Hello Diggers!
I spent 7 glorious days in England detecting in the most horrific rain, snow, sleet, and 60 mph winds ever endured since Tim went over to England! This was a dream come true for me as I have wanted for many years to find medieval English coins! There were 12 of us in our group and we became known as the Dirty Dozen. If you follow YouTube you might recognize the names Plug Master Ford, Missouri Mike, Nugget Noggin, Preacher Digger, Will B Diggin, Adventures in Dirt, Potter County Diggers, and the Relic Rangers (plus me). What a great group of folks and we all got along so well! I encourage you to check out their videos of the trip!
The weather was so difficult it made it almost impossible to focus on the signals. When the wind is at 50 mph+ your metal detector will roll across the ground and you have to chase it. I had to put it on the ground facing into the wind. Rain gear is useless at keeping you dry and you are very cold because temps were in the upper 30's most days.
But I was detecting in England! Woo-hoooooo! On day 3 I finally got my first good find. It was 10 inches deep and the faintest of signals. It turned out to be my first ever cut Spanish coin. A Spanish 2 Reale from the reign of Philip V and dates to 1718-26.
I did not find any gold during this trip but I did find 3 hammered silvers. The oldest being a Henry III Voided Long Cross Penny dating to 1247. It has a London mint mark and the moneyer's name is Renaud.
My next best hammered is a 1582/3 Elizabeth I Penny.
I also found a larger hammered silver groat but it is worn smooth and a "Taco Tuesday" special.
I found a couple medieval tokens dating 1400s to 1500s. These were used in place of money at certain stores or pubs.
My best button was a Royal Navy button with Victoria Crown and dates 1843 - 1890. Still a lot of gold gilt and I look forward to cleaning it up.
Everything I found I turned in to be evaluated under the Treasure Act. I expect to get everything back in about 6 months or so.
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