Detecting Britain

Every find tells a story.

I received a Fisher F44 metal detector for my birthday a couple of years ago. I’ve wanted one since I was about 12. But you can’t just run outside and start looking for lost stuff. You need permission to dig from a landowner, membership in a recognized detecting club, to be registered in a national database, signed forms, etc. But you didn’t come to this page to read about that. You want to see some of the things I’ve found with it. I’ll save you some time though, there’s no gold bullion, no roman hoards, no pieces of eight on this page. What you will see are some interesting bits of life from years gone by. Things that haven’t seen the light of day in a hundred years or more. I find this stuff extremely interesting whether it’s a 1p coin or a bit of broken china plate. It all speaks of a history forgotten and lost beneath our feet and it really sets my imagination in high gear to try to think of how that object ended up where it was found.

I hope you find this interesting too.

Jonguler

Last modified on 2020-02-15 16:34:50 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

In a field where I’ve found a dozen or so Girl Guide badges I find this. It didn’t take a lot of Google FU to discover this is a Girl Guide Promissory badge. For potential recruits I guess.

It’s interesting to me because this design seems to be from the 1940s and the other girl guide badges I’ve found are from the 1970s and 80s. Banging good signals though…

THE GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE

Last modified on 2020-02-15 16:31:25 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Tokens don’t fair as well as actual coins so it took a bit of researching to find this one:

Emsworth halfpenny token commemorating Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe (1726-1799) and the Glorious First of June, 1794.

Bust of Admiral Howe in a tie-wig, uniform and cocked hat with bow and brim higher at the back (left). Legend: ‘EARL HOWE & THE GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE’. Reverse: Britannia seated, a shield at her side, her left holding an olive branch, her right hand a spear pointing to the head of R. Legend: ‘RULE BRITANNIA’. Exergue: ‘1795’. Inscribed on edge: ‘EMSWORTH HALFPENNY PAYABLE BY IOHN STRIDE’.

F.H.S.

Last modified on 2020-02-18 15:29:15 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

First Hole Silver!

George VI sixpence made me smile but a BIT later I got a ‘florin’ and was very happy. Not old, not solid, but shiny and Not a pull tab. After weeks of not being able to get out it was nice to have these come up. I know a lot of people do better but two silver coins in the same weekend is a rarity for me so I had to show ’em to ya.

The Highs and Lows of Metal Detecting

Last modified on 2019-12-12 13:10:50 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

This came up all gold and shiny in the sun and really got my heart racing! But little did I know how sad a perfectly crushed bottle top could make me till I looked a little closer. I found myself wishing I’d found the whiskey bottle it was once attached to instead. This and a thimble were the only remarkable finds of the day.

Then almost exactly 24 hours later I’m gobsmacked to find this:

Doesn’t look like much but it’s very interesting from a historical point of view. It’s an Iron Age stater. From the Durotrigian tribe based on the Isle of Wight. Though I can’t make it out, the museum says it depicts the head of Apollo and a horse. Very stylised I guess. BUT ITS AT LEAST 2100 years old! Blows my mind to think some guy was buying his sheep or paying for his beer with this a century or two before Christ was born. Blimey!

Confidence in my hobby restored I endeavor to find more, preferably the gold and silver versions.

Catching up on Finds

Last modified on 2019-05-01 19:07:22 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

From Upper Left:
Victoria Ha-penny, George V Penny (1929), George V Farthing (1922), Elizabeth II Sixpence(1954), George V Ha-penny (1935), Trapezoidal buckle (17thc), Copper Alloy buckle, Various plain buttons (1750s-1800s), old old musket ball (16th c.)

A Florin’s a Florin!

Last modified on 2019-04-10 14:08:28 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I’m slightly disappointed that it doesn’t actually say Florin on it, and a bit more disappointed that it’s not one of the silver ones, but a Florin’s a Florin!

https://www.silveragecoins.com/en/details.php?item=1458

Roman at last!

Last modified on 2019-02-24 21:20:39 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I’m very chuffed to find my first clearly Roman coin today!. I think I’ve had others but they were so badly worn that I don’t think it really counts.

Roman coin: antoninianus, or radiate depicting Diocletian, 284 to 305 AD
A button that says “Greshman Club” on it. The Gresham Club was a gentlemen’s club in the City of London founded in 1843. It was named after Thomas Gresham and its last site was located on Abchurch Lane off King William Street.
George V Half Penny 1918
George III Penny 1701
Lead cow’s head.
Emerald green bottle, Icilma Vanishing cream, 1921-1953
Nifty looking key or something.
Not shown: Couple of musket balls.

Emperor Diocletian
Worth 2 Denari
Nice key or…
Gresham Club, 1845
Not sure what was in this
half penny, 1918
George V
1701 penny
George III
Lead cow’s head

Frosty Finds

Last modified on 2019-02-03 17:51:34 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I saw lots of people posting finds this weekend despite all the snow so when the temp climbed from -6c this morning to my minimal acceptable lower limit I dashed out for a quick 90 minutes in my favorite field. It was wet but I wasn’t actually cold between my layered coats, ski pants, and wellies. I found the almost obligatory coin, a nice stock buckle that still has a functioning clip and two buttons. Found an old piece of lead too, but haven’t cleaned it up yet. More on that later. If I hadn’t made it out today I was looking at 3 straight weeks without any detecting and it was kinda getting to me. 🙂

Young Victoria Hapenny 1861
reverse half penny
Conical button 1785-1800
reverse of conical button
button: 1760-1785
not so much detail
Men’s Stock pin. possibly 1750-1850
The pins still pivots!

A different sort of finger ring

Last modified on 2019-01-25 22:09:07 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I scrabbled a lot in the gravel of a dry riverbed today. Not many finds worth commenting on, but this one is a bit remarkable. It looks like a ring but it’s not, it’s a finger ring from a candle holder. I found one a few years ago and it took ages to figure it out because it’s just a small part of the whole artifact. And curiously, it’s broken in the exact same way as the other one. This is today’s find:

And this is the one I found about 5 miles away:

This is what it looked like when still attached to the candle holder.

One guy on Facebook referred to it as a ‘partifact’ or ‘partial artifact. A word that bears repeating.

Promising Finds

Last modified on 2019-01-16 11:35:27 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Victorian Dress Weight
Small Watch Face, gold plated silver
Edward Vii Ha-penny, 1904
Late Victoria Ha-Penny, 1896
George Vi Half Crown, 1948

I’m amazed and proud to say I’ve been given a new permission. It has some interesting history around it and I’m really looking forward to seeing what it produces. I found the following items on my first visit. If it has this to offer after just two hours, there should be some amazing things waiting to be discovered.

Not a Penny by Half

Last modified on 2018-12-11 15:41:15 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I was out detecting today for a quick hour or two and found what I thought was a George V penny but when I got it home and cleaned some of the muck off it I found it was slightly older than that and not a penny at all. I had a bit of fun researching this and found that it is actually a halfpenny token issued by the British Copper Company. Which had smelting works at Landore, Wales, and rolling mills at Walthamstow, Essex.

Apparently, copper pennies and halfpennies were in short supply after the war with Napoleon of France — and the war against America in 1812 — and earlier coins had largely been melted down for their value as a metal. Nothing was done in parliament to alleviate the situation but copper mines had an abundance of copper so they took it upon themselves to create tokens in penny and halfpenny denominations that could be used in place of the scarce ‘official’ pence. This went on for a few years, (1811-1814) and thus this can be considered somewhat unusual find despite its condition. I think this particular one has 1813 on it. You can barely make out the lion on the actual coin so I’ve included a pic of what it would look like in very fine condition.

Issued by The British Copper Company which had smelting works at Landore, Wales, and rolling mills at Walthamstow, Essex, which buildings are reported to be still standing.

Sword Hanger

Last modified on 2018-02-14 17:53:00 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

One of three pieces that made up a medieval sword hanger. Circa 1500-1600.

I remember reading about sword hangers in John Carter of Mars. I had no idea what they were until now.

There is a record of similar on the British Museum’s finds website:

https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/727202

Reported to the finds liaison officer (FLO) in Salisbury.

A complete set would have looked like this:

RAC button

Last modified on 2018-01-31 18:16:50 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Royal Armoured Corp, 1939-current.

Fits in with the other military items I found on the beach. Here’s what it looks like all shiny and fresh:

Farthing-1927

Last modified on 2019-01-25 22:14:06 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I like to say that the farthing is the 5p coin of its day. Which is about what this one’s worth. Still, always a thrill to find coins that I’ve only ever read about.

Here’s a page with more details on it:

https://www.allcoinvalues.com/united-kingdom/1927-uk-farthing-value2c-george-v.html

cheers,

Dart

Last modified on 2018-01-25 11:53:47 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

This is a manly dart! This dart means to do bodily harm. I remember darts like this as a child. I’m sure I have scars related to these things! Not as big as a Jart but just as dangerous in the hands of an amateur. I found this a dozen yards from the nearest backyard. Whoever threw this needed substantial upper body strength to heft it that far.

Racing Pigeon Ankle Ring

Last modified on 2018-01-25 11:56:05 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Found a pigeon ring. No pigeon though…

Code GB 96 n50448 (96 is the year the bird hatched.)

which I reported on the Royal Pigeon Racing Association’s website:

And WOW. Already got a reply. Owner in Poole. That’s about 35-40 miles from where the ring was found.

A few days later I got an official letter thanking me for reporting the find. Providence!

two halfs don’t make a hoard

Last modified on 2017-12-11 09:47:53 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Today I braved the cold for an hour or so and found two Half Pennies within 50 feet of each other. One is a George the Fifth from 1931 and the other his son, George the Sixth, circa 1944. Here’s how they’ve faired over 70-80 years in the soil:

And here’s how they looked newly circulated:

They could have been dropped by the same person, but we’ll never know… Still interesting to find two different ha’pennies on the same visit that are also two different kings, and both a ‘George.’

The reverse of George VI’s coin has the Golden Hind on it:

Winterslow button

Last modified on 2017-12-02 20:04:36 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I’m told it’s off a military uniform.

Chem bodies

Last modified on 2017-12-02 19:59:59 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

looked better covered in dirt!

Small heart

Last modified on 2017-11-28 12:53:19 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I found this tiny (1/2 inch) heart charm on the beach. It might have had a stone at one time, might have been gold plated.

Silver button

Last modified on 2017-11-28 12:46:50 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Not a shiny shilling but a shiny silver button. Haven’t found much on this design online but the style of loop on the back makes it circa 1760-1785.

Bag seal

Last modified on 2017-11-28 12:36:01 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Probably just a lead seal from a wine bottle, but I found it interesting because there’s a ship or galley on one side and the letters VEC on the other.

Medieval saddle Badge

Last modified on 2017-10-25 13:12:29 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Roman Adjacent

Last modified on 2017-09-03 11:34:48 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I think you can tell by the quality of my finds today that I’m obviously somewhere ‘Roman Adjacent.’ The accolades should start rolling in any minute now…

Horseshoes

Last modified on 2017-09-03 17:00:37 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Roman roads as network map

Last modified on 2017-07-28 07:17:34 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Roman roads as tube map:

http://sashat.me/2017/07/23/roman-roads-of-britain/

Winder

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:39 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Found a tiny watch winder on a recent dig. Might have text on it but not sure. About the size of a penny.

Best advice so far

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:39 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Without anyone or anything to compare to I’m probably wrong about this but my ‘method’ of metal detecting is to start out walking around in All Metal mode for best depth and then when I hear a likely signal I confirm it with Artifact or Jewellery mode. Makes for slow going but if you’re not under time pressure there’s no hurry. I’ve been hunting for advice on Facebook and other forums and I’ve seen people recommend both Jewellery mode with sensitivity set to 16-18 or Custom mode with FE notched out. I’ve tried that and default Coin mode but after 5 minutes of silence I’m ready to hit Reset on the box and go back to Artifact mode. At least the grunts let me know its working.

Dito

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:39 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I’m calling this D.I.T.O:

Detectorist In, Trash Out.

The only thing of interest is the iron at the top of the pic, it’s a shoe for an ox. I didn’t know that useta be a thing. Also more small bits of the paraffin lamp I found last summer.

A hint of silver

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:39 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I think I found me a shiny silver button! There is faint text on it but I’m not sure how to pull up enough contrast to read it. I think I see an S, a space, and then an E at the ‘9 o’clock’ position of this shot. I also found what looks like the end of a small spade or shovel, some more random bits of a parafin lamp and a pull tab.

Sunday Dig

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

The rain made for a short day and I have no Roman hoards to report (yet!) But I did find an interesting bit of Horse Brass:

I did a brief search online and found it listed as “Winged Crescent Moon with Centre Eye” The fine print says its Victorian, 1850-1899

I also spent a long time digging up an old stirrup and some nails and staples which I will photograph and then recycle.

A last-minute quick dig

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

thought I’d found a farthing!

Brass from a saddle

reverse of horse brass

More brave attempts in the frosty field! I honestly wasn’t too cold but before I finished I could see my breath and a haze was rising from the newly turned soil. Translation: Time for tea and hot soup!

I realise a five P coin from 2007 isn’t exciting but I was beginning to think I couldn’t actually find small coins! The custom setting still eludes me, or rather I’m hesitant to spend my time with custom settings when I don’t know if they’re working or not. I need to make a test bed I think. But as I was thinking about it in the field I realised that what I’m basically doing with Custom mode is leaving everything turned on except iron which I was silencing. So instead I switched to the Jewellery setting which notches out iron for you and then put the sensitivity up at 18. That turned out to be too sensitive and again I spent too much time digging up rusty bits of nothing. So I backed it off to 16 and started to have better luck. Less things pinged my machine that way. But after a few minutes of silence I start to think I’m missing something and went to Artifact mode. In that mode you get a grunt sound when you pass over iron. Plenty of noise there but I like to think of it as confirmation that the machine and the bluetooth headphones are both working as they should.

On the way out of the field I got some good tones along the fence but didn’t have time to explore them and I’m half convinced they’re from the fence itself. I’m already planning for next time! I think I’ve settled on a rotation of several modes before I start digging but until it yields the shiny stuff it’s all still experimental.

Still not exciting but its all practice for my next real dig when I get to return to Okeford Fitzpaine next month with the Southern Detectorists.

Today’s Finds: Jan 23rd, 2017

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Found a bit of lead shot (Possibly a musket ball!), a dog tag and a copper ring. Also found more beer cans, an oil filter from a tractor and random bits of iron. The lead shot could be a musket ball which makes me hope that more things from that period await me. Was hoping for interesting finds but oh well, maybe next time.

Today’s finds: Jan 6th, 2017

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Excited to have a couple hours in my new permission.

Not the hot bed of lost coins I thought it would be but I did find a nifty 1907 penny which makes a weird kind of sense because the village post office was near the end of the footpath and you only needed a penny to mail something back then. This is the second penny I found in this general area. Third if you count the french 20p coin from the other side of the fence. I have a theory about that but I need to do some comparisons before I share it.

1907 Penny

Obverse 1907 Penny

Lego watch from Plasticene Era

Small bit of lead window treatment

Not shown: Three flattened beer cans, an iron stake and a camera battery.

Queen Manor Road Dig

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Queen Manor Road, Salisbury Dec 31st, 2016

Minted 1971

Tuppence!

pottery shard

ceramic pipe stem

I think this is a light bulb ring

One of my query letters actually bore fruit and I was given the opportunity to do some exploring of a garden along Queen’s Road here in Salisbury.

I spent about two hours there and while a Roman hoard still eludes me I find it a very interesting dig. The garden had a lot of iron signals, especially in the lower third of the yard. Based on the number of nails, the door hinge and other bits of rust I dug up I’m thinking there was a building there at one time or perhaps some building materials were stacked there during the construction of the current cottages. The owners told me about the nearby mill and I think they said the bricks from earlier cottages were re-used in the current ones. I love hearing about local history like this, and I look forward to having another go sometime.

Thank you Vanessa and Piers!

I did find a coin just as I was wrapping up: a 1971 2-pence piece.

Two coins in the Paddock

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I’m very chuffed to say I finally FINALLY found a coin!

Two actually, though one is so badly corroded it defies identification. Both were in the bit of back garden that my father-in-law lets me dig around in. And here’s the kicker: The coin isn’t English, its French!

Check this out:

French 10c coin found in West Grimstead, Wiltshire

French 10c coin found in West Grimstead, Wiltshire

A silver coin still eludes me; this one’s bronze but its in pretty good shape. Here’s a link to some info about it:

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces698.html

The other one is very corroded and I can’t tell you what it is. The Mrs thinks she can make out “HALF PENNY” on it but I can’t see it. Maybe the F, not sure. If it’s a ‘pre-decimal’ Halfpenny that narrows it down to sometime in the past 600 years 😉 I could probably tighten that up based on the size and material but I’m gonna try to clean off some of the build up. Can’t really see how it’d hurt but “a coin’s a coin” eh? I’m a detectorist me.

Unknown coin from West Grimstead, Wiltshire.

(WordPress is still cropping my images, I’ll have to research how to turn that off!)

More cow bell!

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Had a few minutes to check out the previous dig in West Grimstead and about 3 feet away from where I found the broken bell last time I found another piece of it! No other finds to report except another bit of copper hose and some foil that somehow got buried 6 inches down. The pics look much darker here than in reality. I might re-shoot.

Quick dig in West Grimstead

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

more bits from West Grimstead

Had some time in the In-Law’s back garden and wanted to try going back to two spots where I found things before.

I walked up to the spot, passed my detector over the ground and immediately got a strong non ferrous signal. It took only about two minutes to dig it up. Still haven’t found a coin but I found what looks like a Dinner bell. It doesn’t seem to be silver and shows up as a 52 on my detector which is somewhere between nickel and zinc for what that’s worth. About 3″ diameter. Pewter Maybe? No easy or cheap ways to find out for sure. Still has some of its bell-like quality despite being less than half the original bell.

Near it was a small knob looking bit that I thought might be the ‘top’ of the hand bell but its not of the same metal, is magnetic and appears to have more than one layer. Was probably plated at one point.

After those two finds I went back to where I found the lamp mantle and near that I found two pieces of it though very small.

Its starting to look like someone’s setting the table out in the garden, maybe they left some silver spoons for me to dig up! Not pictured is a 8 inch piece of copper tubing.

Path

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Better view of my wanderings around Fovant.

Fovant SP3 5LQ

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

The most exciting part was testing out my wellies in all the mud and avoiding cow patties. I saw about 15 people there during the three hours I was on site. My wife drove off with my shoes so I had nothing to change into when the taxi guy came to give me a lift home. He was really put out about it. I hated to do it to him but it was just too far to walk. My finds are : two bits of foil, a gun shell of some kind and a Roman Thermocouple. (Just kidding about the Roman bit.)

This is a hard hobby to love.

The spike out to the left is where I missed the entrance and had to walk back.

Three hours of digging got me this

random bits of foil

close up of shell

Gun shell, too rusty to know what kind

I’d like to say this is a torc, but I think its part of a thermocouple

Great signal on this bit of angle iron

Quick test of my gear

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I got to go back to the paddock in West Grimstead and try out all the gear and clothes I will be taking to Fovant on Wednesday. I was warm enough I think barring gale force winds and rain (touch wood!)

The grass was wet and I got a lot of phantom signals but the main test was for my bluetooth headphones and transmitter. Those worked fine once I convinced them to pair but I only got about 90 minutes of air time before the headphones died. I switched to a regular set of earphones for the rest of the time. I did manage to find one interesting thing: A mantle from a lamp squashed flat over time and lying on its side about 5 inches down. It still has its knob attached and that I THINK says “Youngs Brilliant Burn” on it. Can’t find a company with that name on it with a quick google search but it could be my search terms. I think here in the UK they’re called Paraffin lamps instead of Hurricane lamps. I’ll keep plugging away. Renewed my hope to find something of value in Fovant.

I posted this photo on the Southern Detectorists Facebook page and one of the members identified the lamp this came from here.

Circa 1900. That’s over 116 years old at best though how long it spent in the ground is anyone’s guess.

Okeford Fitzpaine

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I joined the Southern Detectorists Rally today at Okeford Fitzpaine.

The family went to nearby Plumber Manor and had lunch while I wandered the fields and dodged a few cow pats. The wind was constant and cool but I was well bundled against it. The sun eventually cooperated and once the grass dried a bit I got some decent signals. That said I didn’t find anything of real value.

My finds for the day: A metal bracket, a bit of barbed wire, an odd bit of brass, a cow’s tooth, a washer, a random square of iron and two rocks that looked more interesting in the ground than out.

I took additional shots of that bit of brass because it’s odd and shows some hammering yet no clear use. I wish I could determine just what metals I’m digging up.

Path to my dig

Return of the F44

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

I want to say a few words about my experience with Joan Allen, the company where my wife bought my Fisher F44.

I mentioned in another post that my detector had gone slightly mad; its actual behavior was that it would not shut off, you could not change the mode it was in and it seemed to be set to the highest sensitivity and the highest volume. The only way to turn it off was remove the batteries.

I had some theories about why this is happening but it was unusable in that condition so I returned it. I went to their website found the support contact email, sent them my information and the serial number which was tricky to find because it is displayed when you first turn the device off but you have only a second or two to record what’s basically a 10 digit number displayed two digits at a time. But that’s Fisher’s doing, not Joan Allen.

I got an email back within a day telling me to ship it in and they even offered a pickup service. I shipped it in on my dime and about a week went by before I called them and they’re technician was not in to take my question. Another week went by and found out it was the next one to be repaired. Their man Billy seems very busy. He sent me an email that it was being shipped back to me without any comment on what was wrong with it but as it turned out they replaced the whole unit. I was without it for about three weeks total and in the end got a brand new unit no questions asked. While they might have done better communicating with me the results were fine I suppose. This is a good spot for one of those at the end of the day phrases: The whole interaction was exactly what I expected from an in-warranty repair.

Today’s finds from a certain backyard in Southampton. Somewhere near the old location of Chessel House.

My first coin!

a 1P coin but it counts!

Oddly heavy bit

some interesting layers on this

No idea. A bit of tin from the roof?

Gasket.

A scaffolding bracket

The National Council for Metal Detecting Code of Conduct

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Do not trespass. Obtain permission before venturing on to any land.
Respect the Country Code, leave gates and property as you find them and do not damage crops, frighten animals or disturb nesting birds.
Wherever the site, do not leave a mess or an unsafe surface for those who may follow. It is perfectly simple to extract a coin or other small object buried a few inches below the ground without digging a great hole. Use a suitable digging implement to cut a neat flap (do not remove the plug of earth entirely from the ground), extract the object, reinstate the grass, sand or soil carefully, and even you will have difficulty in locating the find spot again.
If you discover any live ammunition or any lethal object such as an unexploded bomb or mine, do not disturb it. Mark the site carefully and report the find to the local police and landowner.
Help keep Britain tidy. Safely dispose of refuse you come across.
Report all unusual historical finds to the landowner, and acquaint yourself with current NCMD policy relating to the Voluntary Reporting of Portable Antiquities in England and Wales and the mandatory reporting requirements in Scotland. See:

http://www.treasuretrovescotland.co.uk/index.asp

Remember it is illegal for anyone to use a metal detector on a designated area (e.g. Scheduled Monuments (SM), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), or Ministry of Defence property) without permission from the appropriate authority. It is also a condition of most agri-environment agreements that metal detecting access is subject to certain rules and regulations including mandatory finds recording. Details of these agreements and the access conditions they impose are detailed on the NCMD website.
Acquaint yourself with the terms and definitions used in the following documents: –

Treasure contained in the Treasure Act 1996 and its associated Code of Practice, making sure you understand your responsibilities.

Advice for Finders of Archaeological Objects including Treasure 2006.
The voluntary Code of Practise for Responsible Metal Detecting to which the NCMD is an endorsee.
Advice for finders in Scotland: see http://www.treasuretrovescotland.co.uk/html/finders.asp

Remember that when you are out with your metal detector you are an ambassador for our hobby. Do nothing that might give it a bad name.
Never miss an opportunity to explain your hobby to anyone who asks about it.

Day 2 finds

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

More fun in a West Grimstead garden. Still nothing of value but I’m getting better at digging holes actually near the find. And I have a White’s pin-pointer without which several of these finds would have remained in the dirt pile. Now if I can keep from detecting the keys in my pocket I’ll be ready for the wilds of Wiltshire. Yes I know this is all of zero value but its good practice. Now I want something that’s not iron to come up!

Bit of ceramic tile

Looks like a bit of a tea saucer

random iron

random iron view 2

random iron 3

random iron view 1

random iron view 2

Bit of flint that looks like an arrowhead

view two of flint shard

heavy piece of metal

heavy metal 2

heavy metal 3

heavily corroded washer

heavily corroded washer 2

Bit of flint that looks like a tooth

Flint tooth 2

bit of a saucer with some design on it

bit of a saucer with some design on it view 2

Day One with the F44

Last modified on 2017-05-31 09:30:40 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Tried some detecting in my Father In Law’s paddock today. Three digs but nothing of value. I did find a few odd things I that kept anyway. I need to get better at figuring out where within the sensor range the target actually is. Seems like when I find the item its more to the left that what I think ‘center’ actually is. Plus I’m making mole holes when I should be making plugs.

These were found in his front yard near two yew trees. One looks like a bit of spoon but probably isn’t. The other is a bit of metal with two holes in it. Reminds of a part to an old-fashioned thermostat or part of a distributor cap perhaps? Its non ferrous and has a thin metal ‘tongue’ welded to it. I’m thinking brass but no way to tell at this point. Both were about 5″ down.

Also find a nail. Not shown because I’m ashamed I spent 20 minutes digging it up.

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