dayton digger's gazette spring 2010

8/9/2019 Dayton Digger's Gazette Spring 2010

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The Vol.1 Issue 6 Spring, 2010

DIGGER’S GAZETTE

A Quarterly Publication for the



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Editor’s Corner,Please enjoy your 6th edition of the Digger’s Gazette, once again we havebeen blessed with lots of stories and pictures from you! By now most of

you have had a chance to welcome spring by swinging a coil or diggingin a hole and I hope you had a blast! Keep sending in your originalstories and photos for the next issue and maybe they will be mentioned inOhio Metal Detecting or Western & Eastern Treasures magazines.

I have to apologize for some errors and typos in the last gazette, chieflythe misspelling of Mike Notarnicola’s name. I urge each of you toinclude a photo and a complete, correct spelling of your name with eachsubmission. I have a bad enough time with spelling as it is. I have agood friend and I changed his name 6 years ago…. That is what we stillcall him today, so do not let the same happen to you.

Our first Secretary and one of the founding members, has been

transferred back to the Washington DC area for his job with thegovernment. Phil will be sorely missed at the meetings and at our privydigs especially for his great personality. His genorosity towards the clubproved that membership is not just a ten-dollar fee and a filled out form.I am proud to know Mr. Phil Townsend and expect he will keep diggin’it in Virginia.

Finds to Remember featured some of the items detected and dug on ourVirginia hunt and I hope you have lots of stories about these and all of the other finds too for the next exciting Digger’s Gazette!

Ron Fulcher

This Month’s Cover features a photo from our first story. It Shows Mark Ferguson with one of his finds during the copperharvest! Photo by Steve Greene

Calendar of Upcoming Events

Meetings are held each month on the 3rd Tuesday

May 18th, 2010--------------------Meeting at Treasure Hunters Supply, 7PM to 9PM

June 15th, 2010--------------------Meeting at Treasure Hunters Supply 7PM to 9PM

July 20th, 2010--------------------Meeting at Treasure Hunters Supply 7PM to 9PM

August 17th, 2010--------------------Meeting at Treasure Hunters Supply 7PM to 9PM

July date TBD, 2010------------------OSPA hosts Dayton Diggers for Hunt & Cookout

Aug or Sept. date TBD, 2010---RRG hosts Dayton Diggers for Kentucky Hunt & Cookout

Index of Articles

Pg. 3 Two Days of the Copper Harvest

By Mark Ferguson Photos by Steve Greene

Pg. 5 Metal Detecting Sport Art or Science

By Tony Mantia

Pg. 5 A Diggers Hunt with Doug & Manny

By Tony Mantia

Pg. 6 Dayton Diggers Lend a Needed Hand

By Manny Carrillo

Pg. 6 Meeting Notes From the Secretary

Pg. 7 Member Roundups

Pg. 9 Privies from Farmsteads and Their

Buildings by Amos Long Jr. Copyright 1972

Pgs. 24 and 25

Pg. 11 A Happy Girl

By Tony Mantia

Pg. 11 Finds to Remember

The Digger’s Gazette is a quarterly publication for and by the members of the Dayton Diggers. We are a locally based organization specializing inhistorical research and recovery in and around Dayton, Ohio. The Digger’s Gazette is the property of and, copyrighted by the Dayton Diggers. All requests

for reprint must be accompanied by the written permission of the author and approval by the Editor of the Digger’s Gazette Copyright 2010 Volume 1 Issue 6 Spring, 2010

1305 Arbor Avenue, Dayton OH 45420

Chairman---------------------Steven Lee GreeneTreasurer--------------------Bill Baecker

Secretary---------------------Manny CarrilloNewsletter Editor --------Ronald Fulcher

http://www.daytondigger.com



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Two Days of the Copper HarvestWritten by: Mark

Ferguson

Date: January 2010

I had not been able tometal detect this field in theMiami Valley due to my ownhealth problems from 2004

until 2009. Not to mention thefarmer that plants the field usesthe, “no till method,” as mostfarmers nowadays do. By “notilling,” sometimes swingingthe coil is impossible.

I had scoped out thefield the day before the hunt,and was I happy the soybeanswere cut very short to theground. This part of the fieldhad been an old gristmill by theriver for around 200 years. I

had spoken to my good friendand President of our Club, TheDayton Diggers, Steve Greene.I must say, the club was startedin January 2009, and isgrowing as I write this story. I

have met some great people at the club. Anyhow, I had asked Steve to help in finding the mill. He was all for it, so we headed outto the field Sunday morning, November 15.

Day 1 There was a light rain when we got to the field. After a little walking around, we got the detectors going. Onegoing one direction, the other going the other way. My choice of detector is a Minelab Explorer II, and Steve prefers the FisherCZ-5. Both are more than adequate for our adventure into the unknown.

After about an hour of hunting, we started finding redbrick, broken pottery, broken glass, old colonial buttons. With itstill drizzling ever so lightly we took a small break to gather ourthoughts, and talk about what little bit of stuff we had found.Between both of us, we had a lot of square nails, and a fewcolonial buttons, but no coins.

After the break, Steve and I decided to hunt an area 50yards by 50 yards. We thought this could be the best area fromthe pottery, bricks, broken glass, and colonial buttons we hadfound earlier. As we started to hunt, low and behold sunshine.No rain just mud, and lots of it. Things were looking brighterthough. By now, Steve was on the western side of the 50x50yard grid area, and I hear him yell, “token.” I dropped mydetector to look. It was a real nice Civil War Merchant Tokenfrom New York. As I was heading back to my detector I wasthinking to myself, things were definitely brightening up.

No sooner had I picked up my detector, I hear Steve yell“another token.” I thought, crap he hit a hot spot. I started tomove closer to Steve as to see if I could get in on some of thisaction. Steve was swinging his detector in a straight line about15 feet from the tree line in the field with a South to North

direction. Bam! Steve yells, “largie,” (1853 Large Copper) nice. Again, I find myself thinking, crap he is definitely in a hot spot.I was also thinking, I am only 10 feet away from him and I should be finding this stuff too. Nevertheless, it was not to be. Oh, donot get me wrong, for I was finding stuff also. A few nice colonial buttons, and even a clay marble, but no coins or tokens. Steveon the other hand was on a roll.

After Steve had found the 1853 largie, his next find, which to me could not have been five minutes later, yells “largie”.This time it is a real nice 1847 Large Cent. By now it was getting late in the afternoon, I think around 4:15 to 4:30. Both of us



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still swinging the machines and still pumped about finding more stuff. Bam! Again, Steve got another largie signal and there itwas sitting on top of the ground an 1835 Large Cent. Again, I dropped my detector to check the coin out. Again, I could notbelieve it. Steve was taking a video of the find, and on the tape, you can hear me say as I am walking back to my detector, “I giveup”.

I did not give up though I was a little disappointed because I had not found anything other than buttons, nails, and amarble. Nevertheless, I knew it was going to get better. As the day was ending, Steve had found another Large Cent in bad shape.The matron head is visible on the obverse and nothing on the reverse. He also found a nice Indian Spearhead. Therefore, day oneof two belonged to Steve. I was happy for Steve since that had been his best day ever for field hunting. I went home thinking tomyself that I was happy that Steve had, had his best day ever hunting these kinds of sites. Little did I know that day two would bemy best day ever.

Day 2. Steve called me Monday morning, and said, “He had the day off, and do I want to go back out to the field?” Of course, I could not say no. I had a feeling that morning that this day was going to be better. For one thing, it was very sunny outand a lot warmer. I also went with my 8-inch coil instead of my 10-inch coil for better separation.

Steve showed up at my house around 8:30 in the morning, and after a cup of Joe and a small discussion on how we shouldhunt today, we said, “the heck with it, let’s just attack with no mercy.”

We got to the sight and after a very small hike, we turned on our machines at the entrance to the field. We headed off tothe 50x50-yard grid where Steve had found all those coins and tokens the day before. About 50 yards into the field while swingingthe coil I got a really nice penny hit. I dug down about 5 inches and there it was an 1863 (Fatty) Indian Head in great shape. Iknew then that it was going to be a good day. While I had been digging the (Fatty), Steve had dug a really nice hand forged axhead. One of two that Steve would find before we left for that day.

Steve had been searching outside of the grid area that we had been hunting. I, on the other hand, went back to that area.After about an hour or two on the south end of my grid, I got another penny hit. This time I dug down about 5 inches and a largieappeared. I yelled to Steve that I had found a largie, I think, as I was looking at it I could not really make out anything on this

coin. When Steve got there he was looking at the coin and he started to read the coin off to me as if it was a Washington InauguralButton! I did not have my glasses on, and Steve had remembered that when I first met him, I had mentioned how much I reallywanted to find a Washington Inaugural Button. Well, Steve was joking around with me and finally admitted, he could not make itout either.I put the coin in my pocket and went on with the hunt. I noticed that I was in the grid on the north side, working my waysouth in a straight line opposite of where Steve had beenthe previous day when I got a monster signal. Afterdigging down about 5 inches, I saw a (largie), anotherlarge cent (1847). I could not have been any happier. Ithen hear Steve yell, “Token!”

We stopped again to check out each other’sfinds. His token was an 1863 Civil War Token(Wisconsin). That was his third Civil War Token in twodays, and mines the largie. We resumed our attack and

within minutes I got another monster signal, and yes,another large penny (1833). I stuck the coin in mypocket and went on swinging. By this time, it was about4:30 in the afternoon and our backs, knees, shouldersand feet were getting mighty tired. Steve and I haddecided to call it quits around 5:00.

I had not walked another four or five stepswhen I got a really nice loud silver signal. I dug downabout 5 inches and turned over the clump of earth andthere she was, a beautiful 1838 Seated Liberty Dime inexcellent shape. “Silver!” I hollered. Since it was theonly silver that had been found, Steve came over andvideotaped the unearthing of this beautiful lady. By theway, on the ground right next to the hole was a real nice arrowhead with a broken tip.

Five o’clock came and we decided to head to the auto, and home. On the way back to the truck, Steve got a good ironsignal, and dug another hand forged ax head. When we got to the truck, we assessed our finds. Clearly, it had been my day.

The two days of copper harvest were over. The weather turned bad a few days later and we could not get back to the sitefor the rest of this year. It was a great two days of metal detecting. A lot of great finds for the both of us. To be exact we endedup with; 1-silver coin, 1-faty Indian Head, 7-Large Cents, 3-Civil War Tokens, 12-colonial Flat Buttons, 1-spearhead, 1-arrowhead, 2-marbles/one clay, 2-axheads, and two bags of square nails, ha-ha.

I would like to mention that I have full written permission from the landowner to hunt this property. For reasonsunknown to me, I am only allowed to bring one other person with me. Nevertheless, at least I can hunt there anytime I want andthat is okay with me!

Oh, by the way, I just recently found out that in that same field is another mill (lumber), but that will be another story.Until then my good friends, may the metal detecting gods be looking down upon you. Good luck and happy hunting!.



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"In Search Of History"Southern Ohio's Authorized Dealer for

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We are your source for all your treasure hunting supplies and needs.

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Metal Detecting: Sport, Art or, Science?

By Tony MantiaHow do we define metal detecting, is it a sport, art or science? Let us look at some different aspects of our fascinatinghobby. In some ways metal detecting is like a sport, we set goals for ourselves; “I am shooting for 50 silver coins this

year”. Or “I want to find a seated coin”. I think we all make such goals, for some they are more modest than others butnevertheless we all seek to improve from the year before. It is also has aspects of sport when we go on a group hunt,

while we rightfully hope our friends make good finds we all inwardly hope that it is us that makes the spectacular findof the day. We record our finds, keeping track of number of items or relics we have found and we post them on theinternet sites hoping to receive favorable comments from our friends and peers. There is nothing wrong in this aspectas long as we all root for our club mates and are genuinely pleased when they make a great find. It is also similar to asport in the fact that many of the more experience hunters are always willing to go out of their way to help the

beginners make finds and learn more about metal detecting. They assume the role of a “coach” in this part of metaldetecting.

Art comes into the forefront with the skill and intuition that seems to elude the average metal detectorist. The truemetal detector “artist” seems to be able to look at an area and unexplainably be able to go to the spot where importantfinds seem to be hiding. It seems as they just “sense” this in a way that most of us cannot. I am sure a lot of this ability comes from experience and knowledge where items may have been lost. But I think there is more than that involved.Haven’t you ever looked at an area and instinctively gone to where you start finding things? I believe we all occasionally get this glimmer of ability but in general this rarely happens. To the true “artist” it seems to happen much more often.

They seem to be able to listen to the faintest whisper of tone from their machine and instantly be able to interpret it.The “artistic” side of metal detecting is much too ephemeral to put into words, we cannot explain it but we know that itis there.

The scientific side of metal detecting is easier to understand. The study of maps and terrain and the knowledge of places where people congregated is something that can be learned. Science is displayed in the study of what ourmachines tell us. Is the reading we are getting truly a decent find or is it trash? This knowledge comes from the study of the signals that we get; from the type of ground we are hunting; the moisture content of the ground and a myriad otherfactors to take into account. So what is metal detecting, sport, art or science? I believe it is a delightful meld of all theseaspects. It offers wonderful opportunity to use and enhance all sides of our personality.

A Diggers Hunt with Doug and Manny By; Tony Mantia

It was a nice day to go for a hunt and it felt good to get out. It started out inmy own yard when my grandson Ben using my detector found a 1941Jefferson Nickel a nice find for a first try. A little later fellow DiggersManny and Doug and I went to an older park in town and had a great time. Ihad the first find of the day a little pocket spill of a quarter, two dime, twopennies all clad. Doug was next to score with a 1952 Rosie which was oddlywrapped up in some type of foil, then he found a nice ladies sterling ring.Manny was raking in the clad finding a spill of pennies and dimes totalingabout 20 coins. Manny and I moved to another spot and here I came up witha first for me. I knew it seemed different and when I got it out I found myfirst Susan B. Anthony dollar coin. Doug joined us and kept scoringwheaties and then I made a nice find a 24" long Sterling Silver chain!



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Dayton Diggers Lend a Needed HandBy: Manny Carrillo

So there I was Tuesdayafternoon sent home earlyfrom work due to the

weather and wonderingto myself what I was goingto do the rest of the day. Ithought maybe I could getonline and watch somedetecting videos or, maybelook at some of the forums.Before I knew what hit meI was asleep on the couchdreaming of warmer daysand silver coins. In themiddle of a great dream Iam awakend by the soundof my phone.

Upon arrival wesee a pile of snow the sizeof a mountain and adriveway as long I 675maybe a bit longer lol. Wegot out of the truck gearedup, and meet with Larryand his dad then started thesearch. About 15-20

minutes later which felt like an hour I was losing hope. Dayton Digger was 50 cents richer and I had about 5 cents worth of cokecans. We took a minute to come up with a plan and decided to start knocking down the Mt. With help from a big snow plow it took no time at all to flatten it out.

Not even a minute into the hunt after knocking down the Mt. I had a loud target screaming at me. I dug down and saw a

kroger key ring and sure enough it had about 15 keys attached to it. A smile of relief came over the faces of Larry and his dad asthey thanked Steve and I reapeditly. I knew then our job was done. As we started to pack up, Larry's dad told us about the area andthe year his house was built. Needless to say we got a couple of places we will be returning to, and got the Dayton Diggers Clubname out. Dayton Digger and I drove back to Dayton with grins on our face and a feeling of accomplishment for doing what wethough was right. Thanks all for reading.

Meeting News and NotesFebruary 14, 2010Location: Treasure Hunters SupplySpringboro, OhioMeeting called to order at 6:00 PM byChairman Steve GreeneOld Business

1) Tax Status 501C3 funds MET with the

help from the raffle2) Members encouraged to join theirlocal Historical Society! They are a greatplace to meet new people, learn somethings and, possibly get some leads.Tony Mantia joined his local historicalsociety with Steve3) Phil Townsend is moving back to theWashington DC area due to his job beingrelocated and has stepped down as ourSecretary. In accordance with ourconstitution and by-laws Chairman Steve

Greene appointed Manny Carrillo asSecretary and confirmed this with anemail vote by the officers.

New Business1) The Buckeye Treasure Net forums are

open to all clubs. Mike wants all the

clubs to get together and try to open upsome of the parks that do not allow metaldetecting. Possibly having everyoneattend a digging class, and getting apermit from the parks administration inthe area they hunt.2) Steve wants the club members to sendhim pics of themselves in action withtheir hobbies so that he can post them onour club's website3) I (Manny Carrillo) am under goingnegotiations for a possible DaytonDiggers Hunt in VA. It seems like a

great place, with great potential but theowners are hard to get a hold of. I plan onhaving the details by our next club meeting.4) We had to say see ya later and bestwishes to Phil Townsend who got sent toD.C. for his job. He will be back and forthand remain a member of Dayton Diggers

Special Thanks To:

Roy Owens: Brought in some of his metaldetector finds from England, and did a greatpresentation. Also donated a nice RomanCoin to the club raffle. (which I got by pureluck)-Tony Mantia donated a nice coin and a Statequarter holder book -Jerry Hoffman let us a hold a meeting at hisshop and donated a nice White's coil to theraffle



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-Phil Towsend-donated some nice bottlesto the raffle-I donated two bottles and a silver coin-the Officers for putting the meeting on,and all who attended and participated inthe raffle so that we could reach our TaxGoal

-Nick Arnold for his donation of the OhioMetal Detecting Mag. to the entireDayton Diggers-Penny for mailing the News Letter to allwho could not attend (Way to go Steve'sother half)-Ohio State Prospecting Association fortheir presentation (Roger Sznell, and

Kevin Atkins) they are looking for land torent in Clairmont County if anyone has a lineplease let them know.-Phil Townsend for all of his hard work forthe Dayton Diggers while serving asSecretary

Date: March 14, 2010

Location: Treasure Hunters SupplySpringboro, OhioWe had several new members join and allintroduced themselves and their preferredhobbies. I don't have a list of all at thistime but Steve sent out a welcome newmembers email.Old Business:

501C3 paper work sent in. Now awaitingapproval

New Business:As of April 1, 2010 Annual membershipprice will increase to $20.00 to help off set some of the clubs expenses.DDVH sign ups were opened to the club.Cost $50.00 per person with a pizza partyon Saturday. We will be staying at the

Fredricksburg KOA campgrounds. Car-pooling is suggested and people who needrides may contact Steve. Each person whoattends will need to send their money toSteve and make sure they have the waiversigned by the day of the huntNick Arnold is taking orders for DDVHhunter orange T- Shirts.

Member Roundup Tim Jeandrevin Email address [email protected] I was 34 years old when I started metal detecting (That was 22 years ago. lol) and my best find to date is probably an 1833 cappedbust dime. As much as I would like to, I have never lived in the Dayton area at all. I originally hale from Navarre, Ohio but I hang my

hat in Bolivar, Ohio now. I first heard about the Dayton Diggers through the internet forums and joined because of the group.

When it comes to artifact recovery I am a jack of all trades and master of none. My chief interests include privy digging, coinshooting and, relic hunting. I have had a Garrett GTA 1000 for 22 years now and bought a GTAX550 a year and a half ago. Mynewest weapon is a Minelab E-Trac I picked up and have had for around 6 months.

I wish I owned a large backhoe and dump truck but if pressed in a contest I could dig a four-foot deep privy out in around an hour byhand and with my lucky shovel. I look forward to meeting all of my fellow diggers at the upcoming events and meetings.

Member Roundup Laury AngelEmail address

[email protected]

I am from Mason Ohio, that little

known suburb of Dayton, Ohio, .Since getting my MPX Pro in

February of this year I have found a

1943 silver quarter. I am hoping to

get out more once the weather turns

warmer. Come on spring!

Metal detecting is my newest hobby

but it kind of goes along with my

historical research over the years.

With all of the “digging” the club

does, I wished I had some heavy

equipment to offer. The best you canhope for when I am using a shovel is

a shallow hole. Fortunately, I hear

that these are the kinds of holes that

work best when metal detecting

though.

I first heard about the Dayton

Diggers from the Buckeye Treasure

Hunters Forum and decided to join a

while ago. In addition to being a member

of the Warren County Historical Society

I am also the founder of The Ohio GhostHunters Association (T.O.G.A.). My

interests also include paranormal

investigating and treasure hunting. My

kids are now members and we are all

waiting for the Dayton Diggers Virginia

Hunt!

Member Roundup Roy Owens

Email address [email protected] I am originally from the great state of Pennsylvania and I traveled the world for 26years in the USAF. I came to Dayton in 1999. As a teenager I went field hunting andfound several nice arrowheads & Indian artifacts. The Air Force stationed me inEngland where I found a unique silver penny of King Steven (1135-1154). This findwas written up for an article published in The British Numismatic Journal (1993)

I developed a real interest in Medieval & Roman Coins along with the artifacts whilein England. I have also dug bottles in the UK & USA and recovered crashed WW IIaircraft (mostly parts of them). Jerry Hoffmann told me about the Dayton Diggersand how to get in touch with the chairman Steve Greene. I currently own a couple ofmetal detectors. A Garrett ADS 7 (I have the 2 box set up for aircraft crashes & big



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items) that I got when they first came out (1990?) and for faster work a Tesoro Silver Sabre II (1992?)

I Have been a member of THE FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT DETECTORISTS (UK) http://fid.newbury.net/ , SuffolkInstitute of Archaeology and History , (UK) http://www.suffolkarch.org.uk/ and, The British Numismatic Societyhttp://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/coins/britnumsoc/ . While in the military my hole digging skills were highly refined and I anow able to dig a small foxhole 3 feet round and 3 feet deep in about an hour. Well, at least I can dig until my back gives oand have a good time with the Dayton Diggers doing it

Member Roundup Jared Shank

Email [email protected] I am originally from Saint Paris,Ohio and was stationed at Fort Braggin North Carolina while I was in theArmy. Once I started college atWright State I moved to Ketteringand have been there since 2007. I donot own any heavy equipment but Ispent 4 years in the Army and didone combat tour to Afghanistan. So,,,all I can say is I can dig pretty deeppretty fast if necessary.

I have just recently become a metaldetectorist but I am now the proudowner of two detectors. They are aBounty Hunter Tracker IV, and aGarrett Ace 250. I have had each fora few months. I like my Garrett Ace250 more than my Bounty Hunter.Once I save some money back I'll

upgrade to something better. After Ihad bought a detector and startedsearching Youtube for videos it waseasy to find the Dayton Diggers. Ithen followed the link to the website

and the rest is history

My best detecting find so far is either a

1917d Mercury Dime, or a 1953

Franklin Half.... Nothing too exciting yet

but the future is bright. I'm new all

around (I only started detecting in the

fall of 2009) but I am

very knowledgeable about U.S. military

artifacts and U.S. coins. If I can help you

with these items of interest let me know!

I am looking forward to diggin’ it with

the rest of you in 2010.

Member Roundup Mark AlexanderEmail AddressI am a long time resident of Yellow Springs, Ohio, 56 years to be exact. I am a metal

detectorist at heart and enjoy the hunt when metal detecting. “Treasure hunting” usually

has a start in our childhood and it was true for me too. When I was a kid gypsys left

treasures beside our road by the mailboxes. Fishing equipment, games, 1026 raleigh

coupons, a tape recorder and many other items were among the trove. For a 12-year-old

that was a great find! As an adult, I have found a 1972 silver dollar

I have been the proud owner of a Whites DFX for 10 years and more recently picked up

another. The new detector is a Fisher 3Z3D and I have had it for 6 months now. I have

been a member of the Silver Seekers and first found the Dayton Diggers by searching on

the web. Since joining I understand we may have to “qualify” our ability to dig and Ihave a few thoughts on that subject. When it comes to digging, I prefer to use a shovel

but I can always rent something if digging a really big hole! I look forward to meeting

more of the Dayton Diggers Soon!

Member Roundup Tab McBlane

Email AddressI grew up in Springfield and wasborn there too. I moved to StParis when I turned 21 and livedhere ever since except for 1 yearthe wife and I spent traveling the

United States in our RV. Back inSt Paris now. My best find hasbeen my wife honestly but withthe detector it is probably an 1876Canadian Large cent. Every placeI have access to has usually beenhit by a thousand people so Ialways try to find what theyskimmed over.

. I just love to metal detect andprefer to find old coins as a path

to history, the ole wonder whohad this and how they managedto lose it question. I don't haveany expertise in any areas, I am

just like plundering through lifeLOL! I have several detectors, My

main one is a Whites DFX butalso have an XLT my wife usesbut also have an MXT as a backup and I bought a GMT for whenwe go back out west in the desert.

Since I heard about DaytonDiggers on the Buckeye forum Ihave been working on my diggingskills. Without any heavyequipment and only a shovel Isuppose I could dig a hole a

couple of feet deep in an hour. Thatdepends on the consistency of thedirt and rock content. In cement I cango about a 1/16 of an inch an hour Good Luck to the gang in Virginiaand keep on digging!



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A Happy Girl By: Tony Mantia

You know you are having a good day when you 1. Get a new bicycle, 2. Getanother used bicycle for cruising around the neighborhood and 3. get back yoursterling silver ring you lost last year. My great-niece was the recipient of all thesethings. Her mom, my niece got her a new bicycle and she brought it over to myhouse to be checked out. I am a retired bicycle shop manager so I always get thefun of checking out and fixing bikes for the family…and the neighborhood too!While at my house my niece saw the old cruiser bike that I had fixed up and she

said her daughter wanted one like that too…well I gave it to her for her daughterhey Uncle Tony is just a soft touch what can I say! I told her about my metaldetecting and she said her daughter had lost her favorite ring a sterling silverpeace symbol ring. After the bike chores I went to her house she showed me thegeneral area she thought it had been lost in. After a half-hour hunt which turnedup a quarter and a memorial penny I got a nice signal and cut the plug, flipped itup and there it was her ring! So that is what I call a good day, two bicycles and areturned ring and a happy uncle who was pleased as he could be that he helpedmake for his great niece a wonderful day!

FINDS TO REMEMBERThis is where we record our best finds during the past few months and the awards are determined by anonymous ballots

cast by an equally mysterious group of concerned coin and bottle experts.

Best Combat Relic.. Angular Bayonet recovered by Jack Brewer, On our recent Dayton Diggers trip to Virginia Jack found this at the

Woodson Sight with a Garrett 250 metal detector. This rare find made for quite aconversation in the Digger’s tent!

Best Firearm… 1930s style ColtRevolver found by Manny Carrillo was

working the Woodson sight and was surprised to find thisburied just a few inches, quite possibly the first firearmrecovered by the Dayton Diggers!

Doug Wagner’s First Silver! Doug was detecting at the birthplace of Meriwether Lewis

and found a 1952 Roosevelt silver dime and the first silver coin of his metal detectorist career. Way togo Doug! Best “ FIRST SILVER OF THE DAY” Coin….. Steve Greene got first silver by

finding a 1943 quarter at the Woodson Sight.

Best Gold Ring.. Found by Mark Ferguson Chuck

Cannon was digging in a trash dump and tossed aside a purse where Mark

found a small 10 Karat gold ring!

Best Toy.. Cast Traffic Officer found by Mike Haer Mike got out early and found

the policeman on the Woodson Sight. He also found the first of two black powder rounds recovered,

coincidentally they were both noted as two-ringers.

Best Can,, 1940s era Chevrolet Chassis and Superior Bodypictured with Chuck Cannon This was just one of the attractions at the

Harrison Family Property. The bus was built in Lima, Ohio and the chassis may have been

built in Dayton, Ohio! Just like us, it came a long way to enjoy Virginia! Chuck, our

Virginia can digging expert, made sure I got a picture of the bus with him at the wheel.

COMING SOON: The Dayton Diggers Summer Invitational Hunt and

the Virginia Wrap-Up Edition of your newsletter!



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The Digger’s Gazette Editor1305 Arbor Ave.Dayton, Ohio 45420

dayton digger's gazette spring 2010

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