Metal Detecting Resources

Find-of-the-Month

2025 Find-of-the-Month Competition

Find-of-the-Month Winners for January were:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1. Cody Moore — Cast I button

2. Donnie Vaughn — Sword scabbard mount

3. Josh Tyree — J hook

Coins

1. Josh Tyree — Real?
2. Mike Fuson — 1886 “V” nickel
3. Abe Lamb — 1902 “V” nickel

Treasure

1. Josh Tyree — Silver sash buckle
2. Bill Siesser — Masonic belt buckle
3. Aaron Lowe — Sterling silver ring

2024 Find-of-the-Month Competition

Find-of-the-Month Winners for December were:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1. Aaron Lowe — Carved bullet
2. Cody Moore — Carved Enfield bullet
3. Bill Siesser — Chewed bullet

Coins

1. Cody Moore — 1943 Washington quarter
2. Bill Siesser — 1967 Half dollar
3. Aaron Lowe — 1917 Wheat cent

Treasure

1. Aaron Lowe — Printing plate
2. Cody Moore — Sportsman button
3. Bill Siesser — Brass butterfly

1. Find-of-the-Month Winners for November were:
3. Civil War/Pre-Civil War
5. 1.Aaron Lowe — Bayonet
6. 2.Josh Tyree — Heart rosette
7. 3.Cody Moore — Rifle sling adjuster

Coins

1. Josh Tyree — 1952 Half dollar
2. Cody Moore — 1936 Buffalo nickel
3. Bill Siesser — 1947 Rooseveldt dime

Treasure

1. Bill Siesser — Marine Corps button
2. Josh Tyree — Brooch
3. Cody Moore — Cuff link

Find-of-the-Month Winners for October were:

Civil War/Pre Civil War Relics

1. Donnie Vaughn — Breast plate
2. Aaron Lowe — Shoulder scale
3. Abe Lamb—-Shell fragment

Coins

1. Josh Tyree—-Walking Liberty 1/2 dollar
2. Lanier Lowe—-1917 Mercury dime
3. Mike Brown—-1944 British 1/2 penny

Treasure

1. Mike Fuson—-Gold/nickel ring w/diamonds
2. Cody Moore—-WWI button
3. Josh Tyree—- Sash buckle

Find-of-the-Month winners for September were:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1. Aaron Lowe—-Ohio breastplate
2. Lanier Lowe—-C.S. scabbard tip
3. Cody Moore—-Lorenz rifle cleaning jag

Coins

1. Josh Tyree—-1857 Seated dime
2. Mike Brown—-1853 Large cent
3. Lanier Lowe—-1881 Indian Head cent

Treasure

1. Gary Henry—-Victorian sash buckle
2. Mike Fuson—-10K old horseshoe ring w/diamonds
3. Mike Brown—-Tungsten ring

Find-of-the-Month winners for August were:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1. Gary Henry —— Cavalry officer’s button
2. Cody Moore —– Bridle rosette
3. Josh Tyree ——- Part of spur

Coins

1. Donnie Vaughn —— 1874 Indian Head cent
2. Bill Siesser ——- 1903 Indian Head cent
3. Cody Moore —– 1904 Indian Head cent

Treasure

1. Mike Fuson ——Silver ring
2. Gary Henry —— Hillary House Furniture $1 off token
3. Josh Tyree —— Old watch

Find-of-the-Month winners for July were:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1. Lanier Lowe ———- CSA droop-wing staff officer’s button
2. Gary Henry ———– Wreath to a two-piece wreath & tongue buckle
3. Josh Tyree ————- Scabbard tip

Coins

1. Cody Moore ———– 1844 Large cent
2. Lanier Lowe ———– 1912 “V”nickel
3. Gary Henry ———— 1943 Mercury dime

Treasure

1. Bill Siesser ———— Gold over sterling silver ring, with 8 diamonds & garnet central stone
2. Lanier Lowe ———–1944 silver wedding bell charm
3. Josh Tyree ————-Silver brooch

Find-of-the-Month winners for June were:  

      Civil War/Pre-Civil War                              Coins                                     Treasure

1. Aaron Lowe     Company D hat pin     1. Gary Henry  1876 ½ dollar      1. Lanier Lowe  Marlin .22 rifle

2. Lanier Lowe     Shoulder scale             2. Josh Tyree   “V” nickel            2. Cody Moore    Gold ring

3. Josh Tyree        Stirrup                           3. Aaron Lowe    1971 dollar       3. Aaron Lowe  TN state seal

                                                                                                                              button  1870-1900

Find-of-the-Month winners for May were:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1. Josh Tyree           Conversion side plate
2. Cody Moore        Bridle rosette
3. Ben Minnix         Bridle rosette

Coins

1.  Cajun Joyner   1832 Capped bust ½ dime
2.  Cody Moore     1943 Mercury dime
3.  Bill Siesser      1902 Indian Head cent

Treasure

1.  Cajun Joyner    Silver cuff link
2.  Cody Moore     Silver charm
3. Mark Wrye        90^th-year Aviation token

Find-of-the-Month winners for April were:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1.  Aaron Lowe  6-pound solid shot
2.  Cody Moore   Sword scabbard
3.   Gary Henry Eagle “I” button

Coins

1.  Donnie Vaughn    1845O Seated dime
2.  Ted Cassidy          1854 Seated dime
3.   Josh Tyree            1884 Seated dime

Treasure

     1.    Gary Henry           14K gold initial ring

  2.    Mike Fuson           10K pinky ring

     3.   Anthony Barber       Silver religious ring

Find-of-the-Month winners for March were:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1.  Mike Brown       1860s Tobacco store token
2.  David Johnson       Sword scabbard tip
3.  Josh Tyree              Stirrup

Coins

1.      Randy Jackson        1854 Half dime

2.      Ray Steele      1936S Walking Lib. half dollar

3.      Ted Cassidy            Capped bust quarter

Treasure

1.  Mike McKinney      Pendant made from   cutout of  8 Real coin
2.  Cody Moore            Gold brooch
3.  Gary Henry    Tennessee State Seal button

                                           (post-war)

   Find-of-the-Month winners for February were:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War

1.  Aaron Lowe         Pewter button with flower

                                              design

• 2. Ray Johnson         Flat button
• 3. David Johnson      Pulled Enfield

Coins

1.  Aaron Lowe       1838 Seated Lib. dime
2.  Gary Henry        1899 Barber quarter
3. David Johnson    1902 O Barber quarter

Treasure

1.  Gary Henry         10c Trade token
2.  Bill Siesser          RFD padlock (Rural Free

                                       Delivery)

 3. David Johnson    Cincinnati Horseshoe Co.  

                                                   watch fob

Find-of-the-Month winners for January, 2024 were:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War

1.  Cody Moore             Cast I button
2. David Johnson  Droop-wing officer’s button
3. Tie:   Gary Henry          Carbine sling buckle

                      Anthony Barber    Heart rosette

Coins

1.  Ben Minnix            1842   ½ dime
2.  David Johnson       1878   Seated dime
3.  Jason Stevens         1900 “V” nickel

Treasure

1.  Cody Moore        1904 St. Louis World’s Fair padlock
2.  Bill Siesser               Hickok buckle
3.  Tie:  Gary Henry     Sports Medallian   

          Bob Shults      John Brown button

2023  Find-of-the-Month  Competition

FIND-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS FOR DECEMBER WERE:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1.   Gary Henry          Russell Military Institute button
2.   Josh Tyree          Nashville and Chattanooga RR key
3.   Tyler Green         Eagle I cuff button

Coins

1.  Gary Henry         1852  3-cent piece
2.  Abe Lamb           1840 “O” Half dime
3.  Jason Stevens      1890 Indian Head cent 

Treasure

1.  Gary Henry     1926 Chicago Riding Club rosette
2. Jason Stevens    Early 1900s Aetna  Registry Co. fob
3. Bill Siesser       Clock key

FIND-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS FOR NOVEMBER WERE:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1.  Lanier Lowe       1808 Richmond lock plate
2.  Jason Stevens      Bit boss
3.  Abe Lamb            Greene Enfield bullet

 Coins

1. Jason Stevens       1869 Shield nickel
2.  Gary Henry           1902 Barber dime
3.  Bill Siesser           1904 Indian Head cent

Treasure

1.  Jason Stevens            10K gold ring
2.  Gary Henry                Navy button
3.  Bill Siesser                 Good Conduct Medal

FIND-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS FOR OCTOBER WERE:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1.  Bill Siesser              Bullet mold
2.  Jason Stevens          Heel plate
3.  Mike Brown            Game piece                     

Coins

1.  Jason Stevens       1877 Seated Lib. dime
2.  Bill Siesser           1946 Roosevelt dime
3.  Mike  Brown        Buffalo nickel

Treasure

1. Bill Siesser        Post Office Dept. button
2. Gary Henry       Child’s treasure chest
3. Jason Stevens    Police button

FIND-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS FOR SEPTEMBER WERE:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1.  David Johnson            Dimple-base Sharps bullet
2.  Bill Siesser                  Sharps bullet
3.  Oakley McKinney       Round ball

Coins

1.  Ray Steele              1899 Barber quarter
2.  David Johnson       1941 Washington quarter
3.  Bill Siesser             1919 D Wheat cent

Treasure

1. Tie:   Mike Brown 14K diamond ring

     David Johnson     Silver pocket watch

• 2. Bill Siesser       Woodmen of the World, Women’s Auxiliary, pin
• 3. Mark Wrye        Man’s silver ring

FIND-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS FOR AUGUST WERE:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1.  Gary Henry     Carved bullet chess man
2.  Bill Siesser       Maynard carbine bullet
3.               No entry

Coins

1.  Gary Henry      Indian Head cent
2.  Coit Lamb         1983 quarter
3.              No entry

Treasure

1. Gary Henry    Nashville street-car button
2. Mike Brown   14K gold neck chain
3. John Roland   “Moises” bracelet

FIND-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS FOR JULY

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1. Tyler Green        Early war saddle shield
2. Abe Lamb          Carved nipple protector.
3. Aaron Lowe       Shell fragment

Coins

1.  Donnie Vaughn       1722 Rosa Americana
2.  Phil Witt              1877 Seated Lib. dime
3.  Jason Stevens          1900 Barber dime

Treasure

1.  Jason Stevens         1933 gold class ring
2.  Gary Henry          Culver Military Academy button 
3. Mike Brown           Silver “belt” bracelet

FIND-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS FOR JUNE WERE: 

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1.  Bill Siesser                   Cartridge box plate
2. Tyler Green                   Round ball mold
3. Gary Henry                    Enfield rifle nose cap

Coins

1.  Bill Siesser         1926 Mercury dime
2.  Bob Shults          1941 Mercury dime
3.  Gary Henry         1942P Silver war nickel

Treasure

1.  Gary Henry     Pullman Palace Car Company  RR button
2.  Bill Siesser      Department of the Navy medallion
3.  Ben Minnix     20^th cent. military button

FIND-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS FOR MAY WERE:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1. Gary Henry      Confederate Navy button
2. Ben Minnix      Half “H” hat insignia
3. Ray Johnson     Small stirrup

Coins

1. Bob Shults       One Real
2. Bill Siesser       1911 Barber dime
3. Ben Minnix      1882 Indian Head cent

Treasure

1.  Gary Henry  1870s Police button
2.   Mike Fuson     Cascasites laxative token
3.   Bill Siesser      Belt buckle  

FIND-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS FOR APRIL WERE:

Civil War/Pre Civil Relics

1. Mike Fuson                 Flintlock lock plate
2. Mike McKinney          Louisiana button
3. Michael Sanderson      CSA spur

Coins

1. Mike McKinney        Cut Spanish 2 Real
2. Bill Siesser                 1909 Barber dime 
3. Lanier Lowe               1899 Indian Head cent

Treasure

1.  Ray Steele                  Gold-plated ring
2.  Mike McKinney        Quaker sterling silver    salt-shaker base
3. Jason Stevens              Silver bird pin

FIND-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS FOR FEBRUARY WERE:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1.  Lanier Lowe          Eagle “I” button
2.  Ray Johnson          Trigger guard
3.  Learohn Caldwell   Civil War token

Coins

1. Ben Minnix             Piece of Eight
2. Learohn Caldwell   1864 Seated-Lib. Dime
3. Lanier Lowe      Large Cent with square hole

Treasure

1.  Ray Johnson     1878 silver wedding band
2. Gary Henry       1882 Seated-Lib. love token
3. Mike Fuson       Silver & titanium brooch

FIND-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS FOR JANUARY WERE:

Civil War/Pre-Civil War Relics

1.   Donnie Vaughn       CSA sword hanger
2.   Lanier Lowe            Star heel plate
3.   Ray Johnson            Fleam bleeder

Coins

1.   Jonathan Crider     1916 Barber quarter
2.   Bill Siesser            1899 Indian Head cent
3.   David Johnson     1936 Washington quarter

Treasure

1.  Mike Fuson          10K gold ring
2.   David Johnson     1930s G-man badge
3.   Bill Siesser          Angel pocket token

Monthly FOM Winners From Past Years

Annual FOM and Master Hunter Awards

Our pre-eminent club award is “Master Hunter”, earned by the hunter who acquires the most points in the FOM competition for the whole year. This award is hard to come by in a club such as ours with so many good hunters. 1999-2019 Master Hunters are shown in the blocks above. Master Hunters for 2020-2023 were:

2020 — Abe Lamb

2021 Aaron Lowe

Find-of- the-Month Guidelines

                     
At each meeting club members may enter their finds from the
previous month in each of three categories:

            1) Civil War/Pre-Civil War relics
            2) Coins
            3) Treasure

Club members then vote on first, second and third place in each
category. The winners receive "points" for each place (five
points for first place, three points for second place and one
point for third place). At the end of the year, prizes are
awarded in each category to the persons with the most points in
that category.  In addition, the person with the most points
overall, calculated by combining the points earned in all three
categories during the year, is named "Master Hunter of the Year".

Awards for the previous year are presented during the January or February
meeting. First-, second- and third- place winners in each
category receive a plaque; the "Master Hunter" winner also receives a
plaque. Rules for entry of finds are as follows:

   1. Finds must have been made in the month prior to the
      meeting.  A "month" is the period from one club meeting to
      the next (not a calendar month). "Stockpiling" of the items
      found during one month for an entry at a later meeting is
      not allowed.

   2. Only one item may be entered in each category.

   3. A "verification committee" examines each entry just before
      the meeting starts to ensure correct labeling. Any questions about
      items entered should be raised then. The owner of the item
      submitted must be present at the club meeting until voting
      is finished.

   4. Items entered must have been found while "actively
      hunting". Some examples of "finds" which are not
      appropriate for entry would therefore be: (a) a Civil War
      Belt buckle you found in the lining of your great-
      grandfather's trunk, (b) a valuable coin you received in
      change or found while reupholstering a sofa, (c) a ring found
      in the parking lot while on your way to your car. These
      are simply examples--let the spirit of treasure hunting be
      your guide.

   5. Any find that is not a Civil War/Pre-Civil War relic or
      coin should be entered in the "Treasure" category.


      updated
      WGS/1993;1994;2012
                                  


      

Be ready for your next search with these items in your pack: food, water, batteries, digging tools, small flashlight, topo maps of the area, small first aid kit, insect repellent, headphones, poncho, and magnifying glass.

Always make sure you have permission from the land owner to search.

Be aware of and abide by laws regarding metal detecting and digging in public areas.

Ask the land owner if they know of any houses or structures that existed on the property in the past and if there has been any earth-moving endeavors.

Hunt the high grounds around a spring.

Hunting is better when the ground is wet from a heavy rain.

Daffodils blooming could be a sign that an old structure once stood there.

There is no such thing as a place that’s been over-hunted. Search anyways.

Dig up everything and don’t be afraid of trash. You may find something great from an iffy signal!

Recheck your holes. Just because you found one item, doesn’t mean there could be more an inch or two lower.

Take a youth with you. Share the hobby with the next generation and nurture an appreciation for history.

Club Library

Our club maintains a library of books on various aspects of metal-detecting, related hobbies, and historical topics.  Current holdings are listed below.  Books may be checked out by members for one month at a time. 
See one of the club officers to borrow a book.

American Military Button Makers and Dealers; their Backmarks and Dates

American Military and Naval Belts 1812-1902
Antique Marbles

Antique and Collectible Marbles

Arms and Equipment of the Civil War

Artillery Fuses of the Civil War
Back Home in Williamson County
Battle of Millsprings, KY 1862, The
Bottle Collecting in America
Brothers in Arms
Chronicles of the Cumberland Settlements
Cities under the Gun
Civil War: A Concise History
Civil War – a Narrative, The
Civil War Collectibles Encyclopedia ( I, II, III, IV & V)
Civil War Collector’s Price Guide (10th Ed.)
Civil War Curiosities
Civil War: Day by Day, The
Civil War Guns
Civil War Relics of the Western Campaigns and Beyond: 1861-1865

Civil War Ordnance – An Introduction
Civil War Projectiles II. Small Arms & Field Artillery, with Supplement
Civil War – Trivia Book
Coins of the Lost Galleons
Confederacy’s Last Hurrah, The

Confederate Longarms and Pistols – A Pictorial Study
Confederate States of America Paper Money
Diary of a Confederate Soldier
Directory of Nashville and Davidson County Historical Markers
Diving for Sunken Treasure
Encyclopedia of Civil War Usage
Excavated Artifacts from Battlefields and Campsites of the Civil War 1861-1865, plus Supplement 1
Eyewitnessed at the Battle of Stones River
Famous Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys
Federal Civil War Shelter Tent, The

Finding Civil War Campsites in Rural Areas
Flayderman’s Guide to Antique Firearms and their Values
Fourth Tennessee Cavalry Regiment
From Manassas to Appomattox
Gideon Wells – Lincoln’s Navy Department
Groundbreakers: The History of the Northern Virginia Relic Hunters Association

Hardtack and Coffee
Historical Maps of Civil War Battlefields
History of the First Regiment of Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry
History of the Middle Tennessee Metal Detecting Club — 30 Years of Personal Recollections
History of the 20th Tennessee Regiment
Horse Equipment of the Civil War Era
Hurricane Treasure
Illustrated History of American Civil War Relics

Interpreting History from Relics Found in Civil War Campsites
Lee
Medals, Military and Civilian of the United States 

Meet General Grant
Metal Detecting Bible, The
Military Buttons of the American Revolution
Murfreesboro in the Civil War
Nashville and Decatur in the Civil War, The
Nashville Battlefield Guide
Nashville 1864. The Dying of the Light
Never Mace a Skunk
Never Mace a Skunk II
Official Military Atlas of the Civil War, The
Official Price Guide to Antique Jewelry
Old Farm Tools

Patriotic Civil War Tokens
Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
Plates and Buckles of the American Military 1795-1874
Rebels & Yankees: The Commanders of the Civil War
Recollections and Letters of Robert E. Lee
Record of American Uniform and Historical Buttons Bicentennial Edition
Relics of the Coastal Empire: the Civil War Years
Round Ball to Rimfire. A History of Civil War Small Arms Ammunition. Part one.

Shipwrecks near Wabasso Beach
Spanish Treasure Fleets, The

Standard Catalog of United States Tokens 1700-1900
Stillness at Appomatox, A

Sunken Treasures on Florica Reefs
Survey of Civil War Period Military Sites in Middle Tennessee, A

Taking Southern Trails Home

Tennesseans at War 1812-1815
Tennessee Brigade, The
Thoroughfare for Freedom, v. II
Tokens and Medals
Treasure Laws of the United States
True Stories of Sunken Treasure

Uniform Buttons of the United States 1776-1865 

Uniforms, Weapons & Equipment of the Civil War
Why the South Lost the Civil War
World of the Relic Hunter, The

“Diggers Corner” Metal Detecting Tales by Members

Digging at McFerrin Park

by: Donnie Vaughn

I started metal detecting around 1972 or 1973 and like most of you I started out coin hunting. After about a year of hunting schools, yards and some local parks I realized that I would have to come up with some new places to hunt in order to find more coins, especially silver coins. Then I remembered McFerrin Park in East Nashville and I’m glad I did.

I grew up in East Nashville and played ball in this old park when I was a kid so I knew where the old concession stand was, where the bleachers had been, the water fountains, etc. In short, I remembered the layout of the park which proved to be very beneficial in helping locate coins. I suggested to J.B. that we go over and check this place and see if we couldn’t dig some silver but he said that he was sure it had been looked on, as every park in the Nashville area had been and besides, it was a “rough” part of town and it was too dangerous over there. Well, I made up my mind that I was going anyway. Upon arriving at the park I noticed an elderly gentleman sitting on his porch across the street from the park and went over to talk to him. He said he had lived here a good number of years, sits outside on pretty days, and had never seen anyone with a metal detector over there. I couldn’t wait! I walked across the street and tuned up my old Garrett T/R detector and dug a silver dime at about 2 inches on my first sweep. Within 30 minutes I dug around 20 coins and a couple of tokens, so I was pretty sure this place had never been looked on or if had, someone had really left a lot. After a two or three hour hunt that first day I had around 60 or 70 coins, a silver ring, 2 or 3 street car tokens and a pouch full of trash and I had only hunted part of the right field section of the ball park. I knew the rest of the park had to be full as well so I made my way back home to tell J.B. about my finds. Well, old J.B. couldn’t believe the place had never been hunted and of course he wanted to go back over there that evening but I convinced him to wait till we had all day. After a week of work, my day off finally came and I was ready to dig some silver, and I wasn’t disappointed. J.B. and I arrived at the park early and we were digging by 7:00 AM and coins were everywhere. We had never gotten into a place like this; it was truly a coin hunter’s dream. We were digging wheat cents, Indian heads, barber dimes, V-nickels, silver halves, and plenty of tokens. One day I dug 18 silver coins in a row before finding anything else and it was there that I found my first minnie ball. A .69 caliber.

Over the summer we made several trips to the park and we were never disappointed. We would always come home with a pouch full of coins. Once, while hunting where the old bleachers had sat, we dug around 60 coins one morning and about half of them were V-nickels, the oldest being an 1889. We also found two class rings, a mans gold wedding band, 2 street car tokens (Nashville Ry. & Lt. Company), a couple of watch fobs and a handful of buttons, advertising tokens, etc. McFerrin Park yielded over 1500 coins and rings just off the ball field as the rest of the park had been field years earlier and some of our better finds included 11 class rings, 16 silver halves, an 1898 Mardi Gras souvenir (brass heart), 3 minnie balls, 1 Union button, around 40 or more tokens, 1 gold chain and coins dating from the late 1870’s.

As our interest in Civil War artifacts grew we started losing interest in coin hunting and spent more time relic hunting. By no means did we clean the place out as many more old coins were found here by other coin hunters but we did put a dent in the coin population of McFerrin Park. I still ride by the park every now and then and each time it brings back fond memories of some of our greatest days of coin hunting.

Trash or Treasure

by: George Knight

Metal detecting is one of the most fascinating hobbies that I have ever been involved with. When the old detector sounds off, you never know what will come out of the ground, be it old or new coin, jewelry, relic or trash.

One of my most memorable hunts involved trash and goodies. I had obtained permission to hunt a hill near Shy’s Hill for relics. One Saturday, Chuck Pavla, my son David and I started hunting this hillside. It was very thick with bushes and trees with an open area near the top. We started in the open area and I immediately got a good signal. I was using a Garrett Master Hunter with a 14 inch coil. Dug signal, beer can. Oh well, beginners luck. Two feet from the first signal, another beer can. In all I dug about five beer cans, each about two feet apart. The sixth signal was approximately two feet from the last. Beer can, six pack, sure it was. Did not dig it.

I continued hunting around the hill, getting signals and digging bullets. Both dropped and fired. Chuck and my son were also digging bullets. After making a circle on the hill side, I found Chuck surface digging in about a five or ten foot circle. He stated that he was finding pieces of a projectile that had exploded.

I continued hunting and got a signal, which was in line with the five beer cans I had dug. Thinking that it was the sixth beer can, I started to leave it, but my curiosity got the better of me. I began excavating the hole and after going down about three feet, I had still not found anything. The signal was still there so I continued to dig. About four feet, the signal was still good. I could not get the 14 inch coil into the hole, so I got my son to check the hole to see if the signal was on the side or down in the hole. He stated that it was still down there and as he moved away, he ran his coil over the dirt I had dug out and almost had a fit, stating there was all kinds of signals in the dirt. We sifted through the dirt and found numerous round lead balls. After laying on the ground with my entire arm in the hole, I brought out a complete “Hotchkiss” shell. The shell had exploded but only blew half of the side off. The other part had the entire fuse in it along with black powder and more lead balls. I also recovered the base cup and lead sabot. This was one of the best finds of the day. Before we left, I went closer to the top of the hill and got another signal. Found laying under several layers of leaves and not buried, a complete bayonet.

In closing, I say if you are relic hunting, dig those signals, even if some turn out to be trash.

A Digging Story in Franklin

by: Gary Henry

Most people that know me know that I’m a firefighter here in Nashville, but I am also a carpenter. It’s the way I earned a living prior to the fire dept and it has been a good second income the last nine years. I specialize mostly in remodeling, and this sometimes presents some good opportunities for potential hunting sites and that’s what this story is about.

Last spring I found out we would be working on a house on the outskirts of Franklin (just the mention of Franklin gets my wheels turning). Upon the arrival at the house I noticed several things. The house was just a stones throw from a main highway (good sign). It had about a one acre lot and a little farm house, probably 50 or 60 years old in bad condition sitting in the middle of the lot. The house had been worked on prior to our arrival and the homeowner had fired these people. It didn’t take long to see why. The place was a mess. I knew we would be there a few weeks. After meeting the owner (who had just bought the house and wasn’t living in it yet), I asked permission to search the yard and was told to have at it. So I began to bring my detector to work and hunted on lunch break and after work. After hunting a couple of days I had very little to show. I knew there had to be something good in that yard and was hoping my luck would change. I didn’t realize just how soon that would happen.

I brought my detector back the next day and at the end of the work day I put my tools up and got my toy out and instead of continuing to hunt the backyard I decided to try the front. After about an hour of hunting and digging a few coins and a lot of junk I began to have my doubts. I decided to hunt down the stepping stones that led to the mailbox, hoping I might find something. I was about 20 or 30 feet from the street when I got a good signal. A coin reading about four inches deep. After cutting a nice deep plug and running my coil over it I was surprised to find my target still in the hole. After carefully digging a couple of inches deeper I pulled a brass object out. Once I had brushed the dirt away; it was pretty obvious that what I had was a powder flask. I can remember thinking this is more like it. Now I was hunting with renewed enthusiasm. A very short while later, again about 20 feet from the road I got another good reading. I could tell it was a fairly large target not very deep. I plugged a large hole trying to bring the target up in the plug but the plug came apart in my hands. After clearing the hole by hand I saw the edge of an object. I knew what it was when I saw it; I gently pryed it loose with my fingers and let out a yell. A U.S. belt plate! I pulled my head phones off and danced a jig around the hole in the ground. I was so excited, I filled my hole and put my detector in the truck. I had made two good finds in less that 20 minutes. It was time to go home. I knew there was plenty of hunting left on that yard.

I brought my hunting partner, my brother Larry that following weekend. We both had visions of belt plates dancing in our heads, but it just wasn’t in the plans. We hunted that yard just as thoroughly as we have ever hunted and found not one single Civil War relic. We found a lot of nice things but no relics. We couldn’t believe it. I continued to search after work every day. Soon the finds got fewer and fewer and like all jobs, this one too came to and end. I had a lot of hours of fun hunting this yard, but the hard thing for me to believe is that after finding the powder flask (a Union officer’s pistol flask) and the U.S. oval belt plate, I never dug another relic, not even a bullet in that yard. I guess that’s one of life’s little mysteries, but it is also the joy of our hobby, because you never do know what you’re going to dig up next.

Happy Hunting!

Ball & Buck

by: Larry Cates

My first encounter with a metal detector was about fifteen years ago. I was in the National Guard, and this guy named George Allen was always talking about what HE FOUND metal detecting. It sounded pretty interesting to me. So I ask him about buying a metal detector. He said HE HAD TWO OF THEM and he would sell me one of his for a $100.00. It was a Garrett Groundhog IT, sounded like a go getter, so I bought it.

I took it out the yard where I lived and was trying to get use to it. I got a real good signal, but when I got it out of the ground, it was a real nice pull tab. I didn’t find nothing but junk, and was ready to get rid if this junk finder. George said he would take me with him where I could find something besides junk.

Two or three days later we were off on our big hunt. He took me down by the rock quarry in Murfreesboro, by the side of the road. I think it was Bubba Hoard’s place. It was grown up a little but you could get a coil to the ground. I wasn’t in there long when I got this real good signal. Up came an aluminum can out of the ground. After a few more cans and pull tabs, I got a real good signal. I thought, “another can or pull tab”, but to my surprise it was a round ball with three bucks with it. It felt real good to say that I had found something Civil War. I didn’t find anything else that day, but I was proud of that ball & buck.

We went to Larry Hicklin’s shop that evening, and I showed him my find. He said that was good for a first find; after that I was hooked on the hobby. It seemed after that first find it was a little easier to find a keeper. About a year or so, I bought another detector. It was also a Garrett ADS II. It was a very good machine, but that is another story.

OLD LUCKY LARRY will end this story and maybe have another story in another newsletter. By the way I still have my old Garrett Groundhog. It is retired now. I want to thank all the officers in the club, past and present for the good work they have done and to keep up the good work. All you members keep your coils to the ground.



Breeze Hill
by: Tom Williams

When construction began on the new Kroger off 8th Ave. and Franklin in the fall of 1993, there were years of history uncovered. It would be hard to count how many artifacts were found all together, but it was a substantial amount.

As far as I know, the history of the place goes back to the late 18th Century when a Colonel from the Revolutionary War first settles there. After a small skirmish with a number of Indians who used the hill as a sacred burial ground, the Colonel and his crew started building the first home for his family. This would later be used as the slave quarters after the construction of the Mansion was completed around mid 18th century. The walls of the mansion were a few feet thick of solid brick, which stood up well against the heavy artillery during the Civil War. Up until the 1960’s, you could still see a cannon ball lodged in one side of the home that never exploded.

The location saw a heavy concentration of Union troops who used the hill as an advantage for their assault on the Confederate lines that crossed what is now Woodmont and Thompson Lane. They camped around a stone mill at the base of the hill mostly for the water supply. From the later 1960’s up until the present, the hill got a lot of abuse from dumping trash. From what I’ve heard, the place had been hunted for years and many valuable things had been found. When I started metal detecting for the first time, the hill had just been bulldozed and word got out quickly. The land owner was already driving relic hunters off from detecting and I later heard a number of reasons why this was, but any; soon after, my friend who got me started in metal detecting heard that the land developers were allowing people to relic hunt, and told me I should take the day off and head over there with him. So I rented a 5900 Whites detector from a large man who thinks he knows everything (go figure), and met my friend at the sight.

When we started walking up the hill, it looked like a classic World War I movie. There were small and large holes every where in the ground from digging. The dozers had turned trees into twisted piles of bark. The ground had been scorched in several areas from burning stuff. The amount of trash I think discouraged a lot of relic hunters and kept a large number of people away for a while. Still, there would be days where a large number of people were there, but not often. Not knowing where else to go for hunting and being fairly new to Nashville, I spent a lot of time at this place. My friend and I hunted for a few hours that day and despite the number of holes, came up with a few bullets each. I found all my bullets in one area behind a large tree at the bottom of the hill. It was the second time I had ever found Civil War bullets and it was exciting. They were all spent rounds and I got 6 or 7 on one side of the tree.

The second week of hunting on Breeze Hill, I found so much trash it was sickening. But I came out with a variety of dropped Union bullets and a few Confederate spent rounds, which kept me coming back. Being the inexperienced relic hunter I threw away a few good Civil War artifacts thinking it was a large part to a sink or garden hose (artillery fuse), or a top to an old jar (breast plate!). But luckily I ran into someone who was experienced enough to tell me to “hold on to everything you find until you have identified it!” Still, there must of been some guy who found this funny look’n jar lid while walking up the hill and thought, “What an idiot! Someone threw down this breast plate!” One week end, I met this guy who lived in Murfreesboro and drove down every weekend to hunt this place. I don’t remember his name, but he wasn’t big as Larry with a first name ‘Harry’. He definitely knew what he was doing though, because he showed me a pouch full of bullets that day. The third and last time I ever saw this guy was a month later. We were the only ones on the hill that day and fall was turning into winter. The high of the day was 39 degrees and we were the only ones on the hill. At the end of the day we compared finds. Me: 3 penny buttons, 2 bullets, and Indian head penny, and an assortment of brass. Him: 10 to 15 pistol bullets, about 6 rifle musket bullets, an assortment of penny buttons (when he held them in his hand it looked like about 10 or 12), 2 large cents, one which was 1820, a Hotchkiss fuse, a barber dime, and an assortment of lead and brass. Sickening! He always told me to be patient and listen to your signals real well. I had a lot to learn. We both used Whites 6000si so I knew it wasn’t just his machine. It had to also require some darn skill.

After a few more months had passed and more dirt was moved, I finally acquired some of that skill and enough knowledge to do some good. I still couldn’t imagine why there weren’t a large number of people out there during the weekends but it was Ok by me. Of course I had no idea at the time that a large portion of downtown Nashville was being dug up and everyone and their grandmother were at the dumps. But I was having fun anyway.

It was now spring of ’94, and the hill was scraped again. After work, my friend and I went up to the hill with flash lights and found a lot of bullets in one area. It was so muddy and wet from raining all week, but after hunting a few hours in one spot near where the mansion once stood, I found 4 or 5 dropped .69 cal. bullets, about ten .58 cal. bullets and my first Civil War button: a Yankee General Staff cuff button. Not bad for one nights hunt. It was still mussy and every signal I dug was trash. Then, after an hour of frustration, I dug a small silver coin and started to wash it mud off in a small pool of water. It was in such great shape that I thought it had to be a mercury or Roosevelt, but it was smaller than a regular dime. I read the date and it said “1842”. No way! This couldn’t be right. After looking it up in the coin book that night, it was an 1842 half dime from the mint of New Orleans in very fine condition. It was worth $125. The following week I found an 1897 Confederate Reunion Badge and a US box plate with lead and hooks missing. About a month later, I found over 10 penny buttons and a colonial shoe buckle in one small area near where the slave quarters used to be. About a year would pass before they finally covered up the old dirt and started building the foundation for Kroger. By that time, I had over 200 bullets, about 20 penny buttons, 6 Civil War buttons, and so on. Compared to some other hunters, I got left overs. But it was incredible how much stuff came off that hill. I was spoiled after my first year of relic hunting and quickly learned that situations like these don’t happen every week. Not only was Breeze Hill an old settlement, but a large Civil War site as well. Every hunters dream! Now I’m back to yard hunting, anticipating that one “chance in a life time” place to hunt.

August Hunting

by: Gary Henry

It’s six in the morning, I’ve loaded my truck.
Hoping today there will be a change in my luck.
Flying down the highway to my favorite site.
Feeling good about hunting in the early morning light.
Bill Hall said the weather would be very hot.
I wish it were cooler, but I’ll take what I’ve got.
I pull up to my site with my detector in hand,
and look where the dozers have graded the land.
Turn on my machine and balance with care.
Look up toward the hillside, I think I start there.
Each swing brings a chirp that sounds like iron trash.
I listen to each sound, hoping I might find a cache.
Suddenly a good reading with hopes way up high.
I dig up a screw cap, cover my hole with a sigh.
I hunt for a while with very little to show,
but the next find might be good, you just never know.
Finally a good reading, I dig up a cent.
A sixty eight memorial, it’s scratched and it’s bent.
The sun is now beaming, not a cloud in the sky.
The sweat is now pouring and I’m beginning to fry.
Dust clouds jump up with each step I take.
Covering shoes and legs like the icing on a cake.
And digging the ground that’s baked hard as stone,
is next to impossible with the shovel I own.
I hunt with high hopes that the next find might be,
a Confederate button or a seated liberty.
How about a belt plate or a shiny gold ring?
On this day in August, I’ll take anything.
Now a signal like a bell in my headphones so clear,
as I dig out a plug what do we have here?
It’s a bullet by golly, a dropped sixty nine.
I jump for joy over this bullet of mine.
I head for my truck with detector in hand.
Don’t know how much more of this fun I can stand.
With clothes all covered with dirt and with sweat.
I head off to the store for a drink cold and wet.
As I drink down my cola I think of how dear,
that it would be now if December were here.

                                        Retreat from Shy's Hill                          
                                            by: Tom Williams

Shy's Hill was once a great place to hunt. Every time a good story was told by a long time relic hunter, I could only imagine what it must of been like. There is a still an occasional artillery shell found or yard you hear about that yielded a number of relics. But for the most part, the ground is silent, carrying only the sounds of battle and those who lost their lives during that cold month of December, 1864.

The surrounding areas of Shy's Hill, however, still seem to produce some nice finds if you know where to look. There is a great book to read if interested in hunting around the Granny White Pike area. It is a red book titled "The Confederacy's Last Hurrah" by Wiley Sword. It tells of the major activity along Granny White Pike that took place before, during and after the Battle of Nashville. It even shows some good maps of troop movements during the Battle of Shy's Hill and the retreat that followed. There is one map that shows the Confederate soldiers retreating directly down Granny White Pike along the stone wall that is still there today. The book also tells about the major cavalry engagement that happened just up the road at "Vaughn's Gap" where our author of last months article clearly pointed out in his treasure maps. The following story is a recent experience I had while hunting a yard near Granny White Pike that saw much activity.

After listening to an awesome presentation by Mike O'Donnell on Virginia relic hunting at the last club meeting, I was hoping to find at least a few minie balls to satisfy my hunger. I headed out that Saturday to hunt a yard near Granny White Pike. It was a beautiful, clear day (during the Smyrna Civil War Show of course) and my hunting partner got called into work. I went alone and got permission to hunt a yard that had been "calling me" for months. It just looked to darn good. The yard was about 3 acres and went right up the original stone wall along Granny White Pike where the Confederate soldiers were firing rounds to hold back the Union advancements.

I tuned the Blue & Gray and decided to start at the edge of a creek and then head to the stone wall. Hunting right along the wall, I was surprised to dig a dropped enfield 3 inches deep. Then a few feet away, I dug another one 5 inches deep. By the time I reached the end of the wall, I had dug 8 enfields, an old brass key, and plenty of trash. But after hunting the wall, the bullets were scarce and far between, finding a minie ball every 15 minutes or so. That was soon to change. After several hours, I finally had some luck. Right under a large tree there was a small mound of dirt where a mole (or some earth creature other than a groundhog) had created while digging a tunnel. Lying on top of this mound was a dropped enfield and a round ball. Excited, I picked up the round ball first and noticed that it had a shank on the back and was pretty light. It was silver plated and turned out to be a Zouave button! This got the blood pressure pumping. I swung the loop over the hole and got several weak signals, which turned out to be several more dropped enfields.

Then while hunting up a small hill in the back yard, I dug a large piece of lead sabot. After checking the hole for more signals, I began to dig up remains of an exploded Hotchkiss shell. The lead sabot was in three pieces as well as the iron nose section. There was also a piece of the brass fuse. Then I made a chilling discovery, which reminded me of Mr. Mike O'Donnell's experiences while hunting the deep trenches in Virginia. The last signal I dug out of that hole was a brass wedding band. It was possible that it belonged to a Confederate soldier who was wounded or killed by this shell. The yard suddenly came to life as a cold chill ran up my spine.

At the next hunt, David Williams was able to come along so we got permission to hunt the same yard. It was a humid day with no wind. The owner was actually glad to see us because I gave him a small display case and a few bullets the week before. He wanted us to find him "a few more." So David did just that by digging a few bullets before I could even get my machine ground balanced. But I was about to get even. By a large tree, I got a funny signal. It was the same signal I walked over and decided not to dig the week before. The needle on the machine would lock in all the way to the left but then rebound to the right giving a clear signal. This meant it was probably something iron, round and big. I dug down about three inches and hit something with the shovel that was laying against the tree root. After removing the large root, I could see the object had a silver shine where my shovel hit it. It was led sabot and, not only that, it had a shell attached to it! After calling David over, he congratulated me on finding a whole artillery shell. I told him that it had been fired so it wasn't live. Lifting it out of the hole, I could see rifling marks on the sabot but it looked like the Hotchkiss shell was almost complete. I picked it up, brushed some dirt off the nose, saw the fuse was still in it, got nervous, and then dropped it. You would have thought it was the summer Olympics. In a matter of seconds David jumped two bushes going west and I jumped two tree stumps going east. The owner heard us yell and saw us running so he came to see what in the heck was going on. It didn't take long for him to say "get that thing out of here!" He gave me a scrap piece of carpet to wrap the shell in for the ride home.

It's still sitting on the back porch waiting to be defused. Hopefully, my wife will stop complaining soon. It's only been 3 weeks being married and she's already on my back! Well good luck to y'all and watch for those live ones!





John Hunt Morgan's Confederate Camp at                                                                                    Hartsville, Tennessee
                                   by: Donnie Vaughn

This month we are going up near Hartsville, Tennessee and hunt one of Morgan's camps but before we go, let me give you a little background on this site and how I came across it.

While doing some research at the State Archives building I happened to come across a map of Trousdale County that had a lot of the historical spots in the county marked. Most were "common knowledge" places, but one stood out like a sore thumb. There, on a distant hill, was a Confederate flag drawn on the map with the number "27". On the corresponding map guide I looked up number 27 and it read "Morgan's Troops stationed on Mill's Place during War between the States," could this be possible? A Confederate Camp? Probably been hunted was my first thought as there are some pretty good hunters up in that area but it was sure worth a try.

That following Saturday I found myself and fellow relic hunter, Mike McTaggart at the site trying to get permission, which turned out to be a long drawn out affair. After several trips, the landowner was finally obtained. On my initial hunt, I wandered around the huge farm rather aimlessly trying to find the camp and finally, upon a long ridge, in a little cedered woods I dug a dropped .58 minnie ball. Now I had proof positive that some Civil War activity had taken place on the farm. Expanding out from my first find, I dug a .69 round ball, then a fired .58, so I knew that I was on to something. Moving back to a small creek, I was able to dig a few more minnie balls but no real concentration of relics. It was much later before I realized that the camp was scattered throughout the farm and only on one little hill slope did the relics seem to be more concentrated. It took several trips before I could develop a pattern of the camp and I was able to pinpoint the location of the Mill's house site plus three more house sites of the farm.

One day, while hunting a long a ridge line, I dug a U.S. Box Plate and along this same ridge, at the base, Julia found the first marked button from the camp - a Union Coat Button. Almost everything that came out was Union marked, probably captured. On another occasion my son Jon and I were hunting in there together and he dug a few bullets on top of one of the numerous hills, but his detector was acting up, so I told him to use mine and I went down to the car and got my old Fisher 442 and used it. Where we had dug a few minnie balls, I was able to hear some real deep bullets with the old Fisher and they turned out to be .71 caliber Austrians and Confederate Gardner bullets. One signal that sounded like a deep bullet turned out to be more than that. After I had dug about 8 inches, the target sounded bigger than a minnie ball, so I yelled down to Jon that this might be a buckle. At the depth of about 12 inches I saw the unmistakable rim of either a box plate or a buckle. Of course, I was hoping for a C.S., but it turned out to be a U.S. instead. A U.S. buckle that is, with all the hooks.

At the back of the farm we located a large spring, just over the property line, and it was near this old spring that the relics seemed to be concentrated. We dug several bullets on the sloping hill side leading down to the spring along with various odds and ends. I dug a "skin" off of a U.S. buckle and also a matching pair of brass boot heel plates (clover design) and it was over in this area that Roger and I hit an old house site and dug a lot of "penny" buttons and a couple of Spanish Reals (1773 and 1763) We determined that part of the camp was probably over on the next farm where the big spring headed up and I received permission to search over there.

On our first trip over there the conditions were just ideal. Nice and cool with a good moist ground from some recent rains. The looks of the place had "camp" written all over it. With gentle rolling hills in a large open pasture and of course a good spring at the base of the hills and we just knew we would hit something in here as we had dug some minnie balls right up to the fence row. Now we had permission to get over and hunt. Starting out above the spring, it didn't take long before Roger dug a dropped enfield and I dug a .69 caliber round ball. Moving on out into the large pasture, we were able to dig several bullets along with some flat buttons, Union coat buttons, brass toe taps, tent eyelets, a spur, a sword hanger, etc. Upon a little flat we dug several picket bullets and a few scarce .74 caliber round balls (pumpkin balls).

One day while looking in a flat field on up behind the spring, I got a good signal, dug down, and pulled out a U.S. box plate. Later in the day I showed Roger the box plate and he said it looked like something was carved into the lead back. After cleaning it off that night I realized that there was something carved into the back. The old Confederate soldier had carved the Confederate Battle Flag on the back. Now that made the old dirt digger's day! Probably the best thing found there, so far, was by Mike Cox. One day Julia, Mike Rogers, Mike Cox and myself were in there hunting and Mike Cox got a little signal and dug down several inches and out came a button. Mike hands me the button to examine and there around its edge, as clear as a bell, were the letters T-E-X-A-S. Not too shabby. I haven't been up there in a long time, and several club members that we have taken will probably tell you that it's pretty well cleaned out now. It was good while it lasted, but I'll probably go back again sometime and hope to hit a little "hot spot".

Until next time this is the "old dirt digger" telling you to keep searching and researching, it's there somewhere.


   
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Civil War - General
American Civil War Home Page General Civil War information.
American Civil War Resources on the Internet Quality links and various information.
Civil War Center Index of Civil War information available on the Internet
ebay Civil War Auction If you have not checked this site out, you should.
North South Traders Civil War The bimonthly magazine for Civil War collectors, relic hunters and historians.
Civil War - Regimentals/Research Related
The Civil War Centennial Commission of Tennessee originally issued in two volumes in 1964.  They deal with Unit Histories, and Rosters. for Tennessee Civil War soldiers.
Civil War Records Site of the National Archives and Records Administration. Don't miss this one!
Library of Congress A great starting point for many research projects.

Making of America Cornell University's  journal collection which includes the Official Records of the "War of the Rebellion".  Includes browse and search capabilities.
Online Search Tennessee Civil War sourcebook. Check it out - should be great site.
Civil War - Maps/Other Research Topics
MAPTECH Free Online Mapping Resource for Topographic Maps

TopoZone The Web's center for topographic map users. Interactive topo map of the entire United States.
FMDAC Federation of Metal Detector and Archeological Clubs.
FID Federation of Independent Detectorists
ITTHC Indian Territory Treasure Hunters Club.
NVHRA Northern Virginia Relic Hunters Association.
SCV Tennessee Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans.
The Treasure Depot Magazine Reports from several Detecting Departments including: Civil War Relic Hunting, Coin Shooting, Bottle Digging, Shallow Water Detecting and much more.
The Tri-State Coin & Relic Hunters Club Serving Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.
Links - Sites which Focus on Links
Cindi's U.S - Civil War / War for Southern Independence Links Good enough to be listed first.
The Links Page Good assortment of metal-detecting-related sites.
Treasure Hunters WebRing Good source of a variety of sites
US Civil War Links 4,491 Links in 70 categories.
 

Miscellaneous.
American Digger Magazine
Button Back Mark Identification Lists various manufacturers along with dates of manufacture.
Civil War Artillery - Projectiles Very good information source with excellent links.
PCGS Current Coin Prices - along with many other information concerning coins of all kinds.
Coin World Online Great summary of the various denominations of American coins. Don't forget to check their home site for many coin related services and facts.
Fraternal Organizations A complete listing of all secret society, fraternal organizations and fraternal orders with abbreviations.
Patents Anything you ever wanted to know about US and World Patents
Relic Forum - Findmall Hosted by our own David Keith. Well worth a visit and any questions will have an audience sure to be able to help.
Railroad Lines -- Listings of various Railroad Lines.
Tagtown --  Many varieties of various tags.
United States Patent Dates Listing of all patent numbers by date issued. Source as well for obtaining patent information
Personal Sites
www.privydigger.com Many aspects of "Privy Digging" not commonly found on the net.

Relic Sales
Civil War Buttons Great new button site by William Leigh.
GreyBird Relics Butch Holcombe is not only a great writer and humorist but also has a fine selection of relics for sale.
Middle Tennessee Relics Larry Hicklen has many categories of great relics for sale.
Stones River Trading Company CIVIL WAR RELICS.



Below is a selection of finds made by some of our current members: