Brass pipe, complete toy soldier, and another wacky large cent!

RIdirtdigger

New member
This is a combination of a short hunt I did yesterday evening after class and a todays hunt. Yesterday I went to a spot which I had hammered with my bounty hunter and ace 350. I had never used the AT pro there so I was anxious to see how much stuff I missed. Right of the bat I get a midtone and dig a flat button, my first from this site and what's cool about it is the thread is still around the shank. Really cool. I swing around the cellar and I get a 91-92 signal an inch away from the edge of the foundation. I dig down about 1-2 inches and put my propointer into the hole. I notice the edge of a copper disc sticking out and I reach to pick it up. I turn it over and notice it has holes in it. I thought it was the top of a salt shaker or some strange token. I start to brush it off and I see a head appear and the words Liberty become visible. Turns out its a 1834 Matron Head large cent that someone drilled 8 holes in but didn't drill it all the way through. Very strange considering I dug another large cent in the spring that has been shot 5 times or so. I just don't get what they were trying to do with this one. After digging the largie I headed home because it was getting dark.
Today I had no class because of a cancellation so I decided to head back to some of my cellars since I hadn't hit them with the 5x8 coil yet. I go to a cellar and get a 60's signal about 2 inches deep and pull out a small flat button with the shank crushed. I move over in the same general area and get another mid tone and pull out a compass but its made of plastic and modern. Still a first for me, I've never dug a compass before. I decide to head back to the cellar I went to on Veterans day and look for stuff I missed. I probably dug about 7 shot gun shells right around the cellar hole itself. That frustrated me so I moved away from the cellar and got a faint tone bouncing from iron numbers all the way up to 93 but its repeatable from all sides so I dig it. I dig a massive plug and get a signal about 10 inches deep. I expect it to be a nail. Instead I pull out a lead toy soldier, complete with the head and everything. It looks old and the soldier looks British or European in nature. My first toy soldier ever!!! I move on to the area where I dug that bottle last week and get a shallow signal in the 60's. I dig a small hole and use the pinpointer to pull out a brass pipe. Its very ornate, I've never seen one like it before buts its awesome. I don't know what it was used for there's no hole to inhale the smoke with. Any ideas? Also got a part to a lantern. I'd say I had a pretty successful hunt!IMG_4153.jpgIMG_4155.jpgIMG_4156.jpgIMG_4157.jpgIMG_4145.jpgIMG_4147.jpgIMG_4150.jpgIMG_4151.jpgIMG_4162.jpgIMG_4161.jpgIMG_4164.jpgIMG_4163.jpgIMG_4159.jpgIMG_4158.jpg
 
some very cool items RIdirtdigger , I love the "modified" large cent and your "pipe " is either a cane handle or a parasol (umbrella) handle . very neat item
 
Love the toy soldier....and Dan's call on the "pipe" I am in agreement on. Weirdest LC that I have seen but it looks punched not drilled. You and your ATPro did well today.
 
Some nice and weird finds. The first button has some fabric still. AL was right it looks punched and I guess it's the umbrella handle then. I gathered it wasn't big when you showed the end. I wonder how old the soldier is.
 
Very nice finds! I think the soldier is a French or Civil War Zouave. The pipe looking thing is a handle to some type of cabinet. Notice the spot for your thumb. Congrats, I'm glad some folks are still able to get out! HH, Dave.
 

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I love the large cent... such a unique find... looks like a lego piece almost??? :lolsign: Congrats on all the relics!
 
I wonder what they used the Large Cent for, it is very uniform in depth and in placement. A ladies parasol would be my guess on the small handle. Very nice finds. :congrats:
 
I agree that the depressions in the large cent look punched, not drilled. You see a lot of coins from the 1800s that have seemingly arbitrary defacement. I honestly think that people sometimes just got bored and did it for their own amusement. Very interesting find!

I really like the lead soldier too. I get a foreign vibe from it, possibly French or Belgian.

Great finds! :clapping:
 
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Well, the lantern part you found is bent. Perhaps they were attempting to retrofit the LC for the lantern! :) In all seriousness though, very cool finds and congrats. I agree with Tony in that it seems these folks just got bored at times way back up in the woods and found goofy things to do from time to time to amuse themselves...like punching holes in coins.

-John
 

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