First Finds: Sterling Thimble

[Kindle Farmers]

Hello fellow treasure hunters. I'm a teacher at a school for students with special needs in Southern Vermont. You all know me by my personal T-Net username: Oxbowbarefoot. I have created this user name and account as a separate account for my students to use so that they can post their finds from our exploratory archaeology/treasure hunting class. This is the second school that I have had the fortunate pleasure to have been able to introduce treasure hunting to students in an academic environment. It's frequently a challenge to find ways to engage students in learning about history from lectures and reading. Metal detecting, gold prospecting, site research, artifact recovery, preservation and identification are ways that I have found to engage students of all abilities as a means to transform a previously boring subject into one of high interest. It is our intent to post our finds here to share our history and try to learn more about our recoveries.

We are fortunate to have a lot of history in the area around our school. In fact, the main campus is located in a 1753 farmhouse with all of the adjacent fields. During a recent construction project at the school, dirt from near the front of the building was relocated to another location. While spreading that dirt, one of my students made our first significant find: a beautiful Sterling silver thimble (of which I am very jealous). He found this thimble without the aid of a detector. He and I have spent some time trying to find the maker's mark online to attempt to date it, but without much luck. If anyone has any suggestions for resources or has the ability to ID this thimble, it would be much appreciated.

 

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[RelicMedic]

Great post and a wonderful way to engage your students and keep them interested! I wish I had you as a teacher in school lol. Well done sir!! Incredible little piece of history...monogrammed too!

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

Sooo Kewl!!..lol..I dont think ive ever even found a thimble before...Great Find!

 

[RJGMC]

Very nice find! The thimble even has initials engraved into it! What a special find! Best wishes for your young treasure and artifact hunters. This will be a fantastic thread to follow.

Good luck!

RJGMC
HI BOB!

 

[Greylock]

That's a great find to start. Good luck at the new place

 

[sideshowbob]

I wish I had you as teacher back in the day. What an amazing opportunity to turn kids on to an active and fulfilling hobby, or even inspiring them on a future career in any field of historical preservation. A silver thimble is on my wish too. Depending on the site, are you gonna let the students keep some finds? I think it would they would really appreciate it and a great motivator to continue in the field. Hats off to you sir!

 

[worldtalker]

Cool.......no tellin what you boys will find from here on in.Any crops left in them fields yet?

Those kids finding a piece of history hundreds of years old will undoubtedly peek someones interest..........I know it does yours!

GOD Bless

Chris

 

[park pirate]

Very nice thimble...

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

Thank you all for the nice comments. I'm looking forward to having my students respond to them from their account. I'm hoping that as we research the property records that we can identify the owner of the tumble by the initials. After my student found the tumble, we returned the following day with my Deus and my CTX. We managed a Mercury dime, a large flat button and a small two-peice cuff button. It became evident that the Deus and CTX aren't the best detectors for kids just starting out since they are pretty complicated. Though we operate in a tight budget, our school Director did authorize me to buy two Garrett Ace 250's and a Pro-Pointer for the class. Thanks to the generosity of Bart at Big Boy Hobbies, we were able to purchase those machines at a great price. Thank you Bart!

Chris, the fields have been harvested for the most part, but we only have a day or two to detect an area before that area is planted with garlic for the winter. I spent a little time there on my own a week ago and located some promising areas out in the woods on the property.

Side Show Bob, we plan to make two display cases in which to display our finds, one for the school and one for the local historical society. The kids will be allowed to keep many of the finds they discover but some will wind up in the displays (at least for a time).

 

[sideshowbob]

I use a bounty hunter quicksilver. My wife got it for me two fathers days ago. It's cheap and finds the goodies. I only mention it because it's super easy to use and has treated me well. Also, this may spark an interest in kids and with Christmas coming around the corner, it may be an affordable toy in which the parents can afford. I think she got mine, pinpointer, and pouch for just over $100. I only only bring it up because when folks are sensitive to the monetary investment, I've noticed them buying a tracker IV and they consistently come home with "less than desirable " recoveries. No offense intended out there to tracker IV users. I know it

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

I use a bounty hunter quicksilver. My wife got it for me two fathers days ago. It's cheap and finds the goodies. I only mention it because it's super easy to use and has treated me well. Also, this may spark an interest in kids and with Christmas coming around the corner, it may be an affordable toy in which the parents can afford. I think she got mine, pinpointer, and pouch for just over $100. I only only bring it up because when folks are sensitive to the monetary investment, I've noticed them buying a tracker IV and they consistently come home with "less than desirable " recoveries. No offense intended out there to tracker IV users. I know it

Thanks for the thoughts, Bob. BTW, I found an old pencil sharpener identical to the one in your avatar a few years back. Pretty cool find.

 

[qaela4]

Great job! I love history and recently started reading Archaeology magazine. I wish we had a teacher that could/would have done that with us back in the day. Good luck and hope your students get the most out of it that they can.

 

[dirtlooter]

great finds and great endeavor, great heart

 

[sideshowbob]

Thanks for the thoughts, Bob. BTW, I found an old pencil sharpener identical to the one in your avatar a few years back. Pretty cool find.

How's did the paint hold up on it? Have a pic?

 

[Mackaydon]

Great methods you are using to teach history and the power of research.
As to ID-ing your thimble, I hope you find this site most helpful:
English Silversmiths - Thimbleselect Catalogue
Don.......

 

[Garrett424]

That's a really nice find. Silver always is no matter how it comes.

I sure wish they taught treasure hunting when I was in school. If they did I wouldn't have played hooky nearly as much as I did.
Congrats.

 

[GioTheGreek]

Awesome thimble, man!

 

[Kindle Farmers]

Thanks for the comments everyone! We will try to get some more of our finds posted soon.

 

[g-olden years]

Wow! This is all wonderful! Hands-on activity with historical bent & fun = happy start toward feeling competent throughout life - Wow!

(just a note in defense of BH Tracker IV - mine, now 4-yrs old, led me to deep silvers that others had missed, & to a "missed" hunky gold ring amid massive iron & smaller junk, as well as leading me to second gold ring amid bottle caps, nails, and so forth. Also Tracker IV recovered from being fully immersed in salt water waves although its vulnerable electronics box which is never supposed to get wet. Though it wouldn't turn on when I sat forlornly at beach, at home I took the little guy apart, removed sand from the electronics with toothpicks and q-tips & then dried insides with hair dryer -- and though BH was "supposed" to be ruined, it has been working fine for another 3 years!)

Have Fun everyone! Andi

 

[Carolina Tom]

Just wanted to say that I think that you are doing a great job. GL&HH.