DetectingWales.com - Rally Number Nine - Llantwit Major. Sunday Report!

[Neil]

Sunday brought a day of beautiful sunshine and heavy heads as the hardened few crawled from their tents to a beautiful breakfast cooked by the ever cooking Gazza. Well done mate - it set us up just right for a nice day.

The car park was busy with new arrivals and friends from yesterday. After a brief "Go there. Go here - watch out for the cliffs!" sort of speech we were off. Today we had two more fields that the farmer had just harvested and two extra pastures. En-mass {except for Millsy} the clan headed off for the new stubbles and by the time I got there it was a hive if activity if not a hive of finds. The new stubble I think probably could have done with a few more days to soften, but we can't complain as we also had the 100 acres of stubble from Saturday that had produced a huge array of finds to detect as well. I wandered from field to field and had very little to show for my journey, but that was probably due to me spending most of the time talking {I really must learn to button the lips on future DW rallies!}

Anyway onto the finds. Once again a smattering of hammered coins ranging from groats to pennies, including an Edward and a Charles 1st - I think there was at least 6 that I heard of. A novelty corkscrew that my granny also used to have. Quite a few milled silver - I saw at least 5. Some lovely late medieval buckles - TaffLaff had one, as well as a few other members. Geoff Admin had the most rarest of items to be found, in the form a Welsh Crotal Bell and a silver mounted moon stone.

Rumour soon reached me after these finds of a Gold spoon. found by Willowtree! That then changed to a brass spoon, and then into a gilded spoon. Whatever it is, its an absolute cracker. I've not seen it in the flesh, but lets weigh up the evidence. Its not brass as it would have corroded. It could be gold - but who the Hell would chop to Gold coins up to make a spoon. I think its more likely to be silver coins gilded. Cracking find all the same. Well done. I did think of Gaming Tokens Peter - but they tend to lose their sheen. Verdicts out for the time being!

We all eventually headed over to the steep pasture that was part of an Iron Age and Medieval Castle that has long since left these plains. I saw a nice hoard of copper coins from the same hole and a few musket balls. As I returned to the parking area to chat with Casa Dos and Adie I was bemused to see in the distance  a meeting of detectorist furiusly digging, including Borderfox, Melonhead, Tafflaff, PHil Ynysyboeth and seveal others all taking turns at digging a collosal hole. We pulled up our seats and watched this spectacle from a safe distance for about 45 minutes, getting regular updates from our man in the field Melonhead! It transpired that Borderfox had dug up some Bronze that when I saw it reminded me of the bits you see in a Founder Hoard {scrap from the Bronze Age that is due to be remelted). One piece definately had been worked as well. Anyway they kept getting a signal but after about 2 feet still couldn't find it. Borderfox duely marked the spot and is going back with Rob at a later date to re-excavate the area. Borderfox did manage to pull out the biggest Devils Toenail that I have ever seen and it would sit pride of place in anyones fossil collection. I personally think thats it been laid in the hole as part of whatever else was in there, as 3000 years ago the devils Claw  would have held mistical properties for the Llantwit inhabitants. Especially one of that size!

Thats another rally over. Well done to Rob for sorting the land, Geoff for orgainising, and you lot for turning up! We have another two scheduled for within the next two months. One sounds very promising and will be nothing like we have detected on before due to the established history next to it. More to follow on that! The other is a Return to Rooksbridge! Our most successful rally to date. Neither of these are set in stone and we'll try our best to make them happen.

Photos below for you to enjoy

cheers
Neil

[Neil]

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[Neil]

And again

[Kev]

again Neil great report on the rally of sunday ,weather turned out better for us as well,Taff always brings the good weather great photos as well NEIL and some nice finds as well, and you have just answered my question on GEOFF crotal bell.

[Neil]

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[hedgehog]

That's a lovely lot of finds, What !! John digging a big hole? I'm intrigued now as to what's in it!

[coleggwent(phil)]

that spoon looks gold to me if it had been  gilded with the ware on the bowl the silver would had shown or some of the gild would of come off in the ground as it do it a very nice artifact id be proud of that well done and the rest of the finders well done to you all 

[The Doc]

Great report Neil and some nice finds there. The hammered is Charles not James. And I think the "gold spoon" has been made from brass gaming tokens which have then been gilded, but has survived very well in the ground.

[coleggwent(phil)]

we will see on friday steve going back with rob well let you all know for sure 

[Tafflaff (Rob)]

Well done on the report Neil once again. I think the Fox had picked up an Australians fillings , the depth of that hole 

[waltonbasinman]

Excellent report Neil and what a great array of finds. I loved the location and as usual what a great bunch of people.  Saw large amounts of Roman and Medieval pottery and the large numbers of Quartz pebbles I saw up near the cliffs makes me think that there should be Bronze Age activity in the area, but as I spent 75% of my day chatting and the rest finding .303 bullets my finds bag was emptyish. Found a nice buckle, a few weights and a couple of coins which I will post later in the week when cleaned. Thanks all and certainly would not complain on a return trip.

[borderfox.1495]

you can laugh you lot, i smell bronze age terrett rings  down there, but i m bringing a pickaxe it was hard work john