Look at all this neat stuff!Abalone marble People ask what my best or favorite find is. I really don’t know, but here are a few I think are really neat, and if I had to choose a current favorite, it would be that abalone marble in the middle. I found it with a wheat penny under a tree, so it likely dropped from the same pocket. It’s not made of abalone, but marble collectors refer to them that way, because the irridescent weathering of the glass resembles abalone shell. You may have seen something similar on old bottles that have been dug. It’s the same thing. Mildly acidic water in the soil l ..read more

I didn’t know people did this. Caches of anything are rare, especially buried ones. People tend to hide things where they’re easily accessible, which is usually inside, not buried. This is the second cache I’ve found over many years. The first was buttons and some costume jewelry, probably buried by some kids playing pirates. Two tins of percussion caps fused to several rifle rounds These were buried in tin cans. You can see the rust from the tin cans overlapping the green corrosion on the brass of the rifle rounds, and the two smaller tins of percussion caps that were inside have also mostly ..read more

Master printmaker and inventor of the stretchy-etching, Margaret Craig, has turned several of my metal detecting finds into small sculptures. These diecast cars were recovered and cleaned. Toys exposed to the elements for long periods of time undergo changes. Cars like these lose paint and parts, are crushed underfoot, fill with dirt, roots, and debris. No wheels! A metallic pink 1982 Camaro Z-28. A friend had a midnight blue and gold one of these and it was tons of fun. Much better! Photo by: Margaret Craig The artist added reef flowers to the finds. The two on the hood have applied and stret ..read more

I’d like to visit your property with my metal detector. What are you looking for? Small objects people have dropped over the years. Maybe someone lost a quarter or a secret decoder ring! Or better yet, a little doohickey that leads me on a quest for information. You can see some of the things I find in other posts. Here’s a recent find – a small brass ET Fraim padlock. I was able to identify it by the Keystone logo. Iron Age, Volume 48, Issue 1, p. 62, Chilton Company, 1891 What if I’ve lost something in the yard that I’d like returned? I’m happy to look for it and return it (see testimonia ..read more

I often don’t know what I have until I take a closer look. The other day I thought I’d found a small silver ring and a wheat penny. Turned out I didn’t have a wheat penny, and what I thought was a ring was just some shiny scrap in a dirt clod. Oh well. When I went through what was left in the bag the next day, I took a closer look at a small belt buckle. It had been run over and appeared to be silver plated. Here’s what it looked like after cleaning. buckle – front and back The corrosion and discoloration on the back tells me this is silver plate, but the mark reads: STERLING. I could also see ..read more

Coca-Cola has been hiding cash rewards under their caps in one form or another since at least the 50’s. There were baseball promotions in the 60’s, and a Star Wars promotion in the 70’s. Promotional flier for Coca-Cola Star Wars Cash Caps I find a ton of bottlecaps, the majority rusted beyond recognition of any beverage brand, but the aluminum pull tabs are often legible. And I find those. Not everyone played, and most folks didn’t bother with the pull tab version, so I retrieved tons of these in the 80’s. Most said “PLAY AGAIN,” but I found plenty worth .25, .50, and even a $1.00. Odds were 1 ..read more

I didn’t immediately realize this was a Barbie® watch. It’s not unusual to know exactly what I have until I go through things. But what is Poodle Parade®? Turns out it’s a limited edition doll released in 1996. Everyone loves a parade, and Barbie® doll could lead one in this reproduction of a 1965 Barbie® doll and vintage fashion. Her facepaint, sculpting and hairstyle are pure nostalgia, while her fitted olive green jumper and checkered knit coat make you yearn for the fashion sense of yesterday. Her accessories include a pink scarf, tote bag, sunglasses, trophy and first prize certificate ..read more

So it’s just this one turtle-shaped brass dish, but I like it. I started putting marbles in it as I found them. That’s the thing with metal detecting. You never know what you’re going to find. Sometimes a marble will be a few inches down with a penny, or exposed on the surface, and after awhile you can fill up a turtle dish. Here are some of them in a different dish. bird’s eye view of marbles Most of the marbles I find are the transparent clear glass ones in various colors – the type sold in craft stores. My favorite here may be the peewee, top-left near the red marble. I’m fond of the multic ..read more

Cub Scouts (CSA) Wolf neckerchief slide (brass) with no gold tone or enamel remaining. Cub Scout rank follows this path: Bobcat, Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos, Arrow of Light. The Wolf rank is worked toward in the second grade. Scout pins From left to right – Girl Scout (GSA) Curved Bar Pin – the highest award given to Girl Scouts. This pin was made between 1947 and 1963. The Gold Award is now the GSA’s highest. Girl Scouts 50-year anniversary pin (1912-1962). Cub Scouts Bobcat pin. Original pins Here’s how the pins would have looked when they were new. The post Scout Regalia appeared first ..read more

Bling! Made of the finest pot metal and paste – this stuff disintegrates quickly. These were probably dropped a few days ago. Sometimes the result is interesting – like this green-eyed feral cat. You can tell it’s feral, because it’s filthy and an ear’s been clipped. The post Faux My Gaud appeared first on Sean Ward ..read more