William-NM
New member
Well, I finally got my lazy arse in gear to post some of my early October finds from the Chinese Gardens Ruins and area.
Quite a nice variety - not many coins, but some nice bits of history like this
1935 Tax Token: "Emergency School Tax on Purchase of Twenty Five Cents" from the "New Mexico Bureau of Revenue"
and this (WWI?) sterling sweetheart pin (pinback missing) - it reads "My Sammy - U.S.A." Was Sammy her sweetheart's name or did it refer to Uncle Sam's soldiers? His uniform looks WWI to me, corrections welcome!
While digging bottles, etc, I love finding old marbles - 33 for this update:
A few interesting items - I found two of the sword hangers (term?) - the back of the conquistador-looking soldier is a belt loop. Any info welcome! Also found a couple of Eagle butons - the larger one is marked "M.N. - N.Y.". I can't make out a mark on the smaller one. There are a couple of hand-engraved plates in this photo - the smaller one looks like it has '22' on it in two places, perhaps 1922, and a ladies booted leg.I'm not sure what the little vial at the top is-- Snuff?? The Great Seal fob is fairly toasted, I fished it out of the creek and it's badly pockmarked. There's alxo a plate off an "Aircraft Machine Gun Bore Sighting Kit" dated 1942
More favorites: "Jane's" Copper bracelet, sterling ring (broken down middle front- could be repaired), a pretty cool badge from 1930 from the "Fifth Annual Congress of the National Student Federation of America at Stanford University". Also, a nicer brass buckle and Art Deco collar pin, a Copper Bear charm or pendant, and a coin bracelet of fairly recent vintage - coins from 1964 - 1981.
I found this 1/2 pound copper heart- not sure what it was - the inside is more 'regular' - might have been a mold or ?? Also, another novelty ashtray - brass in the shape of a briefcase and a few other decorative plates off chests or furniture. There is no smiling white Elephant in the photo - time for rehab????
Lots of bottles, including a nice 6.5 oz. 7-Up. There is no little Duckie in the photo, you are quacking up!!
A few more bottles, including a crock of high-octane moonshine, so my posts may be more 'colorful' for a short while.
I always find axe heads and leave most of the iron except for interesting shapes and hardware that I might put to use at some point.
My first find of one hunt was the tin "Success" sign - I wasn't going to jinx the hunt by passing that by!! I often find useful objects - I'll put a handle on the pick and leave it in the van, wire cutters required a couple of days soak in penetrating oil, working great now, and that is one powerful magnet. The bike air pump is an upgrade from the crummy one on my mountain bike, excellent! The large round iron ring was either from a giant's pocket watch or a 12" dia. pipe hanger, I fished it out of the creek. The "at rest" iron sign was found in a bottle dig, I hesitated to post it, but it's an interesting find and a happy message. Yes, I found the Pyrex bowl, too - will come in handy for something.
I found some copper on lead advertising plates, two parts are for Florsheim shoes (including the scientific chart of weight distribution on the foot!). I can't tell what the small lino one is - will have to ink it up some winter's day.
Clocks & Locks (I love thel old skeleton keys and keyholes!)
Always plenty of 'stuff'
Hard to make out in photo, but this was the barbed wire fence around one of the stone ruins, iron 'junk' was woven into it along the way. Very New Mexico (p.s., watch the movie "Off the Map" if you get the chance).
Here's my 'Geraldo Moment' of the hunt - area view first, then the exciting discovery!
Dang!! Would have been a great hiding spot! Maybe somebody cleaned it out years ago.
But at least I found some toys, including a 1940s TootsieToys Freighter, incomplete pistol and a ray gun (watch out, bad hombres, I'll be 'packin' from here on out!), part of an old iron mailbox bank, and a pewter grandfather clock.
And, as a treat for wading through this lengthy tome, here is my homeless coin spill and what I believe is a .89 oz. gold nugget.
I did the acid test, it passed the 10K, but not above - there is also some Copper in the specimen, and there is usually Silver mixed in, so that may explain the 10K.
It passed the malleability test (not brittle like Pyrite), and the scratch test (gold scratch on unglazed white porcelain - Pyrite scratches black). I'm trying to connect with someone who has more expertise in the area- the one jeweler I met was useless.
So, that's it for today, now I just have to photograph my last two hunts, heh.
Luck in the hunt to all!!!
Quite a nice variety - not many coins, but some nice bits of history like this
1935 Tax Token: "Emergency School Tax on Purchase of Twenty Five Cents" from the "New Mexico Bureau of Revenue"
and this (WWI?) sterling sweetheart pin (pinback missing) - it reads "My Sammy - U.S.A." Was Sammy her sweetheart's name or did it refer to Uncle Sam's soldiers? His uniform looks WWI to me, corrections welcome!
While digging bottles, etc, I love finding old marbles - 33 for this update:
A few interesting items - I found two of the sword hangers (term?) - the back of the conquistador-looking soldier is a belt loop. Any info welcome! Also found a couple of Eagle butons - the larger one is marked "M.N. - N.Y.". I can't make out a mark on the smaller one. There are a couple of hand-engraved plates in this photo - the smaller one looks like it has '22' on it in two places, perhaps 1922, and a ladies booted leg.I'm not sure what the little vial at the top is-- Snuff?? The Great Seal fob is fairly toasted, I fished it out of the creek and it's badly pockmarked. There's alxo a plate off an "Aircraft Machine Gun Bore Sighting Kit" dated 1942
More favorites: "Jane's" Copper bracelet, sterling ring (broken down middle front- could be repaired), a pretty cool badge from 1930 from the "Fifth Annual Congress of the National Student Federation of America at Stanford University". Also, a nicer brass buckle and Art Deco collar pin, a Copper Bear charm or pendant, and a coin bracelet of fairly recent vintage - coins from 1964 - 1981.
I found this 1/2 pound copper heart- not sure what it was - the inside is more 'regular' - might have been a mold or ?? Also, another novelty ashtray - brass in the shape of a briefcase and a few other decorative plates off chests or furniture. There is no smiling white Elephant in the photo - time for rehab????
Lots of bottles, including a nice 6.5 oz. 7-Up. There is no little Duckie in the photo, you are quacking up!!
A few more bottles, including a crock of high-octane moonshine, so my posts may be more 'colorful' for a short while.
I always find axe heads and leave most of the iron except for interesting shapes and hardware that I might put to use at some point.
My first find of one hunt was the tin "Success" sign - I wasn't going to jinx the hunt by passing that by!! I often find useful objects - I'll put a handle on the pick and leave it in the van, wire cutters required a couple of days soak in penetrating oil, working great now, and that is one powerful magnet. The bike air pump is an upgrade from the crummy one on my mountain bike, excellent! The large round iron ring was either from a giant's pocket watch or a 12" dia. pipe hanger, I fished it out of the creek. The "at rest" iron sign was found in a bottle dig, I hesitated to post it, but it's an interesting find and a happy message. Yes, I found the Pyrex bowl, too - will come in handy for something.
I found some copper on lead advertising plates, two parts are for Florsheim shoes (including the scientific chart of weight distribution on the foot!). I can't tell what the small lino one is - will have to ink it up some winter's day.
Clocks & Locks (I love thel old skeleton keys and keyholes!)
Always plenty of 'stuff'
Hard to make out in photo, but this was the barbed wire fence around one of the stone ruins, iron 'junk' was woven into it along the way. Very New Mexico (p.s., watch the movie "Off the Map" if you get the chance).
Here's my 'Geraldo Moment' of the hunt - area view first, then the exciting discovery!
But at least I found some toys, including a 1940s TootsieToys Freighter, incomplete pistol and a ray gun (watch out, bad hombres, I'll be 'packin' from here on out!), part of an old iron mailbox bank, and a pewter grandfather clock.
And, as a treat for wading through this lengthy tome, here is my homeless coin spill and what I believe is a .89 oz. gold nugget.
I did the acid test, it passed the 10K, but not above - there is also some Copper in the specimen, and there is usually Silver mixed in, so that may explain the 10K.
It passed the malleability test (not brittle like Pyrite), and the scratch test (gold scratch on unglazed white porcelain - Pyrite scratches black). I'm trying to connect with someone who has more expertise in the area- the one jeweler I met was useless.
So, that's it for today, now I just have to photograph my last two hunts, heh.
Luck in the hunt to all!!!
How did you haul all that loot out of there? I think you are going through a time portal or something! Man William, I sure hope thats a gold specimen! Very awesome post and pics! 
