French Colonies Diggin

[Iron Patch]

Finds started out very slim, but I was quite impressed with how many signals were left to dig considering this place was likely first hunted about 15 years ago.


My first interesting find of the day was this watch key. It was definitely a stray as it does not date to the site, but a cool trinket none the less.

3 early French relics. A glass button, musketball, and ring which is unfortunately missing the stone.

A bit over an hour into the hunt I moved to the center of the field and nailed 5 French Marine buttons in a row.

The thing that was probably the biggest surprise of the day was seeing the original thread and material on one of them! These buttons went in the ground before 1758.

And last but not least I finally got on the board with my first coin of the year.... well first coin there was actually something to see.


French 1643 Double Tournois

 

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[Old Dude]

Great hunt. As it was explained by TheCannonballGuy to me, the acidity of the soil tries to break down the solder used in the button. The resulting chemical reaction is absorbed into any material touching that surface and acts as a preservative. I guess all factors have to be just right to get a find like the button and thread/material.

 

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[detectahead]

Very nice IP! One heck of a coin to start the year. Can't believe the thread is still on the button!

 

[Iron Patch]

It just takes a new set of eyes and a few turns of the plough!

Worth another trip?

Maybe ... but it's one of those things where it looks like a decent result seeing the end, but only fair during the process. Neither one of us had anything for about an hour and a half, and then I dug the 5 Marines button in the span of about 30 minutes. Then nothing for probably an hour until we changed to the other side of the field and I got the coin, and he got a bale seal and bent Double T. It's really hard to say because there's so many little pieces of lead, but if you dig enough something seems to happen. Of course there's less of everything now that we made a trip, but the conditions are decent. I mostly went there because he's never hunted an old site like that and knew anything that was French and something would make his day.


PS: I do have a fairly decent idea for out that way.... so it wouldn't be a wasted trip no matter what.

 

[CASPER-2]

 

[ModernMiner]

Sweet finds IP. Amazing seeing thread on a button that old.
Your coin only has my oldest coin beat by 132 years.
I would be hanging from tree limbs and rolling on the ground like an idiot if I ever broke into the 1600's.
Well done Sir, well done.
-MM-

 

[GioTheGreek]

As I said elsewhere, amazing finds IP! Is there a reason why some coppers look better than others? Do they use less lime in your area when farming?

 

[park pirate]

Awesome hunt..

 

[HomeGuardDan]

Killer coin indeed! It is funny, I have found far more colonial buttons with thread still attached, then I have Civil War.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Fantastic finds! Finding thread still in the button is so rare, and the coin is in such great shape! Awesome hunt! Congrats!

 

[MUDSLINGER]

wow would love love to find relics that old here in Fl. and given it was once a french territory could it be possible I wonder? Our sandy soil would be kind to
their condition

 

[steelheadwill]

Nice group of early militaries and copper, can you see the last digit of date or is 1643 the only date it could be? Congrats and best wishes to you, Herbie.

 

[Iron Patch]

Nice group of early militaries and copper, can you see the last digit of date or is 1643 the only date it could be? Congrats and best wishes to you, Herbie.

It's a bit of both. i think the only possible dates are 42, and 43, but yes I can see the 3. If you look close, and it might take a minute, you can see the bottom of the 3. It's smaller in size, like the 1.

 

[Steve in PA]

Nice hunt IP. Great early coin and I like the French Marine buttons.

 

[steelheadwill]

Thanks, I can see what you are saying now. Nice coppa for sure

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Great finds IP! Do you think all those buttons could have come from the same coat?

 

[Iron Patch]

Great finds IP! Do you think all those buttons could have come from the same coat?

Possible as they were close, but there's really know way to even make a guess. I had one tiny site that gave up about 30, so that might have been the remains of a coat. There was quite a few of the largest size, which seem to be fairly rare on other sites.

 

[romeo-1]

Jeeze I missed this post. Good bunch of targets there! Have I been on this site?

 

[Iron Patch]

Jeeze I missed this post. Good bunch of targets there! Have I been on this site?

Yep, dug your silver there. Was quite a few targets, but so many pieces of small lead it makes you want to move on, but at the same time you know eventually something will show.

 

[detroitdigger]

That is really awesome finds, the copper is awesome!

 

[offtrail]

Awesome for sure.