Amy & Troy...until I got my X5 I was using the LST with a 10x5 and loved it, it wasn't until Troy came over and gave me one to use I thought the LST was unbeatable....how wrong I was. Ever since that moment I haven't put the X5 down...but....have always said, that here in the UK it needs a 10x5 widescan. So I think Amy & Troy...send me one and I will give it a thorough testing on the toughest of UK soils, you never know, it might even find me some more Celtic goodies.

Regards, Dino. (Gerry)

My best finds of 2003 using the Shadow X5,have to be these five Celtic coins, all found in one week holiday, taken just as the land was ploughed and rolled. It is a Celtic silver unit of the Iceni, Queen Boudiccas tribe. Opposed crescent type, with stylised horse on the obverse. Unusually though this must be one of the tribl coins as it has IAT instead of the normal ECE or ECEN.

The second coin is again an Iceni unit of East Anglia, but this time it actually has Queen Boudicca on the obverse, and the usual stylised horse on the reverse. Listed in Spink as #434, #3556-3759 in the British Museum catalogue.

The third coin is not strictly an Iceni...but a Corieltauvi. It is a Scyphate Gold Stater, North Linciolnshire type, and value of a Quarter Stater weighing in at 1.5 grams. There is a similar style in Spink No. 395. An exact, but very poor one listed in the British Museum catalogue as No. 3191. Dating to 50-25 BC. Here it is in its glory!

The fourth coin is a gold Quarter Stater, an Ingoldisthorpe type of the Trinovantes tribe. Circa 54BC

The fifth coin is a bronze unit of Cunobelin. The acid soil isn't kind to bronzes around here.

Other great artefacts the X5 have found me include these 2 Saxon / Viking sword pommels found in a stubble field.

Here is the second one.

On a recent trip to Cape Town, South Africa, I took the X5 along to show the "locals". Using it on the wet sand was not a problem, finding several old South African silver coins of the Victorian era, and also this nice little silver Dutch clog..which I assume came off a charm bracelet.

Regards, Dino - UK. - Aug 23, 2004

...I took a quick ride out today to survey my hunting grounds, and found that one of my Celtic sites had been harvested. I had a quick sortie, only because the field was still full of bean stubble...great thick stems 3/4" thick and a foot high. Had a bit of success though, only 2 signals, this was the first. A rather sorry looking Celtic bronze, mind you, when you think that it is about 40 years older than Christ our saviour....it deserves to be a bit tatty.

Sept. 11, 2004

...hit the jackpot? No! But I thought I had, dug this beautiful little twisted wire tri-colour gold ring today, but when I got it home and washed it....it's got a bloody hallmark. Never mind though, it's a pretty little thing.

I was cheered up a bit later when I dug another Roman bronze Grot....cleaned it up when I got home to reveal not a Roman grot, but a another beautiful Celtic silver unit. Iceni Norfolk God type with the usual stylised horse. The type has been attributed to Boudicca by Van Ardsell. Spink catalogue number 434.

Lastly an "Eyes only" find of a lovely flint scaper, the scan doesn't do the "knapped" edge justice, this little flint is probably 3-4000 years old.

Sept. 12, 2004

For most involved, meeting up at Colesberg in the Karoo region of South Africa was quite a trip. Most driving a 1000 or more kilometres to get there. For one in particular (me) it was a bit more involved.

I flew from London Gatwick airport, a three hour drive, to Windhoek in Namibia, a two hour wait, and then a connecting flight to Cape Town. Total travel time of 21 hours.
On landing at Cape Town International I was greeted by my old friend Pierre.

After the usual greetings of his lovely wife Mariana, children Nina, Ian and Pierre-Henri, it was a quick shower,
shave, cup of tea, and then load the car for the trip to the Karoo.
Dewald, another fresh face to the Cape Townian detectorists, arrived at Pierre's and we were eager to get under way....we still had a 850 kilometre drive to the region and where we were going to stay for the rest of the week.

Being civilised people though, we only drove half way and stopped the night at an old hotel in Beauford West, a town
on the N1 road that joins Cape Town with Johannesberg.
After a well earned nights sleep and a hearty breakfast we were off on the last leg of our journey.

We arrived at our lodgings in the Karoo at about noon on Tuesday.
Lodgings isn't really the right name for the huge bungalow where we were to stay. A big thankyou to Lukas van de Merde at this point for the wonderful facilities, a place with at least 10 bedrooms and loads of room apt for the 20 detectorists that had decended from the Trannsvaal, Port Elizabeth, Durban, White River and Cape Town.
The farm was located at Arundel, site of an English encampment that lasted about 3 years, and close to the railway, which was reason for the English picking the area.

The next few pictures are of the locale at Arundel, a barren, unforgiving place where the night time temperatures
fall below freezing, and the daytime temperatures can reach 45C.
As you can see there is little that grows except for the Karoo brush...what these poor, young British soldiers must
have thought being sent to this hell on Earth doesn't bear thinking.
They must have been forever hungry and thirsty, and without doubt longing for home, as most would have never ridden a
horse, let alone fire a rifle in anger.

Pierre, Dewald and I were quick to get out in the field, in fact it was quite lucky we arrived in the afternoon, as the region had had welcome rain in the morning, and temps were still only 6-7C...was I glad I took my dtecting coat from here in the UK.

Here is a picture of Pierre scanning the British camp site.

The farmers job out in this region is not always a happy one either, with disease and the local wildlife presenting a problem or two for his stock...here is what is left of half a dozen cattle.

I myself was quite lucky with my hunting. Finding some nice relics icluding this nice uniform button.

An eyes only find of a live British Lee Medford round, one of very many dug during the 3 days.

I was also very lucky to have dug two regimental collar badges,
the first a number 6, of the 6th Lancers, complete with back plate and pin.

Also a collar badge of the Dragoon Guard.

It was then back to the lodings for a Braii, the South African version of a BBQ...of course with Lukas in charge,
nothing is on a small scale.

It also gave me chance to see what the other guys had been finding.

I don't quite know how the Swiss army knife fits into the equation...I guess it doesn't!

This is a cannon fuse, one of many that one of the lucky guys found in a pit of the things, 13 of which were still
live.

Here are 5 more pics of the days finds including bomb fragments, some still holding grapeshot or Leddite.

End of day one...day two tomorrow, stay tuned!

By the way, the X5 was faultless in the very mineralised soil, it wouldn't have any in fixed...but manual was perfect.

Regards, Dino - UK.

Went on a new Roman site I've recently aquired.

Found two grotty bronzes, two small brooches minus pins, and then this lovely bronze finger ring pops up. Completely undamaged and perfectly round, but missing stone as usual.

Regards, Dino - UK.

August 21, 2005

It is 19mm x 17mm x 7mm and weighs in at exactly 12 grams. Not a bad bit for 1100-600BC Eh?

P.S. Rex, if you see this, could you add it to my showcase for me?

Regards, Dino - UK.

August 23, 2005

My old school friend and friendly farmer, took me up flying over his and surrounding farmland yesterday,
and I spotted what I thought looked a likely piece of land.
So today I was off round to the landowner, and after oozing my usual charm aquired permission to hunt.
The field was already harvested and disc harrowed, not very smooth, but workable.

My hunch paid off and I was rewarded first with this silver unit of the Iceni, opposed crescent type.(broken)

I was also lucky to get this bronze unit of Durotriges, although the scan never shows good detail on bronzes.

Circling around the area then gave me a glint of gold, with this fragment. Is it old, treasure trove? I don't know yet.
It weighs 3.3 grams.

A few more bits and pieces, three brooches, two early. A lead pot mend, and a small harness ring.

Regards, Dino - UK.

I took Andy from Canada out today (he's here for 2 days), first onto a Roman site so he could dig a few...he managed about 5 Roman bronzes and a couple of brooches.

I had a slightly better day, digging 7 Roman bronzes, and was then rewarded for my generosity on one of my Celtic fields with this beautiful full stater, yet to be ID'd, but it weighs in at 5.7 grams.

Sunday, 20 November 2005

...only nipped out for two hours this afternoon and managed to rescue this little Celtic gold quarter stater.
I think it is a very early imported one that I haven't ID'd as yet.
It is 10mm across and weighs 1.6 grams which is quite heavy for an almost smooth quarter.

I'll let you know more about it when I have it.

Regards, Dino - UK.

Sunday, 11 December 2005