Yes! ... oh no. Yes! ... oh no. Bucket list !!

[Saffron]

A fairly decent afternoon after all the recent rain we have had around here (my one very small permission is under several feet of water), and not sure what I wanted for tea and did not feel like cooking.

Only one option, an hour or so detecting on my new permission which just happens to be on the way to my nearest chippie

Notice mud and cut up ground where I had intended to park where somebody had driven on the grass and some surface water so park in the yard out of the way by the horseboxes.

By the track to what used to be a mill is a very small paddock (less than an acre) that has two or three rows of high / deep ridge and furrow. I always like small paddocks and thought the high ridges would be drier than the larger flat fields so head there.

Detector soon starts going nuts, as it does in a few other places on this permission, but as about to change fields notice tracking is on for ground balance Turn it off and eventually find a patch of grass not giving a signal so ground balance. Due to having moved up the paddock and ground balanced the Nox is now usable

A couple of signals then the third produces a very thin silver disk, looks like large badly worn hammy by the bit I can see in the mud. Yes !!. Gently clean it ... to reveal a dog tag "Hiedi". A few mutters under my breath.

A while after get another signal and that reveals a very mud covered gold ring, perfect size for a ladies wedding finger. Yes !!. Gently clean it ... to reveal plumbing / fitting item and certainly not gold. A few mutters under my breath.

Working back towards car as light is going and tummy says "I want chips", and get a signal which after I eventually find it in the mud is a round heavy disk, much too big for an old penny and suspect another bit of junk. Give it a clean ... and it turns out to be a George III 1797 cartwheel penny My first OK I know that they are not exactly rare and many detectorists I know have found one but not having one my self it was always a "bucket list" item, (even if towards the bottom of the list).

Funny old game isn't it?. Two items that initially look good are not then the one that does not look promising is.

So a bucket list item and pie and chips, made the trip out worth while.

Evan

[fred]

I find that the amount of disappointment tends to be site specific. I have Georgian permissions where even a Stuart period jetton is a major success. On some other sites a Stuart period jetton can come out without any comment.

[Oxgirl36]

Lol I’m hungry thinking about your pie and chips now. Hope you had gravy and mushy peas

Personally had two cartwheels but I love them. They are a proper substantial coin

[Saffron]

I find that the amount of disappointment tends to be site specific. I have Georgian permissions where even a Stuart period jetton is a major success. On some other sites a Stuart period jetton can come out without any comment.

This site seems to have 3 specific "disappointment" date ranges.
1) Modern .... ring pulls / bottle tops.
2) Last 30 years .... horseshoes.
3) 1960s-80s .... moo tubes.

Even the 50p I found today could not be used towards the chips as it was one of the original large ones (which are not exactly collectors items)

On a positive it is somewhere to detect and "in theory", which normally means nothing, might have history. Additionally its on the way to the chippie, and a real unexpected bonus was when I asked about metal detecting the landowner said I could fish in the stream as well.

Evan

[Saffron]

Forgot to mention, becareful what scrap you try to remove.

Cracking high screaming "dig me" signal and about 9" down see what could be a large buckle in the bottom of the hole.

Go to lift it out and find its not large buckle, but part of a loop ... attached to a chain. Go to pull it out and easily get a couple of loops of the chain out, but it goes deeper and sideways.

Finished up about 2' down and well to the side of the original hole. Cutting the ground so that you could extract the chain, about 5' long, without doing a lot of damage to the old grass certainly took a bit of doing!!.

But swivel loops and fastenings still worked so left it in the yard for the landowner as could come in handy for some thing. Hopefully a bonus mark for me.

Evan

[Easylife]

It's funny how we often see a near worthless find as a good result, though value doesn't always have to be monetary. As you say discovering anything that you have not previously found before is a result. Cartwheel pennies don't seem to show too often, but are always most welcome when they do.

[fred]

It's funny how we often see a near worthless find as a good result, though value doesn't always have to be monetary. As you say discovering anything that you have not previously found before is a result. Cartwheel pennies don't seem to show too often, but are always most welcome when they do.

I have said it before but it is amazing how often landowners fail to appreciate hammies or other decent finds but go all moist over a cotter pin from a horsebox or a corroded lump of Massey Ferguson!

[Saffron]

This landowner has twice pointed out where he has lost a large steel pin for connecting the bucket onto the tractor. I have only seen him 3 times, once when asking for permission and twice since.

From past experience of trying to find things for farmers I do not rate my chances. As the items are always fairly large and IF lost where they think they would have found them soon after led on the surface. So you know its foing to be at least 1/4 mile, and probably a lot more, from where they say.

Evan

[Batman]

I find that the amount of disappointment tends to be site specific. I have Georgian permissions where even a Stuart period jetton is a major success. On some other sites a Stuart period jetton can come out without any comment.

So very true Fred.

[shaggybfc]

Great story. I've found 2 cartwheels, both totally toasted. A good one is still on my bucket list.
What kind of pie did you have? was it a Pukka chicken balti or something more traditional - steak and kidney?

[detecting rod]

the good thing about being new to detecting every thing is on my bucket list cartwheel would be quite high up,grzz on your first one

[Pete E]

Give it a clean ... and it turns out to be a George III 1797 cartwheel penny My first OK I know that they are not exactly rare and many detectorists I know have found one but not having one my self it was always a "bucket list" item, (even if towards the bottom of the list)

Funnily enough I had my first cartwheel penny today, although mine is pretty toasted..

Like yourself, it was on my bucket list, although I would still like to get one with more detail on it....

[Saffron]

Give it a clean ... and it turns out to be a George III 1797 cartwheel penny My first OK I know that they are not exactly rare and many detectorists I know have found one but not having one my self it was always a "bucket list" item, (even if towards the bottom of the list)

Funnily enough I had my first cartwheel penny today, although mine is pretty toasted..

Like yourself, it was on my bucket list, although I would still like to get one with more detail on it....

Very well done Pete, any thing on a bucket list has to be good

They are a big chunk of metal aren't they!. You would not of wanted to buy something for a penny and only had a shilling, or larger domination, in your pocket and had 11 of them as change to carry around in your pocket.

Fortunately mine is a fairly decent condition, text very easily readable and George's portrait clear but Britania on reverse not so good (but have not cleaned it so might improve).

Was looking early about cleaning it and seems a split on here about if I should stick to just distilled water and brush, or if I should try renaissance wax -think I will just go for the water and brush then have a think if I want to try the wax after. Wire wool was also mentioned a couple of times but that sounds a bit harsh to me.

Hopefully we are trend setters and everybody with a cartwheel penny on the bucket list will now also go out and find one.

Evan

[Ladybird66]

Good effort there Evan. Believe me the old Cartwheel is a tough old cookie. Don’t think you could spoil it if you tried.
That’s one thing Mad king George was very fussy about, the metal had to be just as right as the weight of copper. It’s stood the test of time

Don’t think I’ll be going anywhere soon. OMG you should hear the rain hitting the windows. Swimming pools everywhere again tomorrow