DetectingWales.com

Hi all, I managed to get my first permission a couple a days ago ;D ;D ;D and as you can imagine I couldn't wait to get out there so went out for an hour after work tonight. The field I chose to try has loads of iron and as you can see from the photos most of the signals I dug were drinks cans, bits of lead and aluminium etc but I did find a well worn 1911 George V halfpenny and can anyone confirm that the round item is a musket ball? If it is then is there any way of dating it?  I can't wait to get out again.....I think I'm hooked.  :) :)

Welcome to the scrap club Pete.  Looks a bit like one of my expeditions.  It's a musket ball but as to age I couldn't say.  Chef Geoff on the other hand will probably tell you not only what fired it and when but also who.  ::)

Mine of info our Geoff.


Val

Sure you haven't been in my finds bag wink wink

I'm planning to visit a different part of the farm for a couple of hours tomorrow so hopefully a little less junk and maybe some more finds ;) I live in hope... Thanks Val, I met Geoff on the last DW rally and as you say a he's a VERY knowledgeable man and he was very helpful and patient answering my silly beginners questions which has helped me more than any book could have done.

 :D :D If I ever need a PR agent you get the job Val ;D
I don't think there is a definite way to date musket balls other than to eras in the 17thC muskets are only military and fire large shot (20mm) slightly bigger than a 1p piece, as the 18thC progresses so the round becomes smaller, down to around 12mm.
If that's a halfpenny then by comparison my guess would be it's from the 17thC but I can tell you that it was fired, the slightly flattened ring around it is called the band of compression which is caused by the pressure squashing the ball out and against the barrel  ;)

Oh yes and his name was Enoch  ;D

I might add that Enoch was a lousy shot.  He missed the target.  No sign of impact damage.


Val

Rule of thumb for dating musket balls if there's a seam around the meridian their cast and pre 1800ish.
No seam. post 1800 produced by shot tower

Except for people who kept making there own which was quite common so more of a rule of little toe ;D If it has a seam after 1800 with a seam could have been yesteday ;)

A bit like some of these. Local Farmer made them for me to shoot the Rooks in an effort to stop them forming a colony.

Needless to say, I didn't have the heart to try it.


Val

Exactly Val you can usually easily put an earliest date on something but a last use one is a bit more difficult a bit like finding an 1862 Vicky penny that might have been when it was minted but we still had them in our change in the 1960's ;)

Another analogy is  like chef......around in the 40s and still around today  :D

Be careful or I'll come over and shoot your wife and ravish your dog ;D

Hahaha :D

Thanks Geoff, it's about 16-17mm so I guess it's 18thC. I also found something very similar on the beach a couple of weeks ago about 11.5 mm but it looked quite new so I thought it was a fishing weight but it looks just like the ones in Val's photo.