Whatever ya do, don't buy an X-50, they're junk & ya won't find nuthin':rofl:

[BarnacleBill]

I had plans to hit the saltwater beaches but a family illness changed those plans. So time to board the treasure barge in search of freshwater booty. There was a beach area that was previously a kid's summer camp but is now private property. In my state any area below the absolute high water mark is considered state property and submerged lands of the state. Therefore I can detect in the water anyplace I please, but take care not to annoy people.

This was a scouting mission and the goal was to locate the swim area and/or swim docks of a defunct kid's summer camp. No small task, as the beach area in front of this now defunct camp is 1/2 mile long. My weapons of choice, a Fisher CZ-20 w/ 8 inch coil for scouting and deep water work, and I wanted to use an HF coil for shallow wading. The choices an X-50 w/ HF or X-70 w/ HF, well the X-50 would be cheaper to drown, so it was chosen.

Normally I don't use the arm/cuff straps on detectors, I hate them. But today I decided to put one on the X-50 to prevent turning it into a submarine. I also received a very nice scoop for my birthday and wanted to baptise it, but it has 0.475 inch square holes and I had concerns about .22cal casings. So I cut and fitted some 1/4" machine cloth to the rear of the scoop. I considered putting more in the barrel of the scoop but didn't know what kind of bottom I would be facing. This was a poor decision as the site turned out to be carpeted in .22cal long and short casings. Arrgh!!!!!!!!!

I arrived at the site donned the CZ-20 and walked the length of the beach in about three hours. Finds were scarce and I didn't locate the swim areas, but did locate a previous long dock evident from the nail pattern below the surface. The following are the finds of the CZ-20 with the best find being a 1940 Jeff.
[attachment 32433 weetcz.jpg]

After a quick lunch I took the X-50 w/ HF coil and waded into the shallows. GB was set at 3 and Sens at 16. The .22cals were making me crazy, rolling out of the scoop and on the X-50 they could ID from 3 to 12, but mostly 6 & 9. But after 10 minutes or so I had a target ID at 9 & 12. It was however more stable in ID, always 12 in one direction, always 9 in the other. Whereas the .22cals tend to be unstable, 6&9 in both directions.


Bingo!!!! About a size 5 14K beauty with an interesting engraving.
[attachment 32435 WeetRngLg.jpg]

It may represent a Spanish religious symbol denoting a swan that feeds it's offspring pieces of it's own heart, bears more investigation.

The X-50 ID'd all coins correctly.
[attachment 32434 WeetGrng2.jpg]


Happy X-50HF'ing
BarnacleBill

 

[MikeW]

Very nice nothing finds and a great ring.Im gonna have to take my X50 lure and lead detecting this weekend.Been a while since Ive done that and I know where there is a ton of it usually,and maybe some jewelry?

 

[Jackpine Savage]

Congrats Bill!!

Tom

 

[Frank in NH]

n/t

 

[Welsh Neil]

The ring is marked with an intaglio, which was basically used as a signature on wax seals. These were used Europe wide and in the UK even up until the 1930's. Basically you would put a blob of hot wax onto the point where you envelope closed and press the ring into it to leave your seal.

The Romans invented them circa 200BC. Yours looks more like a modern design. The late 1920's and early 1930's saw a revival of these kind of ring seals with the Art Deco movement. It may date from then.

We find them quite often in the form of fobs in the UK when field searching.

Hope that helps

Welsh Neil

 

[BarnacleBill]

information put me on the right track! Some 30+ years ago at a church/shrine in Basque country in the north of Spain I saw the symbol on the ring featured on the tabernacle. I kept thinking Swan or Stork, and recalled that the bird had exposed it's heart to feed it's chicks during hard times.

So with a little research:

The symbol is known as "The Pelican in her Piety".

Standing on her nest, vulning herself (pecking at her own breast to make it bleed) to feed her young chicks with her own blood, a symbol of Christ dying for mankind. The pelican oddly enough is usually depicted with a bird of prey head(that threw me off). And Americans(Yanks) generally depicted it incorrectly with an actual pelican head.

The "The Pelican in her Piety" has been a part of family crests in Britain since at least the 14thC, as it also conveyed kindness and caring for children(subjects?) aside from the religious symbolism. I assume it was also used throughout Europe.

A few links for those interested.

http://www.imagesonline.bl.uk/britishlibrary/controller/subjectidsearch?id=10492&&idx=1&startid=36513

http://www.mouserfonts.com/Arms/Arms/V/voguall.htm

http://www.theroyalexchangejewelers.com/heraldic.html

http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/recent_acquisitions/1998/co_rec_eur_1999_206.asp


Thanks again Neil!

HH
BarnacleBill