Metal Detecting (Including Finds).

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by DaveinGermany

Ain't that the truth! Shame about your mate though, good mates are oft times better than blood.

Never a truer word Dave, you can choose you friends, but relatives, the further off they are, the better I like them.
I can say that of all the people I knew and worked with, I only ever had two real good friends I could trust, Sandbags & Bill Turner (Acc Pals). Yet Sandy and Bill never met one another.

[Accyexplorer]

Well,I managed a few hrs out with my detecting stick this afternoon.
I decided to have a few hrs on a local pasture permission that I haven't really been on much,the weather was very mild and I wasn't too disappointed with the finds either.

9 lead musket balls
4 rotten shell casings
2 ornate buttons
2 threpenny bits
1 lead Baltic flour bag seal
1 old 5p (shilling)
1 georgey penny
2 ornate candlestick holder things all washed down with a lovely sunset


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[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

Well,I managed a few hrs out with my detecting stick this afternoon.
I decided to have a few hrs on a local pasture permission that I haven't really been on much,the weather was very mild and I wasn't too disappointed with the finds either.

9 lead musket balls
4 rotten shell casings
2 ornate buttons
2 threpenny bits
1 lead Baltic flour bag seal
1 old 5p (shilling)
1 georgey penny
2 ornate candlestick holder things all washed down with a lovely sunset


Attachment 54816

The calibre of Musket balls was determined by weight 10 to the pound was .577, The old Brown Bess flint lock, when they were first converted to breech loaders by Snieder they were stiil .577, but within a short space of time another breech loading conversion changed it to .577/450, same case and head size but necked down to .450, the next rifle was completely new, same cartridge, but the rifle was the Martini Henry, falling block breech loader.
The first breech loading cartridge cases were made from 5 pieces of thin brass sheet formed round a wooden former, held together to the steel head by the primer pocket & squeezed together, the wrapped brass forming was done by children as young as 9, price in an old catalogue £4-10s per 1000.

[Accyexplorer]

I hate the ruddy things,they get in the way of the better stuff,they give of the same signal as coins on my machine so I've got to dig them.

Do they tend to ricochet? I only ask because I've found some that look like they hit something (squashed).

The buttons were general service buttons and the bag seal is a,possibly German,"whites flour seal".usually the detail on these seals is poor but mine looks like one of the better examples.

[Retlaw]

M

Originally Posted by Accyexplorer

I hate the ruddy things,they get in the way of the better stuff,they give of the same signal as coins on my machine so I've got to dig them.

Do they tend to ricochet? I only ask because I've found some that look like they hit something (squashed).

The buttons were general service buttons and the bag seal is a,possibly German,"whites flour seal".usually the detail on these seals is poor but mine looks like one of the better examples.

Bullets can ricochet for miles, one of the worst ranges with that problem was at Hapton Scouts, for your info a rifle range for full bore rifles, with out a back stop nust have a free zone of 2 miles behind the farthest targetsso add 1200 yards to 2 miles an you will ve some wher near, cartridge cases could have been picked up by any one, literally 100's would be left lying around,especially just after the war and into the 1950's when literally 1000's n 1000's of rounds of surplus ammo had to be used up. Bottom of the Irish sea & North sea must be littered with 100's of tons of surplus ardnace after the end of WW2, sometimes up at Holcombe some of the officers of units om the range, would approx our club sec and sell him 1000's of rounds of .303 cheap, so they could pack up an leave. it all helped our clubs coffers, and there were 3 clubs using Holcombe at that time Manch, Bury, n Blegburn. I was a member of the Manch club as well, so I got to shoot with the on Saturdays, half a crown for 10+2 on two ranges, and that included being in the pot for the most x's at the end of the matches.

[Accyexplorer]

I had a few hrs spare this afternoon,I decided some detecting was in order, so I grabbed my stick and headed for a local permission.

The weather was poor and I didn't find much of note,I did find a "trade weight" and a unusual plaque which reads "1672" along with a spoon head,few pre-decimal coins and a buckle.


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[Accyexplorer]

Today,I decided to brave the elements and have a few hours indulging in my pastime.
The weather wasn't too bad once I got motivated but the ground was frozen and digging was harder than usual.
The finds were scarce to begin with until I decided to try down by the river which forms a natural boundary on my permission.

The finds of note are:-

3 pre decimal pennies
1 George 3rd half penny
1 drawer handle?
1 cigarette lighter
1 silver ring and a jaw harp

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[Accyexplorer]

Well,I decided to get out yesterday and go to club dig near York,the site was allegedly an old (17-1800's) homestead in a farmers field.
The weather was a little poor and dispite they say (that "the real treasure is in being out and in fresh air with like minded folk"),I was on a mission to find something nice.

It was a good day as far as the finds were concerned,There was silver coins everywhere,22 silvers came up in total and 2 of them were found by me.

Anyway,the finds of note are:-

Multiple Modern/predecimal coins

1 George 111 "cartwheel" penny
1 George 111 "bullhead" sixpence
1 Victoria "jubilee head" threepence
1 (navy?) badge/button with a anchor and writing on
1 ornate button
1 blank button and a large metal disc.

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[Accyexplorer]

Well,I managed to get 4 hours detecting in yesterday on one of my favorite fields.

Goodness me it was a cold day,it wasn't long before I was thinking 'what the hell am I doing', but there was a lot of enthusiasm on my behalf to have a good day in spite of the wintery conditions.

My first good signal turned out to be a owd ruddy shotgun cartridge, then a few predecimal bits of pocket change, then 'BOOM' two lovely silvers one after the other and a little (military?) badge

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[Accyexplorer]

Today,I decided a detecting session was in order, I arrived at my favourite permission at about 9am full of hope.

Things soon went from bad to worse,I made a school boy error by turning my detecting stick on without finding a clean spot first.
A hour later,soaked to my core, I hadn't dug anything but a copper pipe,a shotgun top and 3ringpulls.Soooo I turned the detecting stick off,had a little breather and started again putting my best foot forward.

At the far side of the farm is a area which is host to a number of large oak trees,wanting shelter from the wind and rain, I headed over and dug several lumps of fence on the way.Then I got a cracking signal which got me all excited,by this time I was literally drenched,it turned out to be a lovely Victorian pencil sharpener.

I set off round these old trees and it wasn't long before I got another cracking signal, the detecting stick was saying its 8" deep, so down I dug and saw a cross shape object......Yes it was my first 1700's orthodox pedant.

To cut a long story short,I spent the whole day rolling around in the mud,the finds of note are:-

1 George 11 halfpenny
1 1700's crotal bell
1 cross pendant
1 little shoe buckle
1 Victorian pencil sharpener
1 dog pendant capsule,a few buttons and a few predecimal bits of change.

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[Margaret Pilkington]

Jason you are to be commended for your persistence in what has been a very wet and miserable day.
For me it would only have been worth it if I had found the treasure that was lost in The Wash(I think there were a couple of mediaeval gem crusted crowns, lots of coinage and ceremonial necklets).
Still, whatever floats your boat.

Did you by chance see Noah out there testing his new boat?

[Accyexplorer]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Jason you are to be commended for your persistence in what has been a very wet and miserable day.
For me it would only have been worth it if I had found the treasure that was lost in The Wash(I think there were a couple of mediaeval gem crusted crowns, lots of coinage and ceremonial necklets).
Still, whatever floats your boat.

Did you by chance see Noah out there testing his new boat?

Cheers M,I may be wrong,but I think even a lady of your expectations would be bitten by the hobby after unearthing a few bits of history.

There was no sign of Noah or his shiny speedboat but the ducks seemed contempt with the weather....Roll on summer

[Accyexplorer]

Well,I managed to get in about 3 hours detecting on a local park today.
I didn't find much of any interest except a nice St. John's ambulance button,I did however find a few quid in spendables (until tomorrow?).
To give you a indication of the finds to rubbish ratio,it was digging about 6bits of rubbish to each coin (that's a lot of holes).

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[Accyexplorer]

I had a few hours swinging my stick this morning on a local pasture permission,the weather wasn't great and finds were scarce.
The land was very clean,hardly any rubbish,It took me about half a hour to get a decent signal but out popped a little (silver) bracelet with writing on from about 2" deep.

Anyhow,The finds of note are:-

1 bracelet
1 broken cross pedant
1 ornate metal stud item
1 George 111 half penny

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[Accyexplorer]

Mrs E went out with her friends yesterday,I took this opportunity,along with the longer hours of daylight,to visit a undisclosed permission that I haven't really had the chance to get to before.

The weather was relatively nice and it was a pleasant change to visit another part of Lancashire.The field was a lovely peaceful pasture and it was also very close a place where a Roman hoard was recovered....I was itching for my first Roman coin but sadly it wasn't to be.

The first signal was a coin, the next was some sort of dagger sheath ,There weren't many signals but what signals there was turned out to be better stuff (apart from the 12 ringpulls i dug up).
​
Before I knew it,it was soon time to go home,my visit cut short by a tractor turning up with slurry spraying equipment.
As it began spraying and air filled with the pungent smell of cow dunk I knew it was time to go home for tea.

The finds of note are:-
2 military cap badges
1 georgey penny (I did find more but gave them away).
1 dagger sheath (with blade inside)
1 brass lighter (not working)
1 buckle
1 enamel ring and a large musket ball

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