Old disused gold mines were used as trash pits for over 100 years

tinpan

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Sep 4, 2004
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hi all , Digging old trash pits is just another one of my passions. Mostly find only common bottles and coins but every now and again i find a couple of killer finds. I have numerous sites where trash was thrown down old shafts. These 2 finds are my best 2 for this year so far. The shafts are quite dry and having a raised bank around them . keeps the water out and the sunlight.Often rope and wood and other materals seems to last. Well the first is a huge silver medal from 1879 and the second is WW1 queen Mary trench xmas tin. Shame i couldn,t get cleaned up perfect and a little beat up.Theres thousand of old shafts around here so what will come out next.So i get to find gold in the scatterings and few cool relics in the shafts. Don,t worry most trash pits are shallow shafts. The deep ones are capped.


tinpan
 

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Looks like they cleaned up OK to me. Sweet finds. Be careful in those old shafts and stay safe....Matt
 

That tin rocks, very nice. The silver medal is really sweet. :icon_thumright:
 

frigging good finds Tin Pan :icon_thumleft: like having a ton of lil honey holes!!! MR TUFF
 

Those are sweet looking finds Tinpan! :o The condition of those pieces are just amazing . . . can't wait to see what else you carry back to the surface! :notworthy:
 

Mate :headbang:
I'm voting BANNER for both those finds!!
My Dad has his Father's Princess Mary Tin.
I have always been fascinated by its provenance.
You have found a true treasure :notworthy:

In November 1914, an advertisement was placed in the national press inviting monetary contributions to a 'Sailors & Soldiers Christmas Fund' which had been created by Princess Mary, the seventeen year old daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. The purpose was to provide everyone wearing the King's uniform and serving overseas on Christmas Day 1914 with a 'gift from the nation'.


The response was truly overwhelming, and it was decided to spend the money on an embossed brass box, based on a design by Messrs Adshead and Ramsey. The contents varied considerably; officers and men on active service afloat or at the front received a box containing a combination of pipe, lighter, 1 oz of tobacco and twenty cigarettes in distinctive yellow monogrammed wrappers. Non-smokers and boys received a bullet pencil and a packet of sweets instead. Indian troops often got sweets and spices, and nurses were treated to chocolate. Many of these items were despatched separately from the tins themselves, as once the standard issue of tobacco and cigarettes was placed in the tin there was little room for much else apart from the greeting card


more here
http://www.kinnethmont.co.uk/1914-1918_files/xmas-box-1914.htm

The medal also deserves a post of its own.
Cheers, Mike
 

:thumbsup:
Nice!.....that's real nice. I like that Christmas Tin.
 

Do you think Ms. Clarkson's relatives still live in the area?
 

Very nice find. Looked like they cleanded up well. Be careful around those shafts though you don;t want to end up :angel9:
 

Nice one mate :icon_thumleft:

Both finds are great, but that tin is really special :notworthy:

Banner!!!
 

hey tinpan ,thats 2 classic finds you have there ,
nice to see the success you have .
ill be up around tarnagulla for cup weekend .
i may get lucky if i work hard enough .
keep at it , best wishes slak jak .
 

My dad has the same tin in a glass dome with the letters about the death of his great uncles during WW1 inside. It also has the ropes from their tunics in the dome.
 

slak jak said:
hey tinpan ,thats 2 classic finds you have there ,
nice to see the success you have .
ill be up around tarnagulla for cup weekend .
i may get lucky if i work hard enough .
keep at it , best wishes slak jak .


Tarnagulla ,1903 25 kilogram nugget found Named .."Poseidon".. good luck t.p
 

Unbelievable shape for both of those items your have recovered. The tin gets my vote but, it is truly hard to choose between the both of them. It always amazes me how much silver gets thrown away. Let us hope you return with more from those mines. I am in agreement with the guy who said that is is important to be careful.

Bond
 

Congrats, very very nice finds!!

Both would be banner worthy in my humble opinion, but that Tin is stellar!!! A very beautiful relic.....
 

Both terrific finds worthy of their own posts and banner nominations. :icon_salut:

Stay safe in those trenches and shafts ;)

HH, Mark
 

Hi all, Thanks for the replies and interest in my post.

tinpan
 

Great finds. Must be a lot of fun finding these pits!
 

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