Beach bunt 2/26/2010

Beach hunt March 3

Beach hunt Feb 28th

14K Medalion, 10K earring with 8 .02 diamonds, 14K band

England Trip 3-12

1554 Mary, Hammered silver Groat

England Trip 3-16.

1544-1547 Henry VIII, Hammered silver groat

England Trip 3-18
1649 Commonwealth Hammered silver II pence

Henry III Hammered silver Shortcross penny fragment

England Trip 3-18

76 BC Roman Republican Silver denarius , L. Rustias, 76 BC.

Obverse: Helmeted head of young Mars right - asterisk-like XVI in monogram below chin, SC behind.

Reverse: Ram standing right, L RVSTI in exergue - RRC 389/1, CRR 783, RSC-Babelon Rustia 1, SR 320

It's a little unlikely, but not inconcievable that this coin was still in active circulation when Claudius invaded Britain - it certainly would have been current when Caesar made his ill-fated attempts.  So it could have come either in pre-Roman trade, or during an early Roman incursion.

Engalnd Trip 3-23

1561 Elizabeth Hammered silver Shilling

1415-1497 French Stock jeton of Tournai - Three circle emblem of Tournai

Narrow armed single stranded cross fleuretty

1560's Elizabeth Hammered silver penny

400 AD Honorius Roman Silver siliqua

Rerverse VIRTVS ROMANORVM with seated Roma holding globe and spear, The style of the seated Roma is more in line with the end of the 4th century than the 380's - so I would hazard a guess that if we could read the obverse, it would be Arcadius or Honorius - c. 400 - the last two emperors in this era who used Aquilea or Milan.,So it's a siliqua, it has probably been clipped - possibly "officially" clipped to bring the weight into line with Saxon Sceatta.  Minted around 400 AD, it was probably in use for something approaching to 2 or 3 hundred years thereafter, although more likely as a part of a store of wealth than as a circulating coin.

The Royal Waggon Train (1802-1833)
button

Within a month of being created, part of the Corps arrived in Holland but because of the Treasury involvement, the vehicle establishment of 100 bread waggons, 100 forage carts, 20 hospital waggons and 10 forge carts had not been constructed and even by the time this campaign ended, still nothing had been done.

However, some good came out of this campaign in that it was generally acknowledged that an organised transport service was essential and that disciplined people accustomed to horses must be recruited.

A pause in hostilities brought about by the Peace Treaty of Amiens in 1802 gave a short breathing space to the contending powers.  By May the following year, Britain and France were again at war with France amassing an invasion army.

Following Nelson's victory at Trafalgar, the French marched away from the Channel to fight their continental enemies.  In 1807 they invaded the Iberian Peninsular determined to close all European ports to Britain.  In 1808 Sir Arthur Wellesley sailed to seize the naval base at Lisbon.  He took with him two troops of Irish Commissariat Waggon Corps.  By October these two troops had been incorporated into the Royal Waggon Train, bringing the strength to twelve troops - a total strength of 2000 all ranks.

Echelon duties in support of the Commissariat continued but now, where transport columns had to be protected, the Royal Waggon Train was increasingly involved in providing close support to the combat arms.  It became normal practice to split the organisation into small detachments in direct support of infantry or cavalry.

The landing in Portugal was to the north of Lisbon on the beaches at Mondego Bay.  It took a while but it did give Wellesley the time to organise his logistic support in a way which was to become familiar during his campaigns.  He was a master at solving logistical problems having learned his lesson whilst fighting in India.  His task was to ensure "the final and absolute evacuation of the Peninsula by troops of France".  Whitehall, however, maintained its ignorance of the logistics involved in a military campaign fought by an army over difficult terrain.

Within a month of landing in Portugal, Wellesley gave the French a foretaste of the capabilities of the British Army by defeating them at Rolica and Vimeiro.

The command of the British Army in the Peninsula during the winter campaign 1808-09 now passed to Sir John Moore, Wellesley having temporarily fallen out of favour for his involvement in the Treaty of Cintra which allowed the defeated French to sail home in British ships.  In October 1808 a British force under the command of General Sir David Baird landed at Corunna followed a weeks later by three troops of the Royal Waggon Train.  It was Moore's intention to hit the French lines of communication but he was forced to retire when he came up against Napoleon's army - a ratio of more than 6 to 1.

His retreat was no easy matter as waggons provided from local resources broke down and the hired drivers deserted with their teams.  Other waggons were too wide or inappropriate for the narrow roads.  Additional horses had to be harnessed to pull these waggons thus reducing the overall number of supply waggons.  The sprung waggons were used as ambulances with two men lying or eight men sitting.  Morale and discipline of the troops began to suffer and storage depots set up by Baird were ransacked by Moore's retreating troops.  This retreat ended with the Battle of Corunna in 1809 where Moore was mortally wounded.  

The Royal Waggon Train ended up being employed on mundane transport tasks and in 1815 was reduced to five troops and three years later to two before being disbanded in 1833.

18thc solid silver decorated clog fastner - PB over AB markers mark

London and bust hall marks

Peter & Ann Bateman

PB/AB. 1791 - 1800

Bateman workshop at Bunhill Row London 1794

Unrecorded 5th Dragoon Guard Button

Crimera war period

Solid silver dragon brooch - 1948 London hall mark

1917 2 ANNAS, India

1625-42 Charles 1st hammered silver half penny - Rose each side - no legend type

Probably one of the smallest hammered silver coins you can find, 1/3rd the weight of a Medieval silver farthing 0.17g, 9.5mm

1890 9 carat gold ring - Birmingham hall mark - Marker JM

3.36g, 18.95mm

1696 William III milled silver shilling

1422 Henry VI hammered silver penny - York mint - Archiepiscopal issue

Quatrefoil with pellet at centre of reverse cross

4-16 Hit a park for a couple hours 1929 merc and a 1905 barber dime plus 5 indians

Short hunt at the beach before work yields a 35" long 14K white gold chain. First chain in 2 years for me.

6-25 Hit a couple beaches with Mark this morning, 14K kids ring with emerald, 14K kids heart ring

6-28 Out by myself today, found a nice honey hole. 10K ring with 8 chip diamonds, silver yin and yang ring, 10 K wedding band.

6-30 2010 14K class ring, 20.1 grams

RETURNED!

7-1 small 10K chain and cross 3.5 grams, 14k gold band 2.1 grams, DIANA Platinum wedding band size 9, 11.6 grams

Now that a good day at the office!

7-15 , 14K ring with 4 diamonds, silver ring, silver ring,

7-20 another High School ring RSHS class of 2010. 10K 6.1 grams

RETURNED!

7/22 Got out for several hours this is my 3rd HS ring in 10 days. Will take some serious research to return this one as it only has a nick name inside, Class of 1981, ultrium

8/8/2010

Sorry about the lack of updates but if has been pretty bleak out there. I have gone out just about every morning for the last 2 weeks for 3 hours. Lots of junk and about 130.00 in change. only got 3 silver rings and some other junk jewlery.Finally yesterday I got a gold!

3 silver rings from the last week and a 14K man's white gold ring. 5.6 grams

8/11/2010

Hit the beach for 2 hours today. Slim pickings until I hit a rocky area pulled a 14K childs bracelet 6.3 grams and a silver ring.

8/12/2010

Another 2 hours of digging crap targets, my 2nd to the last signal...

18K with a 0.15 Diamond. Tested real! 2.6 grams

8/18/2010

Got to play from 7:30 am until 2 pm. In the last hour I got 2 keepers

14K diamond ring the center stone is at least a half carat 2.9 grams. What a beauty! The second ring was a silver honker 12.9 grams

8/19/2010

Manadged to hit a beach for 2 hours before work today, as usual not many targets but did score a small gold and another silver.

14K Wedding band with .01 Diamond, Silver spinner ring

8/21/2010

Man the first 2 hours in the water it rained like hell, I almost gave up then the rain stopped and 30 minutes later I was looking down at gold!

Found a nice cut along the shore got 2 gold and a silver.

14K Mens wedding band with 8 diamonds 5.7 grams, silver stud and 10K gold earring 2.3 grams.

9/10/2010

Vacation is over time to get back to some serious hunting before the season ends. I hit 2 beaches this morning, the first produced only coins and junk. The 2nd however gave up a nice ladies 14K white gold Saphire and diamond ring. 3.8 grams

9/14/2010

The beaches are all sanded in so I decided to hit a park for a couple hours. First land hunt since April.

I got about a dozen wheats and a 1907 Barber dime, in pretty nice shape.

9/15/2010

Well the High School ring I found on June 30th is finally home. I located the owner in early July, he finally made it to pick up his ring.

9/17/201

Found a nice parkway under construction. 5 blocks long did 2 blocks on the 16th got 4 silver coins and a bunch of wheat pennies, went back on the 17th and got 3 more silver coins and 2 silver rings.

9/19/2010

Had the Chicago detecting club Big beach hunt today. Got lots of silver and a Whites bullseyeII pinpointer. While we were on the beach a couple came up and said the wife had lost her wedding ring about 2 miles down the beach. I took a ride to try to find her Platinum and diamond ring. It took about 6 seconds to find! Upon exchanging names I realized their last name was Butkus, he is a relation to the famed football player! How Cool is that!

9/20/2010

Another out of town hunter here for a couple days, called to get out for a while. Ron from California. Good hunter! While I was with him he dug a couple rosie dimes and a 1899 indian then he got a nice multiple a merc, 3 rosies and 2 wheat pennies in 1 hole. After I left he texted me he got a 1902 Barber dime. Nice hunting with you ron!

I got 2 mercury dimes and an 1888 Indian plus lots of wheaties.

9/28/2010

Well folks I'm off to Jolly old England! I will try to post daily what we are finding. I will be running a 3 week hunt with 6 hunters plus me. We arrive Friday morning October 1st and will be hunting by 1pm. Check for updates after 5 pm daily!

10/1/2010

Were here! Arrived at 5 am, all the boys met a the rental car location by 10 am and it was off to Colchester. Unfortunatly it was raining. Got the boys in the fields by 1:30 and I had tour guide duties to fullfill. I didn't hunt at all on Friday, by the time i was finished puttting the bags put away and shopping for the week i onlly had an hour of daylight left and it was raining too hard. I must be getting old!

10/5/2010

Its Tuesday noontime, I just dropped the boys at mary's. Had internet issues all week, hope there done now!

The weather has not been cooperating at all. Satureday we hit the abby and MC's. The abby was uneventful all the usual stuff, the road half of the main abby is plowed and rolled the rest is still in stubble,but with all the rain, all the freshly done fields are serious boot stickers. MC's land is about half done, I got 1 little silver button and Jeff got that beautiful Saxon strap end.

Sunday we went to the new land, mostly grass. Greenies and lots of crap, then on Tim's we did the east fields not much to show for it I got a 1781 German 1 skilling silver a 1945 silver 6 pence and a 1807 G III copper penny in ok shape.

Yesterday we hit the Central abby land Jeff again held up the team with a French 1729 shilling sized milled silver and a Roman Silver. then to AB's marinni field, I managed a cut half long cross in the stubble then wondered over to the roman hill with a couple of the boys (long walk) Still pretty sticky but enough targets to keep us from getting bored.

Now I'm in the hot tub for 1/2 an hour and back to marys for a couple more hours of hunting. Hope I get another pony!

10/6/2010

It rained all night, a couple of the boys are haning at the barn for the morning, the rest of us are going back to the new land as it is all grass.

Yesterday on Mary's Jeff again scored big he got a hammered commenwealth II pence and his first gold coin after 32 years of detecting a 1787 George II half Guinea in very nice condition! Congrats Jeff! Terry also got gold, a locket with a stone in it. Don't know age yet! pic's to come.

10/7/10

Groat city and Central abby. Lots of good targets today! I got 2 hammered longcross and a Charles penny.

10/8/2010

Hit the central abby today. I got a 300 BC harness of turret ring. A couple of the guys got hammered silver coins and milled silver.

10/9/10

MC's land, silver shilling, slick William III 6 pence and a silver watch fob.

10/10/10

Tim's land. I did well on silver today with 5 pieces. A 1895 Vicky shilling, 1925 William shilling,1929 william six pence,and 2 silver pins.

10/11/10

BF's land behind the abby. 1566 Elizabeth hammered silver 3 pence, 1816 Georg bullhead six pence and a 1746 hibernia penny in vg shape!

10/12/2010

Pilgram fathers house in the morning 1580 Lizzie 6 pence, 1564 lizzie half groat and another unrecorded 5th Dragoon button and then Clackton in the afternoon. My first target was a roman silver 161AD