The Real Gold

  That's right. I found a solid gold bullet. They are used for killing werewolves, and sidehill gougers, and dreams of success. It turns out that five hundred years of silver bullets have caused lycanthropes to build up an immunity that can only be circumvented by the use of golden ammunition. Someone must have missed, as the bullet is intact, which means he or she was probably eaten after the stray shot plunged into the icy salt water of Penobscot Bay. This was a propitious find for me, due to the recent increase in local murders attributed to cryptozoological anomalies, and the fact that I can reuse it for self defense.

  Ok, so it's not gold. It's copper-coated lead. But I thought it was gold and got very excited for a few seconds. Physically excited. I mean, almost erotically excited. Gold! It's not gold. It looks like gold. Then I looked around at the abandoned winter beach I was detecting. The frigid waters rolling up onto the expansive, shell-strewn, nearly frozen sand of the shoreline--interrupted occasionally by cruel outcroppings of the ancient, weather battered rocks and boulders that define coastal Maine. The awful wolf moon howling in the sky and twitching on the uneasy salt sea surface. The dwindling timeless twilight of a New England February dusk settling around me, and I remember why I'm here, and what I'm really looking for, and it isn't golden bullets.

The Ground is Freezing

  Well, I didn't get out nearly enough this, for a variety of reasons, but I am trying to squeeze in a few hunts before Winter completely sets. These items were found on a beautiful nineteenth century farm. Some in a plowed field and the rest near an old barn.

  The dime sized coin like object is a lead bale seal, similar to the one I found last year. Lead bale seals were used to label bundles of twine or wool or sacks of wheat, etc... The initials of the maker would be stamped on one side and the length, weight, number, etc... on the other. I think the MC stands for Maine Central, as in Maine Central Railroad.

  The little twisted thing is a copper butter knife. There is also a small bell, about two inches tall, that probably hung from a goat's neck or a sleigh. (Are you listening?) And lastly, some silver, in the form of a "925" (indicating the highest quality Sterling silver) stamped earring. 

  It just makes me want to move to Florida for the Winter.

Bed Knobs and Soup Sticks

I have been so busy for the last two weeks that I haven't really had the opportunity to get out with the detector, but I finished a little job over near Hosmer Pond a few days ago and noticed the crumbling remnants of a nineteenth century stone foundation near the jobsite. I had less than 30 minutes till I had to be at my next appointment, so I couldn't spend much time hunting, but I turned up a few interesting items in that time. I do not believe the site has ever been hunted, as in that brief amount of time, I found a few rather large copper objects that surely would have discovered by anyone searching with a machine. The first was a fine copper thimble, the only copper thimble I have ever found, as most of them seem to be aluminum or silver. Also, a large brass bed knob and an interesting old spoon, the age of which I am uncertain. The surface seems to be soft and dull enough to be lead or pewter, but the inside is certainly of ferrous composition and is rusting through in spots. Also, there is a fantastic little floral or leaf or fire design on the rear. I will have to do some research, but in the meantime, it's great for eating cereal...

More Canadian Silver

Got back to the turned up site I mentioned yesterday for an hour or so and it was just as I had hoped. I found a nice 1939 Mercury dime and a little canadian silver 1880 five cent piece. Both of these coins were just inches below the surface. I know there is more there and I hope I have a chance to get back there before construction begins or whatever is going to happen. Also found live ammunition, a doll's arm, some kind of clay bead or marble, a tiny copper utensil, half of a skeleton key, and a large musket ball with verdigris that makes it look like a miniature planet earth.

Downside Up

Stopped by an old foundation site where I had previously found three or four old coins, one of which was a fine Civil War Token, and was shocked to see that the foundation was gone! As were the remnants of the old well and the old perimeter walls. I didn't even know such a thing was legal. Literally, every stone had been removed, the trees torn up by their roots and the earth roughly re-graded. I mourned the loss of the site for a few moments, also realizing that the upheaval and bulldozing might have pulled some old things to the surface. I turned on my machine and set out across the furrows, immediately turning up a number of ammunition shells from the 1800's laying right on the surface. I explicitly remembered digging a sackful of these same shells up on my last visit, but from a depth of 6 to 8 inches. The sun was going down and the cold wind was blowing hard, so i knew I didn't have much time. Firstly, I turned up a strange little copper ring, which I at first thought was a bracelet, and then some sort of animal tagging ring, and now believe is a kind of pocket-watch part or locket piece. Then I found a very tiny brass button, smaller than a penny. It was easy digging. Most of the finds were either on the surface or just one or two inches deep. I was just about to pack it in when I found the Indian, with an immediately visible date of 1863! A very early Indian Head penny. I decided then and there to come back on the following day, which is today, and which I am going to do.

Under the Boardwalk

Here are a few more items from the 19th Century foundation I have been hitting in Union. The gold plated change-purse was really exciting and I thought for sure there would be a pile of coins around it, but alas, no such luck. The last time I found a change-purse, it was filled with silver coins. That was beside an old well on North Haven and there is a past blog that goes into more detail. Also, a nice old spoon for my spoon collection and a fantastic little brass buckle that is thick and heavy and still has the ring on back. (Penny for size comparison)
The letters and the 8 were found beneath that pier I mentioned a few days ago and probably came off of boats. This is my third or fourth 8 and I never tire of finding them. Infinity...

Thaw, Dammit! Thaw!

I am trying to be patient, but I don't ever remember a winter that seemed to drag out like this one is. I mean, we are just days from April and my yard is still covered with four inches of snow. It's ridiculous. I am dying to get out there with my E-trac. I have had a few lunchtime digs on the beach and in the bare spots appearing in the parks this week. Came up with 5 or 6 wheaties, only one of which even had a legible date--1944. A large copper button, what appears to be the cap off of a very small bottle, which says something about an EZ LAB. A tiny bottle of instant dogs, I think. You know, you pour the EZ LAB on a flea and the flea gets dogs and then one of the dogs takes over and outgrows the flea and then you have a Lab, which then gets fleas--it's an endless cycle, really. Also, an interesting little piece, made of lead, I think. I don't know what to make of it, but there are definitely remnants of images on either side, especially the side shown in the pic, which under a magnifying lens, looks remarkably like an old Roman battle axe. Plus, some little doodads and some nice blue seaglass.

Lead Bale Seals

I didn't know what it was when I found it. I knew it was made of lead and about an inch in diameter, but that was pretty much it. At a total loss as to identification, I posted it up for my good friends at Metal Detecting Maine, who seem to be able to identify anything. Sure enough, replies started coming in immediately explaining to me that what I had found was a lead bale seal. Oh, of course, thought. But what the hell is a lead bale seal? I consulted Google and was astounded at the fascinating websites about the history, curating, and collecting of lead bale seals. The wonderful Colchester Treasure Hunting & Metal Detecting website at www.colchestertreasurehunting.co.uk/baleseals.htm states that, "Bale seals such were single disc seals... and were used to identify textiles, as well as parcels and bales of trade goods. The obverse would typically display a city's arms, and the reverse would record data such as the length or width of fabric or the weight of parcel." The site has a wonderful catalog of seals dating back to medieval times, and the similarities between those and the object found by me in a park in Union, Maine were really quite surprising. Now, obviously, the seal found by me is of a much later date, probably the mid-1800's, and not nearly as rare or valuable as a 7th Century Roman bale seal, but still exciting, nonetheless.
Krom from Metal Detecting Maine told me, "Definitely a grain bag seal," and Kelly, from the same site suggested origins in the Maine Central Railroad, hence the M.C. The number on the rear is either an 85 or a 95.

The Man Who Mouth Er Fill Wit Pearls

Apparently, the odds of finding a pearl in an oyster are 1 in 12,000. Is it time for me to go to Vegas? I mean, Hollywood Slots is just up the coast, because I just found a pearl. I have been fascinated with the idea of finding a pearl in an oyster ever since my first oyster at age 18. I am pretty certain I think about it every time I swallow one down. And believe it or not, it finally happened. I was at one of my favorite local watering holes, Lobsterman's Restaurant in Rockland, Maine, partaking of their amazing happy-hour dollar oysters, which are brought down from a family oyster farm in Castine and shucked as you order, when lo and behold, I felt the little bugger rolling around on my tongue. It is irregular, as could be expected (I guess) in it's natural state, but an interesting blend of black and white. It was difficult to get a decent picture of, but the shiny spot on the front is just the glare from the flash, not gold. It's not a black and white pearl with gold in it. Is it? Whoa! I am planning on having it polished down and installed in a piece of jewelry for "Her at Home", at You Tube's Deep Digger Dan would put it. Pretty cool, and I'm glad I didn't swallow it. Things could have gotten messy.

Also, really do check out Lobsterman's Restaurant on Main St. in Rockland. The food is great, the atmosphere is soothing, the prices are reasonable (especially during happy hour, which offers dollar Labatt's and dollar oysters), and the owners are awesome. It's definitely a great addition to downtown Rockland.

The Mystery of Mercury Cove

Well, it was low tide yesterday at lunch time and instead of going to the store with the guys, I decided to skip down to the beach where I found last week's Mercury dime. I prowled around for a half an hour or so and didn't come up with much: an old steel button (probably off a pair of hundred year old jeans), a small lead fishing weight (I always think it's gold), and a bunch of rubbish. I saws my lunch was running out and knew I had to get back to the stone work, but I really wanted to find something good first. I detected my way to the edge of the beach and up onto the trail leading through the woods to the job site, where I was surprised to find the ground had thawed in the recent 40 degree temps. I swung the coil around the mouth of the path and got a strong signal in the silver range, a 12-10 I think. Sure enough, out pops this little silver 1917 dime and I was skipping back to lunch, happy as a Mercury Cove clam.
As I said, this is the second Merc I have found at this beach, which is surprising when you see the beach. I mean, it's not even accessible without scaling down the side of a mountain through the woods, and is only a visible patch of rocky sand about 20 feet by 20 feet at low tide. But I guess someone was going there in the early 1900's, throwing silver dimes into the sea...

Beneath the Slab

As some of you may know, I am a stonemason by trade and co-own a small business by the name of Penobscot Stone, which also has a blog, accessible from my home page. So, last week I had the task of cutting an 8" wide by 8" deep by 15 foot trench in the concrete slab of a basement in a 19th century home. It turned out that the slab was just a "rat slab", which means it was only a few inches thick, and was quite easy to cut through with my 12" diamond saw blade, exposing the original clay subsoil beneath. Naturally, I could not resist sticking my Garrett Pro Pointer down there as I dug out the dirt. I didn't find much, just the incredibly worn and thinned out remains of an old copper coin, probably a large cent. I have never seen a coin so thin. Maybe it isn't even a coin, but it is definitely copper and just the right size. My only guess is that it was probably pressed right up against the concrete slab and just rubbing against it for the last 100 years.
The other object was not metallic at all, but a really beautiful oyster shell button that I just happened to notice as I sifted through the soil. I think it probably came from the button factory in Waldoboro, which was extremely active in the late 1800's and early 1900's, and whose product can found widely distributed throughout the midcoast.
Lastly, I am including a photo of an interesting bottle top, with an early rubber stopper inside, that I found on a recent detecting trip to a local beach.

That's Gold in Them Thar' Beach

First gold of the year, and really, first real gold ring ever, even though it's only half of one. It must be extremely old, to be as worn down as it is, probably beaten by the sand and surf and salt for a hundred years or more.