dirtdigger1581
Full Member
I haven't been out metal detecting in just over a month. Due to the holidays and the family being sick I just haven't had the time to get out since the beginning of December. That being said, I headed out on Tuesday the 8th to a new field that I had just recently been given permission to hunt. It's a very large, roughly 200 acre, field that has seen revolutionary & civil war troop movement through it. I hoped it would hold a secret or two for me, and I wasn't disappointed.
Shortly after arriving in the field I had my first coin of the year. A 1910 wheat cent and I was very happy to add it to my collection. I didn't know I was about to find a piece of history 300 years older shortly thereafter. About 45 minutes after finding my first coin of the year I got nice 73/74 signal on my Teknetics T2 and pinpointed the signal. Four inches down is what the machine told me, so I dug my hole and plopped out the dirt. After scanning around a bit with my propointer, I was able to locate a square shaped token, or at least that's what I thought it was. The "token" had a circular wreath on it and inside the wreath was a crown with an "X" underneath it. It wasn't until last night, when I was able to clean it up a bit, that I discovered under the "X" was a letter "S". On the reverse of the coin I was able to clean the caked dirt enough to reveal what I thought was a cross, with a crown in the upper quadrant, and two shields in the side quadrants. In the right lighting at the bottom quadrant I saw a possible date of 16_7. This got my heart pumping, and I started taking photos.
I posted the photos up on here and other sites as well, hoping to get an ID on my "token". Within minutes I had people responding and helping me arrive to a conclusion. I had found a 1607 James VI/James I "Sword and Sceptre" coin weight. The sword and sceptre are crossed on the reverse side, with a crown in the upper quadrant, and two thistles on the sides. I owe a special thanks to the individuals who helped me ID my find. So, "Thank you very much" to: CRUSADER, Breezie, nhbenz, Battlecry4, Jeff in Georgia & Voriax!!! I'm always so impressed with the experts on these sites who are able to ID things that I can't even get a start on. Again, thank you!!!
I've included a picture of a 1602 "6 Scots" coin which was recognized in England and Wales as 10 shillings in 1603 when James VI became James I with the union of the Scotland and England crowns. That would be where the "X" comes from on the front side. This is an example of the coin that this weight would have been measured against.
I have a smile on my face a mile wide right now, and knowing that these weights were used to weigh and measure gold coins, you can bet your "you know what" I'll be back out there looking for them soon!
Thanks for looking and Happy Hunting!
-Nate
Shortly after arriving in the field I had my first coin of the year. A 1910 wheat cent and I was very happy to add it to my collection. I didn't know I was about to find a piece of history 300 years older shortly thereafter. About 45 minutes after finding my first coin of the year I got nice 73/74 signal on my Teknetics T2 and pinpointed the signal. Four inches down is what the machine told me, so I dug my hole and plopped out the dirt. After scanning around a bit with my propointer, I was able to locate a square shaped token, or at least that's what I thought it was. The "token" had a circular wreath on it and inside the wreath was a crown with an "X" underneath it. It wasn't until last night, when I was able to clean it up a bit, that I discovered under the "X" was a letter "S". On the reverse of the coin I was able to clean the caked dirt enough to reveal what I thought was a cross, with a crown in the upper quadrant, and two shields in the side quadrants. In the right lighting at the bottom quadrant I saw a possible date of 16_7. This got my heart pumping, and I started taking photos.
I posted the photos up on here and other sites as well, hoping to get an ID on my "token". Within minutes I had people responding and helping me arrive to a conclusion. I had found a 1607 James VI/James I "Sword and Sceptre" coin weight. The sword and sceptre are crossed on the reverse side, with a crown in the upper quadrant, and two thistles on the sides. I owe a special thanks to the individuals who helped me ID my find. So, "Thank you very much" to: CRUSADER, Breezie, nhbenz, Battlecry4, Jeff in Georgia & Voriax!!! I'm always so impressed with the experts on these sites who are able to ID things that I can't even get a start on. Again, thank you!!!
I've included a picture of a 1602 "6 Scots" coin which was recognized in England and Wales as 10 shillings in 1603 when James VI became James I with the union of the Scotland and England crowns. That would be where the "X" comes from on the front side. This is an example of the coin that this weight would have been measured against.
I have a smile on my face a mile wide right now, and knowing that these weights were used to weigh and measure gold coins, you can bet your "you know what" I'll be back out there looking for them soon!
Thanks for looking and Happy Hunting!
-Nate
