Silver Coin Spill

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I haven't posted here for a while but thought you guys may be interested in this one.

On Tuesday, I had a detect in a paddock next to the one I usually go to. I've found some good stuff there, including a counter-stamped shilling (1819 if I recall) and a number of Chinese coins. The paddock I go to more often has much more European coin and relic leavings.

The property manager had told me in the past about a couple of Chinese graves so I wanted to have a look as the area has no record of a Chinese graveyard. I found two but not the 2nd one he told me about. Subsequently he's told me there are more in the paddock. So, I went to find these graves and detect around the area.

I only picked up rubbish along the way to the grave sites but at the first grave site I started finding some Chinese junk (broken pottery etc). I went more slowly and detected fairly thoroughly on each side of the grave and then further and further out. About 5 metres from the grave my detector screamed but quite nicely. I picked up a half crown. "You beauty" I said to myself, I don't find too many of these. I looked back in the hole and saw a very large shiny coin. "What the..?" was my second comment as the crown became apparent. You ripper a 2 coin spill, and what coins! I put my pinpointer in again and "What!!??" it went off. Out came the 2nd half crown. I'm laughing now. I put the pinpointer in and yet again it went off - "No way" I thought to myself, but this time it was "only" a shilling. 4 ripper coins in the one hole. I got the 6d 6 inches away. 5 silvers. There were square nails in both coin holes. I wonder if it was someone's stash and whether by error it was forgotten or lost or by the gold worker's bad health that I got it. The UK Detectorist's episode of a grave curse came to mind but quickly discarded.

The dates are 1828 (half crown), 1844 (6d, shilling and 2nd half crown) and 1845 (crown). I'm debating now how much to clean them up. They are all worn a fair bit but

I found the gilt bling nearby as well.

Off I ventured and eventually came across the 2nd grave site. Again, only junk in between but around the 2nd grave site I found the remaining relics except the Jaw's harp which was near the car (and where we've detected a dozen times before).

I wanted to get to this area on Tuesday as they had a fair amount of rain on Monday and I thought the moisture might give me a bit more depth. I did dig down to a foot for the odd relic/junk but the coins were only about 4 or 5 inches down.

1544604044_p1060660.jpg


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1544604046_p1060664.jpg
 
Wow wee

One of the best Silver coin spills seen

1828 half crown only 49,800 minted

1845 Crown 150,000 minted

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
 
Guys - take a chill pill. Read the post again. Not a cemetery and I didn't dig the grave site. It was a cow paddock.

And apart from all that I understand (from discussions elsewhere with locals and research) the Chinese graves were exhumed in this area and the bones sent back to China.
 
maybe you should read your own post you have said graves and Chinese graves and you found a couple of them and you even came out with grave curse so make your mind up :N:
 
Alright, last comment. Time for mods to pull in some heads I think.

Perhaps I should have said "EX" grave sites. The two grave sites (not graves) I had a look at (and photographed - some months earlier I'd been communicating with a local historical forum about Chinese gold workers, their home provinces in China, and Chinese burials in the area - it's one of the ways I knew the graves were exhumed - all public information) were 200m apart with nothing in between. The third grave site (which I will also photograph) is a further 500m away in the same paddock across a dredged area and up another slope. (Distances are measured through Google Earth.) This field had a minimum of hundreds of Chinese over a number of years as well as hundreds, over the years, of European gold workers over 3 broad periods of gold activity. Are there other ex-grave sites? I do not know yet but yes I will look as I detect.

I do not detect nor dig "Lonely Graves" in the gold fields but I do come across them and continue detecting.

I did not detect these ex-grave sites but I certainly have an interest.
 
Dont listen to the keyboard warriors or let them detract from what is a pretty amazing feat. Would have to say one of the best coin spills Ive ever seen posted, half crowns are hard enough, but that full crown is simply sensational. Congrats :Y: :Y: :Y: .
 
Outstanding finds Detectist

You didnt have to post the story

Good on you for posting it

Unfortunately best this post of outstanding finds should be locked before the bullying takes over
 
i myself dont see a problem unless he dug up the grave its self which he didnt
he respected the actual grave and only done the surrounding area
from my understanding so far there is no body there as it has been removed and shipped home so all it is is another patch of ground
so sorry if i offend anyone but well done on your finds and for not digging the actual grave to me that showed respect
 
Nice finds & research Detectist! :Y:

A lot of parks were old graveyards. In some cases they saved what headstones they could & removed them to other areas i.e. memorial walls but the bodies weren't exhumed. They still lay under out feet - don't dig too deep in that favourite park :eek: ;)
I know of at least 2 here locally. Spooky but true.
Going into an active cemetery or barricaded historic graveyard to detect is one thing.
This is completely different.
 
My brother in law tells the story when he was a wee lad he went to the old Carrs Park public school in NSW. There was an old cemetary in the playground and they used to jump around on the ground and when they found an old grave it would sink a few inches. Public schools....... (there were no headstones but everyone knew they were there). It was CDF.
 
Detecting around a site where exumed former graves may have existed, especially on someones private property is probably not as much of an issue as seeking out actual designated cemetaries or digging actual plots, just have to respect the fact that opinions will always vary from person to person and leave it at that.

You also have to put it in context to the period in which those burials were made, the goldfields would have to be littered with unknown or unlisted graves, and it is not uncommon for those prospecting to come across them from time to time. There are many sites including old inns, cottages, ghost towns and regional goldfields that you and I often detect that may have unlisted or unmarked and often lone graves. Some people were buried where they fell, others were too poor to be buried at a proper cemetary, whilst some sites were simply too remote for it to be viable to buried elsewhere. They also didn't have the luxury of refrigeration, so a quick burial was most likely warranted due to health reasons.

I know one particular inn site that I detect has the wife of the owner buried somewhere, despite that the site has seen many detectorists over the years and the grave has never been located (thankfully), and neither has it deterred people from detecting there. Nobody in their right mind would actually seek graves to plunder, just a fact that if you detect older sites then there is always the chance that you may run into them.

So I guess my point is as long as you are not disturbing lone grave plots which may be randomly encountered on the types of sites I mentioned above, then it shouldn't be an issue. Best to give them a wide berth if located, and respectfully leave them as is when out detecting (whether that be gold prospecting or coin/relic detecting).
 

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