AirmetTango
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It took over two years, but I finally found a gold ring! And, of course, it was when I would least expect it...
I was hunting a farm field that should have been planted about 2 months ago, but thanks to the ridiculous amount of rain that fell in Ohio all spring and early summer, it's laying fallow for the year. My research says there was a home site here in the mid to late 1800s, and I have found some old broken glass, ceramics, and bricks, but not as much as I would expect compared to similar sites I've hunted. Likewise, relics are scarce - I've hunted it twice before, and only came up with a fatty Indian, a gilt button dating to the 1830s-1840s, a clay marble, and a couple of other odds and ends. Good finds certainly, but scant for the amount of time I put into the site.
I went back today mainly because time was somewhat short and the site is close, so I figured it was worth one more try. I was hunting closer to the road that runs past the site, which meant most of the mid tones I was digging ended as bits of can slaw. There were a couple minor relics along the way - a bit of an old spoon, a beefy rivet, .22 bullet, lead shot. When the 1975 Lincoln cent came up, I was ready to pack it in!
Tired of the can slaw and the lack of decent targets, I started to hunt my way back to the car. Not more than 100' from the car, I hit on a nice, tight sounding mid-tone, solid in all directions, and showing 11-12 consistently on the VDI. Easily could have been another piece of can slaw - at best, maybe a crusty nickel or thin brass relic of some kind, I thought.
Well, I was floored to see a shiny ring pop out of the loose dirt from about 5" down! The design is clearly fairly modern, and the dirt fell away easily enough that I could read the mark right on the spot...14K White gold! The full label reads 14KW (the W is sideways, oddly enough) with a trademark R, and "Artcarved" as the maker. Pretty cool feeling to nail a gold ring, especially in such an unlikely spot!
Since the ring seems so modern, I suspect that it may well belong to the farmer that gave me the permission - he's owned and farmed the field since 1992. I went over to his house this afternoon but he wasn't home, so I'll have to try later this week.
Edit on 7/31: Finally caught up with the farmer, and he said, “Nope, that’s not mine...looks like it’s yours now!” See Post 29 below for more!
I was hunting a farm field that should have been planted about 2 months ago, but thanks to the ridiculous amount of rain that fell in Ohio all spring and early summer, it's laying fallow for the year. My research says there was a home site here in the mid to late 1800s, and I have found some old broken glass, ceramics, and bricks, but not as much as I would expect compared to similar sites I've hunted. Likewise, relics are scarce - I've hunted it twice before, and only came up with a fatty Indian, a gilt button dating to the 1830s-1840s, a clay marble, and a couple of other odds and ends. Good finds certainly, but scant for the amount of time I put into the site.
I went back today mainly because time was somewhat short and the site is close, so I figured it was worth one more try. I was hunting closer to the road that runs past the site, which meant most of the mid tones I was digging ended as bits of can slaw. There were a couple minor relics along the way - a bit of an old spoon, a beefy rivet, .22 bullet, lead shot. When the 1975 Lincoln cent came up, I was ready to pack it in!
Tired of the can slaw and the lack of decent targets, I started to hunt my way back to the car. Not more than 100' from the car, I hit on a nice, tight sounding mid-tone, solid in all directions, and showing 11-12 consistently on the VDI. Easily could have been another piece of can slaw - at best, maybe a crusty nickel or thin brass relic of some kind, I thought.
Well, I was floored to see a shiny ring pop out of the loose dirt from about 5" down! The design is clearly fairly modern, and the dirt fell away easily enough that I could read the mark right on the spot...14K White gold! The full label reads 14KW (the W is sideways, oddly enough) with a trademark R, and "Artcarved" as the maker. Pretty cool feeling to nail a gold ring, especially in such an unlikely spot!
Since the ring seems so modern, I suspect that it may well belong to the farmer that gave me the permission - he's owned and farmed the field since 1992. I went over to his house this afternoon but he wasn't home, so I'll have to try later this week.
Edit on 7/31: Finally caught up with the farmer, and he said, “Nope, that’s not mine...looks like it’s yours now!” See Post 29 below for more!
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Really awesome find. Nice of you to show it to the owner. Hopefully he'll let you keep it, if he doesn't recognize it. Regardless, sweeeet, mid tone dig!
