Hunting with the Treasure Whisperers.

I've been thinking of what it must be like to detect a known battlefield, colonial fort or some other historical site and I started to realize that a lot of the excitement I get from finding old military related relics on the farm comes from not knowing how they ended up here. Each relic recovered is like a newspaper clipping and slowly, hole by hole, we get to stick it all together and hopefully end up with a headline and possibly a paragraph or two that bring to the surface past events that perhaps, have never been passed on or written in the history books.

Although the cold weather has prevented my lazy bones from getting to watch the sun rise over the cane fields I did manage to get out a few times this past week during lunch and for some sunset sessions. On one of those sunset sessions, while failing dismally to finish a lane before it was completely dark , I got a decent mid 50s signal. The Nokta Makro Simplex has a backlit screen which really comes in handy as I seem to have a habit of hitting good signals in those few minutes between just being able to see and complete darkness. 

American Great Seal Pocket Button.

 Another Great Seal pocket button, so now I have four Great Seal buttons from four different locations on the farm. This one has a clear back-mark "City Button Works NY". The references I could find point to WW1 but the people on the forums I belong to reference   collectors books that put the manufacture date from 1902 to the end of World War 1. 

I've tried to research the link these buttons have to the Boer war and I can't find anything online other than fellow detectorists saying they find a lot of them at Boer War sites. If it wasn't for the Transvaal Artillery Button I found here too I think I would be looking for alternative theories. The 2nd Boer war ended in May 1902 and 2 of the Great Seal buttons found here were manufactured somewhere in 1902. From what I've read the Boers were in the Guerilla warfare phase of the war by then and were dressed as civilians so the theory of uniforms being bought from America doesn't quite seem to fit but I am determined to find out.

Another item I dug up recently in the near darkness that is also still a mystery is a small badge that looks like it had a pin at the back. I'm not sure if it's military, a family crest or a school badge. None of the forums or groups I belong to have been able to identify it and my Google searches haven't turned anything up either. 

The weekend finally arrived and we got to enjoy some family time on the fields. I didn't get anything good on Saturday but my wife got this really old bullet. Definitely from the right time period to be colonial or Boer War related. 

I was under pressure to produce the goods but then on Sunday she got another old bullet this time a very out of shape Martini-Henry bullet. 

Fired Martini-Henry Bullet

Together with it's friends. 

Earlier that day I did dig a mid-tone that didn't look like much coming out the hole so I just left it in my finds tray. I usually clean these "junk" items anyway, just to be sure. What I thought could be a button turned out the be the back of a button with an identifiable back-mark. "Smith & Wright Birmingham" went straight into Google and what do you know? Result after result for British military buttons. I do wish this had come out whole, I only have one British Military button from the fields so far but it's a good indication there will be more.

My wife and daughter have been working on a fitting name for their detecting duo and on Sunday afternoon they nailed it! "The Treasure Whisperers". So now it's Digable Tones vs the Treasure whisperers and let me tell you competition is fierce! Oh, and I seem to be a bit behind at the moment. 😀

A new field of possibilities, freshly cleared. 

On Sunday afternoon we took a quick sweep over this field and got some harmonica reed remnants, 2 keys, a 1c coin, and some pieces of very fine brass mesh that I need to research. I find bits of this stuff everywhere. The field looks promising but it's about a 1.5km walk so it looks like we will need to leave early one weekend and pack some lunch.

I still get the feeling that there is a field out there that is going to really help us fill in the backstory of this beautiful farmland. It's just a matter of time, and a few cane-fires and we'll find it.

Ominous Sunset.

I

A Mauser and a Massey-Harris.

So I soon got tired digging up trash that dates anywhere from yesterday to 100 years or so ago. Well truth be told, I actually enjoy digging up junk as long as it's old. There's something about the pride that was taken to manufacture products a century or more ago that doesn't seem present in today's "instant" world.

Take this mini lipstick tube I dug up, made of brass and decorated in finely etched butterfly patterns. The Kissproof Midget dates back to the 1920's and was apparently revolutionary for it's time, although some sources claim the lipstick contained poisonous chemicals.  It's tiny, a mere 37 millimeters in length and about as thick as a pencil. 

Kissproof Midget Lipstick Tube

I decided to revisit one of the fields we had already worked when it was first cleared. I figured seeing as the sugarcane was starting to grow now I could use this structure to ensure we have swung a coil over the entire area. I had also in the past week unearthed another American Great Seal button so I was keen to see if we could uncover a little more of this military mystery. 

It would seem I need to research these buttons in more detail as they are extremely common at Boer War sites. I heard another theory this week that seems more probable. Although Americans did volunteer in the 2nd Boer War they did so without their governments backing so it is unlikely that they would have used their official uniforms. I saw a post stating that the Transvaal government at the time purchased army surplus from the States and didn't replace the buttons which could explain why they are so common they are at Boer War sites. 

Smaller Great Seal Button

For scale: 2 Great Seal Buttons and a R1 coin.

 

The first day turned up a few junk items that sounded beautiful which indicated that there were items we had missed previously. I also found this Eley shotgun shell with that beautiful green patina that tells me it's nice and old. The headstamp reads "Eley London, No. 12". The research isn't too clear on the exact date but the website  aussiemetaldetecting.com  dates it anywhere from 1895 to 1919. Nice! Love that old stuff!

Eley London, No. 12 Shotgun shell

So there's definitely more to find here but we are going to have to spend some long quiet hours walking the field. Quiet is a good contrast to symphony of chaos that is the junkyard surrounding the old farmhouse at the top of the hill.

The weekend arrived and just before my wife and daughter joined me on the field I got a very "iffy" signal and dug up what I believe to be the remains of a Martini-Henry bullet casing. From what I've read they corrode and disintegrate fairly quickly. The metal does seem rather thin. and the size of the base (19.3mm) is consistent with a Martin-Henry round. 

Possible remains of a Martini-Henry Bullet Casing

 

So now with 2 detectors swinging over the field I was sure we would turn up something interesting and I was right. I noticed my 10 year old daughter, shovel in hand, digging quite a sizable hole so I strolled over to take a look. A spoon, not just any spoon, an old spoon. Unfortunately it wasn't in perfect condition but it's definitely old. I can't find the exact one online but similar ones with the same inscription are dated between 1900 and 1940.  Could this have been a temporary military camp site or was the farmer enjoying a hot meal out in the field? I wonder?

Soup spoon with the words
"Silver Nickel, Sheffield England"
engraved on the handle.

I decided to dig an iron signal in the very next row about 40 centimeters from the spoon and dug up 2 rusty nails and a very oddly shaped bone. I'm not sure what kind of animal this was from as it is not even vaguely familiar but perhaps it made for a tasty soup?

Well my daughter had won that round, not that this is a competition, but this field is still not finished and there is more to come I'm sure. The weekend faded into Monday and we took the gap to do a quick lunchtime hunt. In the dying minutes of my lunch hour I spotted my daughter once again wielding the shovel. "Leave something for me to find" I giggled to myself as I walked towards her. Out came another old bullet casing and this one also looked like it has seen better days. Unfortunately not whole but the size of the base (12mm) matches that of a Mauser bullet casing which would be fitting for the Boer War as it was one of the rifles used by the Boers. We are going to try and clean the base a little to see if we can get a headstamp of some kind to properly identify it. 

So the competition is on, so maybe it is a competition, to see who can find the next special piece of history. On one of the trips back from the field I was swinging just at the edge of another field and hit a decent mid-tone that proved to be quite a cool find. Not military but interesting nonetheless. A Matchbox Massey-Harris toy tractor. "Massey-Harris? Don't you mean Massey-Ferguson?". That's what I thought while squinting at the tiny lettering through my most powerful magnifying glass. This tiny toy tractor was produced from 1953-1956 and is made entirely out of metal. The Massey-Harris company bought out the Ferguson company in 1953 forming Massey-Harris-Ferguson and securing them as the worlds number 2 manufacturer. This was later shortened to Massey-Ferguson in 1958.

Image showing where the Massey-Harris
branding is on this tiny toy that is a mere 4cm in length.

Another fun week of metal detecting with an interesting variety of finds. There are so many places on the farm we haven't detected yet so who knows what we'll dig up next?

The sun sets over another successful day of detecting.

The old farmhouse at the top of the hill.

When we first moved to the farm, back when the idea of getting a metal detector was a distant dream, the old farmhouse at the top of the hill ignited our imagination with glimpses of coins and jewelry buried beneath our feet.  

The remaining foundation of the old farmhouse.

When our detector arrived and the permission had been granted,  remember rule #1, we rushed up to the top of the hill. As it often goes with dreams, the flowery euphoric creations the mind brings forth are often far from reality. What we soon learnt is that an old farmhouse has both vintage and modern trash and it's everywhere. 

With the arrival of the Nokta Makro Simplex ,which has better separation, recovery speed and  increased depth I thought that this area would come alive, and it did in the same sort of way that an orchestra compares to a single instrument. So many signals it's actually quite overwhelming. The old farm house at the top of the hill is going to be a long term project as we target area by area removing all the trash people have dumped there over the past 100 years or so.

I'm estimate the house not being more than 100 years old based on the Coronation Bricks that were used in it's construction.  The Coronation Brick and Tile company was formed in 1916 when the Storm Bothers Brick works amalgamated with the Greenwood Park Brick Co. 

So what have we found in this area to date;

• 2 x 1c coins from the 70's
• 1 x 10c coin from 1971
• 1 harmonica reed
• 2 buttons
• 1 Penny - 1956 (see post "It seems sunset is also a good time for Dirt Fishing"
• Brass Naked Lady Bottle opener. (Naked Lady is not a brand in case you are wondering.)
• The back of a Sovereign Case or possibly a small pocket watch. 
• Might be Gold plated, definitely a pocket watch, cover.
• Brass or Copper door knob
• Paraffin lamp oil cap.  

2 Piece Button similar in construction to the military
buttons I have found. 

More Modern Aluminium Button with an
Eye or Boat Design. 

Possibly the back to a small pocket watch or a
sovereign case used to carry coins. 

Old Door knob

Naked Lady Bottle opener, 
I told you it wasn't a brand name. 

Pocket watch cover with initials DTP engraved on it.

Close-up of the initials on the pocket watch cover.

So there have been a few things coming out of the ground around the old farmhouse at the top of the hill but it's hard work I tell you. If I were to say we have dug over 500 bottle caps I might be lying, it might be more.😀

Another view of the top of the hill. 

Sunset from the top of the hill.

Same sunset a little earlier and zoomed in.

New Beginnings.

So the fires ravaged the fields removing the unwanted leaves, the workers came wielding specially bent pangas and the fields were completely stripped to the soil. Then the rains came and it rained hard for 2 days straight. Seven days after the fire the new shoots are already starting to sprout, This is a relief, detecting a field with no way of tracking one's progress can be very frustrating, especially when you come across a hole you just dug 20 minutes ago while weaving back and forth trying to cover an area.

The phoenix rising from the ashes.

So with the hope of involving the whole family we ordered a second metal detector. The "Bounty Hunter" now belongs to my daughter and my wife and we were able to buy the Nokta Makro Simplex thanks to the money we've been saving on petrol during lockdown.

New machine, new sounds, new target ID's...eish! I feel like I'm starting over from scratch, digging up foil, bottle caps and other undesirables. There is a lot I've learnt that I can carry over so the learning curve should hopefully be limited to getting to know the new machine.

So far it's racked up 5 coins, 2 harmonica reeds and a cool 2 piece button. The button isn't military as far as I can tell but still an awesome find in a sugarcane field. The most notable coins are, a first-year of mintage 2c from 1965 and a 1962 1/2c, I now have 2 of those.

Oh! I finally found some pottery with markings on.

All in all the best treasure is still the experience. Being able to spend time in beautiful surroundings with my wife and my daughter is priceless. My cardiologist will be happy with the exercise I get these days too as I average about 5 - 7 kilometers of walking a day and some of it at a good pace trying to make it back home in time to start work.

And then there are the sunrise sessions....enough said!

Spoiled for Choice.

Things had been slow and I was nearly done with the Red field. It seemed the best targets were on the hillside. As the field leveled out I was hitting more iron and modern bullets, still no coins. I did find some old square-nails which are late 1800's to early 1900's. On Friday night the farmer burnt more fields. I was really hoping he was going to clear one field at a time so I can focus on an area before moving on but he had cleared the whole side of the koppie. Far too tempted by this open space I swung my detector over it on my way to the Red Field. Very quiet except the very occasional grunt of an iron signal. Then a nice squeaker of a signal snatched my attention. What could this be?

Best Ring Edge Button

Yet another button. This time a rather generic 4 hole button. A little research puts it as being used for various overalls and farming gear as well being used by the British Cavalry for their pants button. Dated late 1800's early 1900's. You can make up your own minds as to the origins, all I know is it's "old stuff" and that makes it an awesome find.

Other than a 1 Rand, "spendy", we didn't find anything else that weekend. What I did notice though is having rows of baby sugarcane to use as a guide and mark off as you go is actually a lot easier than having huge open space. Sometimes too much freedom means you don't know where you've been or where you need to go next.

When whistles break the silence.

Before sunrise one morning I started down the road between two very tall fields of sugarcane when I was greeted with a now-familiar snap, crackle pop sound that was rapidly getting louder. I stepped up the pace for fear of getting trapped only a few meters from a raging cane fire. As I got to the already cleared Blue Field I could see the fire was in the field above the Red Field and I was actually safe. "Yes!", I thought, "New ground to detect". I watched in amazement as I saw the skill and careful execution that goes into burning a field. Even though I was a fair distance off the heat generated by the blaze was quite intense. All this fire and me with no marshmallows. 

The morning was slow and I was already on my 2nd or 3rd row when I got an iron sounding signal with a hint of mid-tone. I decided to dig it.

OK, so if you played Button, Bullet, Coin or Spear with us you would all be wrong. As I was thinking it was iron I didn't apply as much finesse to the retrieval as I should have, so unfortunately I broke it in the process. Lesson learnt.

Trenching Whistle

This is apparently known as a "Trenching Whistle" and was used in the 2nd Boer War and WW1. There are some really cool ones with dates and writing on but this one is rather plain.

Some examples can be found at WarWhistles.com

As the sun disappeared over the horizon I took a quick sweep over the newly cleared field. What a strange sensation being able to swing the detector freely without having to worry about hitting the baby sugarcane on either side. I have high hopes for this field that is situated higher on the same hill and could possibly hold more clues to the unfolding mystery of this beautiful farm.