“Mommy, let’s put my buffalo nickels and those civil war bullets I found on your blog. That’d probably cause a commotion.”
“Okay, Seth. I’d love to cause a commotion.”
And from there, he started planning a blog post. His requirements: that I accompany him on a walk to the old homesite to metal detect, take pictures of the process, take pictures of some of his recent finds, and then allow him to dictate the post to me and then link to his favorite metal detecting sites.
I give you Seth:
“This photo does not belong here.”
Ginny here. “Yes, it does. Pretty scenery is important.”
“My first signal of the day. But I couldn’t find anything.”
“Another photo that doesn’t belong here.”
“I found a wheat penny on my second signal.”
“The date on the penny was 1953.”
Ginny here. Seth says this one doesn’t belong. I disagree. I thought you might want to see Silas in a handsome pink sweater. Seth says I am not allowed to link to sweaters on his post. But, it’s on my Ravelry page. It was originally Beatrix’s. (I’m not cheating Seth. There’s no link.)
“Bored girls.”
“On the left is a Civil War eagle button. The top row of bullets are three ring mini balls. On the bottom row: unknown, cleaner bullet, musket ball, fired musket ball.”
“Seth where did you find these?”
“I found most of them in the woods around our house.”
“Buckles. My favorites are the little shoe buckles.”
“The top coin is a very corroded war nickel. It’s 35% silver. During the years 1942-1945 nickel was needed for things for the war, so they made the nickels with an alloy of copper, manganese, and silver.
I found both buffalo nickels at the homesite that is pictured in this post. Buffalo nickels are rare and I wish the one with its date worn off still had its date there.”
“The wheat pennies that are clean enough to put in sleeves are in this picture.”
“Wheat pennies were made between 1909 and 1958. My oldest is in this picture and I found it the day that mommy took the pictures in this post. It’s from 1911. There are three tokens in this picture too: one play quarter, one tax token, and a sunoco car token from 1968.”
“These are the old buttons that I’ve found. Guess which ones are the military buttons?”
“There are three rings on the old lipstick tube. The bottom one is sterling silver. The princess pat is a makeup container, and the thing in the top left corner is a watch holder that would have been attached to a belt.”
“These are watch parts. The two bottom left pieces are faces.”
“Most of this silverware is silver plated.”
“The thing in the bottom left corner is a harmonica reed. There are also an old fashioned pen and two pen caps in the middle, an old razor holder, two locks, and the thing in the top left corner is unknown.”
“I got my metal detector for my birthday from my Grandad. It is a Garrett Ace 250
p.s. Dear friends, Seth is hoping to hear from you. If you have any treasure hunting stories of your own to share, we’d love to hear them!
Seth, my kids will be so excited to see pictures of all the things you have found metal detecting. Thanks for such an interesting post.
That’s a great hobby, Seth. You obviously work very hard at it. I think my 15-year-old son Noah would enjoy it.
What do you clean your objects with? I repair rosaries for people and I often get parts from people when they don’t know what to do with them. I clean them up with baking soda and vinegar, and toothpaste for silver.
We have a creek in our backyard and my children often find stuff in it, like old matchbox cars and even an occasional arrowhead, but there was not a lot of Civil War activity in Ohio so there are no bullets. I like those bullets of yours! Enjoy your craft and God bless!
Hi Seth,
I just wanted to tell you this is one of my favorite posts. I read it aloud to my husband and he walked across the room to see your great finds. It was very educational, and beautiful to see this history right before us. You really have some treasures.
I haven’t done much metal detecting, but I used to have a stamp collection. My mom started it when she was a little girl growing up as a missionary kid in Japan. Her most valuable stamps were from the Olympics when they were held there, and she mistakenly broke them apart so that they would fit better in her collection case. She didn’t know that by separating them she was destroying their value. O well. It’s not like we sell them anyway.
I liked to collect stamps from around the world and my mom would have me write missionaries, and when they would write back I would have a new stamp from another country. Most of mine were therefore, used stamps which are not as valuable but I loved them just the same. I went to New Zealand once, and bought an official stamp that is used for carrier pigeons down there. It cost $10 to send a message via pigeon, and that’s one of my treasures. My mom had a brother that continued to live in Japan and he would occasionally send me some. I remember one in particular was this famous Japanese painting spread across 4 stamps and it appeared to have been printed in gold leaf (but I’m sure it was not).
I hope we hear from you again in the future. I loved, loved, loved this post.
Wow Seth! What wonderful treasures. You must live in an area with a lot of history, to be able to find stuff like that. I wish we could know what all those old buckles were from – maybe one of them is even from the late 1700s when people used to wear big buckles on their shoes.
Thanks for the recommendation on the metal detector. I have a 7 year old boy who loves to collect treasures too – maybe I’ll get him a metal detector someday for his birthday.
Seth, I really enjoyed your post! You have your mom’s gift for telling an interesting story. How I wish I could accompany you on your jaunts, what fun! I wish you luck on your future hunts!
Hello Seth and Ginny. I loved reading this post and seeing all the fascinating things you have found! (I liked the beautiful scenery as well). My brothers and I used to find interesting old bottles of all shapes and colors in an old,old garbage heap near our home. We never had the joy of using a metal detector, but I’ve seen a man using one on a beach close to our home. Have you ever used yours on a beach? I guess the treasures probably wouldn’t be as old. . .
Thanks so much for sharing with all of us!
those are awesome finds! I never found anything like that when I was looking.
Hi Seth,
We’ve never done any type of metal detecting, but seeing this post has me very interested. My 3 boys would likely love this hobby! How old were you when you started? Do your brothers get involved, or is it mostly you?
I hope to see another post of yours in the future!
I love all your treasures, Seth! What fabulous finds. As soon as my son, Eamon, wakes up I am going to show him. I will let you know if he has any questions for you. He loves treasure hunting too.
Eamon: “Seth, that is cool. I checked out the links. I want one too.”
What a great hobby! You get to hang out outside, find treasures, and learn history at the same time. I think that kids can find things they are interested in and follow them is the best part of homeschooling. I hope you post again about your detecting someday, Seth! My boy is only two, but maybe someday I’ll introduce him to this and show him your post.
Hi Seth,
We love digging for treasure too! My husband metal detected frequently before we were married and has a few boxes of finds. You may have out-detected him already, though, as I’m sure when I forward him the post, he will be quite impressed and possibly a little envious that you have access to a great site. I am!! Keep up the good work and keep us posted about all your wonderful finds. (If you find yourself a little north of Leesburg-have your mom email us and you can metal detect on our property too.) If you’re a rockhound –we’d love to see a post on that!
Seth, I am amazed at what you are finding! You now have this 36 year old woman planning a trip to her family property to do a bit of metal detecting. Luckily I have a Mom who owns a detector. Do you know the history of your property? It looks as though it has a fascinating story behind it. I’m very impressed and intrigued. Thanks for posting.
Seth this is a great post! I am very interested in history and wish I’d had a metal detector growing up. I may have to get one for my daughter when she gets older. (Or now….my husband would love it!). My husband has a HUGE coin collection that he’s been collecting since he was a little boy & there are some very old coins in it. I can’t believe how much awesome stuff you’ve found!
Seth – you’ve really found some neat stuff. My daughter just got a metal detector for her 9th birthday and she’s really excited to go out and use it. I wonder what she’ll find?
Here’s a link to an old toy car that I think one of your mystery items came from.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/83239674/tootsietoy-ford-country-sedan-station
I think you’re right. Thank you for identifying it for me.
Seth,
What a wonderful hobby and history lesson! I have two boys who love prowling around an old farmstead their grandparents own. The like to pretend they are “pickers” and have found some fun treasures. I posted a few pics on a recent entry on my blog. I am thinking of getting them a metal detector Next and thank you for your recommendations!
Happy treasure hunting!
Carrie
Hey Seth,
Great finds & so very interesting with all the info you share. Shared the pictures with my husband & he was very impressed with your knowledge & finds!! He’s a big military/history buff as well. He made a comment about the musket ball…he was thinking that both the Union & the South used bullets & thought that maybe the musket ball could be pre-Civil War. I was wondering if you had info on that.
Thanks,
Cari
Seth, thank you so much for sharing your hobby with us. My husband loves to metal detect and often takes me with him. He uses a MineLab Explorer II for his detecting. We live on the coast of South Carolina between Charleston and Savannah, Ga. right where Sherman did his famous march to the sea so there is quite a bit of Civil War remenets here too. I love how you have displayed your finds and how knowledgeable you are about them, I feel that’s important.
If you are ever in SC I know my husband would love to have a fellow detecting buddy so our door is always open.
Happy hunting!
I think my favorite finds are the coins. I collect wheat pennies but only from change that I receive when I purchase something. I have been doing it for over thirty years so I do find some old ones. Now I will have to see which one is my oldest. I really enjoyed the button collection too. Knitters are always in need of buttons 🙂
Wow! Who knew that much was buried just below the soil?! My grandparents used to search for old bottles in the woods by our house. They would walk around with a long sharp pole (kind of like a ski pole) When they heard a “ping” they would dig up the glass bottle. They now have a whole big room in their basement that houses the bottles. As a kid I thought it was weird. Now, I love it. I love the history of them all. I wish I loved it as a kid too like you do. Good Luck on your future hunts!!!!!
I’m really amazed about what can be found in the woods! How do you date your findings? Do you consult any specific book?
I’m also impressed aobout the knowledge that comes with the dectection hobby. To date the findings one has to investigate a lot, know history.
Thank you!
Seth, what great beginnings! It’s so exciting to see your amazing treasure all in one place. I have a question for you: I don’t see a shovel in any of your pictures (though I do see some dirty hands!). Do you have to dig very far to get to the Civil War era finds? My husband is an archaeologist and is working on a site in Alabama that dates back several thousand years – but mostly beads, pottery, arrowheads, grinding stones, etc. He moves about 3,000 pounds of dirt a day some days – with just a shovel or his smaller hand tools!
I loved your post – it felt like you brought us along on with you on the expedition. (…your mom is right – the scenic photos help set the scene for us readers…) You have the makings of an excellent blogger. Learn everything you can about photography, and then when you’re ready to set up a blog of your own, have your mom give me a call!
LOVE the rings and buttons….makes me want a metal detector. Good work Seth!
Neat! How did you figure out what all the things were?
Seth, this is a great post. When I was your age, I so wished to be an archeologist – mainly because of the treasure seeking stuff. In fact, I always wanted a metal detector while growing up. It is fascinating and exciting to find buried and forgotten items. Love all the history behind all of the stuff. Don’t have any stories unless you count finding an old book from 1700’s in our attic when we moved into our house. I showed your post to my son…he says, “Wow!”. Now you’ve got us thinking about buying a metal detector (of course he might have to ‘fight’ me for it!). Thanks for the mini history lessons with the coins.
1. what books (or websites) are you using to figure out what coin you have?
2. can you clean any of your items without damaging them?
3. besides the metal detector, what equipment do you have to carry with you on a hunt?
4. have you considered making rubbings from the coins? It would be interesting to see all their designs on paper
P.S. – tell your mom her photographs are really nice and clear and pretty
3.
Seth, what a wonderful post. My family loves found treasures, and yours are amazing! Thank you for sharing your hobby with us, and for the great inspiration. Something tells me a metal detector is in our future very soon. I recently found a wheat penny that had the same date as my Dad’s birthday (1939), so I’m giving it to him as a birthday present.
You live in a very special place, with very special people, and you are certainly very special yourself!
(I have no doubt you would be good friends with my daughter – she would love to treasure hunt with you!)
Hi Seth,
I loved looking at the interesting things you found. I could imagine all sorts of adventures in history in your woods. What must have taken place there! I guess you have inherited your love of old things from your mamma. I like to keep the old medalians and little bottles I’ve found in our yard too. But its a small yard so i dont find much. When I was your age I used to dig up little bits of broken blue and white china pieces from the gold rush in Australia. I still have them.
Hugs
D
Hi Seth,
What amazing things you have found! I think that metal detecting is a super hobby, you are learning so many cool things.
I don’t have a metal detector but I did find a few treasures in the wall of our old farmhouse when we were renovating…..here is a link to my blog post about it;
http://calmlycarryingon.blogspot.com/2011/02/we-renovated.html
I hope you find many more interesting treasures!
Great finds, Seth! You and my coin-collecting, metal-detecting big brother would get along well. We used to find all kinds of strange things in our backyard, especially old medicine bottles. The house next door belonged to a doctor many many years before – he used to throw all his old supplies out the back window. Our biggest find was a .22 semi-automatic pistol buried in our back garden – that one went to the police rather than into our collection, though.
I thought the information about the coins was really interesting. I didn’t know that about war coins using different kinds of metal. Thanks for sharing–it makes me excited to learn more about American history.
I don’t have any treasure finding stories but I did want to say how impressed I am with Seth’s collection and his knowledge. Wow!
Very interesting post Seth!
I live in Australia so we don’t have that much old stuff hiding in the ground. Here people go Gold Detecting instead! It must be very exciting to find something once treasured, do you ever wonder about the people who once owned them?
Jacq
I love all of the detail you give, Seth. My dad was a fanatic of metal detecting when I was a kid and sometimes he would take us to playgrounds where we would detect around swing sets and merry-go-rounds, and we would find enough change to go buy ice cream afterward. My favorite kind of metal-detecting! Also when I was growing up, we spent several years living down near Charleston SC and close to us was an old Civil War Era house that had been used as a Confederate hospital at the time. My dad found many interesting things around that house including old coins, lots of bullets, and many similar things to what you’ve found (belt buckles, watches, etc).
Absolutely fantastic finds, Seth!! You’ve inspired me to get my 12 year old son a metal detector! Thank you so much for sharing your fantastic finds. =)
Great post Seth! I loved to see your many artifacts. You remind me a lot of my friend Dan. He also collects coins maybe you’d like to see some pictures of them? They are very old and date back to BC. He once gave me an arrow head that was very old. I’ll have to see if I can find it again and get the details about it from him.
Keep us updated on any new finds!
I don’t have any stories, but if my son saw all that you found, he might give up skateboarding and yo-yo-ing for a while to dig up treasures like this! AWESOME finds!
Hi Seth, I have never been “metal” hunting. Just while living in England we were looking for fossils in Cornwall seaside and found some very nice ones with tracies of plants and small animals. My man used to collect coins as a child but his collection was lost somewhere while moving. Anyway, I really enjoyed your post. Love to learn something new 🙂 Good luck with your huntig.
Seth, I still have a little jar full of treasures from metal detecting mornings with my dad(30+ years ago!).
You have some awesome finds. I’m looking forward to seeing more:o)
Hi Seth, your finds are so neat! I haven’t been treasure hunting before, but you’ve inspired me to take a look and see if there might be some places to look around here. You finds look great, and you know so much about them!
Those are some awesome things you have found Seth! I especially like the musket balls, they must be really really old. I wish we had lots of old places here for metal detecting, it looks like a lot of fun.
AWESOME post, Seth. You are going to make one heckuva historian! The items are so wonderfully cleaned and mounted. Good for you.
Seth, you sound very knowledgeable about old coins and such. My son and I are wondering what resources you use to help you learn about and identify your treasures. Thank you for sharing your hobby with us. We are intrigued and wondering what we might find if we tried it in our backyard!
Seth, these are some amazing finds! When I was a kid I was very interested in the Civil War and wished that I lived in an area where I might find bullets. Sadly, I live in New England (Connecticut), and there were no great battles of the Civil War this far north. You’ve amassed quite an amazing collection — good for you! Have fun searching.
Wow! What amazing finds – were they all found on your property?
Great post Seth! Love the banter between you both 🙂 I’ve never used a metal detector but where I grew up in Victoria, Australia there was a goldrush many many moons ago. There is still some gold to be found and I used to pan for gold with my brothers – great fun. Hope to read more of your adventures 🙂
Seth, cool finds! My favourite is the ‘JWM’ lock in the las t photo. I love the way you have presented the pennies. I haven’t done any metal detecting but have been on a few amateur archaeolgical digs and know the excitement you feel when you find things once lost. It is amazing to think of all the people who have handled your treasure before you found it. I also love figuring out the mysterious finds- what on earth they were?! Good luck on future searches.
Wow. Seth is a pretty cool kid. He should do more posts.
This is great, Seth! I really enjoyed your post, and I hope you’ll show us more of your treasures here soon. Did you find all those things right near your house? Very cool. Keep up the good work! 🙂
Love,
“Miss Sharon”
Those are the most amazing finds. Such a wonderful hobby for you to have and you know so much about them. Gotta love being able to follow your own interests.
I really enjoyed this post! What wonderful treasures!!! My dad metal detects- I’m going to send him a link to this post- I know he will be excited to see all the wonderful things you have found!
Hi Seth, I don’t have any treasure hunt stories, I’m afraid, but I’m fascinated by your finds! I live in the Netherlands and because of that or despite of that (I’m not sure) I find it wonderful how much old coins, buttons, silverware and so on you have. It just looks great! You have a great hobby, or must I say passion.
I’ll show this post to my 12-year old son, maybe I can get him warm for this. It must be exciting to do these kind of finds, though I understand you have to be patient and keep on looking.
I’m impressed. Keep up the good work!