I swear I am drivering to PA to have me some ground hog stew... That little brown rat rodent said early spring... HE LIED!
Hunt #1 - Winter is finally flipping sorta of over...
Well I am finally getting out for the 1st hunt of the year... Latest start in 3 years... and I only had a little less that 2 hours of light left...
This button was a pretty solid 12/35, but not super smooth... but it repeated both ways... 5" range...
Looks like: Albert CT13A1 Button depicts Connecticut state seal symbolism,
grape vines with Latin inscription, "He who transplanted continues to sustain",
intended for troops of Connecticut units. Backmark:
"SCOVILL MF'G CO. / (star) WATERBURY. (star) " rmdc on stippled background, ca 1850's,
(ScovillM210). Two part convex button, coat size. Nondug button, gilded, stand up shank.
Next up was an iffy 7" target...12/46 was ringing in my ears :-) Nice silver to start out the year...
1900 Barber Silver Quarter (Silver #1 for 2011)
5 feet away from the Barber was this 8" target that sounded like a quarter as well...
but not consistent and was only good one way... but I'm glad I recovered it :-)
March 10th
Hunt #2 - I was jonsing to get back out... I wanted to dig everything!!!
I headed right back to the same spot... I only had 60-70 miuntes of light left... :-(
This Roosie was in a spot I had been over just a few times... I was singing like sweet silver @ 5"...
1946 Roosevelt Silver Dime (Silver #2 for 2011)
March 12th
Hunt #3 - I hit a new colonial foundation on private property...
This first hunt was the usual... Filled with iron and still pretty wet...
Only one keep for the day... a Toasted Indian Head Cent... (Indian Head #1 for 2011)
March 13th
Hunt #4 - Sunday I had to drive my son back to Boston and stopped just outside of town at a green... and had a blast! :-)
This token is the size of a half dollar and looks 50ish *shrug* -
It was screaming 12/48 all the way about 5" down...
Here is an 1864 "L" Indian Head in great shape! (Indian Head #2 for 2011)
Next out was another Indian Head Penny... 1893 (Indian Head #3 for 2011)
This Dime was loud and clea 12/45 @ 6" and I was 99% sure it was silver...
I was only cleaned with water and I swear it still has some luster!
1899 Silver Barber Dime (Silver #3 for 2011)
1850's-1860's D. Evans & Co Federal Revenue Cutter Cufflinks...
http://relicman.com/buttons/zArchiveButtonFedGovRevenueCutter.htm
wikipedia quotes
"The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1790 as an armed maritime law enforcement service. Throughout its entire existence the Revenue Cutter Service operated under the authority of the United States Department of the Treasury. In 1915 the Service merged with the United States Life-Saving Service to form the United States Coast Guard."
Civil War-
"Revenue Cutters assisted Navy operations throughout the war. The USRC Harriet Lane joined a Federal naval squadron to capture Forts Clark and Hatteras, which served as bases for Confederate blockade runners. USRC E.A. Stevens, a prototype 110-foot semi-submersible ironclad gunboat, participated in the unsuccessful sortie up the James River to Drewry's Bluff in company with the USS Monitor, USS Galena and two other gunboats, to attack the Confederate capital at Richmond. After carrying President Lincoln from Washington on May 9, 1862, the USRC Miami assisted navy transports in landing Federal troops at Ocean View, Virginia.
President Abraham Lincoln ordered the Secretary of the Treasury on June 14, 1863, "You will co-operate by the revenue cutters under your direction with the navy in arresting rebel depredations on American commerce and transportation and in capturing rebels engaged therein."
When Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865, Revenue Cutters were ordered to search all ships for any assassins that might be trying to escape."
A couple of lead toys...
March 18th
Hunt #5 - It was 70+ in CT today :-) I headed back to a Town Green that I worked pretty well last year... It yielded 6+ IH's, 4 Coppah's including the 1785 Nova, and a 1737 KG II...
This hunt started off slow... Some clad... then I hit a spot that had good moisture and some deep target start to yell up to me :-)
12/29 12/31 from 5-6" down yielded this fatty.. Its toast :-(
Toasted Dateless Fatty Indian Head (Indian Head #4 for 2011)
The next Indian Head Penny was a tale of different conditions...
1905 Indian Head Penny (Indiah Head #5 for 2011)
From 12"+ down was a faint but repeatable signal... The Lesche was all the way in the plug...
This is a Bust Left Connecticut Copper.... (Copper #1 for 2011)
Copper coins were struck in Connecticut beginning in 1785. Over 350 distinct die varieties are known to exist today.
Interesting "nicknames" have been assigned to some of the more distinctive and unusual types: Hercules Head, Mutton Head, African Head, Laughing Head, Horned Bust, and others.
Some varieties are known overstruck on other coins.
http://www.coinfacts.com/colonial_coins/connecticut_coppers/ConnecticutCoppers.htm
Its pretty well toast but you can indentify it was a CT Copper :-)
Reverse is toast :-(
March 19th
Hunt #6 - This was a new site... an older home of someone I had just meet...
Button, button, who has the button...
1940 Mercury Silver Dime (Silver #4 for 2011)
Older (50s-60s) Pontiac General Motors Token...
Video Summary of the hunts from Mar 9th to Mar 19th, 2011...
March 20th
Hunt #7 - This was the 2nd hunt at a new cellar hole... 1st trip yielded a toasted Indian Head Penny...
I spent 4.5 hours today at this colonial site... It was build in 1768 and I was in the 100 ft Barn foundation today... I did capture the KG II sight sounds and dig on video...
We can see the bust facing left and part of George's name on the left...
Looks like an early (Baby) head... which would date it 1729-1739...
King George II early Copper (Copper #2 for 2011)
Almost a date there... but not quite...
Hotel Tag was also recovered...
March 25th
Hunt #8 - This was a hort fun hunt after work... Only a few targets recovered, but fun non the less...
Yeah yeah... I gouged the back of this coin :-(
It happens when we are going to fast out of sheer excitment to recover this taget now! :-)
1905 Barber Silver Dime (Silver #5 for 2011)
Listen to the sweeet silver sound in the video below... Gotta love Minelab :-)
This sounded like an Indian Head Penny was wasn't to deep... 3-4"
Trolley Car Token...
Pencil sharpers don't look like this anymore :-)
March 26th
Hunt #9 - New Foundation! This hunt was a blast! Target were not flying out of the holes, but they did tally up nicely :-)
I spent about 5 1/2 hours at this new foundation...
This 1st target did not take but 30 minutes to get to...
12/25 @ 3-4"... I tell it was a "Fatty" Indian and NO Shield on the back...
So I knew it was an 1859... but how would it clean up ??
1859 "Fatty" Indian Head Penny (Indian Head #6 for 2011)
15 Minutes Later... 12/11 @ 6"... I was thinking possible Nickel...
Late 1800's Eagle US Military Button...
Then it was a quite few hours... shotgun shells... and trash...
Then I moved into the barn foundation area... there were lots of surface junk...
old large cables, iron that was rusting, etc...
but as I moved towards the middle on the right I got a 12/24 @ 2-3"...
1858 FLYING EAGLE! - My first FE Ever...
60 minutes later I was seeking one more good target and was working between the
barn and house foundation... This was a crazy signal like a large piece of
big iron/metal near the surface... I almost did not dig it... but I'm glad I did :-)
Wax Seal - T. Steinbach
March 27th
Hunt #10 - Another new Foundation! (To me anyways...) HolySchnikeys Batman... Can you sa shotgun shells!
This was a nice 12/11 6" signal right in the middle of what I believe to be the barn... *shrug*
1917 Buffalo Nickel (Buffalo #1 for 2011)
Couple of very oxidized lead toys :-)
March 30th
Hunt #11 - It was 51 this after here in Connecticut I arrived at a park that I've been visiting for a few years... I was there last friday night and nabbed a 1905 Barber Dime...
Tonight was more about copper...
I had a strange signal about 30 minutes after getting there... it was jumping all over...
It was 12/19 to 12/40 @ 6"... but out popped a green disc... an 1899 Indian...
after looking at it, I look diwn at the dirt on my towel, there was another small green disc... another Indian... a 1905 :-)
1899 Indian Head Penny (Indian Head #7 for 2011)
1905 Indian Head Penny (Indian Head #8 for 2011)
I worked a line down and it was getting to dusk and a little cooler...
I decided to work a line to my car... about a foot ball field away....
100 foot up... I got a spotty 12/46 @ 8" range...
1835 Matron Head Large Cent (Coppah #3 for 2011)