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Three days of silver and hard times token +
I've been out a few times since the last post I made. Friday 9-16 I got out of work early to hit a cellar with Danny. Finally taking him to one of my sites... until I learned he had been there before. Its a big site with two cellars and I guess a pen way far back from the cellars. I could have sworn it was a completely different site. I managed a small buckle and a watch case for a smaller pocket watch. Now I realize I don't have a pic. There's still two more nearby cellars I haven't checked.
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On the 17th I went to a friends house. It is a small lot that used to have an old store on it. Nearby houses are 1800, 1850, and a few other 1800s idr off the top of my head. The house was torn down and a new foundation put up already. I didn't have much area to swing. I still squeaked out a two piece button made by Leavenworth & Co. It appears to be 1830's and I did read somewhere that Leavenworth had some affiliation with Scovill, possibly that they were acquired by Scovill later on. The clip had been ID'd as an earing. It must be a really old clip on earing. There was 1 green wheat, 1944, found there and a big brass bell. The cover I believe was for a Jackie Coogan candy tin. And the Boston Confectionary company was acquired by Necco who had the largest candy factory in the world in 1927.
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Sunday the 18th was a slow day. I saw a piece of land that had around 180 acres of stone wall enclosures. There weren't too many rocks inside. I was looking for a home site nearby. The 34 aerial had no visible site. The closest cellar was 1/2 mile away. I guess it turned out to be a ginormous set of pens cuz there wasn't much activity there. Very few iron hits. I did find one button. At first I thought it was the back of a two piece, but then realized it was too thick so must be a concave button. I left it uncleaned for a bit.. Well. I cleaned it up finally yesterday. After a hot peroxide bath I actually saw detail on the front. Most likely original hand painted circles. I thought that was the coolest thing as all the other buttons I have seen only have a design only if it was etched.
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This weekend was a good one. Three days in a row with silver. Friday I finally checked out an open space.... with one of those fun encounters. Just gotta smh. There were a bunch of fields once part of this estate. They are visible in '34. It used to have the same name as the adjacent parcel with an 1800 house thru the valuations. Well, now it is town owned open space and has been for over a decade. Sure enough there was someone who had to stop. He was driving by and saw me. He drove onto the private prop parcel driveway giving me this grilling on being on private prop. He asked me what I was doing. After I replied, he said it was private. I proceeded to tell him it was town owned open space. He asked me if I had asked the town if I could do any detecting or digging. I then said to him "why would I ask the town? and who would I ask? I checked the ordinance". Of course he had to enquire if the ordinance said you could detect. I told him it didn't say you couldn't. Of course he retorted " I don't believe you can do that. I'm writing down your license plate info and Im going to the town and asking them if you should be here". Wtf? There is def cut brush behind to the back fields like a really wide hiking path. I kept swinging. Before he came by, I found a '39 Washington. After, I found a wheat.
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Saturday I met up with a few people from the detecting group. I was given the gps earlier in the week to look into. I saw the cellars in the 34 aerial and the old maps. We got there early. As I came in, I went by the cellar near the road and noticed this cart path behind the structures just near this creek. We all went on the other side of the creek to where the main structure was. The organizer went by this area on a slight hill toward this big tree and then took off. I stayed a bit and sure enough right up against this tiny tree was a silver dime. Less than 2" deep on top of a rock was a 1916 barber dime. Now I can finally say I pulled a silver coin at a cellar. yay! It was stingy to the others, but in one guy's defense, his coil cover had a bunch of crap still in it. AND.. it was also a bad coil which he just got replaced today under warranty (Deus). There was a tiny stone retaining wall which looked like it diverted water on the top of the hill side. Right near there was a plate. C.H. Brownell was a furniture company in Peru, IN. Seems like he was on the town committee for something in 1901, and his company made furniture for the post office in 1910. We tried the cart path up to main site but I eventually diverted to the cart path behind the cellars. AND it was a good move. I pulled up my first hard times token. First it looked like a matron, but once I noticed the banner and words above the bust, I knew what it was. Sweet. And then I pulled another concave button.
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The organizer had to leave, but there were a few other sites and I had a little time left. Us remaining drove to one cellar. OMG is it a big site. It looks big in 34 aerial but once you get there you realize how big it is. I didn't have time to swing, tho. I wasted some time chasing signals in the road up there. I did get another early '24 wheat and made it to double wall driveway. I managed to show him the cellar, take a pic, see iron near the cellar, and then head out. He didn't get much as his coil was bad, but I think its a site us three will go back to soon. And I will be checking the less obvi spots to get some nice finds.
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Sunday I went out for a bit early on. As I hiked out the day before, there was a hiker telling me about a site near there having been logged recently and a cellar being found. I drove to the intersection where he said and parked. I saw the stone work. This wasn't the site. So, after feeding the plants I grabbed the detector and off I went for a short hunt there. I checked a little inside this field having a lip 3'-5' along the edge. Right on the lip I pulled a WM Rogers spoon. I checked near the cellar quick as there were many overloads and trash. Then the other side of the road. Then I followed the cattle path on the other road figuring that would lead to the newly uncovered cellar. Well, it took me up to an immense pen. I followed across the brook to find some other stone work and hiking paths. There was more sporadic stone work but no home sites. Eventually I came back to the road and hiked back toward the car. I stopped to check out this cellar site that is overgrown by the cellar. The fields are ginormous as well. The big one is at least 400 yards front to back. I didn't spend too much time, but I did find the still utilized field that was next to home site had more targets. I shall return. Hiking back again toward car I finally spotted the cellar that the hiker mentioned. It was right off the side of the road and a huge barn foundation with 6'+ high walls I'm sure it was visible from the road and hit before. I may still check it out soon anyway.
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I then met up with a guy from the bookface for a bit. We took a ride to a cellar many 15 min away from where I was. There wasn't much to find there. I did notice this cart path to what looked like a quarry. I saw a second garter there. I got a rolled up spoon and then we headed out to a field in the woods. It's an odd piece as it has a creek running right through it. Stone lining walls are incomplete. I got a nice small conestoga bell with "IND" stamped inside. And third silver for the weekend was out back of the field. Pulled a '23 merc and a '37 wheat. I have an item to take a pic for Whatsit so that'll be pending. No close up of '23. Its above in the weekend finds.
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