Weekend hunts. Mediocre but pic heavy

[MangoAve]

Friday was umm.. ridiculous. I was thinking to work thru lunch and leave early because I knew of the impending clock change. Welp, they were smart enough to schedule a meeting/training at the end of the day on a Friday. WTH?!?! I still went up, tho, after work to where I got the belt plate. I know there is more hiding in the area but after those nice finds early on I haven't unlocked the secret yet.

I actually arrived to park at the same time as the guy who owned the adjacent property whom I was told doesn't like trespassers. He is actually a nice guy who is a hunter himself. He told me there is a place out east with cellar holes that he knows of but others have never heard of. I told him I gotta pick his brain for it. He even mentioned his property has a few cellars on it. When I go up, he just wants to be around to see what gets pulled up. Well, if it gets me in there I'm sure it will be ok. He did tell me, too, that the field he mows for the woman who lives out of state actually had a gold mine on it. Two shafts, in fact. They are all filled with water now, however. My machine isn't quite the type to pick up any gold flakes tho. VLF are not good for that.

Friday I didn't pull up too much. Just a badge for a hunting license, and an old stamp. After a light cleaning I got patent dates inside: 1887 and 1888. Maybe the stamp side I can try and clean and see what was on it. No hurt in trying as the stamp isn't worth a whole lot. I took a pic of the chassis that was out there. Maybe it is from an Oldsmobile or Pontiac, but older than 1930 when they still used the wooden spokes. It could be a Model T, but the pics of those look like the spokes were thinner than the ones I saw in the woods. Model T's did account for 40% of the cars in the 20's...so..?

Saturday I went to a few fields near a school for the club hunt. I didn't get much luck there, but a few people got some finds. The person who had set up the place had a lot more finds. I'm sure the person who got the permission knows all about the hotter areas. I started a line in the middle of the field and did a loop around the outside. Nothing but canslaw. Once I saw Roger had found a 1907 Barber quarter, a few of us went up to the area he got it. I immediately started getting more finds, too bad they were only modern pennies. Nothing much came up so eventually I checked out and walked down the street. I knew of a cellar hole that should exist. There is a slight area paved like a tiny driveway inlet but I never found the actual cellar. It should have been by the side of the road. idk. But it was ridiculously overgrown, and not by the stuff that dies down in the fall, obviously. It was all thick brush and briers and barberries and shrubs and saplings. Very little swinging room. I walked up a little ways to the area of the hill where it was more forest like and had a rock drainage piece. There was a flat area, but all that could be found were very large deep targets and cans from rowdy teens. There was a pic that I took of the vines. I have seen bigger, but these were still large. The pines, however, we noticed that were all lined up in rows and columns at the base of this hill area. Maybe the far spot was a tree farm. So, since I was still in the town, I went to an area where I had some luck, but was a cellar that I could readily see. There I got a war nickel (42) at the base of this huge tree. I checked it last night for a VDI and it was really low, lower than a normal nickel despite there being silver content. idk. I did get a tiny complete crotal bell a few inches away from some iron. It still has the clacker and rings too. No identifying marks that I can see. I got a nice ornate parasol tip, too.
Befitting shape for Oct 31. I thought it was a candle snuffer, less the handle of course. Oh, and I found some big iron that is interesting but idk what it is. There is also a spoon bowl which I can't tell if oxidation made it shaped as it is, or if it was designed being wavy. One of the round items was definitely a watch cover; the other piece in the same pic idk but was in the same spot. I don't think it goes to the watch. The oval piece has got me perplexed/flabbergasted. It's two pieces but I added arrows to show the two dimples like you would see in a buckle. After cleaning it up, it seems like there was a coating over brass. That's prob the whatsit that I would like to find out what it is.


Sunday I got out for a short hunt. Back at the Friday spot. It was more hiking than swinging so I cut it short from lack of energy. I walked down the old road all the way. Sure enough I did spot the holes that were mentioned and a ridiculously far cut stone property marker. I found the other part to the key lock escutcheon I found earlier and I found a Slaymaker lock. They have been around since 1888, but seeing some of the designs they had and the fact one that looks reaaaly close to mine except it was rustproof was vintage 50's, I'd put mine sometime between 1930 and 1950. The last item was some sort of toy. I found it on the top of an old mill site I drove by and wanted to check. It is a huge mill right by the side of the road. There was a ton of iron and modern trash. It looks like kids/teens ride bikes or dirt bikes in the base of the foundation and there is a hill side to get in and an opening at the lower lever to get out. I didn't stay long due to the modern trash. A computer chair was there....??? We'll see what the new time change brings and the hunts before the ground freezes.