F350Platinum

Found it. Took a chance on the letters, it reads "TA". It's made by the Fraim Lock company. Great website for locks, I guess we find a lot of them:

http://antique-padlocks.com

7 hours ago, Valens Legacy said:

Another great hunt, and some nice finds.

The letters on the lock will get you the manufactures name. I just can't make it out for some reason so I can't help you much. I had seen one of those before in some of my grandfathers antiques, but it is gone now so I can't tell you who made it.

I used this photo in a reverse image search on Google. It brought up some Yale locks but nothing matching. Don't remember where but I've seen this one before...

I'd have named this "Just the Artifacts #5", but again I found some coins (thanks GB 😁)

Today was a decent day for March but the wind was unpredictable. At least it got warm enough that I didn't have to wear heavy or electric clothes. I think I found my first "Zincoln", it's the heavily corroded memorial to the right of the unidentifiable penny.

Got another handle, again probably a razor. The large disc is gold plated, one side smooth and one has concentric circles. I'm thinking it was on a pocketbook or something. Small knurled ring that at first i thought was an Asian coin, but it is some sort of adjustment wheel. Much too small to be a coin. Odd lead "egg", a snap, another knurled knob.

Big brass padlock I can't find the manufacturer of. The artful logo brings no result on image search. Heavy spoon handle, two buckles, one appears to be plated. Penny, probably a wheatie, and the corroded penny. This field isn't too good for copper or Zinc!

Best for last again, a two piece button with the back missing says "Metropolitan Police DC". The small version of the Marine Corps buttons I've been finding, and the second four hole button I have ever found, "Lamm Baltimore". It's about ~1910, from a Baltimore company that made men's trousers and raincoats.

Hope this crazy stuff is still interesting! Anyone identifying the anchor over rope button in my previous post is welcome to visit. 😀

53 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

I guess you gotta strike when the iron's hot (i.e. field hasn't been planted).

Oops hit save too soon. Yes I have two more old house sites to search when I'm done with this one, I expect the farmers to be out here next week putting down lime, and I gotta get my RV ready for the road.

Some things I should also mention are the amount of research I've done, looking up historical maps, scouting, talking to people who grew up here. Chase has pointed me in a great direction with the Equinox, recommending books such as Andy Sabisch's and Clive Clynick, who I think is a member of this forum. I'm one of "those people" who reads the manual before pressing the buttons. I've spent a lot of time watching countless videos and reading other members' posts here. I'm not on any other forum. I am grateful for the help you all contribute. I'm also grateful to my fabulous wife who is patient enough to withstand my obsession.

And last, I'm pretty sure grid searching is the key to my successes, if I was just walking around I wouldn't find half the stuff I do.

When time is essential, IMHO it's best to zero in on where to look. 

47 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

You gotta change the thread title when you find coins.  😁

Yeah, sorry. Probably should rename the whole thing "Noob in a field #1-n" 😀

I'm out here right now hating March for its deceptive weather.

6 minutes ago, kac said:

Incredible how well your doing, funny that most people take years to find what your picking in just a matter of days. You got a good knack for this.

Haha, I'm more inclined to think that because most of this area is un-hunted is the reason but thanks. I do credit my mentors, YouTube, @Chase Goldman, and the Academy 🏆😀

When you think about it (taking a break in the field right now), anytime you find a coin that has a hole in it doesn't speak well of the practice of putting them on a thread, ribbon or chain. But that's what they did!

Of course keeping them in your pocket doesn't either 🤔

I appreciate both of your replies! 

Might as well try to clean it up. Got some Andres' pencils coming, should be delivered today. Any other suggestions? Been using only hand soap and a very light brush to clean stuff so far, and some Wright's cream on the silver.

9 hours ago, kac said:

Looks like a kg. You seem to be weeding out the trash nicely when you inviting the rest of us down?

Might be this one:

Thanks! Wish it was in better shape, but I'll take what I can get. They're probably going to start the fields next week, planting corn this year. 😵 Big warm-up coming.

For those of you who have read me whining about trash here, this is a good bit of what I hear on every swing. There are thousands of these "Iron Babies" (think "Sugar Babies") at this site. Any of you old enough to remember that candy 😀

Second day in this site. It never got over 42 today, the wind was around 20-30 mph all day. I went out dressed like I was yesterday and had to go back for a heavy hoodie and heated socks. Got Reynauds in my hands and feet, unbelievable pain if they get too cold.

The reason I went right back is because the first coin I found is either an early American penny or a King George, or not... 🤔 It's 1 1/8 inches in diameter and weighs 9.7 grams. No really identifiable lettering, just the bust facing right. Big coin. The only way to "read" it is the good old flashlight trick.

Left to right: small crude button signaled a whopping 22. Might be silver. I didn't know it was a button until I cleaned it a bit. Small Great Seal button, backmark "New York Button", might be WW1. Second Marine button, this one in much better shape. 1860s. 1800s button marked Treble Gilt. Two wheat pennies, a 1919 and a 1937. Heart shaped locket, brass that may have been gold plated. I'm afraid to try and open it! Two aluminum geegaws marked HOLLY US PAT'S. At first I thought they were pull tabs. 😀 Next is a heavy silverplated handle, possibly razor or magnifying glass.

Honestly the bust on the coin looks like Lincoln, but they never made a penny or half penny that big with him on it! 🙂 

Good lord, man! Hope I have a day like that when I go to the beach. Unlikely because of my experience, but WOW. Great haul! That's a haul right there. 😀

38 minutes ago, Tom_in_CA said:

This reads like how the UK posts (who have 2000 yrs. more history than us) sounds.   Where any/all fields have eventual finds.   Great play-by-play.

Thanks! Yeah sorry I was brought up on "The King's English". 😀 

I'm very lucky to have moved here, I'm smack in the middle of a rural area that is largely un-hunted. I know all the landowners and they have been very gracious. One spot I thought would be a treasure trove, however, turned out to have been heavily hunted by a notorious local. Luckily the rest of the farm was planted, so it couldn't be hunted when the person was there. Yesterday I got another permission to hunt around a late 17s to mid 1800s farmhouse. Last occupancy was in the 60s. Got two more old house sites plus that one now. It's alllll the way down the road, about a mile. 😀 Illegal to drive my golf cart there.

I've been using Google Historic maps to find where the houses were and setting plots in Tect-O-Trak, then grid searching and recording finds and coverage. These finds represent an 8-hour day, it's not like I'm not working for it😉

54 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

1) training camps and/or maneuvers,

2) participation in parades on holidays of later years to commemorate soldiers' service,

3) items brought back from war which eventually got dropped/lost.  

I'm thinking the resident was in the service, and I found the items about where the clothesline was or the "burn barrel" 😀 maybe a shed.

Wish I could get a fix on the left button, image search didn't find anything. 😵

The Marine uniform button is kinda rare, wish it was in better shape. Most of the backmark is gone, but It is a Scovill button from Waterbury CT. The other had no discernible backmark, waiting on some Andres' pencils to mess with it. It appears to have been plated silver.

5 minutes ago, King-Of-Bling said:

Very nice. And you don't have any issues with that 1 hole screw design ? Or do you run a bolt through it...

Stainless bolt. Goes through the PVC and the bamboo dowel inside. I walked around Lowe's for quite a while until I found something that fit the pipe perfectly. I did have to sand the PVC a bit to get it to fit. Used a belt sander upside down in a vise. Sealed everything with marine sealant.

I've used it a few times with no issues, going to take it to the beach in a few weeks.

37 minutes ago, King-Of-Bling said:

That sure looks alot nicer than the one I built. How tall is that and why ?

Gotta say I stole the idea from some famous "Boys who vacuum" 😀 it's about 5' tall. Reason is that if you're in deep water you not only want leverage, you don't want to have to bend over and get your upper torso wet, or fill your waders. You pick it up and dump it in a floating sieve. 🤗 I watch their videos because most of what they find is relevant to me, they're not too far away.

Wanted to use schedule 80 PVC but they didn't have any at the time. Thicker walls.

The shovel part is a CooB Shark V10. 2mm stainless.

1 hour ago, King-Of-Bling said:

Yeah. Not really worth the effort. Smaller diameter for a scoop will flex. Unless you glue a dowel the entire length. Then cap the end with a bike grip. Also gives the impression that your a cheap loser. That's right...I did it ONCE !

I built mine with Schedule 40 PVC, it has a solid Bamboo core and a Raptor handle. It floats, and digs heavy river muck like a champ. Weighs about 4 pounds. 😁

3 minutes ago, kac said:

Thats a good day out, congrats. You keep mentioning trashy areas and I first suggested the 6" coil but coiltek now makes coils for the Nox, you might want to check out one of the elipticals. I find you can get better ground coverage and still have the narrow footprint to sneak around trash to isolate targets in most cases. For myself I don't have the patients to swing a hockey puck around, think my attention span runs short.

Yes. I'm probably going to go with the Coiltek soon!

The ground in this spot is crazy, you go from literally nothing to having the Equinox sound off like an old Star Wars video game. Nails and spikes everywhere. It's not as bad as the other, but between that, the wind, and a Blackhawk helo training session I got pretty tired.

Great day but windy, 20 with gusts to 30. I could hardly hear my headphones sometimes and the wind kept blowing my spade around.

Went to the site of an old farmhouse in my permission, at first I just scouted about but then switched to grid search using my flag sticks. It's not a huge area but will take a few days to search completely.

Gotta say I was surprised to find any military objects at all. If you read my other posts your know this area never really saw war except for 1812, and that was only a very short skirmish that occurred nearly in my backyard.

But find militaria I did! The site is as trashy as the other one I went to yesterday but just in the small area where the house stood.

Found a decorated cutlery handle, looks like it might be a small teaspoon. There are marks and decorations, but nothing legible. The oval plate has a coin like border around it but also has nothing stamped or engraved other than the border. Next is some sort of part maybe to a machine or gun. The broken circular object seems to be tin.

Large buckle is probably silverplated, it may be military. Two knurled knobs I found far apart that may be for holding a military device but I haven't found it yet! Some weird geegaw and a 1918 wheat penny. It was the last thing I found, It dates the finds somewhat.

Saved the best for last, a colonial era button, and two military buttons. The left one I cannot identify but the right one is possibly 1864 to 1866 Marines. I did reverse image search on Goog. Anyone with an id for the other?

Last is a shotgun shell , the UMC Union star primer is 1901-1912.

7 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

Oh, wow!  My imagination is running wild thinking of all the coins that might have been dropped there.  Maybe they even tossed some in the water as an offering.  Did they use that site for other activities?

As is mine, but I heard today that another local detectorist spent 3 weeks up in that area. Don't know if she knew about the baptism place but that explains why I haven't found much around the cemetery. Gotta keep expectations low! 😀

4 minutes ago, Tiftaaft said:

Great finds in a tough area F350P!  

I'm not gridding it yet, just random searching. I know I'll find something. Saving that for later because they won't plant some of that area, and I plan to hack my way to the river to an old baptism site. Problem is the road down there has eroded, I can see the road but there is a big drop to it. Some of the ravines here are a sudden 60-80 foot drop. It's dangerous to walk to the edge.

9 hours ago, CVISChris said:

Actually think the bottle is my favorite.  I live in California fig country.   Nice finds overall.   

When I was a kid my mother used to take us out bottle digging, not sure she ever got permission to dig where we did but we found a really old site. 🤔  She was quite an adventurer. Dug hundreds of them, sold them at yard sales. Good times. There is an old dump behind my house and I'm working on permission for that.

Gotta say I look forward to your exploits, you've been finding great stuff! 

2 minutes ago, kac said:

You have a 6" coil for your nox?

Also if you try making cherry pick passes you might be able to squeak out some coins. Just notch out all except small ranges and go over the area. More walking but easier on the brain. I use a notch mode on my Multi Kruzer where I use notch audio to turn down the volume of unwanted ranges. Works very well for me in trash heaps.

I believe you can do something similar on the Nox.

 

Thanks for the tip!

I'm probably going to get the 6" coil at some point. Thought of notching today, but left it wide open to get what I could get.

Most of the stuff I found would fall into any notches I set. Field 2 cuts out iron up to "9" which is immaterial to anyone who doesn't have an Equinox. Means that most iron is rejected. However, without switching to "all metal", the higher (better) tones become clipped and it scares a noob like me. It seemed like I was missing targets, so I ran in all metal most of the time unless it got really bad. Best part is that you can assign volume to iron tones making them quieter so your head doesn't get ripped off. Field 2 makes iron almost inaudible compared to non ferrous targets. And then there's falsing... 🙄

Still sounds like an 8-bit video game in that area. 😵 Other areas here are so quiet I turn up sensitivity just so I can hear ground contours... 🤣

All in all it's a great exercise for someone like me that is new to the hobby, and I'm impressed by how powerful the Equinox can be.

14 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

Probably had some kick to it, too, and I don't mean from a horse (even though they are equally famous for that commodity). 

I'd say for a bad day this turned out pretty good.  You need to come on one of my hunts if you want a to experience bad.

Yeah, apparently it was 6% alcohol, and had a special ingredient - Senna - it was intended as a laxative. It also helps date this site as the bottle is from the 1890s.

"Kick" is almost an understatement. 😀

My bad day was yesterday, found nothing else in my oldest field. Went up the road and found an unidentifiable date wheat penny, a toothpaste tube top and a grommet. At least I got a coin. 🤪

After Part 1 I didn't find anything in that field anymore. I decided to go to a place that @Chase Goldman and I went when he was here, a small area where a house was with a small cemetery. He will attest that this site is so trashy it's hard to take - even in Field 2 with all metal off. We both got tired of hunting it fast!

I toughed it out and got the Equinox as quiet as possible. I was determined to find something in all that scrap. Roof steel, can slaw, nails, you name it - and most odd there must be a hundred cat food cans buried there! You get a nice 32 and say "$#&+" when you dig it up.

Didn't do too bad, but I'm sad I didn't find a single coin today, I wanted to get an idea of what period I'm dealing with up there. I did dig one old shotgun shell which helped - it is a UMC New Club 12 gauge, circa 1892. Got a couple of colonial buttons, both with shanks. Always like buttons.

The most interesting things are the brass flower that I found in parts, and the large whatzit on the bottom. It appears to have a threaded point and is highly decorated, it was a solid 22. The suspender slide might be silverplated. I found both pieces in the same hole.

Took a look in the woods where the buildings were pushed, and found the bottle in the next photos. It's old, blown glass into a mold. Sad it's broken somewhat. I thought it was kinda funny that "California Fig Syrup" came from Louisville Kentucky. 😀