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Metal Detectoring

Swifty said:
Even cooler than when the Mrs found 'The Cromer Jesus Stone' on Cromer beach after I'd said a few months before "You know what would be really cool? .. if I found a stone that looked like it had Jesus on it like that slice of toast and stuff you read about in the papers!" .. then she went and f*****g found one and it got in the papers. The only downside (apart from Fortean Times magazine completely ignoring it) is ...... where is this bloke going to go from now that he's found that? .. what are the odds of him ever finding anything that good again? .. bummer.
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But on the plus side he got to do his gold dance!
 
gordonrutter said:
But on the plus side he got to do his gold dance!
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He got that buzz yes .. but now everything in the future will pale in comparison for him. He's peaked .. unless he finds out he's going to be a Dad or something I suppose. It'll be "Remember that time when I found a bit of Henry the Eighths crown?" for the rest of his life. Or like that Glaswegian "Remember that time I punched that terrorist who was on fire when he tried to blow up our airport?" .. or "Remember that time I broke into Buckingham Palace and sat on The Queen's bed when she was asleep?" .. or "Remember that time Skargy came to Cromer and ****** with **** five times?" ..
 
Swifty said:
He got that buzz yes .. but now everything in the future will pale in comparison for him. He's peaked .. unless he finds out he's going to be a Dad or something I suppose. It'll be "Remember that time when I found a bit of Henry the Eighths crown?" for the rest of his life. Or like that Glaswegian "Remember that time I punched that terrorist who was on fire when he tried to blow up our airport?" .. or "Remember that time I broke into Buckingham Palace and sat on The Queen's bed when she was asleep?" .. or "Remember that time Skargy came to Cromer and ****** with **** five times?" ..
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Glaswegian - kicked him in the nuts, not punched.
 
Even better kicking him in the nuts hope he was wearing his work boots.
 
Still not allowed out detectoring as a group, so I went onto my MDF forum last evening to get some advice on a find from September in Oxfordshire. I had assumed it was a lead bag seal (although it's a bit big) and I had an idea the six petal flower was associated with hops. The MDF members suggested it was more likely a pilgrim ampulla. These were lead-alloy flasks (with suspensory loops) a pilgrim could purchase from a holy shrine and contained water or oil that was hopefully infused with Saintliness due to its proximity.

Ampulla_0170A.jpg Ampulla_0172A.jpg

Imagine the shape when straightened and less flattened so it could hold a fluid and compare to an ampulla recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme in York (last photo). In a single leap my bag seal has become something more interesting (1300-1500 AD). Bit chuffed.

Ampulla_0229.jpg Ampulla_1.jpg
 
Who me said:
Nice one BB
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Thank you. I've been doing a bit of background reading on Pilgrim ampulla - because 99% of known examples have been found by detectorists (the lead-tin alloy gives a cracking signal) and they search mainly on fields and rural setting (in the UK) and not in major city centres, there is a School of thought that associates the ampulla with agriculture. So rather than pilgrims visiting shrines and losing the ampulla or broken ampulla ending up on fields in manure, it is possible that there was a ritualised "Blessing of the Fields" with pouring the sanctified water onto the soil and discarding or burying the ampulla in situ. Quite Fortean in a way.
 
Bad Bungle said:
Thank you. I've been doing a bit of background reading on Pilgrim ampulla - because 99% of known examples have been found by detectorists (the lead-tin alloy gives a cracking signal) and they search mainly on fields and rural setting (in the UK) and not in major city centres, there is a School of thought that associates the ampulla with agriculture. So rather than pilgrims visiting shrines and losing the ampulla or broken ampulla ending up on fields in manure, it is possible that there was a ritualised "Blessing of the Fields" with pouring the sanctified water onto the soil and discarding or burying the ampulla in situ. Quite Fortean in a way.
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How bizarre you should just post this! I am part of an amateur archaeological group in East Yorkshire and I have recently been contacted by a local landowner who has been told that there was a medieval marian shrine in one of his fields and would like us to investigate. I have been reading up on Pilgrim ampulla, badges and bells!
 
That's brilliant, also worrying - I am a complete novice on this subject and hope what I wrote wasn't too off the mark. As for bizarre coincidences, well we're on the right forum.
 
On the MDF Metal Detecting Group forum was a post of a dug hall-marked silver 'sweetheart brooch' inscribed with the name MILDRED.
First response was 'I assume it's Georgian'

As in Georgian Mildred

Lock-down just flies by.

*Anyone not familiar with UK '70's sit-coms - nah forget it.*
 
Bad Bungle said:
On the MDF Metal Detecting Group forum was a post of a dug hall-marked silver 'sweetheart brooch' inscribed with the name MILDRED.
First response was 'I assume it's Georgian'

As in Georgian Mildred

Lock-down just flies by.

*Anyone not familiar with UK '70's sit-coms - nah forget it.*
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There's a rumour that my club (registered business an' all that) has a Dig this Sunday in Oxfordshire.
Providing those twats queuing at midnight for the Pub because Morrison's is just too far to go for fizzy piss, doesn't shut the Country down. again. Also hope there isn't a limit of 30 at the Dig 'cos the club's FB page has over 700 members.
Eeee I'm excited.
 
That’s great news bungle hope you find something I’ve just been getting everything arranged (ringing landowner)
about going out.Had a phone call from the hospital that my operation is on the 26th of this month so I’m shielding again bugger it
 
Bloody morons.

Illegal metal detectorists have been blamed for causing damage at the site of a recently-discovered Roman villa.

The remains of the large stately home were unearthed on a housing development in Scarborough and have been described as of national importance. Police said it was not yet known if anything had been stolen during Wednesday night's raid, but fencing and parts of the land were damaged. Security at the site will be stepped up, said housing developer Keepmoat.

Historic England described illegal metal detecting as a "serious crime" which could lead to charges of theft and criminal damage. Keith Emerick, Historic England's inspector of ancient monuments, said the organisation was working with police to investigate the break-in and other incidents at the site.

"We are aware of a number of incidences of illegal activity at the site of the newly-discovered Roman buildings at Eastfield over the past week," he said. "As the archaeological potential of the area has been publicly known for some time, it is a hotspot for illegal metal detecting, also known as 'nighthawking'."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-56771727
 
Detectorist finds stolen treasures on first hunt.

"A metal detectorist who dug up a hoard of stolen Roman and Viking treasures on his first hunt said he was delighted they were back with their owner.

Novice Charles Cartwright, 43, found nearly 300 historic items buried in a field in Worcestershire.

At first he thought he had struck lucky with an incredible find - but an Aldi carrier bag they were in raised suspicions.

He later discovered they had been stolen from Shropshire in 2017."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-57170608
 
A detectorist has found a rare 'plague era' gold coin.

"A "very rare" Edward III gold coin lost in the wake of the Black Death has been found by a metal detectorist.

The 23-carat leopard was discovered with another gold coin, called a noble, near Reepham, Norfolk.

Finds liaison officer Helen Geake said the leopard was withdrawn within months of being minted in 1344 and "hardly any have survived".

She said the coins were equivalent to £12,000 today and would have been owned by someone "at the top of society"."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-57520248
 
Souleater said:
A detectorist has found a rare 'plague era' gold coin.

"A "very rare" Edward III gold coin lost in the wake of the Black Death has been found by a metal detectorist.

The 23-carat leopard was discovered with another gold coin, called a noble, near Reepham, Norfolk.

Finds liaison officer Helen Geake said the leopard was withdrawn within months of being minted in 1344 and "hardly any have survived".

She said the coins were equivalent to £12,000 today and would have been owned by someone "at the top of society"."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-57520248
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According to Spinks, Edward III minted the first gold coinage in1344 since ..well the Murky Ages. A Florin (Leopard) was worth three shillings and a Very Fine (VF) grade example last sold for £135,000, a Fine (F) grade example for £27,000, and less for coins bent in half. The Noble (6s.8d) was of higher denomination but more were produced and for longer, so a VF early one sold for £110,000, a F one for £27,500 - with prices dropping dramatically as the Noble was lowered in weight over subsequent re-issues.
"Treasure" in my opinion is a pain, although I'm interested in how it came to be lost. I'd much rather find something small and personal that can be reported to your Finds Liaison Officer for recording if need be (had no idea Helen Geake was a FLO), but isn't valuable enough to interest the Coroner.
 
Bad Bungle said:
According to Spinks, Edward III minted the first gold coinage in1344 since ..well the Murky Ages. A Florin (Leopard) was worth three shillings and a Very Fine (VF) grade example last sold for £135,000, a Fine (F) grade example for £27,000, and less for coins bent in half. The Noble (6s.8d) was of higher denomination but more were produced and for longer, so a VF early one sold for £110,000, a F one for £27,500 - with prices dropping dramatically as the Noble was lowered in weight over subsequent re-issues.
"Treasure" in my opinion is a pain, although I'm interested in how it came to be lost. I'd much rather find something small and personal that can be reported to your Finds Liaison Officer for recording if need be (had no idea Helen Geake was a FLO), but isn't valuable enough to interest the Coroner.
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Is it only classed as treasure if it was deliberately buried rather than lost/dropped?
 
Mythopoeika said:
Usually, yes. How they can prove that, I don't know.
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I suppose its easier if there is a cache of coins in a pot or a collection of valuble items together that they were deliberately buried, rather than a random ring or coin etc
 
Various amendments have been made to the 1996 Treasure Act simply because of the huge increase in detected finds in recent years.
Treasure is defined as an object (non-coin) that is over 300 years old and contains 10% or more of precious metal (gold or silver). There must be at least two coins over 300 years old and 10% precious content, or 10 coins of similar age but less precious content in the same location (hoard). There are some special considerations for prehistoric items and coins with little or no gold or silver content. The distinction between items lost and items deliberately buried to be retrieved later, has largely gone, it all belongs to the Crown.
*Important* with the exception of treasure, all finds dug up on land belong to the Landowner (hence pre-existing arrangements need to be in place between the owner and the detectorist). Museums are not obliged to reward the finder or the landowner but nearly all will. Anything the Museums don't want can be 'de-treasured' and returned to the owners. There are laws against finders not declaring treasure and everything will be revamped when a proposed new Gov't Dept. is set up (run by archeologists) to train and licence detectorists.
 
Still can't get out onto the fields with the Club until after harvest, so I thought I'd mention my very first find (that wasn't a nail or a trailer part).
My first Club outing was in Sept 2017 in the field behind Dinton Castle, a folly featured/ruined in 'Grand Design' and a whopping 8 minutes away from home. I had a Viking 7MX2 which was pretty hot stuff in the mid 1980s, but lacked sophistication (and discimination) by detector standards 30 years later. Nonetheless I found a pewter button, the only thing I found, couldn't date it but it had an outer pattern so I put it in my pocket.
Couple of weeks later I went up to London with my brother to the New Scientist Exhibition. Lots of things happening : live feed at the ISS, the Thrust II supersonic car planning to reach 1000 mph, demonstration of flint knapping, my friend on the 'become a Technician, it's really great' stand, Prof Steve Jones on the Genetics of Language (Neanderthals didn't talk like what we do) and truly awful coffee.
What I do at these events is talk to the exhibitors who don't seem to have many visitors - if they can make the effort to set up a stand, I can make the effort to express an interest. In this case it was ioLight who advertised the world’s first laboratory grade portable microscope - if you're 'scoping in a field (eg archeologist) you just put your sample under the scanner and see the results on a tablet or iphone - would I like a demonstration ? At this point I fortunately remembered my button. I examined it under High Res and was promised two mpegs of the recorded scan by email (which arrived three weeks later). Don't know the forum's policy on product placement, but lovely lovely people.

fieldbright.jpg
 
Hi bungle same here with my permissions been driving about met up with a couple of the farmers/workers just to show my face and remind them who I am.first time I’ve felt like doing anything to be honest been a s**t couple of weeks
 
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