Metal detecting holidays in England with the World's most successful metal detecting club.

Twinned with Midwest Historical Research Society USA

 

  • Sept 2007 finds page

    Stunning 17thC working toy petronel pistol, note the barrel blew out due to overpacking of gunpowder.
    17th/18thC fob deal with bird impression
    UNITED KINGDOM
    MN - Wigram Line
    In use 1870 - 1915 ?
    Stewards Button
    Maker - Unknown

    Great condition 1696 William III copper farthing
    WWI Machine gun Corp
    Birmingham hallmark 1908 Silver vesta case - Maker T.H.H
    Generic Merchant Navy Officer
    ROYAL MARINES
    This button dates 1923 - 1952
    O/R's Tunic Button
    Maker = Smith & Wright, B'ham
    RMLI & RMA merged in 1923

    One piece Navy button

    HONI SOIT QUI MAN Y PENSE

    PACKET

    Honi soit qui mal y pense (Old French: shame upon him who thinks evil of it)

    RN - Packet Service
    ( Mail & Supplies Delivery )

    c.1800-1811
    Firmin & Co


    Irish Army 1920
    1911
    E Armfield & Co
    Birmingham
    WWI - WWI USA GI button

    London and county Bank

    1895
    Pitt & Co

    RN Capt / Commander - 1901
    Other Ship's Officers - 1901
    19thC Rams head livery button
    1871-1873
    Reynolds & Co
    50 St Martins Lane London
    British & Atlantic S.N. Co.
    The Liverpool Journal of Commerce chart for 1885 shows the British & Atlantic S.N. Co. with a white flag with red Prince of Wales's plumes in the centre

    S.M.R Volunteers

    Mounted Rifle Volunteers

    Georgian gilded button
    18thC clog fastener

    Victorian harness pendant
    Saxon period coin weight
    Circa 17th century

    A slightly convex symmetrical gilded mount with lobed ends, transverse ridges, and two integral pointed lugs

    Victorian decorated clasp
    1550-1650 spur buckle
    Army and Navy Co-opererative society
    1771 Russian lead bale seal
    18thC 2 Pennyweight and 14 grain coin weight - half gold guinea
    Decorated hawking whistle
    15thC lead token - long cross and pellet type
    Unrecorded 6th Regiment of foot button
    1586 Hans Krauwincel II Rose orb Jeton

    HANNS KRAVWINCKEL IN NVRENB

    1880 - 1918 Prussian Army belt fitting
    1880 - 1918 Prussian Army button

    15thC Spanish 8 real 2.76g 26.08mm Ferdinand of Aragon and Elisabeth of Castilla

     

    1199 King John hammered silver half penny - looks like Bury mint - need to get the books out to check
    Decorated Victorian finial with face design
    Saxon period hanger
    16thC decorated crotal bell with makers mark T
    17thc decorated crotal bell
    17thc decorated crotal bell
    ??
    1754 Dutch Zeelandia copper duit
    16thC coin weight Antwerp type
    Royal Thames Yacht club
    18thC Conder token - not checked it yet
    Circa 17th century

    A large mount in the form of an acorn; two integral pointed lugs on the back.

    1662 silver button to commemorate Charles II marriage

    12.91mm dia, 0.62g

    Mid 17thC Mourning silver token

    Obv 'Prepared be to follow me' CR T

    Rev 'I live and dy m loyal ye'

    19.88mm L x 19.02 mm W 1.14g

     

    16thC decorated Tudor button
    Bobby Bear club badge
    RN Capt / Commander - 1901
    Other Ship's Officers - 1901

    Henry V 1413-1422

    0.68g

    Roman bronze decorated knife pommel
    1625 Charles 1st hammered silver half groat
    Georgian harness plate with initials of farmer
    Bronze bird pipe tamper ? could be earlier as it looks very detailed for a tamper - one for the museum to look at
    17thC John Groome of Stoke by Nayland Suffolk Copper trade farthing
    1666 Thomas Peeke of Colchester hammered copper trade farthing
    17thC book clasp and hinge - rivet fixings

    1785 Russian Bale seal

    Obv SPB I GHR U 1785

    Rev Russian script ts, ya , E,

    Location O7

    St Petersburg

    Smalll bronze staue leg - possible Roman
    17thC spur buckle
    Curious find, copper alloy bar with hanging notches are both ends, like a purse bar but not as it the wrong shape, also like a balance scales but not. One to research
    18thC Spur buckle
    Early one piece military button - not checked the books yet
    17thC hammered copper trade farthing Bridport Dorset, William Bull
    Bronze decorated rectangular piece - possible early bowl leg
    17thC trade farthing - not checked the books yet
    Victorian gilded ornate jewelry clasp
    1603 James 1st XXIIs gold coin weight

    What a great find - Lord Nelson medallion

    Victory at Trafalgar and death

    'ADM Vicount Nelson Octb 21 1805'

    Really nice silver inlay Loyal North Lancashire badge
    1819 George III milled silver sixpence

    1stC AD Roman bronze

    28.44mm, 12.87g

    The quick answer is that it's Trajan, 97-117 A.D. (Hadrian's predecessor) and so has every good reason to be in Britain. Given the diameter and weight, it would be an As - also, although perhaps just a tad heavy for an As at nearly 13gm, I see no traces of the radiate crown which would indicate that it was a Dupondius (2 Asses).
    Now, on the downside (for the ID) - Trajan reigned for 20 years during a time of exceptional internal peace and prosperity in the Roman Empire.
    During Trajan's reign, the Empire achieved its largest size, measured in geographical area His reign saw literally thousands of different types of coins struck, most of which circulated until they were worn smooth, this being the era of the "Adoptive Emperors" with financial stability for nearly a full century enabling these coins to stay in crculation so long. Many call this the "Golden Age" of Rome. Since there is so little by way of detail visible on the reverse of your coin, I doubt it's going to be possible to say much more than that it's an As of Trajan, since there is so little to distinguish it from the hundreds of other possible Trajanic reverses.

    An interesting factoid about Trajan's coins: Not only did the Empire achieve its greatest size under his reign, the coins became longer-winded under him than any other ruler. Some of his sestertii have such an extensive laundry-list of his titles that they can have upwards of 75-80 characters in the obverse legend alone, then go on at even greater length on their reverses. For those of us who must type-up cards to go in coin-flips, Trajan's legends can be very challenging to fit onto a 2"x2" fliptag.

    I'll try enlarging, tweaking and rotating the reverse image to see if I can make any sense out of it, but, as I said, Trajan had so many reverse types it may be hopeless.

    Mark


    C1000 BC Bronze Age socketed axe head fragment 37.44mm L 55.91mm W x 13.52 mm T

    1760's 2 pennyweights and 2 grains coin weight - 1/2 gold guinea
    RN Capt / Commander - 1787
    RN Lieutenant - 1787
    Circa 17th century

    A slightly convex symmetrical mount with lobed ends, transverse ridges, and two integral pointed lugs

    10th/11th Saxon period bridal cheek piece fragment
    RN Capt / Commander - 1787
    RN Lieutenant - 1787

    Saxon C600-775 AD Silver Sceat - 1.13g,11.28mm

    '(Series C2), which I have recorded as EMC 2007.0228'.

    'Semmi Di Milano'

    Maker

    R.E.Hayward

    21 Rouverll St London

    1950's lead toy plane
    Georgian heavy horse harness name plate
    18thC bayonet frog
    1834 William IIII milled silver sixpence
    1572 Elizabeth 1st hammered silver three half pence - intial mark Ermine 3rd issue with rose and date
    1589 Elizabeth 1st hammered silver half groat ( 2 pence) - intial mark Crescent 5th issue without rose or date
    French 1808 Napoleon 2 Franc milled silver coin

    16thC decorated copper alloy ring

    17th/18thC apothecary weight 1 dram

    1422- 61 Bronze uniface Crowned Three lis in shield French Ecu gold coin weight 2.96g. Letters by the shield indicate French not English version.
    French copper- alloy Jeton 1380AD Obv Shield of France bearing three feur de lys
    Early Navy button - not checked the reference books yet

    Victorian Generic Military HQ Staff Officer

    Smith & Wright
    Birmingham

    1840 -81

    Royal artillery cap badge
    Great find WWI tank corp cap badge
    19thC sword hanger
    Military button - not checked the reference books yet
    18thC clog fastener
    Medieval silver decorated hawking bell fragment - reported as treasure - 10.08mm H x 17.03mm W, 0.65g
    18thC clog fastener
    1550-1650 buckle
    French Infanterie de ligne (1871-1916)
    Bristol Docks Authority
    In use 1820 - 1992
    Royal Horse Artillery
    Generic Issue


    Officer & O/R's - 1873-1901

    18thC clog fastener
    Georgian decorated lock plate with unicorn design
    Medieval D buckle
    1816 George III milled silver sixpence
    Complete Post medieval lead cloth seal
    Post medieval copper alloy casket hinge
    1800's Russian lead bale seal
    Medieval mount or hanger with 2 rivet fixogs
    18thC clog fastener
    Interesting piece - Number 3 made out of nails ?
    Possible bullion weight - not checked books yet
    Circa 17th century

    A large mount in the form of an acorn; two integral pointed lugs on the back.

    Victorian Generic Military HQ Staff Officer

    Smith & Wright
    Birmingham

    1840 -81

    Victorian Generic Military HQ Staff Officer

    Smith & Wright
    Birmingham

    1840 -81

    Neat copper -1853 Victorian 1/2 farthing (1/8th of a penny)
    1272 AD Edward 1st hammered silver penny
    Printing press block ?
    1817 George III gold half sovereign - new coinage type
    1843 Victoria gold half sovereign
    Post medieval Bronze leg and foot
    1717 Foreign copper coin - not checked ref books yet
    15thC lead token
    19thC Silver 6 penny token HM - Payable by a £1 note for 40 of these at Morgans toekn manufactory 12 Rathbone place London
    Post medieval lead cloth seal
    20thC fruit machine token
    George V Florin (2 shillings) forgery
    16thC Elizabeth 1st hammered silver sixpence
    1550 - 1650 buckle
    1831 William IIII milled silver six pence
    Great condition 1698 William III copper half penny
    Medieval copper alloy mount - 2 rivet fixing
    ca 1720-40 1/2 Moidor Portuguese gold coin weight
    1879 Victorian milled silver sixpence
    17thC George Nicholson hammered copper trade farthing - grocers, Thorpe le Soken Essex - not dated type
    Medieval bronze key
    19thC livery button
    Medieval spur rowell
    Facinating lead dragon find -dated as Medieval
    18thC
    5 pennyweights and 8 grains coin weight - gold guinea
    1625 Scottish Charles 1st hammered silver 20 pence
    Hammered silver half groat made into a medallion
    Huge 19thC Royal Exchange Insurance button
    Could be 19thC General Post Office
    1816 George III milled silver six pence
    1272 AD Edward 1st hammered silver penny
    Really crisp

    4thC Roman bronze - sent off for ID

    2.93g, 19.67mm

    You're probably already aware it's Constantius II (337-361 A.D. - Constantine's youngest son and longest-surviving of his successors)- although the fact that it's his and not his brother's is not quite as obvious as you might think - older brother Constans shared the purple with Constantius until 350 A.D. and so had an almost equal number of the earlier types of FEL TEMP REPARATIO's struck in his name. It's the fact that the legend breaks where it does - DN CONSTAN - TIVS PF AVG - that shows that it's Constantius rather than Constans - his legend would break
    at: DN CONSTA - NS PF AVG for this issue. The new, silver-plated AE Centenionalis series replaced Diocletian's much reduced and abused Follis as a part of the monetary reforms of 348 A.D.
    and managed to produce some fairly nicely sized and well-worked coins before succumbing to the same economic pressures that did-in the Follis.

    The reverse type is one of those marvels of Roman symbolic art - they packed a lot of PR (some might say propaganda) into those reverse types. This was really one of the few venues for official mass-media in the proto-literate Roman era - which lacked any of the communication devices we take for granted like newspapers, etc.
    The idealized personification of the emperor stands boldly (perhaps remindng Yanks of a certain famous painting of George Washington crossing the Deleware River in the snow), he holds a radiate (Sol or Helios' radiate crown) Phoenix and a labarum (legionary banner with the Christian Chi-Rho symbol on
    it) - deftly blending pagan and Christian symbolism, foot (in mastery) atop the prow of a galley steered by Victory - you gotta love it! The legend is the well known FEL(icitas) TEMP(orum) REPARATIO - "Happy days are here again" (actually it's closer to "[to] the return of happy times", but not so much closer that "happy days are here again" is way off the mark) Before settling into the overdone, stereotypical "Soldier spearing fallen horseman" type, the FEL TEMP series produced some other interesting types - I'm also fond of the type showing the Emperor leading a young barbarian forth from a hut under a tree (or dragging him - depends on who you read...)

    Too bad the exergue is unclear - we won't be able to be certain about where it was minted unless a little careful cleaning in that area reveals some detail - I'll guess it's a Western European mint on the rather vague basis of "style". I was hoping the fact that there's no officina or sequence marks in the reverse fields might narrow down the list of possible mints some, but as it turns out, Antioch was the only mint which never struck this type without any fieldmarks.

    You didn't specify a diameter this time, but using your fingers as a rough gauge, I'm guessing it's around 22-24mm, right?
    This type in this size dates from the earlier emissions, post reform - mostly in the 348-351 A.D. timeframe before the AE2 (larger) module was completely replaced by the AE3's (smaller).
    Some folks call this denomination a "Centenionalis", although this terminology, like most of what we think we know about the denominations after about 310, is theoretical at best - it may also or alternately have been called a "Majorina" - or it might have been neither. We know the names of these denominations, but frustratingly, we don't know with certainty the coins to which they refer.

    Mark

    2ndC Roman bronze knee brooch
    Possible Bronze age Terret ring
    East India Company, V (5) Cash from Madras, India.
    1700 William III copper half penny in great shape
    RN Capt / Commander - 1787
    RN Lieutenant - 1787
    1666 Thomas Peeke of Colchester hammered copper trade farthing

    One piece Navy button

    HONI SOIT QUI MAN Y PENSE

    PACKET

    Honi soit qui mal y pense (Old French: shame upon him who thinks evil of it)

    RN - Packet Service
    ( Mail & Supplies Delivery )

    c.1800-1811
    Firmin & Co

     

    1625 Scottish Charles 1st hammered silver 20 pence
    1787 Dutch duit coin

    Roman bronze signet ring - the face is worn but appears to be T 2.43g, 21.25 mmdia

    Loyal Harwich volunteers

    Maker Treble gilt

    1834 William IIII milled silver 6 pence
    17thC hand decorated button
    1719 French copper coin - Louis XVI
    Tiny copper alloy domino - Georgian 13.18mm Long
    Possible Rifle Regiment - not checked the books yet
    Manchester transport button
    1741 Portuguese 5 Reis copper coin
    Real nice 1862 Victoria copper half penny

    Stunning condition Irish 1760 George III 'Voce Populi' issue copper halfpenny

    obv VOCE POPULI

    REV HIBERNIA

    1821- 6 George IV copper half penny - never seen one of these
    19thC livery button
    15thC lead token

    1stC Roman 17.27g, 28.42mm dia, 4.51mm thick sent off for ID

    The "guy riding the lion" is actually the Eastern goddess Cybele, whose cult was popular in Rome in the later 2nd century. Her "consort" (weird thing to call him under the circumstances) Attis, as the mythos goes, castrated himself and well as performing a related - ahem - amputation in order that he not be distracted in any way in the purity of his devotion to Cybele - so it was a cult with eunuch priests - whether, if the criticisms of the era are accurate and these ad-hoc operations were actually carried out on the spur of the moment by devotees in transports of holy ecstasy joining in the course of the parades and processions this sect was fond of holding, is something I tend to doubt - but the histories are, after all, written by the victors and they got to say pretty much whatever they wanted to, eventually.
    Cybele is seen here riding a lion - typically you'll see her either enthroned, flanked by her lions, or driving a trimuphal chairot pulled by lions. She's wearing a turreted headdress, and carrying a drum (also a typical attribute) and scepter.

    Now, we come to the issues this coin presents - it seems, from the size, as though it should be an As - but this type isn't listed for anything in AE except Sestertii in any of my references - and actually, at 28+mm & 17.27gm, it's really too large and heavy to be an As of the era, so it pretty much has to be a Sestertius. I have several sestertii of Commodus very close to this in weight - less than 20gm - in my collection.

    RIC III, Rome, # 599 AE Sestertius - 191 A.D.
    Obv: (all off-flan, unfortunately, but should be:) L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL. Laureate head right.
    Rx:: (Also just about all off-flan) MATRI DEVM CONSERV AVG / COS VI PP (in
    exergue) S - C (in fields)
    Cybele, "towered", facing, riding right on lion and carrying drum and scepter

    It's pretty scarce, too, rating an "R2" in RIC and carrying a retail estimate in David Sear's RC&TV of 2-3 times as much as the more common sestertii for this reign. Dating to 191, it's from the next-to-last year of his reign - by this time he seems to have lost touch with reality and was performing in the gladitorial arena on a regular basis (mostly killing
    animals) In this time-frame, he also had himself portrayed wearing the lion-skin headdress of Hercules (and Alexander the Great) on his coins with reverse type of Hercules' club - so, he was pretty well out there by the end of his reign. http://www.stoa.org/gallery/album95/CommodusHerc

    1stC Roman 12.49g,26.6mm dia, 3.97mm thick

    The other, less-well preserved coin appears to be an As of Trajan (98-117
    A.D.) It's actually a bit heavy to be an As, so it might be a Dupondius - however I can't see any traces of the radiate crown which would distinguish the denomination as a Dup...
    The reverse seems to be a "trophy" - a pile of arms & armor ceremonally set up after a battle in commemoration - a fairly common reverse for Trajan..

    See: http://www.stoa.org/gallery/album91/ML11_Trajan_Trophy_dup for a specimen from my own collection, similar to what I think this one is -

    Mark

    1817 George III milled silver shilling
    1625 Charles 1st hammered silver half groat
    1704 Queen Anne milled silver sixpence
    Medieval long cross hammered silver penny fragment
    1603 James 1st hammered silver sixpence
    17thC Thomas Reynolds bay maker of Colchester hammered copper trade farthing
    1560-1 Elizabeth 1st hammered silver penny - Martlet mintmark 2nd issue

    1582 - 4 Elizabeth 1st hammered silver half groat (2 pence)

    Fifth issue A mintmark

    Great find - copper shilling - Aug 1689 James II Irish 'gun metal' emergency coinage

    Obv 1 - JACOBVS II DEI GRATIA - Rev 1

    Georgian swivel fob seal
    15thC lead token
    15thC lead token
    Medieval spur rowell
    1634 Charles 1st Rose hammered copper farthing
    19thC hunting button
    18th/19thC apothecary weight
    1844 Victorian milled silver four pence
    PROBABLY ?
    Germany / Prussia
    Army
    WWI & Prior
    Maker - Unknow

    Very unusual Georgian watch winder

    Great condition Roman bronze 307AD

    6.45g, 27.98mm


    it's Maximinus II, as Caesar - not to be confused with either Maximian or Galerius, both of whose legends are extremely similar-looking. And also, no relation to Maximinus I, "Thrax", from nearly a century earlier.
    It's a follis, and a nice, big, earlier one - before they were scaled-down to the size of a newpence.
    This one is a product of the mint at London, too - always desirable.

    RIC vol VI, London, # 89a, Summer, 307 A.D.
    Obv: GAL VAL MAXIMINVS NOB C. Laureate draped and cuirassed bust right.
    Rx: GENIO POP ROM. Genius (of the Roman People) standing left holding patera and cornucopia.
    Exergue: PLN (?) this is where I have some issues on the basis of what I think I see in the photograph - it looks to me like "SLN" - and that would work if London had been striking in more than a single officina at that time - so SLN would indicate second officina, but, according to RIC, they weren't striking in two workshops in London at this time- so, maybe I'm just not seeing it correctly - it looks like an "S" to me although it should be a "P".

    Mark

     

    Post medieval lead bale seal
    Interesting do dad
    17thC Small bronze ring
    1639-4 Charles 1st hammered silver sixpence - Tower mint under Charles 1st Triangle mintmark
    1696 William III milled silver sixpence - Early harp large crown York mint
    1697 William III milled silver shilling (12 pence)- Later harp small crown 3rd bust type

    1560-1 Elizabeth 1st hammered silver groat (4 pence)

    1st Issue Martlet mintmark

    1199AD King John hammered silver penny 1.00g, 16.54mm
    1645 Charles 1st hammered silver penny - Ashby mint
    18thC Spanish milled silver pillar real

    Neat Dutch railway button

    NEDERLAND SCHE

    SPOORWEGEN

    Lead gaming piece
    1603 James 1st hammered silver half groat (2 pence)
    17thC decorated mount with two integral lugs
    1553 Mary hammered silver groat ( 4 pence)
    16thC decorative mount with two integral lugs
    British railways button
    15thC Cockerel barrel tap key - makers mark cross
    19thC Lion livery button
    British railways button
    AD 1500-1650 buckle
    1920 George V milled silver sixpence
    WWII Royal Marines
    1586 Hans Krauwincel II Rose orb Jeton

    HANNS KRAVWINCKEL IN NVRENB

    French Infanterie de ligne (1871-1916)
    Unknown button
    19thC livery button
    WWII Royal air force
    ??
    1793 Suffolk Sudbury Halfpenny Conder

    OBVERSE: Shield of Arms of Sudbury; dog, lion. MAY THE TRADE OF SUDBURY FLOURISH. REVERSE: PRO BONO PUBLICO 1793. EDGE: PAYABLE AT GOLDSMITH & SONS SUDBURY .XXX.

    Stunning decorated 16thC crotal bell with makers mark I
    16thC Tudor button
    18thC pastry jigger wheel

     

    Bronze age /Romano British bronze piece - possible lynch pin or terret, sent to museum for ID

    18.42g, 45.34mm L x9.17mm Thickest , tapering to 5.79mm dia

    Bronze age casting plug 54.75g, 31.09L x 27.77mm Wx 22.00mm H
    Great find - 1640 English civil war cannon ball 1.8inch, 45.25mm dia, 11.2 oz - next to Victorian sixpence for size

    One piece Navy button

    HONI SOIT QUI MAN Y PENSE

    PACKET

    Honi soit qui mal y pense (Old French: shame upon him who thinks evil of it)

    RN - Packet Service
    ( Mail & Supplies Delivery )
    c.1800-1811
    Firmin & Co

     

    Croydon Corporation transport button
    16thC decorated mount - silgle integral lug
    1842 Victorian milled silver four pence
    1889 Victorian milled silver sixpence
    French Infanterie de ligne (1871-1916)
    Huge Jetton like coin - no researched it yet
    Stunning condition 1649 Commonwealth hammered silver one pence (period without a king)
    17thC copper alloy oval mount with single integral lug
    18thC cup type bullion weight

    Very unusual decorated 16thC Tudor button
    Medieval gilded mount - two rivet fixing
    Royal Automobile Club button
    Georgian dress button
    Prussian 1870-1914 belt fitting
    Prussian 1870-1914 button