Spanish Silver, American Copper, CW, and lots in-between.

[OutdoorAdv]

I was having one of those "Vino Hunts" today... that's where no matter where you dig your plug, something awesome is under it. I was on such a roll, I think I could have just put down my detector and randomly dug holes.

Today started off slow and a few hours in, all I had were 2 flat buttons. I finally wandered far away from my typical hot spot and got a nice whisper and out came my nicest Draped Bust Large Cent ever... an 1803. My Draped Busts are always super toasty, so I was pretty happy. I worked my way into a grid on an area I've already hit from two directions many times. For whatever reason today, I was able to isolate "targets" that were not really targets... a blip... or click... with no iron. These were all deep and on the verge of detection. I got a nice CW cuff button, a nice 1830 LC and a load of other relics this way. Some of the smallest and deepest targets I've ever dug.

I've been on a silver drought since I dug the Pistareen back in May. It had gotten a bit ridiculous, but the places I like to hunt are older, so I get more coppers. I sent Vino a text last night and said "Tomorrow, something silver is going to surface. That's the plan." This morning, while detecting, I stopped by my pack to grab a drink and I saw I had a text from Vino that said "Silver silver silver silver!!".

Turns out his good luck works through text too.



It was a great way to end my drought. Both the 2 reale and 1 reale were clicks... no real signal and very deep. Because of this, the 2 reale got nicked on the back and I was pretty upset... a few steps away, the 1 reale popped out and I was instantly happy again.

Lots of shoe buckle frame pieces (one with makers mark), CW General service cuff button, ANOTHER piece to my Calvary shoulder scales, a few tombac's, an eagle backed flat button and a large bore pipe stem... oh, and a nice plated suspender buckle.





Very happy with the DBLC. Lots of detail left on this one... its too bad this one wasn't dropped in the soil I dug the 1817 from a few days ago. It would be perfect.







Any idea on this makers mark? Its on the back of one of the shoe buckle frame fragments.



My growing shoulder scales... all the scales are in the same 20x20' area, but they are very masked so its tough to find them... hopefully I'll end up with most of it when I'm all done.



This blows me away, but I have found shoe buckle pieces, in different areas at this site, that actually fit together. Two pieces from today fit together with some other fragments I dug in past hunts.



Any clue what these are?? I have 5 of them now from the same site. Do they sit on top of a wood handle and an iron tool would go through the square hole?... like a file, or sickle, or draw knife.



Happy Hunting and Merry Christmas T-Net!

 

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[doninbrewster]

Forget banner finds, how about a banner day. You had one amazing day that would thrill any of us. Great going and congratulations!

 

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[OutdoorAdv]

Wow that's quite the haul...love the buckle pieces and coppers...2 Spanish Silvers that's incredible...Congrats on a stellar day

Thank's Brian! Shoe buckles are some of my favorite relics. I have a lot of fragments from this site and its cool to see pieces start to fit together. Still missing many chapes and tongues though (unless they were iron) Hopefully buckle pieces keep turning up.

Fantastic finds! TWO Spanish silvers, wow. I would sift that area. No telling what you would find. Congrats!

Thanks Bluegrass! I actually found a Bust Half, 2 Reale, 1 Reale spill in a trash pit this past spring. Since then I have sifted that area and found some of the coolest things. I plan on rechecking the area the reales were in very closely, but unfortunately I didn't see anything in the plugs that would suggest another pit.

Very impressive! Love those clicks! Congrats!

Thanks detectahead! I'm used to my whispers being somewhat repeatable... I was digging was sounded like falsing signals from high sens. haha They are my new favorite types of signals. ha

Impressive hunt, all quality stuff...and I love the Spanish!!

Thanks J.Cache! Me too. I wish I didn't hit it... but on the bright side, I can now definitely say its silver and not counterfeit. ha

Very neat, those silver Reales are really cool looking. The 2 Reale especially, it has a very sharp image. Wonder if they were minted in Mexico, this is the most common origin of Spanish silver in the American colonies. Another popular Spanish mint was the Potosi mint in Bolivia. I consider all Spanish silver from the 16th-early 19th century to be blood money as many enslaved natives died mining it, Potosi was especially notorious. I read one story that said the mules that the Spanish used to pull the ore from the mountain at Potosi would die so often from overwork that the Spanish eventually replaced the mules with African slaves, which apparently were worth less to the Spanish than were the mules. The native South American slaves of the Spanish in Potosi were called the "Mita", they were the descendants of Incan peasants who were also forced to dig for silver in their time, not by the Spanish, but by the Incan king himself. So when we say the Spanish were cruel to the natives, they were in fact no more cruel to the natives than were the Incan kings who came before them. As it turns out, the original Incan government created the Mita system of slave labor, the Spanish arrived and simply kept it going. Crazy part is the original mines at Potosi are still operating today, and it seems working conditions haven't really improved that much.

Great information UnderMiner. Thanks a ton for writing that up... very interesting. Both the 2 reale and 1 reale from yesterday were minted in Mexico City. However, this past spring I did find a 1 reale from Potosi and a 2 reale from Lima. What fascinates me is the journey these coins took to get to the US Colonies.... and then I get to hold them.

Congrats!!! That seriously is awesome!!! The feeling when you keep going back to a site and knowing what you missed is astonishing! You wouldn't believe it until you REALLY listen. That also motivates me as well for today! Two full Reales in one day is mind blowing!

Thanks Isaac! It's wild how there are no targets one day, and the next its like you never detected it. I did hone in on a new hot spot section so I hope there are a few more keepers on the way. If I motivated you for today, you're going to have one wet day out there! ha Goodluck man and looking forward to what you find.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Amazing brother! Super happy for you man. What a day you had. I am such a sucker for Spanish silver. And all of the relics are just incredible. I'm about to step out of my truck. I hope I have just a little of the luck you had bud. Congrats

Thanks Abe! Hey, get George to text you whatever it is that you want to find today. I want to see if his luck really can be sent through a text message. Goodluck today man... hope to see a post with something killer in it.

Congrats on a killer day! Let's just ignore George and his single little gold coin. You're king for the day! Lol. I was wondering if maybe those square holed items were some type of escutcheon but I see George already suggested that. He even beats me there!
Great, great finds!

Thanks OD! I'd have to find some colonial gold to keep up with George. ha "escutcheon" was the word I was looking for... I can totally see how they could possibly be that.

Incredible day Brad, double Spanish days don't happen too often. You had a nice coin day. All your other relics are great as well. I have heard those round items with square holes are saddle conchos.

Thanks Steve! It was a great day and I didn't want it to end. I just googled saddle conchos and they definitely look similar. I think this satisfies me curiosity... they are either a saddle part or an escutcheon of some sort. I actually have a different style one from another site too.

Forget banner finds, how about a banner day. You had one amazing day that would thrill any of us. Great going and congratulations!

Thanks Don! It's really been a banner year for me. I'll do a year end post that will most likely just be this site, which is 90% of my finds for the year and 100% of the awesome stuff from this year. ha

Here's a coin teaser from just this site since April. (I put some in airtites to display and so I can hand them to friends to look at without having them touched.)

10+ LCs, 9+ KGs, a CT copper, US Half Cent, Bust Half dollar, Pistareen, and some reales. I want some DB silver now!

 

[Carolina Tom]

Congrats on the really nice relics... especially the shoe buckle frame pieces that fit together.

I am a coin guy, so double Spanish... and a 2 reale at that... plus LCs makes me drool. Very well played as usual. I look forward to the next installment of the 'Make Me Jealous' show!

 

[Scrappy]

Wowsers! Double Spanish is phenomenal and the rest of those finds, any of them, would have made my day. Very motivating post and it's great to see all the potential out there.

Can't wait for that year end post!

Steve

 

[HomeGuardDan]

WTG man...beautiful coins!!! Great way to end 2015.

 

[sutphin]

THATS WHAT I CALL A HELLAVA CHRISTMAS GIFT ....NICE.

 

[trapperart]

Very nice bunch of finds congrats

 

[metalev4]

Wow Brad! You killed it. Amazing way to cap off an incredible year of finds.

 

[CRUSADER]

I agree with Vino, the items are off an 18th C Furniture.

 

[Steve in PA]

I agree with Vino, the items are off an 18th C Furniture.

I find them in 19th century (CW era) sites. Never found one in a pre-1820 site

 

[gwdigger]

Super hunt and the 2R is an excellent looking specimen.

 

[The Rebel]

Amazing double Reale day! Awesome save on the DB & other artifacts as well!

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Congrats on the really nice relics... especially the shoe buckle frame pieces that fit together.

I am a coin guy, so double Spanish... and a 2 reale at that... plus LCs makes me drool. Very well played as usual. I look forward to the next installment of the 'Make Me Jealous' show!

Thanks Tom! All your silver posts have been making me envious. It felt pretty good to finally dig a piece of silver with the Deus. I have a victorian era property I need to go check out... I should have a better chance at silver at that place.

Wowsers! Double Spanish is phenomenal and the rest of those finds, any of them, would have made my day. Very motivating post and it's great to see all the potential out there.

Can't wait for that year end post!

Steve

Thanks Steve, I really liked your "Top 10" format, but I couldn't possibly pick just 10 things from this year... too many 1st's this year. It'll probably be like 30 pictures and too long for anyone to actually want to read it. This site keeps impressing me man... I think its done... I have a few hunts where I cant find much of anything, and then I get a hunt like yesterday in the same areas I've been over so many times. Weird!

-Brad

WTG man...beautiful coins!!! Great way to end 2015.

Thanks Dan! That was my 4th and 5th Spanish silver ever... and 5th spanish silver for 2015. (found them all this year) It sounds nuts, but I really want to find a cut piece like you and Bill always find. My pistareen was cut, but I want a cut reale from the Carlous era. I think a little pile of cut silver would look cool in a display case.

THATS WHAT I CALL A HELLAVA CHRISTMAS GIFT ....NICE.

Thanks sutphin! The dirt even wrapped them up for me! I had a blast opening all of those gifts.

Very nice bunch of finds congrats

Thanks trapperart!

Wow Brad! You killed it. Amazing way to cap off an incredible year of finds.

Thanks a ton! It really was a nice way to wind down the year. I got another hunt in today and did okay. (posted that already) and I have one other hunt planned for after Christmas... but I'm pretty much done for the year.

I agree with Vino, the items are off an 18th C Furniture.

Thanks Crusader! This site dates from early 1700's to mid\late 1800's. It's good to know it went to some furniture. The 5 I've found were all very close together.

I find them in 19th century (CW era) sites. Never found one in a pre-1820 site

Wow Steve... the one in the second picture looks just like mine. Thanks for posting that man.

Super hunt and the 2R is an excellent looking specimen.

Thanks gwdigger! You can't beat the feeling when you see something like that in the dirt. Totally addicting!

Amazing double Reale day! Awesome save on the DB & other artifacts as well!

Thanks Rebel! I was very excited to see the DB was as solid as it was. I just realized that of the 3 DB LC's I've dug at this site, all 3 of them have been 1803. Strange.

 

[treblehunter]

WOW what an awesome hunt, congrats!
Those "washers" could they be Chinese coins?

I take it back, they don't look like they ever had any type of charm or coin about them. Smooth

 

[Isaac]

I find them in 19th century (CW era) sites. Never found one in a pre-1820 site

The furniture they used was likely passed down for generations, using the same Queen Anne furniture (1700s) like we do today with early 1900s "vintage" furniture.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

WOW what an awesome hunt, congrats!
Those "washers" could they be Chinese coins?

I take it back, they don't look like they ever had any type of charm or coin about them. Smooth

Thanks Brad! This is what happens when I have time off work... Maybe I should work less. Haha.

They definitely have a groove carved along the rim. A little bit convex when looking at them from the top. I think the guys were right about a furniture piece. I have some more ornate ones from a different site too.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

The furniture they used was likely passed down for generations, using the same Queen Anne furniture (1700s) like we do today with early 1900s "vintage" furniture.

Good point! I found a 1600's voilin bow frog here. It was in a pit section I date to around 1830-1850. The site dates to early 1700's to a little after the Civil War. People use voilins for 150+ years... so its very probable to find something much older than the site dates.

 

[pepperj]

Now this was the post I kept going back to and looking at the finds, commented, raced out the door or something happened and didn't do the reply button to finish it once again.

So congrats on the great hunt, not every hunt even comes close to this one that you had Brad, and it's not that one doesn't try, it seems that somedays it just happens and man you got the coil over the ones that count.

Christmas came early for you, all the best to you over the holiday season. HH

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Nice hunt, Brad - congrats on the multiple silver day. Hope the skunk is gone, and you can add to the count before the year is over.

I too have found a couple of those square holed pieces at CW sites, so I think Steve is leading you in the right direction to ID them.