🥇 BANNER Incredible early 1600s sword basket hilt recovered + 1580s jetton and more!!

Bill D. (VA)

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Joined
Oct 7, 2008
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Location
SE Virginia
🥇 Banner finds
6
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
F75 SE (land); CZ-21 (saltwater)
Primary Interest:
Other
This weekend I was finally able to escape the seemingly perpetual cabin fever mode I'd been in lately after only getting out for one short hunt over the last 5 weeks. I started things off by hooking up with my good friend Joey to make the long trek back to the county that produced the Lord Baltimore sixpence. Joey had recently discovered that the owner of the Lord Baltimore tract was also in control of another nearby land patent site, and we tried to contact him for the go-ahead. But we went by his house 3 different times during the day but could never catch him home. So we were forced to hit an old site, and managed to get into a couple of small, new ones, and didn't get into the production we had hoped for, but we did manage a few keepers. We hope to go back soon and secure permission for the first site as it has high potential based on Joey's research.

I decided to play hooky from church on Sunday, and met up with my buddy Dan for our first hunt since the end of January. Our first stop was at an old site, but one where Dan had ran into a little 1600s hotspot in the woods not long ago. We pounded the area, but in spite of a large field of small iron and brick, we could not pull out any real keepers. We then moved on to another previously hunted site, the one that produced the rattlesnake and stars button on our last hunt there, but things were a bit slow there as well. We then made our way to an adjacent field where we had researched a small 200 acre land patent dating all the way back to 1619, and one that we'd been eyeing for quite some time. After a long walk we came to the narrow peninsula and started noticing brick frags scattered about. We turned our machines on, and I hadn't walked 5 feet when I heard the first signal. It was rather low on the scale, and I wasn't expecting much, but I was shocked when a 1580s Hans Krauwinkle jetton popped out. This is my 4th jetton, and all have come from the very earliest sites so this provided for a little bit of excitement. Dan also made a nice find, but I'll leave that for him to post. At that point we had high hopes for a hammered coin to appear, but the targets were surprisingly few and far between. About halfway into hunting that spot I heard a large, deep iron signal that had the potential to be an indicator for an early trash pit. About 12-18" down I encountered a large iron object, and was expecting it to be a colonial hoe. When I reached down to pull it out I could tell it was obviously not a hoe, but more of a coconut shaped artifact. Dan came over and at first we were puzzled, but then he quickly suggested it just might be a very early sword basket hilt, and after we knocked a little more of the dirt off and saw the intricate designs cut into it we were convinced that's what I had just unearthed. A similar one was recovered from Jamestown a few years ago, and I saw several others like it on the web. From the info I gathered it could date anywhere from the late 1500s to the mid-1600s, and was part of a broad or backsword (single edge blade). Definitely a rare, museum quality piece, and one of the coolest things I've ever dug. I have it in the electrolysis tank now, and hopefully it'll clean up before it falls apart. But its pretty substantial so its got a good chance to survive.

Later we secured another permission for what appeared to be a killer spot - a high flat plateau along a well-know early colonial creek, but it was totally devoid of any period artifacts. At the end of the day we wanted to check out one last spot that we've been wanting to get into, but we found out the owner had moved and the house was vacant. We still decided to make a quick drive back to check out the field, but the soybeans had never been cut. But then we we got involved in an unpleasant situation, and I'll leave that for Dan to explain in his post. When we finally resolved the issue we both agreed it was time to call it a day.
 

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Upvote 64
Wow Bill, what a fantastic discovery. Talk about you historical relics, it doesn't get much better then that hilt and the jetton. Congrats, banner for sure.
ZDD
 

Is it the the guard of a Rapier style weapon? As big as it looks I would say cutlass/Sabre. Was it a point weapon or cutting weapon?

That is on my wish list just an old sword guard would be great. You need to look at preservation and I look forward to seeing it.
Great day for sure.
 

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Bill that is an incredible piece of history. Wow! Something you just would never expect to find. Congrats on a great day after lots of frustration with the weather
 

That's an amazing find - I've never seen anything like that posted here ! Can someone please remind me of what a Jetton is ?
 

WOW, HOLDING HISTORY, where someone else did. Thanks for sharing and identifying, perfect match
 

That's an amazing find - I've never seen anything like that posted here ! Can someone please remind me of what a Jetton is ?

I don't think anyone knows what a Jetton is, lol. Some say a coin weight and others say a token. There were a ton of them in circulation though. Maybe Cru will give a better explanation.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using TreasureNet
 

That's an amazing find - I've never seen anything like that posted here ! Can someone please remind me of what a Jetton is ?

A jetton is a very thin brass or copper piece, frequently mistaken for a European coin, that used as a counter or mathematical aid in much the same way as an abacus. They were produced in several countries, but Germany seemed to have eventually cornered the market. All 4 I've dug are of German origin, and manufactured by Hans Krauwinkle in the late 1500s. They were also use in early colonial times for trade with the Indians.
 

that is amazing.I wonder if the rest of the sword is nearby.congrats on those finds
 

I really can't say. Since at Jamestown they've recovered broadswords, back swords, rapiers and cultasses I guess it could be from any of those. But it was obviously manufactured in England and brought over by one of the earliest colonists to this area. Be nice to find the blade as maybe that would solve the mystery of the artifact's identity. I'm waiting to hear back from my contact at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation so hopefully he can provide some more specifics.
 

Absolutely amazing early finds. Just curious, what made you dig that iron? Because of the size and shape did it come in above the 30s??
Oh PS, definately a Banner, my vote is in..
 

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I really can't say. Since at Jamestown they've recovered broadswords, back swords, rapiers and cultasses I guess it could be from any of those. But it was obviously manufactured in England and brought over by one of the earliest colonists to this area. Be nice to find the blade as maybe that would solve the mystery of the artifact's identity. I'm waiting to hear back from my contact at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation so hopefully he can provide some more specifics.

I vote banner as well .I am thinking the size at the base where the sword came out of the guard might be an answer. Also if it was a point weapon for dueling the holes in the guard would be miserable as the wrist is always your closest target. My guess would be cutlass (maybe) haha. What a good find.
 

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It's all good Bill but the basket is a rare find and BANNER worthy. I have never seen one dug and shown on the net or anywhere. I'm formally voting banner. You can't just say the word banner-you must hit the red "Nominate Banner" at the beginning of the post. Congrats Bill, Q.
 

I voted. Amazing it survived.
 

That's a cool find Bill,it is neat it held up over the years. But I've seen iron do that even here on the coast. As it will build a hard crust up that sorta preserves it as long as it stays damp/wet. But once it begins to dry it just crumbles to pieces. Never had anything I found that I really cared about as far as trying to save it. But you do there surely something to work on trying to keep it from breaking apart.Very Nice man!
Take Care,
Pete
 

Congratulations on a remarkable recovery and for a well deserved banner. I alway expect you to come up with some of the most unusual, quality early colonial relics based on your dedication and commitment to research and recovery.
 

Unreal find!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!vanzutphen
 

Awesome history recoveries! Congratulations!
 

Well I guess I am late to the party again. Those are some AWESOME FINDS Bill. I enjoyed seeing them all. CONGRATS are in order :thumbsup:
 

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