So without getting into too many specifics about the location, I'm working a known long-term Union encampment right now that has been worked over pretty hard in the past year or so. It's been hit so hard that the only reason I got permission is because the guys who had been detecting it (one of which is the property owner) have abandoned it because they "got everything". It's fairly remote, steep, and rocky, but I'm finding that the guys who have hunted it only focused on the easy areas apparently. In the past year they've pulled out 20+ Civil War era coins, lots of bullets, and some other odds and ends but nothing more significant than some buttons in terms of relics. Being a coin guy, I was mostly interested in finding some stuff that they missed, but I got a big surprise the other night. I'm working with plat maps and property deeds to overlay onto Google Earth the various property lines so I know where I'm able to be, and it's opened up a new world of research tools for me. I hit the areas that were hard to reach just outside of the main swath that has been hit hard - in between rocks, under logs, up against obstacles, etc.
I got an ear-blasting 12-45 hit between some rocks and pulled out a Union sword belt plate in just about perfect condition (missing the German silver wreaths) about two inches deep. It was face-down, which I think accounts for the difference in patina and "crud" between the obverse and the reverse:
I hit it with a dry toothbrush when I got home but didn't put any water on it or anything particularly abrasive. The next morning I picked it up and all the crud had fallen off the back as it dried (from being in the ground) and most of what was on the front came off without a fight when I brushed over it with the toothbrush again.
This morning I went out in the 90+ degree heat and 90%+ humidity for about two hours figuring that I might be able to find the missing wreaths from this or maybe the keeper that would go with it (but not really expecting to). I dug a lot of shotgun shells, but no 3-ringers (I got four fired ones the other night). I worked down along a cliff face that I thought had potential (a few small caves were there and thought maybe they would have been slept in/around during the encampment period). I got a good, solid 12-45/46 hit and scored this nice 1899 Barber quarter about 7" down into decaying oak leaves, which gave it some nice dark toning.
I know there's more there, and I'm determined to score some seated out of this place. The best part is it's shaded and woodsy, meaning I can hit it in this heat without fear of killing somebody's lawn. I will be returning!
I got an ear-blasting 12-45 hit between some rocks and pulled out a Union sword belt plate in just about perfect condition (missing the German silver wreaths) about two inches deep. It was face-down, which I think accounts for the difference in patina and "crud" between the obverse and the reverse:
I hit it with a dry toothbrush when I got home but didn't put any water on it or anything particularly abrasive. The next morning I picked it up and all the crud had fallen off the back as it dried (from being in the ground) and most of what was on the front came off without a fight when I brushed over it with the toothbrush again.
This morning I went out in the 90+ degree heat and 90%+ humidity for about two hours figuring that I might be able to find the missing wreaths from this or maybe the keeper that would go with it (but not really expecting to). I dug a lot of shotgun shells, but no 3-ringers (I got four fired ones the other night). I worked down along a cliff face that I thought had potential (a few small caves were there and thought maybe they would have been slept in/around during the encampment period). I got a good, solid 12-45/46 hit and scored this nice 1899 Barber quarter about 7" down into decaying oak leaves, which gave it some nice dark toning.
I know there's more there, and I'm determined to score some seated out of this place. The best part is it's shaded and woodsy, meaning I can hit it in this heat without fear of killing somebody's lawn. I will be returning!
