Bucket Lister
Bronze Member
- Dec 20, 2023
- 1,237
- 2,280
- Detector(s) used
- XP Dēus II
XP MI-6
XP WSA II-XL
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
It's been a slow month. I was able to get out for an hour yesterday. Aside from all the iron that rang up in the high 80s/low 90s, there wasn't much else.
Within that hour, I dug about 6-7 holes, which is about my speed. Hole #6 started out typical enough--a half dozen rusty nails/screws with odd lumps of rust here & there.... Then something different came out. It was... kinda round, but distorted... not a coin (rats! 😒) but not a washer either (and not another token--bigger rats! 😠) Then I recognized it... It was the head (left side of pic) of a skeleton key. Wouldn't it have been cool if I'd found... wait a sec...
I grabbed the container I put all my rusty nails in, and looked for the last handful of rust I dropped in there....
Sure enough, one rusty "nail" had a lump in the right place. I cleaned the moist soil away, and uncovered the bit. I'm pretty sure not all of the bit is there--this key is pretty far gone--but there was just enough to match it to the head. 😁
In the same hole was "washer-like" object. Looks like a thick (1/8") aluminum washer (7/8" O.D., 5/16" Ø hole), covered with fabric on one side only. The "washer" is hollow (2 piece?); At first, I thought a snap or other clothing fastener, but IDK.... No idea about its age, but very surprised there's anything left of the fabric.
While showing the items to the owners, they were able to show & tell me roughly where the septic lines ran. About where I expected (house is on village sewers now). They're below where I can detect (frost line is ~48" here), but it might help explain the distribution of artifacts & relics....
Within that hour, I dug about 6-7 holes, which is about my speed. Hole #6 started out typical enough--a half dozen rusty nails/screws with odd lumps of rust here & there.... Then something different came out. It was... kinda round, but distorted... not a coin (rats! 😒) but not a washer either (and not another token--bigger rats! 😠) Then I recognized it... It was the head (left side of pic) of a skeleton key. Wouldn't it have been cool if I'd found... wait a sec...
I grabbed the container I put all my rusty nails in, and looked for the last handful of rust I dropped in there....
Sure enough, one rusty "nail" had a lump in the right place. I cleaned the moist soil away, and uncovered the bit. I'm pretty sure not all of the bit is there--this key is pretty far gone--but there was just enough to match it to the head. 😁
In the same hole was "washer-like" object. Looks like a thick (1/8") aluminum washer (7/8" O.D., 5/16" Ø hole), covered with fabric on one side only. The "washer" is hollow (2 piece?); At first, I thought a snap or other clothing fastener, but IDK.... No idea about its age, but very surprised there's anything left of the fabric.
While showing the items to the owners, they were able to show & tell me roughly where the septic lines ran. About where I expected (house is on village sewers now). They're below where I can detect (frost line is ~48" here), but it might help explain the distribution of artifacts & relics....
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