2016 Raised the bar for me - annual wrap-up

[OutdoorAdv]

I started detecting in the mid 1990's and hit it hard for a few years before life and work took over my free time. About 4 years ago, I got back into this incredible hobby and realized a lot had changed... the biggest change is we have The Internet now and I discovered there are a bunch of people out there just as crazy about this hobby as me. Through TNet I met many great friends, many of which have helped me and given me invaluable advice. Some of the best advice was being encouraged to add trash pit sifting as a technique in addition to metal detecting. After doing so, I thought it would be hard to beat my 2015 finds, but 2016 has raised the bar yet again.

I wasn't up for the task of plucking my 2016 finds out of my various displays for new pictures. So this year, I took a favorite find or two from each of my 2016 hunt posts on here and I made some collage photos broken down into relics, buttons and coins.

The relics; lots of cool stuff turned up and I was able to partially reconstruct a couple bowls and a teacup. I found the missing handle to a tombac baby spoon and completed that relic. I also found the engraved side plate to the patch box plate I dug last year. My favorite has to be the Native American point though.



The buttons; early in the year I got on a cufflink streak and it seemed every pit section had a link or two. A couple from this year were in other site specific displays and are not in the photo. I ended up with some incredible War of 1812 pewters, a couple early Diplomatic Service buttons, a 1812 Artillery button, a couple early Infantry buttons, 5 NY CW buttons and a half dozen or so CW GS buttons.



The coins; I dug a grand total of 3 silvers this year... a 1722 cut 2 reales pistareen, a 45 degree slice of an 8 reales (both with a value of 1 real) and a 1950 something Rosie Got my first NJ copper, my second CT copper and my third VA half penny. Three state coppers in 2016 all from different states I also got a dozen or so LCs and some KGs.... One of which is my first counterfeit coin.



Some of my highlights for the year were not the finds, but hanging out with friends who also enjoy this hobby. I was able to spend some time paddling, hiking, camping and hunting with my good friends Ahab8 and Scrappy. We had a great time laughing and uncovering history together... but mostly laughing. I was also able to spend a non-detecting day with my good friends Bill and Joey kicking around museums at the Jamestown settlement. That was a lot of fun, with two great people, just enjoying history without digging it up. I also spent some time getting stung by yellow jackets on the side of a mountain and losing a brand new GPS... something I hope I never do again, but probably will.

In addition to a couple hunts with friends, I also made many great friends on the forum who I really enjoyed learning from and sharing my hunts with on here. I'm really looking forward to 2017 and seeing what everyone turns up. Best of luck to you all in 2017 and Happy Hunting everyone

Time to reset my TNet signature and see what turns up!

 

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[Scrappy]

I'm already impressed and I haven't even looked at the post. I'll need to dedicate some time to this one so I'll comment afterward.

 

[villagenut]

I dont remember seeing that N.J. copper before. Cool offset planchet or am I seeing right? nice wrap up, vn

 

[OutdoorAdv]

I dont remember seeing that N.J. copper before. Cool offset planchet or am I seeing right? nice wrap up, vn

Thanks villagenut. That was from a hunt at the beginning of December. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...opper-ct-copper-shoe-buckle-cw-much-more.html It is an offset strike and the CT copper (really crusty one) is also offset.... Same hunt, same site... big mystery! Ha. My theory is perhaps the homeowner held onto them as oddities or something and eventually lost them.

 

[BigWaveDave]

Always enjoy your posts and finds....
Good to see them all here.....

 

[Driftwoood]

Beautiful finds! It looks like it was a great year for you! I'm surprised that CW token is in such good shape. Good luck in the new year!!

 

[Patriot Relics]

Stoked to see your highlight reel from 2016 Brad, for me none of your killer silvers or state coppers can hold a candle to that pewter diplomatic eagle. Certainly a unique and personal piece of our early history. Way to end the season strong with the artillery and navy diplomat buttons. Hopefully we can link up for a group hunt in 2017. Congrats again!

 

[Scrappy]

Dang you Brad....the links! Oh the links are all awesome and so numerous. Your streak was red hot for 2016.

The cut silver and those early forks are both items I have not dug. Probably my
Favorite finds are( in no particular order): "Saltwater" US pewter, early diplomatic button, the offstruck NJ, and paste links.

With so much I didn't mention I feel worse than when I started writing this post. Ah well, best put, you absolutely killed 2016. Great finds and it's great being your friend. Cheers

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Absolutely a fantastic year! You have so many beautiful, interesting and historical finds.

The coins and buttons are great to see! OK, I love it all!

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Beautiful finds! It looks like it was a great year for you! I'm surprised that CW token is in such good shape. Good luck in the new year!!

Thanks Driftwood! That CW token was one of the first items I tried a long cold peroxide soak on. I think I left that one overnight.

The before picture was after a rinse with a little toothpicking. Dirt was crusted on there.



The only downfall is that you lose the green patina with a long soak and it turns to a chocolate brown color... but I was thrilled with the results of cold peroxide on this one.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Always enjoy your posts and finds....
Good to see them all here.....

Thank you Dave! I really appreciate it.

Stoked to see your highlight reel from 2016 Brad, for me none of your killer silvers or state coppers can hold a candle to that pewter diplomatic eagle. Certainly a unique and personal piece of our early history. Way to end the season strong with the artillery and navy diplomat buttons. Hopefully we can link up for a group hunt in 2017. Congrats again!

Thanks a ton Jon! That's a huge compliment from the guy who digs the old military buttons I dream about. haha I really appreciate it man. Believe it or not, that diplomatic eagle button is actually brass, but looks JUST like pewter in the pictures I took though.... It was at the base of a tree a couple inches deep in leaf litter which I think it what stained it gray.

Dang you Brad....the links! Oh the links are all awesome and so numerous. Your streak was red hot for 2016.

The cut silver and those early forks are both items I have not dug. Probably my
Favorite finds are( in no particular order): "Saltwater" US pewter, early diplomatic button, the offstruck NJ, and paste links.

With so much I didn't mention I feel worse than when I started writing this post. Ah well, best put, you absolutely killed 2016. Great finds and it's great being your friend. Cheers

Thanks buddy! And you thought that rosie was bad luck Whats funny is I still have never dug a seated coin. Got the colonial silver, got the barbers... even got a capped bust, but that seated is elusive. Those links are the coolest and so much variety in them. From 2016 I also have a hexagon link from a hunt with Abe and a 1770 Pillars and Wave facsimile link not in the group shot. That saltwater pewter is pretty special even as a common US GS cuff... love the color on that one. Thanks for all the good times man and looking forward to getting together man.

Absolutely a fantastic year! You have so many beautiful, interesting and historical finds.

The coins and buttons are great to see! OK, I love it all!

Thank you Professor! I really appreciate it

 

[metalev4]

A fantastic year! I love the Bone handled utensils, something I have always wanted to dig. Great post and thank you for sharing the adventures as they happened, definitely helped me through some long digging dry spells. Good luck in 2017, looking forward to digging with you in VA.

 

[ScubaDetector]

You made some awesome discoveries. The older coins and the civil war buttons stand out for me. I sure hope you have a fantastic year this year and find some more unique and wonderful treasures. People that come here to post and share their knowledge like you are exactly what this forum needs.

 

[against the wind]

Really productive year.
I always enjoy looking at your posts and reading about your adventures. Your sifting techniques have certainly uncovered some interesting relics.
Best of luck in 2017.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

A fantastic year! I love the Bone handled utensils, something I have always wanted to dig. Great post and thank you for sharing the adventures as they happened, definitely helped me through some long digging dry spells. Good luck in 2017, looking forward to digging with you in VA.

Thank you Evan! It's been a great year and a lot of fun. Those bone handles never get old... and I forgot to add that complete pontil bottle to this post. ha I'm really looking forward to hunting at DIV with you. I've only dug about 20 Civil War bullets ever, so I hope the GPX can help me add a bunch to that pile. If I can watch some huts be excavated while I'm there, that will be even better. Happy New Year man!

You made some awesome discoveries. The older coins and the civil war buttons stand out for me. I sure hope you have a fantastic year this year and find some more unique and wonderful treasures. People that come here to post and share their knowledge like you are exactly what this forum needs.

Thanks ScubaDetector! I really appreciate that... a lot. When I post my hunts, I try to put together the type of post I enjoy reading. Cleaning and preservation take a substantial amount of time, but the posts themselves typically take 2+ hours or so to take photos, edit them and write the post. I enjoy sharing and learning on here with everyone and they serve at my hunt journal too. So I truly appreciate it when I hear people enjoy the time spent putting a post together.

Really productive year.
I always enjoy looking at your posts and reading about your adventures. Your sifting techniques have certainly uncovered some interesting relics.
Best of luck in 2017.

Thank you against the wind! I really appreciate it man. Sifting has changed the game for me and really added some cool non-metallic variety to my displays that we typically don't find. Its a ton of fun too.

 

[Steve in PA]

A year to remember Brad. I am especially impressed with your conservation and reconstruction practices. The tableware and the reconstructed ceramics are fantastic. You also had a great year for coins, cufflinks, and military buttons. Best of luck in 2017!

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

My hat's off to you Brad for a very successful 2016. And even more impressive is that you managed to pull almost all of those finds from a single site. You've really figured out how to be successful in the iron, and it's paying off for you big-time. Hope you can continue to pound that site and squeeze out every little relic and coin, and also find yourself some new, productive places to dig. BTW - those photo collages are really cool - nice job!!

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Everyone has their favorites, for me I think it is the old military buttons.
Like Bill VA I really like those collages. I got a program here somewhere I think photowall ? I must try.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Everyone has their favorites, for me I think it is the old military buttons.
Like Bill VA I really like those collages. I got a program here somewhere I think photowall ? I must try.

Thanks a bunch Rick. I googled and found https://www.photocollage.com/ Completely web based, nothing to download or install and no account needed. I just dragged the images from my computer and resized them and moved them around... like making a puzzle. It took minutes for each of the three images. One thing I should point out is when you're read to save the collage image click "file->save in high resolution" I didn't see that feature until after I did the button collage and its much smaller than the relics and coins one.... and I didn't want to recreate the button one. ha I bookmarked that site and will definitely be using it again.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

A year to remember Brad. I am especially impressed with your conservation and reconstruction practices. The tableware and the reconstructed ceramics are fantastic. You also had a great year for coins, cufflinks, and military buttons. Best of luck in 2017!

Thanks a ton Steve! I'd take 3 silvers every year if 2 were Spanish and 1 was a rosie. haha This was hands down my best year for buttons and links ever... I couldn't imagine it being any better. Happy New Year man and best of luck in 2017.

My hat's off to you Brad for a very successful 2016. And even more impressive is that you managed to pull almost all of those finds from a single site. You've really figured out how to be successful in the iron, and it's paying off for you big-time. Hope you can continue to pound that site and squeeze out every little relic and coin, and also find yourself some new, productive places to dig. BTW - those photo collages are really cool - nice job!!

Thank you so much Bill and Happy New Year man! Your advice and encouragement is what got me sifting and this hobby has never been the same for me since. I can never thank you enough for enlightening me on this aspect of the hobby. I've said it before, and you know I'll be back there, but I haven't been hitting my main site all that much lately. There is still much left there to sift, but for the time being I've move onto greener pastures. I did a few trips to sift around the Cut 8 section and it hardly produced much at all. This new pit I discovered has me very excited and has produced a lot in the last couple weeks.