Finds So Far

[Driftwood]

Well, this site is far from exhausted, but I figured I'd post what I have found so far... otherwise, this might end up being a mile long. I have tried combining photographs to save some space (hope it works out ok) when I needed to show both sides or different angles of an object. The site is an old church (still standing) and the area directly around it, which stood a house (destroyed in flood and now gone) and an inn (was moved to another area long ago). The whole area is maybe two acres square and is so full of nails and random iron that it will take some time to sort through it all... I have not included any real junk or large metal trash that I dug out, as it would just be too much to deal with. Following are the best finds so far... there will be more to follow that I'll tack onto this post, so subscribe to it if you want to see more stuff as it's found. Enjoy and thanks for looking!

I'll start with the oldest and work forward though time, to the best of my ability.

Found by my son: 1781 1/2 Real coin with what looks like a square nail hole punched through it. It's pretty beat up, but still recognizable.


Also found by my son: This is a 'pattern' coin that was not accepted by Congress to be minted at the time (I don't think that the mint had been completed yet), so the dies went to a couple of folks in NYC, who had these coins made in England and sent back to be used as local currency. They were made underweight and so they saw a profit... for a couple of years anyways.


Next is a big ol' brass Baldric Buckle... it was 12 or so inches down and I was surprised I was able to get a good signal with a 9" coil. I believe it is from the late 18th or early 19th century. If there are any buckle experts out there, let me know what you think!


Next is couple of things we don't see much anymore... from an animal we don't see much anymore. Oxen were used extensively in this area (NY) in the past, as they were well suited to the environment. Here is an ox shoe (there would have been 8 in a set) and a horn knob, that would have been screwed onto the horn tip and the protruding horn point cut off... in order to make the animal more docile. The shoe is pretty well worn (likely why it was lost or removed) and the knob is quite a nice one... cast brass.


These are cute little teacups made of (I believe) pewter. They are cast and the handle added afterward. Probably for a doll set-up.


Here's a lead seal from, I suppose, a bag of salt. It's about the size of a quarter.


This was my first heart breaker... a lovely 1845 large cent that I HIT with my shovel! I think I'll put it in a bezel and make a necklace out of it, so that I can look at it every time before I dig a hole to remind me to calm down and be careful. Ugh.


Along with many flat buttons (which I might include in a 'group photo', but they aren't really exciting by themselves), I found these fancier ones.

[Driftwood]

Here's a patriotic token from the American Civil War... it was made in 1863. I posted it separately a while ago, so I won't go into the details again here, but have another look anyway!


Also Civil War era... this is a Federal Navy button. ca1860.


This 1891 Indian Head cent fell out of a shabby brass case that I dug out of the ground (shown in 'group photo' photo at the end of the post). It really surprised me... it's a beauty!


Another IH cent... 1893... this one is not nearly as nice (it's how I'm used to seeing these things), but was still fun to find.


Lastly, here are two group photos, showing what has already been posted plus a few more. The first pic is just of a bunch of odds and ends... to show the 'better' kinds of trashy items found at the site.

If you have a question about an object, or would like to see a close-up of a particular thing, let me know. I have photos of most of the individual items, but thought I'd save some space here and cut it short. Thanks for looking.


Happy Hunting Everyone!

[Six nations son]

Wow! Living in an Early American/colonial settlers region must be sweet! Especially with that Wand in hand. Great stuff. That Buckle is killer!

[Driftwood]

Thanks! I'm learning that it is indeed pretty sweet! I thought I was fortunate for living in an area where there was a lot of native activity, with Paleo through post-contact artifacts frequently found... it wasn't until recently that I started detecting the metal. I always saw the old brick and pottery in the fields and creeks, but never thought much of it, but now it has opened a new door to the past.

[Ron Kelley]

Nice finds and great little pieces of history. The one Indian Head penny looks like it wasn't circulated.

[Driftwood]

Yeah, I think someone just tucked it away and forgot about it... wish it could have been a gold coin, but I'll take what I can get!

[gregszybala]

Agree with the others, way cool finds of early America.

[Driftwood]

Thanks! Going out again today, so maybe I'll have a few more to post. I might try to get some photos of the old church at the site while I'm out... it may not be there for much longer.

[painshill]

Some great finds there! I love the history behind these kinds of things. Here’s a little info on some of them (with apologies for the stuff you already know):



I would suspect that the hole in the ½ real is not just a suspension hole. Spanish colonial silver coins circulated alongside those of other nationalities as a currency of international trade, usually with a value based on weight and silver content rather than the original denomination. Not all coins of the time were produced to the same standard of silver and – although Spanish colonial coins of that period had the original mint assayer’s initials as part of the design – the coins were widely faked. Large merchant traders sometimes punched a piece of silver out of them for assay purposes. If the silver met the fineness standard, the coin would continue to circulate, but with a value based on its now-reduced weight. If that was the case, the merchant would also usually stamp it with a small identification mark (a symbol or his initials) indicating to others that he had verified the coin as being “good silver”. Have a real good look to check if there is any other incuse mark that doesn’t “belong” to the design.

Far East traders had a rather more brutal approach, often hacking into the edge of unfamiliar foreign coins with a machete, producing what are colloquially known as “Chinese chop marks”. Sometimes that was to remove a piece of silver for assay or just to check that the coin wasn’t silver-dipped copper or had a silver cladding.




The unapproved “Constellatio Nova” coins were, as you say, produced over here… in Birmingham, England from dies made by Benjamin Dudley, an English engraver resident in Boston, Massachusetts. William Constable, a merchant operating from Great Dock Street (now Pearl Street) in New York City was instrumental in getting the coins unofficially produced. Constable entered into a commercial relationship with Robert Morris (Superintendent of Finance during the Confederation) and his partner Gouverneur Morris (a Philadelphia lawyer, but not related to Robert) on 10^th May 1784 under the trading name of “William Constable & Company.”

Morris and Morris had intended these copper coins to have a value of 5 “units” (where 1 “unit” = ¼ grain of silver = 1/1440^th of a Spanish dollar = 1/1600^th of an English crown (5 shillings/60 pence). They proposed that 100 units would be a “bit”, 500 units would be a “quint” and 1,000 units would be a “mark”. You can see why it never caught on, especially since none of the proposed denominations matched up with any other commonly used coins of the time.





The lead item is indeed a sack seal. The “Salt Union” was formed in October 1888 in Liverpool, England with the intention of creating a virtual monopoly on salt supply. Sixty-four companies (mostly from the Cheshire region) signed up to what was effectively a cartel, which then forced the market price up by between four and five shillings a ton in the early years of the Union. In January 1888, the British industry newsletter - Falk’s Salt Trade Circular - had warned:

“The salt trade is at the most deadly crisis. Implacable competition among a small section of the largest makers has brought prices below all records, salt being freely offered at 50 per cent, below cost. All the large chemical contracts for 1888 have been taken at ruinous prices…. Nothing but a new form of general consolidation can resuscitate the trade.”

All participating companies in the Union sold their salt to an appointed agent (Robert Fowler) at agreed prices fixed by Thomas Ward acting as a valuer. Ward was manager of the works of Charles Andrew McDowell (the largest producer), trading in Northwich, Cheshire as Messrs. Nicholas Ashton & Sons. The agent then pitched the sell-on prices to all customers at fixed rates and took commission for doing so, with contracts similar to this:

“All salt manufactured at the Ashton Salt Works, Northwich, to be consigned for sale by the son of the vendor (William Samuel McDowell) at his office in Liverpool. A commission of 2 ½ per cent, to be paid him on his sales of every description of salt (with the customary allowance for weighing) except ‘factory filled’ salt. A commission of 5 per cent, to be paid him on his sales of ‘Ashton's factory filled’ salt, sold in the United States of America or elsewhere, such commission to be calculated on the nett proceeds of such sales.”

The Salt Union still exists today but its monopoly was broken in 1912/1913 as a result of workforce remuneration/workpractice issues, advances in processing techniques and competition from elsewhere.




I love the doll’s teacups! Miniatures like that were very popular in the late 1800s to early 1900s and usually made from what is generically referred to as “German pewter”, although many of the items actually came from France.




The buckle is difficult to date, since it’s of a style in wide use all the way from the late 1600s through to the late 1800s.

[Driftwood]

Thanks so much for putting such an effort into your reply! I'll check the 1/2 real for any additional marks, although it is pretty mashed (as you can likely see from the photos) and not much is legible unless you get the magic light and angle. My son found both the real and Constellatio Nova coin very near each other about a half hour apart! I was a little jealous that day, but it is great for him to get some good stuff... pretty much guarantees I'll have a metal detecting partner for a while longer. I found one teacup early on while checking the site, then the other a month after... still hoping for a little teapot and saucers!

[2ndoldman]

You have no idea how much I envy you and the history that surrounds the area you live in.
Thanks for finally sharing your finds.

[Driftwood]

You seem to do pretty well in your area, too! In fact, your posts were a driving force for me to get into detecting in the first place. I started reading some of our local histories over the winter and realized that there should be a ton of stuff to find... with this area being the 'frontier' for a long time, homes and barns being burned down by the British and Indians, rebuilt and burned down again... raids of this valley, prisoners and skirmishes, forts, farms. It's not a very exciting place in the present day, but 200+ years ago it was pretty crazy! If any time you're in the area, I'll be happy to be your tour guide!

[2ndoldman]

Thank you for the compliment and the offer. If I sell my home I plan on buying a travel van and becoming a detecting vagabond and when that happens I will be taking you up on the offer.

[Sunny]

Those 'Indian Head' coins are particularly nice.
Good haul

[Driftwood]

Thanks! I have been really happy with the patina on the copper coins from this particular spot... nice and green without being too crusty or toasted... very pretty.

[Driftwood]

Here are some more finds from the site that I've finally gotten around to resizing.
This is a spoon commemorating the destruction of the U.S. Maine.

The bowl end says: 'U.S. BATTLESHIP MAINE DESTROYED FEB. 15 1898'

The handle says: 'CAPTAIN C.D. SIGSBEE U.S.N.'

Next is a 1945P nickel... the nickels made from 1942-45 are lacking nickel, it being used for the war effort for armor plating, so the nickel was replaced with silver... pretty neat.



These two objects are kind of a mystery to me... maybe one of you can identify them. My instinct tells me they are drawer pulls/knobs with the threaded shanks busted off. Maybe? I think they are pewter and are about the size of a dime... too chunky to be cuff links.

[2ndoldman]

I agree that they have the appearance of drawer pulls but the size seems to be far to small. If they were identical I would be inclined to say that they were from a tiny chest/jewelry case. ???
That spoon is a real keeper. Congrats. What are the markings on the back of the spoon?

[Driftwood]

It's really tough to tell, but it looks like it says 'STANDARD' on the back of the handle... on the thin middle part. Does that mean anything to you?

[Driftwood]

Bruce, here is a detail of the spoon marking, for what it's worth:

[Driftwood]

Here are today's finds... the first is a cute button (about the size of a quarter) with some flowers and a butterfly:


These are both stamped by one of the former residents of the site (W.D. BECKER)... I found the tag a few weeks ago and the lead weight is from today. I guess it is a large homemade fishing weight. That guy sure liked to stamp stuff!

[painshill]

Neat spoon. There are lots of variations on the design and they exist in sterling silver, electro-plate and gold wash/gilded as well as some with coloured enamel handles. There are also some scarcer ones that have an inscription on the handle saying they have been made with metal (a small proportion) recovered from the wreck. Some are made in America (mostly from Massachusetts) and some from Birmingham in England (especially the sterling and EPNS ones).

Here, I think “standard” refers to the quality of electro-plate. “Standard” quality in Britain (also known as “A”) equated to 24 grams of silver applied per 12 pieces of cutlery (2 grams per table spoon or table fork).


Those weights look more like clock weights to me, which would also explain why they are stamped with a name. There was a high quality clock-maker in Austria in the late 1800s/early 1900s called Gustav Becker. Maybe he had a brother/son or whatever who was also in the business and emigrated to America.

[Driftwood]

I have to research the name... the Beckers were (are still) a very prominent family in these parts. Do you suppose the small keystone shaped thing is a weight? I figured it was some sort of tag (like a cattle tag or something), as it is very light... made of copper or brass. The other item is lead and weighs a bit over an ounce. I should be able to get to the bottom of the name soon... have to look through some records.

[painshill]

I had considered the possibility of livestock tags, but those are almost always numbered (although they may have a farm owner name as well).

[Driftwood]

OK, I just did some poking around and found there is one Wilhelmus Becker (1761-1838) and two 'William' Beckers (1806-1883, 1858-1930) in our small local cemetery. Also, I found several newspaper mentions of W.D. Becker in 1917, 1926 and 1932, so that must be a fourth (given the prolific nature of that family, there are likely two or three more in there between 1761 and 1932... and a few more since). Yeah, I think the W.D.Becker stamped on the two above items must be of local origin.

[NativeMix]

Wow all awesome finds!

[Driftwood]

Thanks!! The local farmers haven't started in on plowing yet, so it's all metal for a while.

[2ndoldman]

You should start a new post every time you make some new finds. You are making some great finds and I hope that the members here see that you keep adding new finds.
I agree with Roger on the standard being an indication of the amount of electro plating on the spoon.
You wedge shaped weight could very well be a counter weight for a clock. Your historical documents may give you information on what type of work he did and that should give you a lead on the weight and that tag.
The button is a beauty. It won't take long before you will be filling up your first shadow box of detecting finds. Keep up the good work my friend.