Latest permission

[Ism]

On a hunch, I asked permission for a field that had two rises in the earth. None of the historical maps show that a homestead existed in this field, but I've found a lot of relics that indicate habitation of some sort. Maybe an undocumented picnic grove?
The following pictures show the better finds. All coin's date 1920 or earlier. Note the pennies look like dryer coins.

I have a theory for their condition but welcome ideas as to how they got so bad. One of the neighbors saw me detecting and walked over to talk to me. He said that it was a sod farm in the 1970's.
A few days later I talked to a friend of mine who worked on a sod farm and he described the harvesting equipment, I realized that the coins could have gotten caught up in the equipment, banged around and expelled after some time.

I've barely scratched the surface of this field. I've spent less than 6hrs hunting it so far. There is so much non-ferrous trash (not to mention the iron) that I'm only digging anything 80 and above right now.
It appears that whoever occupied this property were people of means. On the right of the pennies are trade tokens, on the left of the pennies is all silver. The oval bowl next to the silver belt buckle is a child's silver spoon that is missing the handle.
The last pic identifies the ornate silver object as the bottom half of a matchstick holder.

 

[JimmyCT]

Wow! You made some great finds!! I agree with harvesting equipment causing the damage to the coins. Who the heck knows what else may be waiting for you!!

 

[still looking 52]

Sounds like your going to be hunting that area for the rest of the year.
Good idea about cherry picking the area first, keep us posted on your finds.

 

[Geologyhound]

Hope you can find the top of the match holder!

 

[Sataro]

Congrats! Nice finds there. Sounds like you got a lot of hunting left to do in that area.

 

[Ism]

Most recent "notable" finds from the permission. The individual button is a Michigan state seal. "Morgan Puhl Morris Detroit Mich." Any help in identifying what uniform this may have been used on would be appreciated. Google wasn't much help.

Also found at the site is a round badge Upper left of the last pic. Wm. Benton 145 (on the back is part of a pin to attach it to clothing). Could be police or fire? The other badge shaped item says "Detroit, Mich. Heart of the city". There seems to be a fondness of Detroit, Mich. so the artifacts may have been owned by someone who worked in Detroit.

All dimes are Mercs (2 of them under the 145 badge). Most pennies are wheats. A few are Indians so corroded they are unidentifiable except by TID. Many trade tokens. As you see, most pennies and trade tokens are damaged beyond repair. Most of the tokens seem to be made of aluminum.

I found the guts of 2 pocket watches. One pictured, the other is soaking has a serial number. Both of which give me hope they were in a gold case. I have therefore stopped cherry picking in hopes of unearthing the cases. The American flag dome is from an alarm clock.

The spoon is sterling and heavy, 21 grams. I think the saltshaker lid is also sterling, but it has no markings. Whatever the metal, it is solid, not plated. Has the telltale oxidation of silver hence my conclusion that it is most likely sterling.

I still have hopes for the other half of the match case, but I am suspect that it, along with many good targets, were picked up when the sod was harvested and transplanted into someone's yard.

I'm still at a loss what exactly was at this site.

Oh and a little side story.... While I was searching, a gentleman pulled up and asked me if I like detecting.... Seriously?
But I didn't get smart and said of course. HE said, you're welcome to search my field anytime you want outside of growing season. His field is adjacent to the property I'm currently searching and happens to be one that had a homestead shown on the historical maps. He said the cobblestone foundation is still there.
What a nice gesture. I thanked him and got back to hunting.

 

[laplander]

What a field, the tokens are great!

 

[BigTony]

On a hunch, I asked permission for a field that had two rises in the earth. None of the historical maps show that a homestead existed in this field, but I've found a lot of relics that indicate habitation of some sort. Maybe an undocumented picnic grove?
The following pictures show the better finds. All coin's date 1920 or earlier. Note the pennies look like dryer coins.

I have a theory for their condition but welcome ideas as to how they got so bad. One of the neighbors saw me detecting and walked over to talk to me. He said that it was a sod farm in the 1970's.
A few days later I talked to a friend of mine who worked on a sod farm and he described the harvesting equipment, I realized that the coins could have gotten caught up in the equipment, banged around and expelled after some time.

I've barely scratched the surface of this field. I've spent less than 6hrs hunting it so far. There is so much non-ferrous trash (not to mention the iron) that I'm only digging anything 80 and above right now.
It appears that whoever occupied this property were people of means. On the right of the pennies are trade tokens, on the left of the pennies is all silver. The oval bowl next to the silver belt buckle is a child's silver spoon that is missing the handle.
The last pic identifies the ornate silver object as the bottom half of a matchstick holder.

Very cool finds, keep going!

 

[NamVetLes]

I really like that Sterling Silver Match Box!! That's real ORNATE and COOL!!

 

[Ism]

What a field, the tokens are great!

Yes, sadly many are in bad shape. I do love finding tokens.

 

[Ism]

I really like that Sterling Silver Match Box!! That's real ORNATE and COOL!!

Me too! I knew I had something when I retrieved it. I'm still looking for the top half, but I'm worried it got gathered up when the sod was harvested.

 

[Ism]

Got 3 hrs in the field yesterday. I think about 6 more tokens but severely damaged. severely corroded pennies most of which are not shown because I decided to soak them in lemon juice to see if I could reveal any details.
It didn't help. They are just too far gone. The 1922 dog tag is in great shape which makes me happy. I like the old dog tags. The second pic shows the eagle and ball buttons I found the day before. The quarter is to gauge the size of the eagle button.
I've come to the conclusion that the pocket watch guts are not from a gold watch. After soaking one, the silver plate showed itself. If anything it may be a silver watch but I suspect both are from a cheaper silver-plated watch. However, I remain hopeful.
The last 3 pics is an item I have no clue about. The engraved side looks to be sterling but there are no marks. The back framework is uncorroded but hard metal like stainless steel. The entire piece is nonmagnetic.
I will put it in the whatzit forum, but if anybody sees this and can ID it, please post the answer.

 

[407floyd]

Great site! My theory is that the undamaged relics are where the house stood. The damaged relics came from the fields around the house. The house may have stood in the middle of the field for decades before they finally tore it down and it became part of the field. You might want to flag the undamaged area. Speaking of flag, you have an old bicycle bell with a flag on it.

 

[Ism]

Great site! My theory is that the undamaged relics are where the house stood. The damaged relics came from the fields around the house. The house may have stood in the middle of the field for decades before they finally tore it down and it became part of the field. You might want to flag the undamaged area. Speaking of flag, you have an old bicycle bell with a flag on it.

Ah, thanks. I thought it was one of 2 bells from an old alarm clock. The bicycle bell makes more sense. It's a heavy cast pot metal type material.

 

[laplander]

Yes, sadly many are in bad shape. I do love finding tokens.

Interesting enough condition doesn't affect tokens like coins, some are quite valuable to collectors.