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At least you found silver! I'd call that a reasonable find!
Thank you, it was a good find for me. First time I've found a non-hammered silver coin and it was black (high silver content, local soil conditions). Would have been well-contented with a Victorian 3d or 6d but as it was pointed out to me, Charles II shillings are not common - probably more chance of finding a medieval hammered Edward or Henry coin.
 
There's some good stuff on YouTube - I like shows by mudlarkers, some of whom use metal detectors, some eyes only. They find some really great stuff.
I love those mudlarking clips too. I've been out once by myself along the Thames (Rotherhithe: bones and pottery) and intend to go again somewhere more central with a friend. She's only gone mudlarking in an organised group with a guide - had to pay and also surrender all finds to the guide at the end of the trip !
There was a story of the usually private foreshore in front of the Tower of London being open to the Public one day a year, with a Yeoman on hand to help identify any finds. An American tourist had jetted into London the day before and found a broken spur from the 15th Century. After identification and quick history lesson, he tried to hand it over and was told it was his to keep - one happy bunny flying out the next day.
 
That was a nice find bungle wish I could have found something like that
How's the kidneys - have you been out digging much lately ? I had to wait for harvest and then rain and then getting time off Work, but trying to make up for lost time. Finds have been sparse but between the spoons and the boats ('bits of a tractor'), I've been lucky to find three things to cross off a bucket-list I didn't even know I had.
 
Hi bungle nope not been out at all.Because I’m a complete numpty I let my membership of the club go unpaid so have re-applied.Kidney is okay thanks.seem to be okay at the moment I’ve got to go for a cystoscoptmy.tomorrow morning REALLY looking forward to that.So hopefully after all that will start getting back out there
 
I was sorting out my scrap metal-bucket yesterday and found a very small heavy coin-like object I assumed was lead (white deposit, didn't taste like chalk or pigeon poo). No clue how long it was sitting there or where from. Took a few (bad) photos and hawked them around the detecting sites for possible identification with mixed response. Cleaning with a soft toothbrush wasn't working and I then took the decision to follow a confident suggestion to use lemon juice. Re-took photos and I'm currently under fire (perhaps deservedly so) for "completely ruining the item forever" and "this is why Archaeologists hate us." (I'm sorry). I can't undo that decision, only learn from it. With most of the patina (black coating) gone, identification of the mystery item was a lot easier, which was my objective.
Have just seen a post from a Club member "Got one the same, FLO said it was a ****** *** that I’ve fuck up cleaning like you have lol"
Laugh/cry ? Shrug and learn.
 
First crotal bell in a very long time (Hastoe near Tring). Not complete (what you see is what I got) but with fish scale pattern on lower hemisphere and sunburst on upper, this is very unlikely to have been made later than the 17th century.

Crotal_1028.jpg
 
First crotal bell in a very long time (Hastoe near Tring). Not complete (what you see is what I got) but with fish scale pattern on lower hemisphere and sunburst on upper, this is very unlikely to have been made later than the 17th century.
what's crotal? Apart from a natural dye made from seaweed... And I do like your subtle and effective scale!
 
I was sorting out my scrap metal-bucket yesterday and found a very small heavy coin-like object I assumed was lead (white deposit, didn't taste like chalk or pigeon poo). No clue how long it was sitting there or where from. Took a few (bad) photos and hawked them around the detecting sites for possible identification with mixed response. Cleaning with a soft toothbrush wasn't working and I then took the decision to follow a confident suggestion to use lemon juice. Re-took photos and I'm currently under fire (perhaps deservedly so) for "completely ruining the item forever" and "this is why Archaeologists hate us." (I'm sorry). I can't undo that decision, only learn from it. With most of the patina (black coating) gone, identification of the mystery item was a lot easier, which was my objective.
Have just seen a post from a Club member "Got one the same, FLO said it was a ****** *** that I’ve fuck up cleaning like you have lol"
Laugh/cry ? Shrug and learn.


I don't hate you best of Bad Bears! And what was the thing in the end?
 
what's crotal? Apart from a natural dye made from seaweed ...

A crotal bell is a jingly bell of the sort attached to harnesses or slung around an animal's neck to provide audible evidence of their presence and / or movements.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotal_bell

The Scots dye word "crottle" is commonly associated with "crotal", but according to Wikipedia the "crotal" (as in "crotal bell") derives from Greek.
 
There is a (s)crotal bell thread somewhere - (of course there's a thread somewhere)
 
I don't hate you best of Bad Bears! And what was the thing in the end?
I applied a little acetone to my unknown object with a cotton bud to remove any organic matter and then took photos. I asked for help with identification from several forums and waited - but didn't wait long enough before cleaning the object with lemon juice (acid) to get better photos. A bad thing but it's done now. Anyway here goes : a comparison between my object (pre-cleaned) and a Sequanes Obole a la croix. The Sequani were a tribe from east Celtic Gaul (now Belgium), very big in the 3rd and 2nd century BC until the Germans encroached on land and finally the Romans conquered Gaul in um.. 52 BC. The coin on the right was made of silver and dates around 80-50 BC. But the reverse is different to mine and after cleaning, it is clear that my coin was made of debased 'billion' (silver, copper, lead) with copper the main constituent (aka a potin). Research in progress, I'm still happy with it.

Anon_Lead_0955d.jpg Sequanes_obole a la croix a.jpg
Anon_lead_0953d.jpg Potin_0978d.jpg
 
A coin made its way from Belgium (Gaul) through trading and was lost in a field near Wendover (I think) before Jesus was born.
Next sees the light of day a year ago in my small pile of items to sort/identify/scrap. Wasn't expecting it and should have been treated with more care and respect at the time, but it has it now. I love my hobby.
 
For those in the UK I noticed yesterday that all 3 series of The Detectorists are being screened on the Drama channel on Sky starting on Friday. For those of you who have never seen this programme watch, just watch.....
It's being put up on UKTV streaming service as well.
 
For those in the UK I noticed yesterday that all 3 series of The Detectorists are being screened on the Drama channel on Sky starting on Friday. For those of you who have never seen this programme watch, just watch.....
I suspect this may be due to a 75 min one-off special being screened later this year. I was given series 1 DVD but yet to watch it - I did however catch a Mackenzie Crook interview on FB where he expressed his love for detectoring and attempts to fit some in between filming. He regretted the presumption he was mocking the activity and the people who do it (but many of my digging companions reckon he was spot on).
 
Back on the Fields of Glory : a heavy and ornate door knocker (too big for a drawer handle) from near Hastoe in Bucks. Suggestion it was a silver-plated handle from the top of a meat dome lid is probably more likely, but I have more use for a door knocker than a meat dome so that's what it will become.

Knocker_1014.jpg
 
Has anyone seen the new program on C5 (thats UK) called Digging For Treasure? Absolute train wreck of a program and doing the hobby no favours at all. In the first episode they show a piece on a bloke trying to find the wreck of a Lancaster bomber. No mention of getting MOD approval!
Im not a detectorist but I do run a local archaeological society and was surprised to see that Raksha Dave is co presenting this trash and she is President of the Council for British Archaeology!
Just watched 5 minutes of the first program and had to turn it off and delete all subsequent recordings. Hopeless
 
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