Incredible Day 1600s site. Seal Top Spoon, Latten Spoon, 1774 Half Real, LE Pipe Bowl

Ahab8

Gold Member
Oct 15, 2013
8,408
8,289
Topsham, Maine
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2
Detector(s) used
Teknetics T2 SE w/15' SEF Coil/ Minelab GPX 4500/2 Garrett Pro Pointers/3 Sets Killer B Headphones/ Koss Headphones/ Detekniy Wireless headphone Adapter
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I haven't been out in a very long time due to work and trying to spend a little time with the family when I'm not working. I think about detecting all the day and have just wanted to find one day to get out there and dig a few targets. I had a free day yesterday and approached it this way....I'm going to get up super early and kayak in to a very early site. One that gave up a couple of my favorite relics ever, the early Latten spoons. It was a beautiful day and I felt zero pressure to make a great find. Just having a beautiful day to be on the water and dig some holes was enough for me. So out I went before the sun came up. I landed my kayak and got started hiking to the spot. I detected along the way and was hearing a decent amount of iron. Then got a nice signal and dug what I imagine came from a piece of furniture though I see no attachment points.
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In the same hole was some shells and a few ceramics. Soooo I'm thinking probably an 18th century trash pit. I will return to it this fall.
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The blue glass came from the water and has an interesting stamp. After digging a few buttons and making a mental not of where I was I continued to the 1600s site to see what was hiding in the dirt. First hole I dug contained my first pipe bowl ever with the LE mark (LLEWELIN EVANS) from the late 1600s. Pretty psyched to have it. I also found part of another pipe bowl. 17th century trash pit maybe????
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This place is such a mess that you have to clear small spots just to swing for a few minutes. So after clearing a small area I got a screamer down deep. About 12" down I felt it and knew it was a spoon. Was over the min to see it wasn't plain. These are called Seal Top Latten Spoons. The date from the late 1500s to the early 1600s. A few minutes later I got another great signal close to the surface....another beautiful complete Latten spoon. A few minutes later I dug a broken spoon that's a little different style. I never thought I would find another complete Latten spoon after the two I found last year. To find two more examples is mind blowing to me. I couldn't be happier.
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The entire family
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I also found what I believe is a 1774 half real. About 100 years newer than most finds at this site....crazy!
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Found a couple of random drop coins. 1870 2 center and an 1867 5 cent.
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It was an awesome day and this place is hiding lots more killer early finds....hopefully even an early silver. We shall see this fall
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Upvote 40
Holy crapola !

Phenom finds... well done.

bannerS.
 

Incredible Day 1600s site. Seal Top Spoon, Latten Spoon, 1774 Half Real, LE P...

Amazing finds Abe. I'm just stunned by the spoons in that place. It may be that the reale and 1870's coins were just drops by people passing through, or trade due to the type of area it is.

The pipe bowl is rad too bud. To have a maker is a rare thing.

Great write up too!
 

Awesome finds! And I love those spoons.
 

Wow Abe - I can't believe you dug 2 more of those early spoons - those are incredible finds!! And you have to believe that if you've dug this many there has to be more. Eight would be a nice number :laughing7:. Nice going on that LE pipe bowl too. I find both Will and Llewelin Evans pipe bowls and stems down this way so they must have been exporting huge numbers of pipes from Bristol back in the late 1600s. Some of my LE finds are pictured below. I also like that little whizzer toy as it has that textbook look with the 2 holes and serrated edge. And I think that small piece of pottery in the center of that pic is 1600s delftware, and the piece above it might be too. Based on your finds there you know a killer trash pit lies nearby, and hopefully you can locate it and uncover a boatload of incredible early artifacts. Great post man, and can't wait to see you get back out there, which I assume will be quite soon.

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Great way to end a detecting drought with some amazing early relics. You have some incredible luck finding latten spoons and shoe buckle frames. The gear like item with the two holes in it is a whizzer toy. Congrats on a great day of detecting.
 

Wow Abe - I can't believe you dug 2 more of those early spoons - those are incredible finds!! And you have to believe that if you've dug this many there has to be more. Eight would be a nice number :laughing7:. Nice going on that LE pipe bowl too. I find both Will and Llewelin Evans pipe bowls and stems down this way so they must have been exporting huge numbers of pipes from Bristol back in the late 1600s. Some of my LE finds are pictured below. I also like that little whizzer toy as it has that textbook look with the 2 holes and serrated edge. And I think that small piece of pottery in the center of that pic is 1600s delftware, and the piece above it might be too. Based on your finds there you know a killer trash pit lies nearby, and hopefully you can locate it and uncover a boatload of incredible early artifacts. Great post man, and can't wait to see you get back out there, which I assume will be quite soon.

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Bill, what is a whizzer toy? My buddy Bart just dug one of those yesterday. I thought it was a clock gear turned button! Lol
 

Fantastic finds-those spoons are incredible. And the early pipe bowl isn't half bad either 8-). Time to break out the shovel and sifter at BOTH of those sites.
 

Whoa Abe, that's a top notch hunting session. Nice variety of coins, but those spoons really steal the show. They are magnificent, and are turning into quite a collection!
 

Bill, what is a whizzer toy? My buddy Bart just dug one of those yesterday. I thought it was a clock gear turned button! Lol

Steve - a whizzer toy consisted of a disk on a string that was manipulated so that the disk spun rapidly and made a whizzing noise. They were apparently a fairly common child's toy in the 18th C and probably beyond.
 

Nice hunt Abe, congrats on adding to your Latten spoon collection.
 

Had plenty of bowls & tops, but I'm never likely to get a whole spoon - CONGRATS
 

Nice hunt Abe, congrats on adding to your Latten spoon collection.

"Latten spoon collection"

Heh... that just sounds so... um... "museum like". :P
 

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Now that's an impressive collection! :headbang: Funny to think, spoons being among your best finds would not be something you ever seen coming.
 

very cool relics, here is my "whizzer" dug at Colonial site last week in Kingston, NYIMG_3879.JPGIMG_3880.JPG
 

You know the hunt was off the hook, when you find Spanish Silver and its an afterthought in regards to the finds! Another killer day man :occasion14: The group shot of the latten spoons is unbelievable and if there is that many spoons, you know that there is many more. I cant wait to see what other surprises this site holds for you. Now go get into the pit out there!
 

Bill, what is a whizzer toy? My buddy Bart just dug one of those yesterday. I thought it was a clock gear turned button! Lol

A whizzer is a Colonial xbox. Marbles are Colonial iPhones. The technology is state of the art.

 

Abe--so happy to hear you found a chance to detect. And WOW--what awesome finds! Those spoons are the bomb! Congrats, and thanks for sharing--great post. -Lisa & John
 

A whizzer is a Colonial xbox. Marbles are Colonial iPhones. The technology is state of the art.



Those...
Must have been some bored mofos. And even more bored before the colonial Xbox. But I guess if you were a kid located where abe found those spoons...its top notch!

To the OP - very nice finds again mister.
 

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