Today's old house site finds

Metal Detecting Discussions Finds!
#1

Spent a couple hours today at my favorite demolished house site that probably dates back to the 1800s, or early 1900s at the latest. This is my fifth time detecting here this year. Last time I found an early 1900s Southern Railway padlock in a field about 200 yards from where the house stood.

This time I spent all of my time in what would have been the front, side, and back yards of the house. There is iron and other junk everywhere, as is to be expected for a demolished house, but I did manage to pull a few things out. Nothing was especially deep–the wheat cents were maybe 2-3" down.

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I am pretty sure the cylindrical object next to the wheat pennies is a Schrader valve stem cap for an old car (threaded on the inside). It is chrome plated brass.

The rightmost wheat penny that I couldn’t get a complete date from was bent like a taco when I dug it up. I flattened it with a hammer, and the details are only really visible when side-lit with a flashlight.

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Here are all of the wheat pennies I have found at this site (7). Two of them are 1909 which makes me think that there are probably some Indian head cents in the ground (I have mostly been digging copper penny and above signals so far). Next time I will definitely focus on the Indian cent range (17 thru 20ish VDI on my Vanquish 440).

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#2

Congrats on getting out! Couple first year wheaties is a good sign, aside from the IHP’s, I’m surprised you haven’t snagged a silver yet.

You think someone else is local to you and hunting/cherry picking the places you’re hunting?

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#3

I’ve never seen anyone else detecting in my immediate area, and I don’t think that this site has been detected recently. But the house was standing until the mid 1990s, so it could have been detected back then. Someone could’ve come through and just dug silver signals I guess.

That, or there aren’t many silver coins to be found (rural farmhouse location after all), or I just haven’t gotten my coil over them yet. Silver would be nice, but I’ll be happy if I find some Indian cents.

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#4

Just odd from seeing your finds, you haven’ t pulled a silver yet. LOL, I promise I’m in one of the poorest areas there is, but still luck into a silver now and then. Some of the old share-cropper shacks I’ve hunted I was lucky to find a single wheatie, or tax token.

I guess it makes you appreciate them more when you have to work harder for them.

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#5

Went back today for a couple hours. No old coins this time, but I did find multiple brass relicky things.

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This thing has a gear on it, not sure what it is.

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This is the best find of the day. A brass medallion off of an old hand saw. The text says “H DISSTON & SONS PHILAD’A.” There is a surprising amount of info about these medallions online, and I was about to date this one to between 1878 and 1888. Sort of confirms my suspicion that this house dates back to the late 1800s or possibly earlier.

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#6

Square/gear item is the “guts” of a clock.

Glad to see someone’s getting out.

Back to 100* temps here, so after about 10AM I make a dive for the A/C.

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#7

Also glad you could get out. Ground is like concrete here.

Steve

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#8

Thanks for the ID. May be junk, but at least it is old and interesting junk instead of just an aluminum can or something.

Only about 90° around here the past few days, and I have been detecting before noon when it is still in the 80s. Probably won’t last sadly.

#9

Ground has been like concrete here too mostly, but got a little rain the past few days so I have been taking advantage of it.

#10

I just happen to look closer at the 2nd pic, and if you look you’ll see the winder (peanut shaped wire) which would have stuck out of the back of the clock.

Heck yeah, relics over can slaw any day.