silversweeper
Sr. Member
- Aug 22, 2011
- 340
- 252
- Detector(s) used
- Minelab Etrac, CTX 3030
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
My apologies for the long post but........pictures always go best with a story behind them.
I've had several unproductive hunts over the past few weeks so this last one was pretty great for me, even if the finds were sparse in comparison to many other members'. The landowner who's property I've been hunting on lately took me around to a couple of spots that she just knew held treasures. I think I hit something like 5 different spots in one day, one large yard and 4 other small areas. She's always wanted to do a bit of metal detecting so for the first hunt I set her up with my CTX and I used my etrac. We hunted around her ancestral home, a mansion built several generations ago, but........the yard was virtually relic clean even though it had never been hunted before. I told her that her family just seemed to be one of those that never lost much. I ended up with my first shield nickel (worn and can't read the date but still my first), a 1900 Indian, a few wheats, the brass key (gifted back to her because we're certain it came from her great grandfather's study and probably grandfather clock), and assorted junk. She didn't find anything of mention but had fun. The next few hunts I did solo. I eyeballed a couple of broken Indian artifacts (could have cried when I found the nicely worked pink blade, a real shame it got rolled by the plow) and a large clay marble in a field that the farmer told me he'd just chisel plowed. I've found a few Civil War era relics metal detecting that field in the past but not this time.....nothing but the broken points. I also hit a local park to try out my new 17 inch coil on my CTX. Found the Rosie and the tiny silver ring there. The Marine/military pin was the sole find at an 1854 school house that someone I know is restoring. Place had to have been hit by other metal detectorists because the big yard was coin and relic free otherwise. My last hunt late in the day was the best. My landowner friend got me a "one day pass" on a neighbor's land where I had long heard rumors that the Confederates camped on. It's just a small plot of land, very over grown and absolutely covered with a carpet of poison ivy (fortunately I am not allergic to the stuff). I hunted what I could of it and found nothing but shotgun shells for most of the hunt. I was getting hot, tired and frustrated when I finally dug the first deep round ball on the top of one small ridge end. I meandered around a bit trying to find more but notta. Then circling back around to leave I hit the buckle beside a tree. That was not far from the first round ball so I slowed down and really beat up the poison ivy trying to go low and slow. Ended up digging 11 bullets, 3 buck-n-balls, 1 fired small ball, a percussion cap, couple pieces of iron, the buckle, and then found the two Indian artifacts walking back to her place through the adjacent field. I gave her one bullet which was a heavily chewed 69 cal round ball. I did not recognize the one large mini ball and even after I got home I went through my bullet book about 4 times trying to figure out what it was. Finally I cleaned it up....lol. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had found not an odd make of bullet that I couldn't identify, but a carved 69 cal that also has a few human teeth marks in it. It seems to be carved as a small urn/vase perhaps and I think it was originally a 3 ringer. It stands easily on the flattened point and even the cone cavity inside is partially carved. Very cool. One of the round balls appears to have the number 7 carved in one side. I think I'm seeing an 11 in the opposite side but this bullet also has been chewed and the side that I think has the 11 (as well as the other two sides where I think might have had numbers if it had been used as a gaming piece) have deep teeth marks. In all, 5 of the 11 bullets have human teeth marks in them. The one that I gave to my friend was chewed almost flat. Seems to support some of the stories I've heard that they were there after a recent skirmish. The chewed and carved bullets point a little to nervous energy like what a soldier might experience doing the old watch and wait after being chased out of town. This appears to have been just a small outlook post overlooking the road rather than a camp, though. I'm going to try to get back on and hit it a little harder with my etrac and 10x12 sef to see if I can't maybe get lucky and find a button or two, as well as dig some more of the iron. I really, really want a CS button or two for my collection but so far those numbers on the site have all been shotgun shells. Maybe a larger camp site is in my future, I'm sure looking for it!
I've had several unproductive hunts over the past few weeks so this last one was pretty great for me, even if the finds were sparse in comparison to many other members'. The landowner who's property I've been hunting on lately took me around to a couple of spots that she just knew held treasures. I think I hit something like 5 different spots in one day, one large yard and 4 other small areas. She's always wanted to do a bit of metal detecting so for the first hunt I set her up with my CTX and I used my etrac. We hunted around her ancestral home, a mansion built several generations ago, but........the yard was virtually relic clean even though it had never been hunted before. I told her that her family just seemed to be one of those that never lost much. I ended up with my first shield nickel (worn and can't read the date but still my first), a 1900 Indian, a few wheats, the brass key (gifted back to her because we're certain it came from her great grandfather's study and probably grandfather clock), and assorted junk. She didn't find anything of mention but had fun. The next few hunts I did solo. I eyeballed a couple of broken Indian artifacts (could have cried when I found the nicely worked pink blade, a real shame it got rolled by the plow) and a large clay marble in a field that the farmer told me he'd just chisel plowed. I've found a few Civil War era relics metal detecting that field in the past but not this time.....nothing but the broken points. I also hit a local park to try out my new 17 inch coil on my CTX. Found the Rosie and the tiny silver ring there. The Marine/military pin was the sole find at an 1854 school house that someone I know is restoring. Place had to have been hit by other metal detectorists because the big yard was coin and relic free otherwise. My last hunt late in the day was the best. My landowner friend got me a "one day pass" on a neighbor's land where I had long heard rumors that the Confederates camped on. It's just a small plot of land, very over grown and absolutely covered with a carpet of poison ivy (fortunately I am not allergic to the stuff). I hunted what I could of it and found nothing but shotgun shells for most of the hunt. I was getting hot, tired and frustrated when I finally dug the first deep round ball on the top of one small ridge end. I meandered around a bit trying to find more but notta. Then circling back around to leave I hit the buckle beside a tree. That was not far from the first round ball so I slowed down and really beat up the poison ivy trying to go low and slow. Ended up digging 11 bullets, 3 buck-n-balls, 1 fired small ball, a percussion cap, couple pieces of iron, the buckle, and then found the two Indian artifacts walking back to her place through the adjacent field. I gave her one bullet which was a heavily chewed 69 cal round ball. I did not recognize the one large mini ball and even after I got home I went through my bullet book about 4 times trying to figure out what it was. Finally I cleaned it up....lol. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had found not an odd make of bullet that I couldn't identify, but a carved 69 cal that also has a few human teeth marks in it. It seems to be carved as a small urn/vase perhaps and I think it was originally a 3 ringer. It stands easily on the flattened point and even the cone cavity inside is partially carved. Very cool. One of the round balls appears to have the number 7 carved in one side. I think I'm seeing an 11 in the opposite side but this bullet also has been chewed and the side that I think has the 11 (as well as the other two sides where I think might have had numbers if it had been used as a gaming piece) have deep teeth marks. In all, 5 of the 11 bullets have human teeth marks in them. The one that I gave to my friend was chewed almost flat. Seems to support some of the stories I've heard that they were there after a recent skirmish. The chewed and carved bullets point a little to nervous energy like what a soldier might experience doing the old watch and wait after being chased out of town. This appears to have been just a small outlook post overlooking the road rather than a camp, though. I'm going to try to get back on and hit it a little harder with my etrac and 10x12 sef to see if I can't maybe get lucky and find a button or two, as well as dig some more of the iron. I really, really want a CS button or two for my collection but so far those numbers on the site have all been shotgun shells. Maybe a larger camp site is in my future, I'm sure looking for it!
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