Three years ago, wanting to cause a commotion, as he called it, Seth and I teamed up to write a post about metal detecting here. That post remains one of my favorites. Seth at age fourteen is still an avid treasure hunter, and spends countless hours out with his metal detector. He has learned an incredible amount of history over the years, and often carries his finds to the Civil War museum down the road from us to chat with local historians. Honestly, I don’t know what this kid would do with himself if it weren’t for his metal detecting hobby. His first detector was a Garrett Ace 250, and he was able to upgrade to his beloved At Pro about a year ago. When friends ask what metal detector we recommend, we always suggest the Ace 250 for kids roughly ten and up (it’s an adult-sized machine, so they have to be tall and strong enough to handle it.) Seth has been bugging me to take pictures of all his favorite finds using his AT Pro, and this weekend we did just that. I added all the photos to this post, and then he added his own text. I guess my next big project is going to be helping Seth start his own blog, because clearly he needs one. The rest of this post was written by Seth, so if your kids or grandkids are interested, please share with them! There is lots to learn here.
In the past year I have found 87 wheat cents, I guess my AT Pro likes them. Wheat cents were minted between 1909 and 1958. The dates on mine range from 1912 to 1958.
I don’t have every date between those years though. The first coin I found with my AT Pro was a 1919 wheat cent. I think it’s pretty cool that the first coin I found with it was 95 years old!
Here is a close up of some of the wheat cents.
Since I am organizing the coin section of this post by denomination,my Indian head cents and two cent piece come next. I’m sorry it is so hard to see any detail on the Indian head cents, but they have been sitting in the ground for over 100 years and that is a long time to sit and corrode. The 1864 two cent piece in the center of this picture is probably my favorite find of the year. It’s pretty cool (in my opinion).
Here are the reverses of the coins in the picture above.
Here is a close up picture of my favorite find of the year, my 1864 two cent piece.
This picture shows all the v nickels I found. It took me two and a half years to find one. V nickels are named after the roman numeral “v” on their backs, representing five cents. When these coins came out in 1883, the word “cents” wasn’t present on the back, and some people gold plated these coins and passed them off as the new five dollar gold piece. This led to the word “cents” being added to the back in mid 1883.
I found six buffalo nickels this past year, most of them being older dates (the one turned over is a 1921). Most of the coins (peace dollars, walking liberty half dollars, standing liberty quarters, and mercury dimes) minted during the time period that these were made in had very detailed pretty pictures on them and the buffalo nickel is no exception. The buffalo nickel, along with the standing liberty quarter,were designed with the date higher than any other point on the coin. This was fine except for the fact that the date would wear off, leaving a dateless coin.
Allright, it’s about time for some silver! These coins are the best silver coins I have found since getting my AT Pro. In the top row are the Barber quarter and Barber dime I found ( both worth about 40$, not that I would ever sell them or any other find I have) along with the 1771 cut Spanish Pistareen. I got lucky with the Pistareen. The last two digits of the date were on the piece I found meaning it was minted in 1771, my oldest coin by 90 years. Coins like it were cut to make change, I guess they didn’t carry many smaller coins. Spanish coins ( and other foreign coins ) were actually legal tender in the U.S.A until 1857. In the center is my favorite silver coin for the year, the 1944 walking liberty half. I think it is a very pretty coin design, too bad they don’t make them any more. In case any one is wondering why there are three modern looking quarters in this picture, I’ll tell you why. All U.S. quarters, dimes, half dollars, and dollar coins made before 1964 were made of 90% silver.
I’m sure everyone knows what the back of a Washington quarter looks like, so this picture only shows the older coins.
Here are all those wheat pennies again,after I had pushed them out of the way to take pictures of other things.
These are all the mercury dimes I found. This was the design of dime used before the current Roosevelt dime was introduced. I like it much more than the current design.
The 1958 silver dime in the picture above was the first silver coin I found with my AT Pro. I thought that I had found all the coins on our property, but found the 1960 silver dime under the bushes next to our house.
Finally! I’m finished with coins. My mom told me after she had taken all the coin pictures I wanted that there were only 300 pictures of coins on her camera (sarcastically of course). I’m sure some of you are pretty bored with them by now, so lets move on to something else.
This is all the better non-ring jewelry I found. No gold yet, this is all silver except for the earring in the upper left corner which I think is palladium. Oh,wait, I forgot the clasp on the (silver) tin man is marked 14k so I guess I have found some gold after all.
Here are all the better rings I found, seven are silver and the other is copper and is marked world’s fair.
These are two silver thimbles I found, the one on the right was actually laying on top of the ground and I think it is the older of the two.
Now for some Civil War relics. The large buckle in the center is a carbine sling buckle,probably my most valuable find to date. In the lower left corner there is a piece of flattened lead, actually a Civil War bullet a soldier chewed completely flat. The piece of brass below the buckle is a piece off an epaulet or shoulder scale. These relics were all found within walking distance of my house.
The relics shown in this picture are a mixture of Civil War and earlier items. They were found at my secret spot were I also found many other things including the piece of Spanish silver, and the walking liberty half dollar. The cone shaped piece of brass in the upper left center is a bayonet scabbard tip. The broken, upside down button in the center of the picture is probably pre-1800.
Here is a close up of the civil war buttons in the previous picture, the upper one is a New York state seal button, and the others are general service eagle buttons.
Here are a few more relics from near my house, as you can see, the Civil War breastplate fragment in the center of my case was featured in the Garrett searcher newsletter!
Here is a better picture of the relics shown above. On the right are the fronts of two New York state seal buttons, and on the right i a coat-size general service eagle button, and a cuff size general service eagle button. In the center, beneath the breastplate fragment, is the back to a Civil War button. Too bad it doesn’t fit either New York button.
The Civil War relics shown in the previous picture were found on a hilltop near an old home site that I think is more recent than the Civil War. These relics were found with those Civil War relics and related to the old home site and not the Civil War.
These relics were found at one of the old home sites near my house. The best item in this picture the Colt pocket revolver in the center of this picture. These were made during the 1870’s and 80’s. Also worth mentioning is the old harmonica just above the pistol. It has the word “LOVER” in the center and the words “nothing to equal it” and “the very best made.”
These relics were found in my backyard and at home sites in the woods around my house. My favorite find in this case is the post office department button in the top center of this picture. These are probably my favorite buttons to find. I have only found three since I started metal detecting and they were all found at the same site. Pretty easy to guess the job of whoever lived at that home site. A few other notable items in this case are the skeleton key,and the 1941 Virginia dog license.
That sums up my best finds with my AT Pro.
(Seth will answer your questions this evening!)
p.s. Does anyone know what this relic is? I haven’t been able to identify it.
Seth, this was fascinating! Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge and collection with us!
Love this post! thanks Seth – super interesting
This was a super interesting post! Thank-you for sharing your collection with us Seth. I think we all learned something new. I know I did.
Thank you for the post Seth! It was cool to see all of the really old civil war era (& older!) things you have found. My husband has a detector, and really enjoys using it, but out here on the west coast you’re more likely to find a little chunk of gold- and A LOT of nails from Gold Rush days- than you are to find really old relics like what you have found. It’s amazing to think about all of the stories that these buttons/coins/etc could tell if they could talk!
Thank you for sharing. It was interesting and informative. 🙂
Seth this is amazing! And so very interesting. Especially the rings.
What an interesting post. I learned so much and I agree, Seth needs his own blog. I have an 11-year-old who could really get into this. Can we make blog post requests?? How about “Metal Detecting for Beginners”?
Wow wow wow!!! You really have a gift, Seth! This is amazing. Thank you!
So, so interesting, and very well expressed. I don’t believe I knew there’d ever been two-cent pieces!
Wonderful Seth and a hobby you will have for a life time. My Mike has the same passion you do, he is out of town, but when he returns I will show him your photos to see if he can help you identify your last photos.
Hey Seth,
That silver ring with the eagle and the turquoise looks pretty special. Can we see a picture of the back? It might be old pawn. I’m pretty sure its hand made. It may be quite valuable.
Cheers!
There are no markings on the back of it. It is also broken so probably not worth very much. I think it would be cool if it was handmade though.
Do you want to post a picture just to be sure? The marking used by native american artists are sometimes nearly indecipherable or unrecognizable as an intentional mark. Or the mark could have been in the broken part of the band? Also, unmarked is even more valuable. The ring might be easily fixable. It might be worth showing to someone with experience in Native American silver. I’m thinking, specifically, Navajo. Do you know anyone in New Mexico?
We have family in New Mexico. I’ll take a closer look at it, and maybe we’ll mail it to my sister or brother out there to have it looked at. Thanks!!
What fun! And good luck.
We live on West Point in NY where President (then General) Washington once had his headquarters. I’m going to have to get a metal detector for my own kids and see if we can find some Revolutionary War finds! Thank you for an inspiring post!
I hope seth will get my message
What a fun and interesting hobby! Thank you so much for sharing this.
This was so interesting Seth!!!! Our property sits on an old logging camp in Oregon. I love to spend summer evenings out digging for relics. I’m excited when I find something I can date back to the 1920’s. I can’t imagine finding something that is from 1771!!! Keep up the good work. You are doing something wonderful to preserve history!
Wow Seth I loved the layout of the treasures on cotton bat . So many finds in such a short time . I have been playing with the idea of buying a metal detector for Go Play Outside Now so kids ( and parents ) could use it a little and get a taste for what you are doing !!! Nice . Ann PS Maybe someday you and your family will be traveling thru our area again..? I have a lot of room for visitors and ” great rates” Ann
Wow! What an interesting post, Seth. I agree with you about preferring the designs of the older coins. Does this ever make you want to leave some modern items around your property for another person to find in 100 years??
Thank you so much for sharing all your cool finds here. I really loved seeing them all. Makes me want to go out and get a metal detector now and see what I can find around my farm. Who knows what’s out there? Very fun post! And yes, do start a blog Seth.
Really impressive. And how fortunate that you live in such a history rich area of the country! I was expecting some coins and odds and ends and what you have is more like a mini section from a museum. Thanks for sharing, I can’t wait to show my older boys (aged 7 and 9)…and I know they will want a metal detector as well. 😉
Wow Seth! You have quite the collection!! Do you ever take your younger brothers with you when you go out with your metal detector? My son is only 3 (4 this month!) but I wonder if he might have an interest in this hobby if he had someone else working the detector for him.
Yes, Keats and Gabe both have metal detectors, but don’t use them as much as I do.
Seth,
Wow, your findings are incredible! What an amazing hobby. I have a son (9 months old), so he’s probably just a *little* young for metal detecting, but I am already thinking about what a fun thing this might be for him to try. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hi Seth,
My family and I were very impressed with your collections. I read it out loud to all my family. We live in Arizona, but our great-grandfather eight generations back, Captain Thomas Humphrey, is buried Purcellville, VA. Thomas Humphrey was captain in the Revolutionary war. My little brother wants to know if you have ever found a piece of a cannon.
Will Humphrey
Very interesting Seth! Enjoyed looking and reading about all your treasures! One item to note, the number 7 on the thimble is probably for its size. I collect thimbles and they come in different sizes in order to fit your finger.
Thanks, Lori! I think he associated the seven the way that he did because it was found at a house that used sevens to ward off evil in several places in the architecture. I’ll go back and edit that out of the post though, because I am sure you are right about the thimble! Ha!!
I agree with Molly…I just googled searched “old medallion with COS” and this is one of the things I found…I think it looks similar…
http://www.apmex.com/product/56084/roman-double-denarius-emperor-phillip-i-244-249-ad-ch-au
It doesn’t look like the actual coin though, because of the imprint in the back. Can you tell we are having a snow day today? Thanks for the treasure hunt!
Here’s another pic I found…it has the S and C on either side of it.
http://akropoliscoins.com/PhilipISestEF.jpg
I actually don’t have an interest in coins (or DO I?) but I once I get started looking for something, I have a hard time stopping! Happy hunting, and I’m looking forward to what you find out about it!
This was so much fun to read! I love the 1864 two-cent piece, too. It’s beautiful. Thanks for sharing all of this with us. You should really consider starting your own blog at some point!
This was not at all boring!!! Well done Seth. And good for you for keeping your ‘secret place’ of finding things a secret!!! I am so glad you have this hobby!
hi,nice to see woman, that seeking. good luck )
Amazing! I learned so much history just reading this post! Would love to hear more! I really admire how you have everything cataloged and researched.
That is an impressive collection! Very interesting objects, but I love how you’ve learned so much history, too.
I’m fascinated by the sharpshooter badge. Any idea what that’s from? The NRA has youth-shooting courses today and when you meet certain requirements for accuracy you earn different ranks and sharpshooter is one of them. Today they give you patches, but I wonder who used to give out metal one.
I’m so glad you shared!
They were awarded to soldiers in the army and marine corp. Part of mine is missing I will have to go back and find it. A picture is here( sorry I don’t know how to make links ). http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/10890730_us-army-wwi-sharpshooter-pin
What types of locations make for good finds?
The older the better. Schools, parks, churches, and old houses are all good places to look, but make sure to get permission first.
Fascinating!
well done, Seth – I enjoyed seeing all your relics and reading about them. Thanks for posting close-ups and also mentioning which ones are particularly precious to you. What a great hobby to have and to pass on to your loved ones.
Incredible Seth! I love your collection. I can’t wait for you guys to come out for the day to see if you find any treasures on our property and surrounding. My fave is the tin man! But, I’m a girl! Post that last pic on FB and someone will probably be able to identify it.
bravo, well done.
Seth, wow this is a very cool hobby. I bet it never gets “old”, cause there is always new places to discover things.
when you travel (if you have the chance) do you take it to new places too? Have you ever been told you were not allowed you could not use it?
Thank you for the display, it is very interesting to me. Weird? I always liked to discover things in woods or lake shores and on gravel roads are my favorite.
Thank you
Bonnie
In many public locations ( parks, schools etc. ) metal detecting is illegal.
Seth – I don’t know coins really, so not sure if that last one is a reproduction or not, but it says “COS II” (?) on the right side and has the “S” and “C” used on Roman coins. Might be a place to start!
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html
p.s. I used to make costumes for a living and my guess is that it’s pierced twice because it was sewn on clothing at one point.
What fantastic treasures, Seth! I love that you live somewhere with so much history. We live in a very young state. Most of our treasure finding is pottery shards. Thank you for sharing this passion of yours.
So amazing!
that is so amazing! he does need a blog. my kids would love to read about all of this.
i had no idea about the coins, that is so cool. we had 2 cent coins!!!
so was most of this found on your land??
Some of my finds are from my property, but most of these finds weren’t. We also had half cents, three cent coins, and 20 cent coins.
Seth, your knowledge of history gained (at least partly) through this activity is amazing! Do you have any recommendations on a metal detector small enough for a 7-year-old, or do you think this would be an activity better saved until he is older? Ginny, your son’s writing is a wonderful testament to your homeschooling!
The only metal detector I would recommend for a 7 year old would be a bounty hunter junior. It’s the only metal detector small enough for them to use that isn’t complete junk.
Wow! It was like taking a museum trip just to read this post. I was going to ask where you found the pieces, but it seems you have a “secret spot”, so I won’t! About how much time a week do you spend on metal detecting?
I definately will be sharing this with my kids. So inspiring. Thank you, Seth.
Seth, I’m so impressed! I had been hoping you would write another post. I could look at other people’s finds all day long. We got our metal detector for Christmas after we realized we have an old dump site near our house. Unfortunately it was just bulldozed but we were still able to make some great finds. My favorites so far are a 1910 wheat cent, two skeleton keys and we also found an amazing 1800s clay pipe. But now the ground is frozen and we have at least a foot of snow (we live in Maine). How do you find out about certain sites? Is it word of mouth or do you stumble across them? And do you ask everyone’s permission first to detect the land? I’m not sure how to go about finding other places to hunt but we’ve got the bug. By the way I LOVE the rings you’ve found. That World’s Fair ring must be pretty special. I can’t wait for your next post!
I mostly hunt the property around my house, and the few other places I have hunted have mostly been places we were going to anyway. Yes, I always get permission first.
Seth,
How fantastic that you have found so much treasure!! I love that each piece has a story.. if only they could talk. My favorites are the rings.. so cool.
This was really fascinating! I didnt know people actually cut coins to give change… I especially liked the various artifacts towards the end of your post… Thank you Seth
Oh my you must live in rich archeological area! I’ve always wanted to get a metal detector and I’m sure my kids would love to try this too. Thanks for this post, Seth. It’s just the kind of encouragement I needed.
Hi Seth, you have an amazing collection! I loved seeing all of your finds. Thank you for sharing. You’re a great writer!
And you are *still* causing a commotion; what astonishing finds! Minted in 1771?- wow! Such remarkable treasures, and you have written about them with such skill and knowledge.
WoooooW!!!
This was greAt! I have been sooooo tempted to take up this hobby myself, you may have pushed me over the edge!
SO cool! I love seeing and reading about your treasures!