do you document your finds?

[GRAY GHOST]

hello everyone. do you document your finds? how important do you think it is? do you think what you document now will be relevant later on? i went for many years without documenting a thing. as i get older, i've noticed my memory isn't as good as it used to be. i'm paying dearly for it now. i finally started to write everything down and trying to preserve the pieces in my collection during the winter months. it's the old game called catch - up. i understand treasurefiend has a good spreadsheet for finds, but i'm not ready for that yet. as a relichunter too, i know that we can be a secretive lot! your thoughts on this matter, please. hh,

 

[Dman]

I am like you, I use to never document my finds and after 38 years of hunting I have forgotten where I have found a lot of my stuff. It's embarrassing when someone asks where you found something and you can't remember. For the last 5 years I have been documenting my finds and it has really helped me.
Dman

 

[d-2]

We were extremly limited( I thought) here in Arkanasas on places to hunt and due to differences in ground composistion there was no doubt where your bullets came from due to the patina on it. Since my discovery of the "OR'S" and Kim's ability to read 'em now I cant tell what came from where. So about 2 years ago I started bagging my stuff. I take "samich" size ziplock bags and with a magic marker I put the contents, the date and the place found. Here is an example
050308
Mr. Allen's field in front of his house
Cleveland county
6-3 ringers
2-rivets
1-"J" hook
Also we are finding more stuff than I can remember. I dont keep records for anyone but me. In 40 years when I am 90 and cant go anymore I can look at the stuff and remember how much fun it was. Or if the boys get it when I am dead and gone they will know where it came from. I also have a ledger I write in when we come in from hunting. And I have maps and names etc. drawn it. The only thing I dont do that I would like to is get us a decent GPS so we can mark our finds and transfer 'em to a topo map on the computer so we can see and "aerial" view of out sights and it may help on directions you need to search...d2

 

[markg]

Years ago I dug a round ball. I didn't know what it was so I layed it up on my back porch. Years went by and one day I decided to figure out what it was, and guess what, it was a grape shot from the civil war era. Well to make it short I couldn't remember where I had found it. That's when I decided to document where I hunted that day, the date, what I found and the about of time I hunted. It has been a great help in finding areas that should be re-hunted.
Now If I knew where the shot had been found I would be spending time hunting in that area for sure.

 

[VOL1266X]

Well GG, I started putting relics in a wooden display box with a metal engraved label as to location early on so I could group by site. When Dman and I began hunting together, we started documenting by site and number of relics also. We set a goal this year and wanted to find 100 CW relics each from Jan. 1 to April 30th and we made it. We do not count melted lead or non-period coins. I wish that I had documented more in detail earlier. When I started hunting, I had no idea that I this hobby would be so enjoyable. Regards and HH.

 

[Nemo]

Please be very careful about putting relics in wooden cases. Here is a study by the US Navy Curator of Navy Ship Models on the effects of wood on lead parts of ship models.

Navy Ship Models and Lead

Here is a picture from a friend of mine Showing bullets in a museum coming in direct contact with wood.





Nemo

 

[Bugar In. USA]

I do just the good ones, in my display cabinet, the junky stuff, i just display, good stuff YES

 

[RelicDigger1]

Yes! Document every single trip, successful or not. When I began relic hunting in 1976, I read every scrap of paper I could get my hands on. One magazine or pamphlet said the successful relic hunter documents every trip with the date, location, finds, and a map, if possible. Wanting to change my status as a non-successful to successful relic hunter, I began keeping a record.

I'll even throw in weather conditions, everyone who went, the funny or strange ("Joe chased by cows. Never knew him to be track star prior to 5-4-08," "rained off and on," etc). Or, if I'm searching for a new site, I'll draw a little map as to where I've searched in order that I might continue the search in a new area should I not be successful initially.

All of this I keep on 4x6 cards in a plastic recipe holder. My total expenditure -- about $4, and $1.50-$2 every two years (more 4x6 cards).

Just to mention it briefly since I have ads elsewhere on FM, but these cards were the basis for my relic book. Now, you guys mentioning forgetting your dig trips? What better way to recall your trips than in a book?

I only mention the book in order to encourage you to jot down your finds, the date, and anything memorable that may have occurred. When we're old and hunting from four-wheel drive wheelchairs, I truly believe we'll be glad we documented our trips.

Good Hunting

Richard

P.S. Yes, I'm beginning to GPS my finds also in order that someone may be able to go into the sporting goods section (what am I saying? Outdoors folk are becoming extinct) I mean, the computer section at the local department store in the year 2025 and say, "Right here where this fancy schmancy computer display is floating in air I dug a 1802 Large Cent!"

 

[GRAY GHOST]

n/t

 

[relics4plus]

I keep a diary or journal what ever you like to call it of When/Where/Weather Condition and list everything I found at that site along with a small map of the spot.I document and tag everything.I feel it is very important to preserve our history, not only the preservation of the relics but where they came from.I also found that keeping track of the weather helps determine the best times to hunt those "hunted out" spots.The soil condition plays a big role in how deep my machine goes.I have hunted these spots in the middle of summer and found nothing, hunted them in the fall when the soil is moist and cool and dug stuff 12" deep.