Detectingwales Rally 38 - The Record Breaking Hammered Rally!

[Neil]

Today was Detectingwales.com's 38th Rally and to say it was a cracker would be an understatement!

We knew the land had a good Roman and Medieval pedigree thanks to extensive research by Jaydogg and Mark. What turned up though was to exceed our expectations.

The day started early for me picking up my mate Spooner and heading to the Vale for his first taste of detecting. It was a taste that I think will stay with him for some time to come.

The fields were a wide expance of two stubbles in varying degrees and one recently sown pasture. Following the normal go here, go there malarkee around 70+ DW members old and new were off and it wasn't long until a beaming Geoff(Proconsul) was striding towards me with purpose!

Now as most of you know Geoff has been detecting for many years since a young lad under the pier in Brighton and is the instigator and owner of Detectingwales.com. He spends most of the rallies generally checking that everyone is happy, speaking to the farmers, making videos and not finding much on our rallies. Today was a different kettle of fish though as in his hand he had a quarter guinea of George III. A beauty of a find and within the first ten minutes! I couldn't control my excitement and uttered a few words best not mentioned, and warmly congratulated him. If anyone deserved to find it from DW - in fairness for his vision to make this happen - it is Geoff. A real corker of a find - Well done mate.

I mentione earlier that I had my buddy Spooner with me who was trying out my X-Terra30 and I spent the first hour coaching him. Not long after I got into a conversation with Gavin, the Big Ox and his Crew whilst Spooner was detecting in the background. I heard him utter the imortal words "I think I have found something!" true enough there in his hand was a hammered coin of Edward almost as clean on the profile as the day it was lost. His next statement after much back slapping and congratulations and threats from various parties was "How much does it cost to buy a metal detector?" Needless to say I think he is hooked!

Another newbie was Jeff who had travelled all the way from Canada to visit Handyman and was also having his detecting Cherry plucked. Yet again the newbies striked first with Jeff finding a hammered coin in the first few hours! As he said himself the metal history of Canada is only circa 250 years so to have a Medieval coin in his hand was a special moment. What made the moment even more special in my eyes was that JJ and Tom Tom who had found a Roman coin and hammered promptly put their hands in their pockets and gave them to Jeff. A real nice gesture from two decent guys.

I stopped for a glass of water and happened upon Melon Head - the master of all things Melon shaped and a dab hand at finding hammered coins, who had a Lizzy in his hand. With him was his partner in crime Casa Dos who was sporting a beautiful Roman mount made of bronze and depicting an eagle! An amazing find and one for the Flo's to drool over - well done both!

Not to be out done, Jo - the sister of Melon Head, but with a head thats no where near that shape or size for that matter, was making finds of her own and had turned up a commerative medal of Edward and later on a 1860 sixpence.

A few other hammereds appeared from various parties including Willowtree who had not only some Medieval silver, but also a small statue of a woman or man in robes. I really liked it but found it incrediibly hard to date.

Into the pasture and a longtime DW member in the form of Jaydogg had made a find that I think we can consider a tad special. I happened upon him and after a bit of banter he first produced a William III sixpence and then nonchalantly showed me an exquisite find!

What was it?

Well its Roman for certain. Its Bronze for certain. It depicts a boars head and then you turn it slightly and on the back of the boar its a womans face, and then you turn it again and on the stomach is a mans face and then you turn it again and its a fish or a mermaid!

I have no idea what its purpose was but its important and I have never ever seen the like of it. A quality find for any detectorist.

Not long after seeing this find it all went a tad crazy for the next three hours and resulted in a total of 22 hammered coins surfacing for the day (A DW record!)! I have no idea of the order or exactly who found what. I know that the first find of note was by our very TaffLaff who pulled out a hammered sixpence of James Ist Irish issue. I only know he found it as I could hear him shrieking and running around with his t-shirt over his head and his much reduced belly flapping in the wind!

Other finds went to Hipster who had a meddly of hammered coins including a Lizzy and a sixpence of Charles 1st and a few Romans.

Shortly after a find of achaeological contect found by Zorro's dad (aka Beachboy) turned up in what appears to be a medieval floor. Now we know the site had both recorded Roman and Medieval settlements in close vacinity, thats why we came here. Handyman duly got his gadget out and recorded the location for posterity and Taff took landscape marking photos - it certainly looked like a floor at about 6 inches and will be off to "those in the know" next week to confirm.

Another person on a real purple patch at the moment is Deadlock who managed three hammered coins in the spate of about two hours (including a cut quarter), plus he didn't manage to get locked out today!

Zorro had a brace of hammered coins, Beachboy another, Byron had one, Jenks had a cut half short cross along with a book clasp, Willowtree had a silver St Christopher, Dennis Long found two Roman bronze fibulas, Joel had a spindal whorl, Sinky also found his first hammered coin to add to the growing list of new hammered finders!

Not long after this a lovely couple called Rookypair turned out a lovely fob dangler with complete seal intaglio that I would hazard a guess at being Georgian. As you said yourselves you are no longer Rookies now!

John1987 turned up as I was talking to Rookypair with a book clasp in his hand and a silver finial possibly from a riding crop. Lovely finds both of them.

A couple of finds I missed photographing was a Roman Trajan Denari and also a Roman Ring by RGM. Add a photo Bob - so we can see them as they sounded a bit special.

I also know of at least four hammereds I missed, as my camera had exhausted two batteries - it saw a Hell of a lot of action I can tell you. Add your photos please?

Thats me for now - I am shattered, but happy - I found very little myself apart from the top of a bronze pot or vessel of some sorts - its contents we can only guess at. Its time for some Roast Beef and wine - enjoy the photos.

Give me 20 minutes to upload them before you reply to this thread as there are a shed load!

Until we meet again
Neil

[Neil]

More - get comfy - this will take a while!

[Neil]

More

[Neil]

Again

[Neil]

More again

[Neil]

Lay off posting guys for a minute - got loads more photos to go!

[Neil]

Even more photos

[Neil]

Again

[Neil]

Loads more still to come!

[Neil]

More again

[Neil]

And Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Neil]

Nowhere near the end yet!

[diggerdave1]

  more !!

[Neil]

Spooners first coin!

[Neil]

Even more!