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Thread: Sunday Detecting at a Roman Hill

  1. #1

    Sunday Detecting at a Roman Hill

    Hey Diggers,
    There was so much Roman activity around here for about 700 years that relics and coins can be found just about anywhere you detect. The Romans loved hilltops (probably for their strategic location). I was detecting a hilltop and found a few Roman coins, a Roman sandal nail, and a bronze goddess figurine (maybe Aphrodite?). This particular area has been hunted to death for about 30 years! I found all the targets in iron patches and most were about 9 inches deep. The figurine was over a foot deep!

    For the figurine I used Andre's pencils to very slowly chip away the crud to reveal the patina below. It took me almost 2 hours! The coins are not well preserved and are so fragile that I could only use ammonia to clean them. Any kind of mechanical cleaning would have destroyed the fragile patina.

    The guy I was detecting with, Mike, found a beautiful silver Denarius from about A.D. 190 and an iron arrowhead for a crossbow bolt!

    Here's some pics and thanks for looking. HH, Dave.
    Attached Images Attached Images             
    Oldest Coin: 100-60 BC Gallic bronze coin (Sequani Tribe)
    Oldest Silver Coin: 1156 hammered Pfennig from (now) Bavaria
    Oldest U.S. coin: 1805 Draped Bust Large Cent
    Best Coins EVER: 1625 4 Sols from Kingdom of Chateau Renaud, France
    1662 15 Kreuzers, Leopold I, Austria
    Best Relics: Bronze Age Arrowheads & Spearhead, 2c Roman silver ring, complete medieval knight's spur (x6)
    YouTube Channel: Full Metal Digger

  2. #2
    Dave, that bronze goddess figure is one of the coolest things I've ever seen on this forum! Wow, I can't believe how well it cleaned up. It is gorgeous! I love the crude hand carving. So old! INCREDIBLE! Just to be able to hold it in your hand and wonder who the previous person was to also held it. It boggles the mind!

    Lifetime totals:
    9 Large Cents, 415 Indian Heads, 2 Two Cent Pieces, 1 Capped Bust Half Dime, 1 Seated Half Dime, 10 Shield Nickels, 68 V Nickels, 124 Buffalo Nickels, 31 War Nickels, 16 Seated Dimes, 131 Barber Dimes, 405 Mercury Dimes, 249 Rosies, 4 Seated Quarters, 18 Barber Quarters, 19 Standing Liberty Quarters, 89 Silver Washingtons, 1 Seated Half, 3 Barber Halves, 16 Walking Liberty Halves

    YouTube Channel: Tony Two-Cent https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmz...RlHTBIU42bUORg

  3. #3
    Elite Member Digger_O'Dell's Avatar
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    I agree withTony. That goddess figure is amazing, and the cleanup results really is exceptional work. That really is probably the coolest find I've seen as well. Probably something not even likely to be seen in any museum and definitely relic find of the month!
    Equipment:
    Minelab: CTX 3030, GPX 4800, X-Terra 705. Whites TDI SL.

    2023 Silver: 1 Gold: 0

    Best finds: 28 silver dime spill, 1800s Dutch customs seal.
    Oldest/best coins: 1837 Upper Canada large cent, 1877 Seated Dime
    Oldest find: 1800 Sailors Luck token
    You Tube: Rediscovering America

  4. #4
    Elite Member Bucknut's Avatar
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    Mind boggled!
    Detectors I use: Minelab Equinox 900 & Manticore
    Favorite finds I have made:
    1,000+ silver coins
    92pcs of 1700's Trade Era Silver
    Copper Culture Indian Artifacts
    125+ War of 1812 Era buttons and relics
    My wife
    (probably should have started with that one)

  5. #5
    Administrator del's Avatar
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    "Aphrodite" ? you digging ancient Greek relics now ?? is there any ancient civilization that's not inside Germany now that you can't find ? Or did you mean Venus , the Roman goddess of love and beauty ? sorry Dave I had to bust ya …. after all you are the man responsible for constantly making my keyboard wet from drool since you moved to Europe . Seriously I'm with Tony the bronze bust is absolutely amazing in both its age and shape . Congrats on finding Roman sir !

    Dan
    "Honesty is an expensive gift ,
    so don't expect it from cheap people"

    XP Deus II , DFX ,TDI sl -

    Click here to view my finds album


  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Tony Two-Cent View Post
    Dave, that bronze goddess figure is one of the coolest things I've ever seen on this forum! Wow, I can't believe how well it cleaned up. It is gorgeous! I love the crude hand carving. So old! INCREDIBLE! Just to be able to hold it in your hand and wonder who the previous person was to also held it. It boggles the mind!
    Thanks Tony, she was staring straight at me when she popped up onto the dirt pile!

    Quote Originally Posted by Digger_O'Dell View Post
    I agree withTony. That goddess figure is amazing, and the cleanup results really is exceptional work. That really is probably the coolest find I've seen as well. Probably something not even likely to be seen in any museum and definitely relic find of the month!
    Thanks, I was very happy with the way it cleaned up using the Andre's crayons. I was just glad to get it out of the ground without damaging it! You should have seen the roots and rocks I had to go through to get to it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bucknut View Post
    Mind boggled!
    Thanks!

    Quote Originally Posted by del View Post
    "Aphrodite" ? you digging ancient Greek relics now ?? Or did you mean Venus , the Roman goddess of love and beauty ?
    You totally busted me Del! I'm hoping to get it identified as to which Roman goddess it depicts. I have an acquaintance who is a professor of Roman archaeology up in Frankfurt so maybe he will know. It's already been identified as 4th century and that fits perfectly with all the coins I found there from the 300's.
    Oldest Coin: 100-60 BC Gallic bronze coin (Sequani Tribe)
    Oldest Silver Coin: 1156 hammered Pfennig from (now) Bavaria
    Oldest U.S. coin: 1805 Draped Bust Large Cent
    Best Coins EVER: 1625 4 Sols from Kingdom of Chateau Renaud, France
    1662 15 Kreuzers, Leopold I, Austria
    Best Relics: Bronze Age Arrowheads & Spearhead, 2c Roman silver ring, complete medieval knight's spur (x6)
    YouTube Channel: Full Metal Digger

  7. #7
    Wonderful, Dave! Such pretty art on the coins...seems some of our colonial coins took a step backwards.
    On Instagram- oxshoedrew

  8. #8
    I don't know how you manage to keep out doing yourself Dave, but you do !!!!! Just more great stuff !

    And how do you not skip work every day to go out detecting? I would have been fired already.
    Oldest find: 5,000 year old copper spearhead
    Oldest coin: 1699 William III halfpenny
    Purdiest coin: 1832 Capped Bust quarter
    Coolest find: USA button with blue threads still on shank

    "He who would search for pearls must dive below."

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Lodge Scent View Post
    And how do you not skip work every day to go out detecting? I would have been fired already.
    It ain't easy staying focused at work that's for sure! One of my detecting buddies is a house-husband. Wife goes to work, he gets the kids off to school, cleans house and then goes detecting until the kids come home. All day he is texting me pictures of his finds! Killing me!!
    Oldest Coin: 100-60 BC Gallic bronze coin (Sequani Tribe)
    Oldest Silver Coin: 1156 hammered Pfennig from (now) Bavaria
    Oldest U.S. coin: 1805 Draped Bust Large Cent
    Best Coins EVER: 1625 4 Sols from Kingdom of Chateau Renaud, France
    1662 15 Kreuzers, Leopold I, Austria
    Best Relics: Bronze Age Arrowheads & Spearhead, 2c Roman silver ring, complete medieval knight's spur (x6)
    YouTube Channel: Full Metal Digger

  10. #10
    Global Moderator aloldstuff's Avatar
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    Once again.........huge congrats.
    V3i- Prism IV- Pro Pointer
    2020 GOAL: Any Flowing Hair coin

    TOTAL 100 YEAR OLD COINS - -280
    2020:
    Silver: 11


    Oldest U.S. Copper - 1795 Liberty Cap
    Oldest U.S. Silver - 1829 Capped Bust Dime extra large 10C
    Click here to view my album

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by DaddyDigger View Post
    All day he is texting me pictures of his finds! Killing me!!
    He needs a good whupping.
    Oldest find: 5,000 year old copper spearhead
    Oldest coin: 1699 William III halfpenny
    Purdiest coin: 1832 Capped Bust quarter
    Coolest find: USA button with blue threads still on shank

    "He who would search for pearls must dive below."

  12. #12
    Veteran Member BTV Digger's Avatar
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    Wonderful relics Dave, the the little goddess bust is simply amazing! It must be thrilling to potentially dig antiquity every day you go out!

    John
    Vermont relic hunting, one swing at a time.
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG2...OLib30A/videos

  13. #13
    Great coin finds there and the bust is very unique!
    -------------------
    Oldest coin: Roman Silver Denarius (Titus) 79-81 AD / Oldest US coin: 1786-1788 NJ Copper (x4)
    Best relics: Medieval lead seal matrix (1200s) / 1789 George Washington Inaugural Button (x2)
    Deus II / Equinox 900 - Personal website: www.Detectorist.com

  14. #14
    Elite Member Digger Don's Avatar
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    And yet another great hunt from DaddyDigger ( In Germany )
    Great bunch of coins , but that goddess is butt ugly!! Sorry, Lol
    Oldest Coin: 1699 William III Halfpenny


    20
    24
    Silver 4
    Indian 3, Buff 1, V Nik 1, Rosie 2, Barber Dime, SLQ 1,

    YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoU...FVGumMQ/videos

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Digger Don View Post
    Great bunch of coins , but that goddess is butt ugly!! Sorry, Lol
    Don, just take a look at that god-awful silver ring you found recently and then look at my beautiful little goddess! LOL
    Oldest Coin: 100-60 BC Gallic bronze coin (Sequani Tribe)
    Oldest Silver Coin: 1156 hammered Pfennig from (now) Bavaria
    Oldest U.S. coin: 1805 Draped Bust Large Cent
    Best Coins EVER: 1625 4 Sols from Kingdom of Chateau Renaud, France
    1662 15 Kreuzers, Leopold I, Austria
    Best Relics: Bronze Age Arrowheads & Spearhead, 2c Roman silver ring, complete medieval knight's spur (x6)
    YouTube Channel: Full Metal Digger

  16. #16
    Check the help wanted ads at your work and see if any fit me. I’ve got a degree I’m not using. I want to detect with Dave!!

  17. #17
    how cool is that! cleaned up beautifully too! good job!
    2008-14 coppers
    2009-32 coppers
    2010-34 coppers 2-GW buttons
    2011- 80 & 3/4 coppers 1-GW button
    2012- 92 coppers/large cents 1-GW button
    2013- 57 1/4 coppers 6- GW Buttons
    2014- 69 coppers 1-GW button
    2015- 20 1/4 coppers
    2016-44 coppers 1-GW button
    2017-19 & 1/2 coppers
    2018-19 coppers 1-GW
    2019-5 coppers
    click to see my photo album

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