Best of 10 outings: Draped Cents x 4, Dandy Heaven, and a visit from the Deus Wizard

Z.K.

Bronze Member
Jun 16, 2015
1,011
1,412
The Grants
Detector(s) used
Etrac
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Howdy folks

It's been a fun couple of months, with a good find or two popping up with each hunt. I'm pleased with two 1798 draped cents and my first federal issue Canadian large cent, but I love the beautiful bell. Got my first full set of cufflinks, too! And I always like a few more buckles, an ox knob, and scythe handle part.
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A visit last weekend from Aureus/Anton was fun and instructive on a number of levels, and will change the way I approach some of the hobby. This was also the first experience I've had with a true comparison of my etrac with the deus in what for me was an iron infested mess. And I couldn't believe how the deus could hear cent-size and smaller conductive targets on the same ground that my etrac was completely nulling out. I'll have another steep learning curve, but I clearly need that tool in my kit!
In addition to the technical education and camaraderie, it was some great time deep in the abandoned woods; I'd set down everything periodically just to hear the birds and streams, and remember why I really love this hobby: in what other avocation can we combine hiking, exploring, discovery, history, and the peace of the natural world?

The group of dandy buttons below makes me really happy. I'll take a nicely designed one of these over a large cent at this point. We pulled a combined 15 dandies at one site; the fact that 7/8 of mine had designs comforted me in my coinless state whilst The Detecting Wizard of the North found a flying eagle after being on American soil less than 24 hours.
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Speaking of dandies, I'm edging closer to investing time into creating some kind of shared resource for these (like a Dandy Wiki?), as they are such a cool but unstudied chapter in late 18th century material culture. Perhaps we could start to match up our designs by state and county, which would give at least some data towards a census and distribution? I welcome your thoughts and feedback...all 6 of you who have read this far and like such an idea! :tongue3:

Lastly, an unusual but interesting collection of early 1900s Hood Dairy copper milk can labels from a rare yard hunt. These would be affixed to the necks of 10 gallon cans in which milk was shipped up until the 1930s, when refrigeration began to change the industry (and American life). I enjoy digging things that teach me something, or encourage me to see it in a new way.
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Finds Anton kindly left for me to add to my collection, out of my love of buttons and buckles.
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An example of an nice little button with a wheat bushel motif that my etrac couldn't hear at all through a field of nails, but which the Deus (and its operator) did.
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Omitted from the pics are a few mercs, IHPs, and wheat pennies that I gave to landowners. Turns out I gave away a white gold ring, too. Thought it was silver. Ah well, it wasn't colonial or anything : )

Wishing you all good history, and a safe and fun remainder of the summer.
 

Upvote 44
Great posts! You scored a lot of big dandy buttons. They're always a very welcomed find!

Thanks very much, STC. I respect your work, so appreciate your encouragement.

Abe put up a thread for dandies recently (scooped me!). You must have a great collection, would love to see 'em. It's here if you get a chance: http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/my-best-finds/547990-post-up-your-favorite-dandy-buttons.html
 

The Deus & all the XP machines before it, simply had/have the fast recovery speed of any detector on the market. As important is how light they are. I need no other tools, other than on the Thames foreshore where you need a 4" coil & less power.

Excellent perspective. The lightness was shockingly clear to me the first time I saw someone hunt with a deus a couple months back. I'm there moving like a turtle with bungee harness to prevent hand, forearm, and shoulder ache that set in after an hour with the etrac...the deus owner was literally covering 4x the ground I was and without the countermeasures.

...Now if only I could invent a time machine and go back to October 2015. Five months into the hobby my ATPro broke, and I went for the etrac instead of the Deus. :dontknow:

Love the milk labels.
Thank you kindly, Mzjavert. They are fun. I think I'll make a display and donate it to the local historical society. Dairy has been a way of life here since the sheep bust in the 1830s.
 

Excellent post and some very outstanding finds-thanks for putting the extra effort into the post.
Thank you for saying that, DnD. I don't post my stuff that often but try to make it at least half-way pleasing when I do. Super frustrated with some of those pics though...getting a real camera soon. Cheers

Well done on all the oldies but goodies , lol I imagine the built in "Automatic Extractor Digging Device " :laughing7: is an option somewhere in the future .
You must patent that now! Intellectual property...we can go in halvsies and wait for the tech to catch up. :occasion14:

Thanks very much, CMD.
 

How cool is it to dig that many dandy buttons from one site! That place was active during a great period for coins, buttons and other relics. You might pull a GW out of there.

Thanks a bunch, Steve. It was great! Fingers crossed...I certainly wouldn't refuse another GW. : )

Amazing recoveries and post my friend. Great you and that "Canuck" got together for a fabulous time of exploration, relaxation, and fellowship. Dream-state like finds and makes a person just a bit envious of your time shared together. This has to be THE greatest sport in the world. More than a hobby to me as there is so much involved in research, hiking, exploring, etc. Thanks for sharing and articulating your adventure so eloquently. Peace out bro'.:headbang:

What a genuine and meaningful response, Kevin, thank you. Peace right back at you.
 

What an awesome group of finds! Big congratulations Ken. Really enjoyed our hunts and the conversations. Glad to have been able to share some of my Hogwarts detecting school wizardry. :laughing7:

Oh, this wizard similie is going to have some longevity. I'm definitely in the Hufflepuff House of Detecting.

I draw the line and detecting in cloaks or pointy hats, though. :occasion18:
 

Congrats on the great hunt with top notch finds, very impressive!
And you're getting a Deus, you're in for some fun for sure. I agree with OutdoorAdv the Deus Fast program is fantastic right out of the box. Go back to your trashiest yet productive site and I'll bet you find more goods. Then when you're convinced you got it all, get a good full tones program and prepare to have your mind blown!

Awesome to hear, I'm very excited. Hope to cut loose for a couple of hours this weekend and take it for a test drive in the manner you prescribe. Thanks man!

Thanks as always, Casper

fantastic finds!
You have a LOT of really great history in those relics. But I have a soft spot for the colonial cufflinks. I remember the time I found one and it's still one of my favorite and oldest finds.
Also love the bell, love the buttons.
Great post, lots of info. Congrats and can't wait to see more. HH
Thank you very much, ESM! I appreciate the non-coin love...the hobby is so much deeper when we turn our attention to all the other cool stuff we can find outside of coins. Cheers, HH to you.
 

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