DoctorWhy
Full Member
...literally...
Much of the time the excitement of metal detecting comes from discovering some long-buried 'treasure': a Colonial copper, a shoe buckle, big silver, gold ring, etc.
For me there's nearly as much excitement when I can solve the mystery of the identity of, or or story behind a dug relic. Saturday was one of those times of discovery. I had a couple free hours and decided to explore the wooded area within walking distance of my home. According to old maps, including 1770's and 1880's plots, the area had always either been road-less forest or pasture. The ground was very quiet -- not even any iron signals. After an hour or so I heard my first signal -- iron, but decided to dig anyway... About 6" down I found this small, (smaller than a dime) nearly circular bit of plated but corroding iron. Just about to toss it into my junk bag, I saw what appeared to be writing. Put it into a plastic sample bag and brought it home. Curious about what it might be, I tooth-brushed it and saw the word "BEVIN" surrounded by some floral "fancy'... The other side had some additional letters and numbers. I could make out something that looked like "APR.27.97"
Immediately took those clues to 'Google' and discovered the Bevin Bell company. A bit more searching and I found images of what I had found. My 'treasure' was the thumb piece from a 1897 bicycle bell! Success at identification!!! But now the question persists: what was this fragment of a bicycle bell doing in the road-less woods? Attached are photos of the found fragment, an example of the intact bell, and the patent drawings that were assigned by its inventor to the Bevins Company!
OK, maybe this wasn't an amazing trophy find, but it gave me a few happy hours in the woods and a fun evening project, "hunting" on the computer.
Happy Holidays and Happy Hunting to all!
--Bert
Much of the time the excitement of metal detecting comes from discovering some long-buried 'treasure': a Colonial copper, a shoe buckle, big silver, gold ring, etc.
For me there's nearly as much excitement when I can solve the mystery of the identity of, or or story behind a dug relic. Saturday was one of those times of discovery. I had a couple free hours and decided to explore the wooded area within walking distance of my home. According to old maps, including 1770's and 1880's plots, the area had always either been road-less forest or pasture. The ground was very quiet -- not even any iron signals. After an hour or so I heard my first signal -- iron, but decided to dig anyway... About 6" down I found this small, (smaller than a dime) nearly circular bit of plated but corroding iron. Just about to toss it into my junk bag, I saw what appeared to be writing. Put it into a plastic sample bag and brought it home. Curious about what it might be, I tooth-brushed it and saw the word "BEVIN" surrounded by some floral "fancy'... The other side had some additional letters and numbers. I could make out something that looked like "APR.27.97"
Immediately took those clues to 'Google' and discovered the Bevin Bell company. A bit more searching and I found images of what I had found. My 'treasure' was the thumb piece from a 1897 bicycle bell! Success at identification!!! But now the question persists: what was this fragment of a bicycle bell doing in the road-less woods? Attached are photos of the found fragment, an example of the intact bell, and the patent drawings that were assigned by its inventor to the Bevins Company!
OK, maybe this wasn't an amazing trophy find, but it gave me a few happy hours in the woods and a fun evening project, "hunting" on the computer.
Happy Holidays and Happy Hunting to all!
--Bert