Time Had Not Been Kind….

Pete e · Sep 24, 2022

I was out earlier today detecting on a stubble field. It was hard going with the ground still very dry and difficult to drive the spade into…

After a slow start with lots of silver paper and lead I wasn’t feeling overly confident…

Things changed when a strong 23/24 signal turned out to be a 1938 predecimal penny…

This was followed by more foil a couple of buttons and then a very nondescript 10 signal and out popped the rather sad hammered silver long cross penny below…Apparently there is enough detail to know it was minted in York, but the actual monarch would be a guess a best….

Date wise, I am fairly certain it’s from between 1200AD and 1400AD but it would take someone with far more knowledge than me to try to narrow it down further…

Digger RJ · Sep 24, 2022

Awesome!!! Congrats!!!

Brewser · Sep 28, 2022

Fantastic Pete.
I usually ignore 10s.....not anymore.

Soil Surgeon · Sep 28, 2022

Nice going on a fantastic coin! Great pictures of the coin and that beautiful land!

Tom_in_CA · Sep 28, 2022

Love those landscape pix. Over there where you are, I guess every cultivated field has been in continuous use for 2000+ yrs. So you can wander into any cultivated field and eventually find something.

But here in the USA, if you wander into "any random cultivated field", you will find : Nothing. We have to research to show that something went on there (eg.: a home site, a stage stop, a trading post, a battle site, etc...)

You guys in Europe are having all the fun ! But I guess it's all relative : Over there, a coin that's a mere 200 yrs. old is "new" (and probably not worth much). Over here, a 200 yr. old coin can be a good find worth $$. So I guess it's all relative

Pete e · Sep 28, 2022

Hi Tom,
Broadly speaking you are correct, certainly for the low grounds. Once you gets the the hills/uplands, the finds are much sparser… There are a number of reasons for that, but generally the poorer ground supported less people and they were poorer as well. Still even in the uplands, there will be hotspots which can by found by research…

For me, the hobby is about uncovering history and I am not really bothered about financial worth of my finds…I am not suggesting I would turn my nose up at finding gold ect, but it’s not my motivation…

With that in mind, I agree it’s all very much relative. A William III sixpence would be a nice find in the UK, but if it came up in the US, it would be a far more significant find…

If I were in the States, I would love to be finding artefacts/coins directly related to the old West, or even better, Spanish coins from the 1600’s and 1700’s from your Treasure Coast….

Regards,

Peter

Tom_in_CA · Sep 28, 2022

Pete e said:
....

If I were in the States, I would love to be finding artefacts/coins directly related to the old West, or even better, Spanish coins from the 1600’s and 1700’s from your Treasure Coast….

Yup, it's the fun of history. But sure, we don't turn up our nose at high dollar coin finds either.

I got a question for you : A gold coin for you guys is equally as rare as a gold coin is here for USA hunters. Right ? Ie.: there are hardcore hunters , even over there, that have not crossed a gold coin off their bucket list, right ?

If so: Then what's the most gold coins that any singular hunter has found over there ? NOT counting caches. Just counting individual fumble fingers gold coins. Thanx !

Pete e · Sep 28, 2022

Tom_in_CA said:
Love those landscape pix. Over there where you are, I guess every cultivated field has been in continuous use for 2000+ yrs. So you can wander into any cultivated field and eventually find something.

But here in the USA, if you wander into "any random cultivated field", you will find : Nothing. We have to research to show that something went on there (eg.: a home site, a stage stop, a trading post, a battle site, etc...)

You guys in Europe are having all the fun ! But I guess it's all relative : Over there, a coin that's a mere 200 yrs. old is "new" (and probably not worth much). Over here, a 200 yr. old coin can be a good find worth $$. So I guess it's all relative

Tom_in_CA said:
Yup, it's the fun of history. But sure, we don't turn up our nose at high dollar coin finds either.

I got a question for you : A gold coin for you guys is equally as rare as a gold coin is here for USA hunters. Right ? Ie.: there are hardcore hunters , even over there, that have not crossed a gold coin off their bucket list, right ?

If so: Then what's the most gold coins that any singular hunter has found over there ? NOT counting caches. Just counting individual fumble fingers gold coins. Thanx !

Hi Tom,

I can’t really answer that…
I know one chap in our Club who has been detecting since the 1980’s and has found 3 or 4 gold sovereigns…I know a few more members who’ve a single gold coin, but for the majority of us gold coins are still on our wish list. I have had a gold possey ring from the 1500’s though so am not complaining!

Of the gold coins, even rarer are gold hammered coins, the Iron Age Celtic gold staters, and the Saxon gold Sceats, not to mention the very rare Roman and Viking gold coins…

Most of these really historic gold coins are more common ( still not actually common) in the southern and eastern parts of the UK…

By coincidence, one of the Facebook groups I usually detect with had a dig today and apparently three individual George III gold sovereigns came up, along with a few silver hammereds and milled silver coins. I am away at the minute so couldn’t be on this particular dig

Regards,

Peter

Brewser · Oct 2, 2022

One of the first things i ever found was a half sovereign.
1872 Queen Victoria.
Amazingly it was a surface find in a newly worked field.
Never been near one since sadly.
But its my pride and joy and something for the grandkids when metal detectorists are picking up signals from my fillings !!

Brewser · Oct 2, 2022

https://www.itv.com/news/westcountr...tal-detectorist-in-devon-field-sells-for-500k

Now thats a find !!

Time Had Not Been Kind….

Pete e

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