11/16/21 Report - 30-Year Gold Hoard. The Many Lives of Lead. Bigger Surf Coming.

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

More than 130 gold coins unearthed by metal detectorists from a field in west Norfolk over a period of almost 30 years have been declared the largest hoard of such items from the Anglo-Saxon period found in England.

The 131 coins, as well as four other gold objects dating to 1,400 years ago, were sporadically discovered between 1991 and 2020, but it was only on Wednesday that an inquiry deemed them to be part of the same hoard.

Most of the objects were found by a single anonymous detectorist who reported his finds to the relevant authorities. However, 10 of the coins were found by David Cockle, a serving police officer who was jailed for 16 months in 2017 for illegally trying to sell them. Two of the finds concealed by Cockle have since disappeared into the antiquities trade...

Here is the link for more about that.

Norfolk treasure newly declared as England’s biggest Anglo-Saxon coin hoard | Heritage | The Guardian

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One of the most common old finds made on the Treasure Coast includes musket balls, which have been found by the hundreds.  A simple object like a musket ball can open up a world of history if you take the time to meditate on it.  Think about the people who made it, used it and how it was lost.  Think about what those people were doing and their place in history.  And even think about the lead, where and how it was mined.

I found a great web site that lays provides the history of lead mining and production and the miners.  It provides many illustrations and other learning resources.

Here is the link.

Lead Production in the 18th and 19th Centuries • Lead Mining in the Yorkshire Dales • MyLearning

Very good read.  Highly recommended.

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One of the most interesting things about a lead musket ball is the many possible lives it lived.  Here is a great example of how an item can have a surprising history.

PHILADELPHIA, JULY 6, 2017 — Just hours after the words of the Declaration of Independence were first read to the army in New York on July 9, 1776, a mob of soldiers and sailors descended on Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan and tore down the gilded statue of King George III that stood there.

Pieces of the statue were later melted down into more than 42,000 musket balls – referred to as “melted majesty” by some – and used to fight the British during the Revolutionary War. One of those musket balls is now on display at the Museum of the American Revolution in time for the July 9 anniversary of the tearing down of the statue.

In 2015, nine musket balls that had been previously excavated at the site of the June 28, 1778 Battle of Monmouth in N.J., were found to have strong probabilities of being from the statue based on elemental analysis...

Here is that link.

“Melted Majesty” Musket Ball Discovered at Monmouth Battlefield to be Displayed at Museum for July 9 Anniversary - Museum of the American Revolution (amrevmuseum.org)

Being malleable, lead was often melted or otherwise reformed into needed items time and time again.  A musket ball might be turned into a fishing weight, toy soldier or any of a large number of useful items to meet a need.

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I noticed a book on the subject of musket balls that you might find useful: Musket Ball and Small Shot Identification; A Guide. by Daniel Sivilich. 

JamminJack mentioned the Dixie Gun Works catalogs as a good reference for lead shot and related items.

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Higher surf still predicted for the weekend.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net