Atlantic county a few weeks ago. Great job. Good ears!

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

I could obviously tell from your post that you were excited about this site, and based on the finds you made I can see why. That was a great hunt, but you need to go back a few more times to really clean it out, and to find that colonial silver that's still hiding there.

 

[releventchair]

Well done and congrats!

 

[G.A.P.metal]

Ben
That is a dream location/site to hunt congrats !
Gary

 

[Argentium]

I know you were looking for earlier coppers ,but that Vickie would have lit me up ! You have a good site there .

 

[Mach1Pilot]

That site sounds and looks like one that you need to dig every target..... Congrats on your finds so far, I hope like Bill you can find that nice early silver in the dirt before you finish at that site.

 

[vpnavy]

Great finds Ben! Thanks for sharing...

 

[Justice70]

Great OLD finds. Congrats on getting that site.

 

[jerseyben]

Update: Cleaned the 1862 Half Penny. Looks ok with nice detail. Will update again once the NJ is done being preserved.

 

[Bass]

Nice finds indeed. The depression in the ground could possibly be a privy with untold treasures. Take your shovel and go back. Of course, once you find an old bottle, a monster is created.

Sent from my iPhone using TreasureNet

 

[thrillathahunt]

Hey Ben, definitely worth posting! That 1862 half penny looks like it was dropped in 1862. Hope the NJ copper cleans up nicely also.

 

[BryanM362]

That looks like a great site! Make sure you get in there as much as possible before it sells! A site like that would be a great place to find a gold coin too, especially if there is a lack of pull tabs and junk!

 

[trhunter1]

I'm with the everyone else here great finds, and do hit that place harder!



HH, trhunter1

 

[Steve in PA]

Good job following up on that conversation. You found a nice group of cufflinks - the octagonal ones and the jeweled one are generally earlier than the oval ones we see.

 

[jerseyben]

Good job following up on that conversation. You found a nice group of cufflinks - the octagonal ones and the jeweled one are generally earlier than the oval ones we see.

What would the date range be on those cufflinks?

 

[The Rebel]

Awesome Digs! Found me a Colonial virgin site last summer & pulled out a lot of goodies from the mid 1600's & late 1700's.

Definately hit it hard before it sells!

 

[Steve in PA]

What would the date range be on those cufflinks?

I have found that style on French & Indian War and Rev War sites. After the Rev War, the oval style cufflinks became popular. I would date yours from the 1750s into the 1780s.