The Lizard has moved....

[woody50]

Yesterday I went to Amsterdam and got my new car, later I rode my bike to the center of the city to buy some things for it. After buying the stuff I rode back to home taking another path. As luck would have it, in back of a dike (walled dike) in the center, the city department was busy doing something, don't know what. They were finished and there was a square of dirt in the grass, so they had dug a hole I guess, and lucky for me, a small or medium pile of dirt was still laying along side the 'hole'. There were all sorts of pieces of old dishes and plates from the 17th century and earlier, so I though that must be good. Quickly back to home, got the detector and went back. Worked for about 30 minutes when a truck came for the dirt, one of those dump trucks with a crane on it. So had to stop. Could not find out where the dirt was going, he didn't want to say.Didn't really get anything really that I could put in one of the display cases I have, but all in all I though I would show what I found there. I just lucked out this time.

Two silver coins, one 17th century, one 19th.

Three copper coins, a dog tag from 1817 from the city, they are neat, only this one was bent.

A lizard, bronze, looks like a letter opener. A friend say it was also from the 17th century.

A interesting pair of round bullets connected with a small chain. They were used a long time ago in a musket, and when they fired they spun in the air making a big cut when they landed.

A real nice tin button, another tin object, my second, but don't know the function of it. And two lead seals..

 

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[shaun7]

Nice Woody, how big was this area Those are some beautiul finds!

 

[woody50]

Nice Woody, how big was this area Those are some beautiful finds!

Wow, you ARE quick! Not big, I would estimate that the hole was about 2x2 meters or so, hard
to tell because of the mud around the hole. You could miss it very easily, that is always the problem here. Metal detecting is really not allowed anymore here, but something like this, well no one except we nuts are interested in that... Just get in quick and out again quick. Forgot to say why I left, will edit the story...

 

[shaun7]

Nice Woody, how big was this area Those are some beautiful finds!

Wow, you ARE quick! Not big, I would estimate that the hole was about 2x2 meters or so, hard
to tell because of the mud around the hole. You could miss it very easily, that is always the problem here. Metal detecting is really not allowed anymore here, but something like this, well no one except we nuts are interested in that... Just get in quick and out again quick. Forgot to say why I left, will edit the story...

2x2m the ground must be packed with stuff!

 

[ronbo22]

The lizard looks like he could sell automobile insurance. Sorry, and American joke. Nice finds.

 

[woody50]

Nice Woody, how big was this area Those are some beautiful finds!

Wow, you ARE quick! Not big, I would estimate that the hole was about 2x2 meters or so, hard
to tell because of the mud around the hole. You could miss it very easily, that is always the problem here. Metal detecting is really not allowed anymore here, but something like this, well no one except we nuts are interested in that... Just get in quick and out again quick. Forgot to say why I left, will edit the story...

2x2m the ground must be packed with stuff!

Like I say, the ground looked lovely. Don't know how deep they went though. Pity that I didn't see it a few days before.

 

[robfinds]

Nice one woody, looks like you never miss a chance to search .

 

[shaun7]

Them bullets look like they would hurt, and well preserved too!

 

[Silver Searcher]

Nice Woody, how big was this area Those are some beautiful finds!

Wow, you ARE quick! Not big, I would estimate that the hole was about 2x2 meters or so, hard
to tell because of the mud around the hole. You could miss it very easily, that is always the problem here. Metal detecting is really not allowed anymore here, but something like this, well no one except we nuts are interested in that... Just get in quick and out again quick. Forgot to say why I left, will edit the story...

2x2m the ground must be packed with stuff!

I was also thinking that great finds Woody from a small area now get back and do the rest of the field

 

[creeper71]

Your Lizard looks like it's suppose to be a Blue Tongue Skink..

 

[woody50]

Nice one woody, looks like you never miss a chance to search .

Well sure don't search as much as a long time ago, I guess that has to do with the restrictions put on metal detecting locally, I have to go a few km's before I can really search with peace of mind. Don't search fields too much anymore, only building sites. The reason is that most of the finds on the surface (plowed and such) are pretty well afflicted by the acid rain and fertilizer used on the fields. Only deep finds, at least 1 meter deep, better are finds between 1 and 2 meters are good, although still not so good as 20 years ago on the surface. Just like many things, I sure miss "them good ol' days".

 

[Tnmountains]

I love this story. You go to Amsterdam buy a car then get on your bike to go buy stuff for your new car and find a treasure dirt pile. You are living the right way for sure. Congratulations on all your really neat finds today.
TnMountains

 

[woody50]

I love this story. You go to Amsterdam buy a car then get on your bike to go buy stuff for your new car and find a treasure dirt pile. You are living the right way for sure. Congratulations on all your really neat finds today.
TnMountains

Yea but this happens only once in a blue moon anymore.... I did once, while driving to a site, pass through a very small village. It was just lunch time so I parked under a tree to get out of the sun in the center of the village, next to a church. While eating my lunch I happened to see (we are always looking aren't we) on the sidewalk across the street two of those warning things that they use to warn people walking on a sidewalk to watch out, and in between a hole which was dug out, and some dirt in back of the hole. Walked over and saw that the hole was not very large and hard to search with my coil that I had taken with me, but I could look at the soil, so hoped to it before the workers came back from lunch. Well anyway I found only one thing, that was a neat silver coin, but a great one!

 

[woody50]

Nice Woody, how big was this area Those are some beautiful finds!

Wow, you ARE quick! Not big, I would estimate that the hole was about 2x2 meters or so, hard
to tell because of the mud around the hole. You could miss it very easily, that is always the problem here. Metal detecting is really not allowed anymore here, but something like this, well no one except we nuts are interested in that... Just get in quick and out again quick. Forgot to say why I left, will edit the story...

2x2m the ground must be packed with stuff!

I was also thinking that great finds Woody from a small area now get back and do the rest of the field

Would, but its not a field, and pretty open in the center of town, and would have to dig a deep hole.

 

[woody50]

Them bullets look like they would hurt, and well preserved too!

Yes, them things would maim you for sure, two holes with a cut in between, it would stop you from fighting for sure. I have previously found more of these, but this is the first with a chain, the others were connected with a wire (photo). They are called BOLAS (Spanish for Balls) or wired shot. The wire between the shot is quite stiff, and coiled up between the shot before firing.

The same sort of thing was used to destroy the mast of sailing ships, by the armies back them, they are the same only larger, two cannon balls connected with a chain or even a solid steel shank. My buddie found one here in a harbor that was being dug out, it was one of those with a steel shank between the cannon balls.

Both of these shots, big and small, would be fired from a musket or cannon, and when leaving the end would start to spin, and the wired shot would become longer making a wider wound. The canon would be fired at a ships mast, and if lucky and aimed correctly would damage or shear through the mast, leaving the sailing ship helpless. Needless to say pirates used the wired cannon balls very much. Easy pickings.

In the photo of the cannon balls, the 4th and 5th from left are about the same as the BOBAS. These were found on on Vasa, sunk in 1628.

 

[Tank69]

awsome finds wtg

 

[Gunny71]

Wow, cool finds. The soil has been very nice to them,.

 

[woody50]

Wow, cool finds. The soil has been very nice to them,.

Yes, here in Holland the water level is very shallow, so if finds are below a meter or so they are always wet and remain apart from the air (oxygen). Most of the time do not oxidize then. Shallow finds are not so good!

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Great finds for such a small area! I have passed on so many of those little digs and construction sites, certainly missed opportunity. HH, Mike

 

[woody50]

Great finds for such a small area! I have passed on so many of those little digs and construction sites, certainly missed opportunity. HH, Mike

Yes I know what your mean, many times while driving someplace I see a neat pile of old earth, but don't have my detector with me, and its too far to go back. Darn it, I say (well almost that). I sure wished I knew where the ground had gone, but since it was not much it could have been mixed in with the trash. They do that nowadays here very much, if the ground is clean (does not to need handling to remove bad stuff) many times it is brought to a trash depot and mixed in with the trash and added to the heap. They do that for two reasons, it seems like any pollutions in the soil are removed over the years from the working of the trash on the dirt, and the second reason (at least over here) is to keep the detectorists at bay. They don't like us working the heaps.