This is the combination of two hunts at a river ford a friend and I have been hitting lately thanks to the drought. It's got a colonial era road leading into it but was used at least through the early 1900s. He kicked my butt at this site before I even got down there with a seated dime and half dime, 37 69-caliber 3-ringers, a 1794 large cent, an 1830 large cent and a few indians.
I went down about 6:30am last Sunday and pulled out a ball....it's the right diameter for a 3# cannonball, but is just a tad heavy. After electrolysis and knocking off the rust it's about an ounce too heavy right now, but it's been submerged in water for who knows how long so I'm letting it dry out a bit (and the weight keeps coming down slowly but surely). I was told that can take a few months to get all the water out. I don't know that I can definitively say it's a Revolutionary War ball (they didn't use 3# in the Civil War) but the age of the ford certainly puts it in the "possible" column. I also pulled an 1837 large cent (I believe it's the small letter variety).
A couple of days later I went back with my friend and pulled five 3-ringers that were lying in the ford on bare bedrock including one that was wedged in a crack of the rock and it took me about 5 minutes to pull it out. I also got this big chain. Not sure of the age, but it looks cool so I'll probably try to clean it up and preserve it. About four hours later we were about ready to call it a night and on the way back to the kayaks, about 10 feet behind mine, I got a good solid 12-47 signal and pulled out an 1831 large cent in an area that we somehow missed.
Both large cents I pulled had concreted sand and pebbles on it but appeared to be in decent shape. About 10 minutes in an electrolysis setup and the crud came off. I don't like how it gets rid of the patina, but both coins look better without riverbed stuck to them.
Planning on going back as soon as my coil comes back from Minelab (by the way, REAL fast turnaround time for replacing a defective coil by them. I'm very happy with their customer service.)
I went down about 6:30am last Sunday and pulled out a ball....it's the right diameter for a 3# cannonball, but is just a tad heavy. After electrolysis and knocking off the rust it's about an ounce too heavy right now, but it's been submerged in water for who knows how long so I'm letting it dry out a bit (and the weight keeps coming down slowly but surely). I was told that can take a few months to get all the water out. I don't know that I can definitively say it's a Revolutionary War ball (they didn't use 3# in the Civil War) but the age of the ford certainly puts it in the "possible" column. I also pulled an 1837 large cent (I believe it's the small letter variety).
A couple of days later I went back with my friend and pulled five 3-ringers that were lying in the ford on bare bedrock including one that was wedged in a crack of the rock and it took me about 5 minutes to pull it out. I also got this big chain. Not sure of the age, but it looks cool so I'll probably try to clean it up and preserve it. About four hours later we were about ready to call it a night and on the way back to the kayaks, about 10 feet behind mine, I got a good solid 12-47 signal and pulled out an 1831 large cent in an area that we somehow missed.
Both large cents I pulled had concreted sand and pebbles on it but appeared to be in decent shape. About 10 minutes in an electrolysis setup and the crud came off. I don't like how it gets rid of the patina, but both coins look better without riverbed stuck to them.
Planning on going back as soon as my coil comes back from Minelab (by the way, REAL fast turnaround time for replacing a defective coil by them. I'm very happy with their customer service.)
