BTV Digger
12-08-2017, 05:30 PM
Hi folks,
Well, the past two days produced my best combined hunt of the year. I was skunked out for the first half of yesterday on a permission site with two old homesite locations and an old school - all gone - just fields. Property owner was gracious but it had obviously been pounded as I literally found nothing! :ticked:I had a backup site just in case and got permission after a friendly half hour on the phone talking history with the farmer. Turns out he had a ton of local knowledge, but was unaware of the site - again, a hayfield with no cellar etc. (1857 map only). It showed promise so I told myself if I could snag just a relic or two I'd call the day a partial success. Boy, was that an underestimation! I pulled up and immediately began pulling the goods. Diggable targets where everywhere. Certainly there was a good share of trashy signals as well, but as the finds were unearthed it became obvious this was a virgin site. :thumbsup02: The finds were so nice that I had to return today. All and all about 2 hours yesterday afternoon and 2 more hours this afternoon making 4 hours of total hunt time. I'm sure there's more there, but I just got too darn cold being all exposed on a windy barren hill at 34F. Finds include: 3 Draped Bust Coppers including one which is cut (1798?, 1800 & 1803), a Conder Druid Penny Token c. late 1780s from Britain, and probably my biggest and best crotal bell ever (this makes 14 intact ones I've now found - nuts). Also shown is a beautiful little harness or saddle rosette with a starbust pattern, as well as a number of buttons, buckles and other doo-dads. The Conder Token has writing around the edge and at first I didn't know what I had since it's so much bigger than an LC. All the finds date the site quite well for northern Vermont standards - c. late 1700s to the mid-1800s. Anyway, thanks for looking and be warned, a number of pics ahead!
John
61909619106191161912619136191461915619166191761918 6191961920619216192261923
Well, the past two days produced my best combined hunt of the year. I was skunked out for the first half of yesterday on a permission site with two old homesite locations and an old school - all gone - just fields. Property owner was gracious but it had obviously been pounded as I literally found nothing! :ticked:I had a backup site just in case and got permission after a friendly half hour on the phone talking history with the farmer. Turns out he had a ton of local knowledge, but was unaware of the site - again, a hayfield with no cellar etc. (1857 map only). It showed promise so I told myself if I could snag just a relic or two I'd call the day a partial success. Boy, was that an underestimation! I pulled up and immediately began pulling the goods. Diggable targets where everywhere. Certainly there was a good share of trashy signals as well, but as the finds were unearthed it became obvious this was a virgin site. :thumbsup02: The finds were so nice that I had to return today. All and all about 2 hours yesterday afternoon and 2 more hours this afternoon making 4 hours of total hunt time. I'm sure there's more there, but I just got too darn cold being all exposed on a windy barren hill at 34F. Finds include: 3 Draped Bust Coppers including one which is cut (1798?, 1800 & 1803), a Conder Druid Penny Token c. late 1780s from Britain, and probably my biggest and best crotal bell ever (this makes 14 intact ones I've now found - nuts). Also shown is a beautiful little harness or saddle rosette with a starbust pattern, as well as a number of buttons, buckles and other doo-dads. The Conder Token has writing around the edge and at first I didn't know what I had since it's so much bigger than an LC. All the finds date the site quite well for northern Vermont standards - c. late 1700s to the mid-1800s. Anyway, thanks for looking and be warned, a number of pics ahead!
John
61909619106191161912619136191461915619166191761918 6191961920619216192261923