A
Anonymous
Guest
I find that not all treasures can be valued in dollars and cents. I, like all detectorists, am looking for coins and jewelery. But occasionally uncover something that I find has a value that is difficult to put a price on. Two cases in point.
My wife and I were hunting an old farmhouse site, nothing left but the foundation and the two holer outhouse, which in itself was a mystery. No house or outbuildings, just the outhouse! Off the corner of the foundation I had a good sized signal. Probably junk but I dug it. Down about 2-3 " was the top of a coffee can. Lordy, lordy I think. I found myself a cache! Disappointment set in the minute I lifted it from the ground. Too light but something was rattling around inside. Prying the rusted lid off, inside was a small bundle wrapped in what seemed to be waxed paper and newpaper. Inside the bundle was the very dry carcass of a bird. The newspaper was dated 1932. Someone, most likely a child, buried the bird. Worthless, yes. But to my nostalgic and sappy mind a great find since I can remember doing the same thing as a child.
Whle hunting the site of an old resort hotel which opened in 1900 and closed in 1972, again with my wife, she hit on what appeared to be a coin sized target. No more than 2" deep was a small round flat container approximately 2 1/2" in diameter. It went in the junk side of her apron. We got got back to our motel room , checked our finds and started to toss the junk. My wife said the round container she found looked like a ladies compact used to store face powder in. We washed it off, pried open the lid. Immediately a strong odor of face powder wafted out. In the inside of the lid was a cracked mirror. She had guessed correctly. A compact. Who knows when it was dropped by some woman, most likely a guest at the hotel. An hour later all traces of the perfumed scent had vanished. In our minds eye, we saw a young woman, most likely dressed in summer white, sitting under the 40' fir tree the compact was found under, freshening her makeup and then losing it in the grass. Although we did find some old coins and a ring or two at both these locations, the two finds that stick in our memory are the bird and compact. The feeling I always get when retrieving items from the ground, be it coins, jewelry, or such as the above, I know I am the first to touch it since the last owner did. It is as if I have reached back in time and was handed it by this last owner. Especially these very personal items. Treaure to most, no. But to my nostalgic and imaginative turn of mind, most certainly treasure.
My wife and I were hunting an old farmhouse site, nothing left but the foundation and the two holer outhouse, which in itself was a mystery. No house or outbuildings, just the outhouse! Off the corner of the foundation I had a good sized signal. Probably junk but I dug it. Down about 2-3 " was the top of a coffee can. Lordy, lordy I think. I found myself a cache! Disappointment set in the minute I lifted it from the ground. Too light but something was rattling around inside. Prying the rusted lid off, inside was a small bundle wrapped in what seemed to be waxed paper and newpaper. Inside the bundle was the very dry carcass of a bird. The newspaper was dated 1932. Someone, most likely a child, buried the bird. Worthless, yes. But to my nostalgic and sappy mind a great find since I can remember doing the same thing as a child.
Whle hunting the site of an old resort hotel which opened in 1900 and closed in 1972, again with my wife, she hit on what appeared to be a coin sized target. No more than 2" deep was a small round flat container approximately 2 1/2" in diameter. It went in the junk side of her apron. We got got back to our motel room , checked our finds and started to toss the junk. My wife said the round container she found looked like a ladies compact used to store face powder in. We washed it off, pried open the lid. Immediately a strong odor of face powder wafted out. In the inside of the lid was a cracked mirror. She had guessed correctly. A compact. Who knows when it was dropped by some woman, most likely a guest at the hotel. An hour later all traces of the perfumed scent had vanished. In our minds eye, we saw a young woman, most likely dressed in summer white, sitting under the 40' fir tree the compact was found under, freshening her makeup and then losing it in the grass. Although we did find some old coins and a ring or two at both these locations, the two finds that stick in our memory are the bird and compact. The feeling I always get when retrieving items from the ground, be it coins, jewelry, or such as the above, I know I am the first to touch it since the last owner did. It is as if I have reached back in time and was handed it by this last owner. Especially these very personal items. Treaure to most, no. But to my nostalgic and imaginative turn of mind, most certainly treasure.