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Your Wildest Treasure Story

 
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Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/24/2009 7:28:15 PM   
RedGinger


Posts: 6727
Joined: 12/7/2007
Status: offline 		I would be interested to hear some treasure hunting stories.  Tell us your coolest, funnest, craziest stories!

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Post #: 1
Wild Treasure Story - 12/24/2009 11:35:37 PM   
CWBookAuthor

 

Posts: 262
Joined: 7/5/2007
Status: offline 		This is true. I was working for a museum in Virginia. Many, many years ago we were digging up a Civil War camp, not particularly looking for bottles, just getting the trash out of a pit for possible display at the museum.  After walking into a "sink hole," I was just determined that that place would never get the best of me. My partner and I had struck a lot of glass that appeared pretty common to me. Then it happened. An umbrella ink came out. No, it wasn't just an aqua one! This one was cobalt blue and pontiled! To me, it was beautiful!  From that point, I was hooked!

Many years later, as a writer, that single item led me to write The Collector's Guide to Civil War Bottles and Jars (now in its 3rd edition). I retired many years later as a writer.

I hope that you will get real excited, yes,  but I want you to keep the artifacts from so many years back saved for the future.

Mike


_____________________________

Mike Russell,
Author of The Collector's Guide to Civil War Bottles

(in reply to RedGinger)
Post #: 2
RE: Wild Treasure Story - 12/25/2009 12:20:47 AM   
Baydog51

 

Posts: 96
Joined: 6/27/2006
Status: offline 		We had a spot on our place where there used to be an 1860 house. It had been dozed off before our time but I could still find many square nails and other misc metal items with my metal detector. I started digging in a low spot below where the pouch would have been thinking it might have been a root cellar. After three days of hard digging I had found exactly 2 broken shards and nothing else. Digging on down below where the shards where, I found it. After carefully cleaning it off and inspecting it closely, I realized that I had found the worlds oldest transittor radio parts. They weren't all there so I couldn't do a glue back, but there were enough to recognize what I had.   
While yall are stuck digging up old whiskey and medical bottles, I have the pleasure of spending hours out in the hot Texas sun digging up electronics. I hope someday to luck out and dig up one intact and embossed "Radio Shack".

(in reply to CWBookAuthor)
Post #: 3
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/25/2009 8:13:51 PM   
VA is for Diggers


Posts: 368
Joined: 9/6/2008
From: G-Ville VA
Status: offline 		I had dug 90% of my first major dump (1000 bottles+) and decided it was time to send in the backhoe to scrape the old roadbed in the ravine. Later found one of my best finds: a revolutionary war dagger with lion handle cast in one piece. Also got a few indian stones and a civil war frame buckle and a spur. All of this under the bottles! I have had success digging belt plates here in virginia underneath many dumps, probably thrown away after the war.




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Post #: 4
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/25/2009 8:21:36 PM   
Rockhounder55


Posts: 842
Joined: 7/22/2008
From: Winnemucca, NV.
Status: offline 		Wowzers!! I'd like to see a close-up of that dagger.  ~Mike

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I see dead bottles.............and they're all broken.

(in reply to VA is for Diggers)
Post #: 5
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/25/2009 8:43:13 PM   
VA is for Diggers


Posts: 368
Joined: 9/6/2008
From: G-Ville VA
Status: offline 		closeup of lion; dagger measures about 10 1/2". Hessian origin circa Late 18th C.




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Post #: 6
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/25/2009 8:52:46 PM   
cyberdigger


Posts: 12319
Joined: 11/29/2008
From: I 195 @ US 9, NJ USA
Status: offline 		Just think.. back then you could easily get on a plane with one of them in your vest.. 

(in reply to VA is for Diggers)
Post #: 7
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/25/2009 9:00:47 PM   
Rockhounder55


Posts: 842
Joined: 7/22/2008
From: Winnemucca, NV.
Status: offline 		OMG!!! I'd cr@p my pants if I ever found something like that. 

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I see dead bottles.............and they're all broken.

(in reply to cyberdigger)
Post #: 8
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/25/2009 9:22:10 PM   
sandchip


Posts: 1647
Joined: 9/1/2008
From: georgia
Status: offline 		With them ribs showing, that lion must be mighty hungry to be licking on that handle.  Neat find!

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Jimbo

(in reply to Rockhounder55)
Post #: 9
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/26/2009 12:39:51 AM   
surfaceone


Posts: 7141
Joined: 12/9/2008
Status: offline 		Hello VA is for Diggers,

That is a remarkable dagger. Might it be considered a Tishdolch or character dagger? Arms and Heraldry are not my strong suits. It certainly does appear to be a Hessian lion rampant. Does it have twin tails? Are there no makers marks? Did you see the Hessian Miter Cap on this page?

If you are looking for further information on it, you might post a ficture or 3 on this Sword Forum.

Please let us know if you discover more about it. I do think that it may be an important piece. Thank you for showing it.


(in reply to VA is for Diggers)
Post #: 10
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/26/2009 9:10:29 AM   
myersdiggers1998


Posts: 1700
Joined: 10/2/2007
From: northern n.y. watertown(GlenPark)
Status: offline 		back when they made that there were no such things as planes.lol

_____________________________

gordon myers
dig and you will find!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
always looking for watertown n.y, bottles

(in reply to surfaceone)
Post #: 11
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/26/2009 2:18:16 PM   
deacon_frost


Posts: 427
Joined: 11/9/2008
From: Boonville Missouri
Status: offline 		man that is one sweet dagger. i would be proud to own that

(in reply to myersdiggers1998)
Post #: 12
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/26/2009 6:03:50 PM   
cobaltbot


Posts: 3878
Joined: 4/7/2006
From: Delta, PA
Status: offline 		That is one sweet find, were the plates that you found colonial or civil war?

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My tombstone will read: He went out for a walk and never came back....

(in reply to deacon_frost)
Post #: 13
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/26/2009 6:39:18 PM   
VA is for Diggers


Posts: 368
Joined: 9/6/2008
From: G-Ville VA
Status: offline 		The frame buckle was a confederate forked tongue buckle, and the spur was yankee enlistedman's. The roadbed was used since the indian times up to the 1910 era. A quarter mile away I dug a US cartridge box plate and a gold plated pocket watch and a few VA buttons. Many broken points were dug while digging for relics. I have noticed that the indians often camped in areas similar to where the militias and armies camped several hundred years later.

(in reply to RedGinger)
Post #: 14
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/27/2009 10:10:03 PM   
madman


Posts: 10371
Joined: 2/5/2005
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: VA is for Diggers

I had dug 90% of my first major dump (1000 bottles+) and decided it was time to send in the backhoe to scrape the old roadbed in the ravine. Later found one of my best finds: a revolutionary war dagger with lion handle cast in one piece. Also got a few indian stones and a civil war frame buckle and a spur. All of this under the bottles! I have had success digging belt plates here in virginia underneath many dumps, probably thrown away after the war.



that is freakin awsome!

_____________________________

always looking for, Toledo Ohio, Knoxville Tn. milks pharms and sodas,

(in reply to VA is for Diggers)
Post #: 15
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/27/2009 10:47:15 PM   
PrivyCheese


Posts: 746
Joined: 5/31/2007
Status: offline 		The names were changed to protect the not so innocent. This story is absolutely true. There are people here who can testify to the facts. It isnt exactly my treasure story only to the fact that I had to endure......no I should say painfully watch.


I was to meet a certian digging buddy of mine at a downtown contruction site one day. Phone calls were exchanged times agreed upon....the dig was set. I went directly after work to the site. To my surprise the work crews were still there at 3:00. On most days they would have been leaveing by now. The previous day it had rained. They didnt work so I figured they were making up for lost time. I waited....4:00...4:15... I recieved a call from said buddy.....my car over heated, I have to turn around and go home....4:30....4:40 I decided that being it was summer time they were going to work till dark. No sense sitting here. I guess I will just come back tommorrow.

I am not home for one minute and said buddy calls and asks...You still there? NO....He says he just put some water in the radiator and he was headed that way.....To meet him there....so off I go.



I get to the site and my buddy was walking toward me. He says that another friend of ours was there and he was getting some equipment. I walked up started talking to the fellow. He is standing there in a woodliner that has been cut thru by the dozers. He says...maybe I should pull these boards off...starts digging. Buddy number one joins him. As quick as you can say torpeado...buddy number two starts pulling one...two...three green Baltimore torpeados. Buddy number one jumps in and he pulls two. In between they pull a pontil soda, pontil pickle and maybe one or two others. Some of the finer details excape me. I ask...hey can I dig some? SORRY! Hate to be a dick...but NO!

Ok I get it...its his hole, and I know its hind sight on my part, but if I just dug 5 torpedoes and some other great stuff, I would let one of you guys get in the hole....I am just saying.....thats just me.

Well in ten minutes these two guys pulled about $10,000 worth of pontilled glass. Me? nada...Am I glad for them?...sure I am. I wasnt at the time. In fact I think buddy number two still hasnt forgiven me for all the crap I said later that night. But honestly I really am glad for them.


Thats one of my treasure stories. It was surreal. As anyone can tell you just to pull one torpedo is like hitting the lottery around here. I think all in al they dug six or seven. At that time I was so mad I its all a blur. This many years later that day still haunts me. Funny how an event like this can have such different lasting memories for those involved.

Just think that night two guys go to bed and lay there and think.....WOW! a dig of a life time....and one guy lays there and thinks....I was three feet away I could smell the bottle cheese...I got to hold it in my hand....and had to just walk away with.....Sorry I hate to be a dick?

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.

(in reply to RedGinger)
Post #: 16
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/28/2009 1:29:17 AM   
blobbottlebob


Posts: 3663
Joined: 12/20/2005
From: Wisconsin
Status: offline 		I can relate to that Baltodigger. I try to happy for others when they get great stuff. Most of the time you can't do much about it anyway, so, your better off just being gracious. I hate it when (as a diver) everyone on the boat brings back a bunch of good stuff on a dive where I got skunked. That's hard to swallow because obviously, I was doing something wrong. On the other hand, there are a few times when everybody is pulling up good glass. That's a great experience because we are all having fun - you know there are no hard feelings - and we can share our excitement.

< Message edited by blobbottlebob -- 12/28/2009 1:31:08 AM >

(in reply to PrivyCheese)
Post #: 17
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/28/2009 10:48:44 AM   
treasurehunt

 

Posts: 464
Joined: 10/14/2003
From: Dearborn, Michigan
Status: offline 		Hey baltodigger: I would not call them buddy's, How come there was not a even split up finds after you were done digging? I would never dig with them guys again !!

Tom

(in reply to blobbottlebob)
Post #: 18
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/28/2009 2:23:43 PM   
RedGinger


Posts: 6727
Joined: 12/7/2007
Status: offline 		VA, that sword is awesome!  Beautiful.  Balto, I wouldn't dig with those guys either.  See my post under Digging and Finding "How do you divide the spoils?"  Chances are, they were pocketing stuff too.  Allegedly. 

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyVTdY2BI3g











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Post #: 19
RE: Your Wildest Treasure Story - 12/28/2009 5:20:53 PM   
passthebottle

 

Posts: 486
Joined: 1/23/2007
Status: offline 		Well, it would have to be the time I went to Keene bottle show with my son , who at that time was more interested in Pocemon cards than botttles, but off we went . This was 13 yrs. ago and after a few hours drive arrived the night before only to find no hotels and ended up sleeping in the car . During the night a state trooper knocks on the window and ask all kinds of questions but says we could stay there if we moved as soon as it become daylight. At the show tired from not much sleep and kind of car sick from to much drivingI walk around and around and around. Fianally made up my mind that I was going to buy, abeautiful yellow quart Mason's 1858 and a nice lady's leg black glass bottle for $100 . I knew from reading my books that amber Mason's go for over $1000, so I figured I did pretty good(a nice tidy profit of $900). On the way home suddenly realized that it must have been a reproduction for it to be passed over by so many (early buyers and general admission both. Sure enough after looking in the back pages of the Red Book that I also bought while I was there was my bottle in the reproduction section for $100-150. There goes my profit. Upon a closer inspection of the lady's leg I find a large crack running from shoulder to base, really hard to see unless held up to sunlight. I still have both bottles




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