Some interesting Finds Made With 5" Coil

Well, it's been awhile since I posted anything but thought everyone might like to see what a trashy colonial Louisiana site can produce using that little 5 inch coil.

There's lots of pix...so stay tuned...the first one here is just the normal stuff you find thimbles,suspender parts,harmonica reeds,brass furniture decoration,musket balls, knapsack rivets, the little lion head is neat, so is the brass slide from a parasol.While you are digging this stuff you begin to wonder if you will ever find anything decent...and sometimes you do.

Here's some more...pipe stems, part of a thimble, more musket balls and I think that buckle is a plow hit small frame forked tongue C.S. buckle. The measurements are exactly the same and the bar in the back is identical...but who knows? Looked and looked for the rest but no luck.

This site is loaded with buttons from colonial to modern...These are just a few of the recent ones I have dug.I was suprised to find the Connecticutt Cuff...it still has lots of gilt as you can see.

Here is a closer look at it. Think I should have pumped it a bit.

Now this is one of my all time fvorite finds. I have always wanted to find one of these but never thought I would find one in this condition..it is a perfect colonial sash buckle with the prongs intact. They still move freely on the tube hinge and it has a beautiful maker's mark on the back.I think it survived since it was gold plated.Dug this saturday.

Small silver really hits loud on that little 5 inch coil.I love to find these reales and half dimes.The 1 reale is dated 1790, the two half reales are 1801 and 1824. The half dime is 1840.

Here is the front of the half dime

and here is the back

I saved the best for last...if you think small silver sounds off...well...these fairly screamed...and so did I when I saw what they were. The seated libertys are all New Orleans Mint and appear to be uncirculated. The bust halves are in excellent shape as well.All I used to clean them was 4 or 5 dozen boiling water baths which removed most of the caked on dirt.

I still can't believe I dug these! Here are all 22 Philadelphia Halves and New Orleans Mint Seated Liberty Halves after being cleaned up. They date from 1809 to 1850. The first 11 were located with the 5 inch coil and the second 11 with the new Double D coil in very heavy iron trash.

and here is a shot of the eagles on the back

That 5 inch coil and little patience certainly pays off...I forgot to scan a 12'th infantry button from 1798 I'll post that later...hope you enjoyed the pix!

Posted By: Richard in N.O
Date: Saturday, 20 November 2004

The fuse I am holding in my hand along with a carved lead pencil were found in the same hole with the X-5.

2nd Image: The fuse and lead pencil was found with the 7 inch coil. The fuse was 19 inches deep! That is a piece of coarse wool cloth on the coil that was imbedded in the fuse threads.

Click To Enlarge

Here is one grouping of X-5 finds. These are the the first items I found on my fist hunt with the X-5.

Here is a rare counterstamped 2 bit piece made here in New Orleans. It is a regular 2 bit piece from an eight reale that has been stamped on both sides or "counterstamped". One side is stamped with the early American "chicken" eagle and surrounded by the words "Nouvelle Orleans" New Orleans and the other is stamped with a chain similar to a chain cent with the initials P.B. who was the person issuing the stamped coin. The stamp certified its weight and purity. This particular 2 bit piece was used in trade between New Orleans and the islands of the Carribean. It dates from right after the Louisiana Purchase to about to about 1830. The only other know examples have been dug on Dauphin Island, Alabama.

Richard

Here is a sampling of various buttons dug at the same site as below. As you can tell they cover quite a period of time.

This is the 12'th Infantry Regiment button I dug. It is pewter and dates to 1798.It is remarkable that it survived.It says "United States" around the rim and encircles a "12". They appear to be rather crudely made buttons. One small piece is missing. This button is pictured in Albert's Button book on page 19 as R12.

This is also a pewter Infantry button dug at one of Andrew Jackson's camps.It is listed as A4 on page 23 of Albert's book and dates 1812 to 1815. A small section of the rim disintegrated as it came out of the ground.I was afraid the whole button was going to go as pewter buttons sometimes do but it has held up.

Richard in N.O
Date: Saturday, 20 November 2004

I put it on the X-5 and took it to an iron and trash infested field today and its depth and ability to separate trash from good targets was simply amazing.

This first pix shows the first 5 liberty bust and seated halves I dug in one hole right next to that nasty piece of iron. I heard the iron and then..I heard the silver! That wheatie was in there , too!

Just a few feet away another Philadelphia lady popped up.Look at the detail on that coin! You can read liberty on her headband and see every strand of hair! Most of these coins are in
remarkable shape...very similar to the ones I dug a few weeks back.

You might have noticed it was a tad muddy today...Louisiana Dust...I posed the next one, a seated liberty on the Double "D".

And here's another 1843 seated that turned up a swing away.

The next target was great! Two halves stuck together, a Philadelphia bust and a seated N.O. mint liberty!

And here's the take for the day..4 Philadelphia Liberty's 1809, 1819, 1824 and 1831 and 7 New Orleans Mint Seated Liberty's 1843, 2 1844's , 1845, 1846 and 2 1848's. 1 1899 "V" Nickel and a wheatie whose date I cannot see.

And here is a close up of the 1809...She looks pretty good for an old lady!

I just can't say enough about this new coil, I was impressed with the prototype but puting it to the "Acid Test" in this trashy field proved to me without a doubt that it is going to be a very valuable tool in my relic hunting arsenal.

The coins are going through a series of boiling water baths and when they are finally clean, I'll scan and post them.

A tip on using this coil in heavy trash: go slow and listen carefully,most of these coins didn't hit "hard" because of the proximity to trash but there was no doubt they were diggable targets. The two I dug with no trash around rang out big time! Thanks for looking.

Dec. 18, 2004

Here are some shots of the "Dirty D" showing of her prize.

And a little closer...

And a little closer still...

My pictures aren't quite up to snuff , I think my hands were shaking!!

I have to tell you this coil is just phenominal, I dug a brass sword belt rivet at about 8 inches with this coil today and it rang out quite loud...this field is quite trashy and the "Dirty D" just spanks it!!

Sunday, 26 December 2004

Went out Saturday looking for some more silver half dollars and decided to search a new area in the vicinity where the others were found...bad idea...but you never know. All I got were these do-dads, a silver thimble, part of an ornate salt cellar spoon, a spenser casing, a minnie,rivets,pipe stem, etc.

So, Sunday...I decided to wade into the muck and water where I found 11 others previously with the "Dirty D". The only problem...it is so iron infested it is nearly impossible to hunt. So, I put on the 5 inch coil instead and started working the muck very,very slowly and guess what?

The first one was right between a large iron bolt and a piece of flat iron and the 5 inch coil nailed it.I had searched the area before with larger coils and missed these 3. I wish I had brought my camera to take pix of the iron and the muck. It took me an hour to clean my detector afterwards!

And here's the ladies tail-feathers..so to speak.

Then they went into the case with the other 22 to make a total of 25. 12 Philadelphia Bust and 13 New Orleans Mint Seated liberties dating from 1809 to 1850. (Also in the case a Connecticutt cuff and two Voltigeur's cuffs, a shield nickle and a barber nickle.) I worked the area for another two hours after finding the third one but couldn't find anymore. Could be all there is...but I thought that a week ago. ago.

Just goes to show, one coil doesn't do it all, you gotta have the arsenal. If you don't have the right coil to solve your ground condition problem you just not gonna find it.

Jan 31, 2005

I had a little help from this guy...I think this is Johann Sebastian Bach...I eyeballed him in a clump of dirt.

I tell you, I almost heard Johann's cymbals crash when I dug this little puppy...take a look. A 1752 one reale! It is my second oldest reale.

Check out that button to the left of the reale. I thought it was a silver coin when I dug it. It is a very old sterling silver button in a stylized scallop shape. I have never dug anything like it...here's a close up of the front and back.

Here's the front and back of the reale scanned .

And of course I owe it all to my favorite girl, "Dirty D"..here she is showing off her stuff. She only had about 2 hours at this site and she did pretty good.

I wanted to take a pix of the Reale coming out of the ground but it was in 6 inches of water and I was in mud up past my ankles..so no could do.

I found a few more things after I took the pix..here they are cleaned and scanned.

I have said it before but all of you fellows out there who don't have this coil have no idea of what you are missing. It is just an incredible piece of equipment.

Monday, 21 February 2005