Howdy Folks!

Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself here.  I currently live on the Delmarva peninsula, Maryland, USA.  My friends call me Abbey- so you can too.  I began old dump diving when I was very young and living in Connecticut.  I still have many of my finds one of which is an old Quaker State oil sign (2-sided, enamel, classic).  Clearly, I didn't need a metal detector for that one- as I seldom do for most of my finds- including a cool Texaco sign found just a couple days ago (I should say, those are my ONLY sign treasures).  Aside from that, my finds come from tramping through the woods and kayaking the many waterways right here where I live.  My career schedule has never left me much time or energy (or money for that matter!), so the things I find are shore-line wash-up finds or dump finds.  That said, I wouldn't be on this site if I hadn't been so lucky and (relatively) successful. 

I have found lots of glass- from 19th +20th century bottles- a couple older- and bottle stoppers- to marbles (how DOES one find one tiny marble on a non-beach shoreline miles long???!), to buttons (even button 'blanks' (and the shells they were cut from)from what must have been a small cottage industry button manufacturer), to intact sugar dishes, creamers, soap dishes, etc. Even a pressed pink glass cameo! On one amazing beach journey I found not only 2 parts of a broken large swirl marble (old style), but also once-mounted opal and tourquoise cabichons!

With and without my (cheapest of all) metal detector, I've found military and police buttons, dog tags and other medalions and tokens, souveniers, keys, Indian-head nickels, lock plates- and locks, dressers drawer pulls- and more than enough rust- square nails, old linkage and fly-wheels, horse, ox (and mule?) shoes, etc.  Enough old forks and sppons to make several wind-chimes...old toy pop guns, jack knives...

I've found enough tennis balls for my dog Bella to be happy for ever.  Enough little green (and other colors) army (and other walk of life) men.  Tons and tons of fishing lures in variying states of decay. Old wooden home-made toy boats and signs, fishing reals...

I've found an old 2-tone pottery bottle, a small intact mustard(?) crock, a fare number of reed-stem pipe bowls and lots of bits of tavern (disposable) clay pipe stems and partial bowls- one recent one of a horse head all the way from Germany!

My largest collection of found things is my ever-growing collection of Native American artifacts.  Pottery shards and points of every (well, not Every) size and shape- from paleo to late woodland.  Trade era beads too. My area, apparently, has an awful lot to offer.  And as I'm currently unemployed, I'm enjoying the moment and getting out as often as possible to see what the land and sea have spit out for me to find.  I travel light, so I don't dig or sift.  The most I'll ever bring on my journeys is a hand claw and a pair of decent leather gloves.  I loaned out my metal detecor, so that's not in the picture (it rarely is anyway- too much iron in the ground (both natural and manufactured)to get a decent read on much of anything.

What little research I've done has focused on where old, established colonies of people have lived, and where they've discarded what they didn't want anymore.  What I've found is that 1, good real estate is good real estate no matter what the age or era; 2, that people didn't ever go too far to dump their trash, and 3, that water is erroding much of the past, and without folks like me (wink wink, nod nod), many many things would be lost if not for ever- certainly a long time (considering the ancient archeological finds- from objects to whole cities) found underwater.

So that's my long-winded introduction.  I'm happy to have found this site, and I look forward to learning about others' adventures!
Happy Hunting!

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,46354.msg253294.html#msg253294

Welcome from NM.     

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,46354.msg253306.html#msg253306

Hi Abby,

It's great to have you here, welcome aboard!

I know right where your area is, my Sister lived right on the (Maryland/Delaware) line in Delmarva. Nice area and good detecting grounds there. I love the Ocean City Beach area and town, one of the best & cleanest beaches I've ever seen, and the boardwalk was awesome as well as the fine restaurants with great seafood, and lets not forget some of the best fried chicken that can be found.

Cheers,  
Jim

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,46354.msg253339.html#msg253339

Sounds like your getting out more then I have as of late.  LOL

Yep, the Cheapest of the the Cheep Detector is better then NO DETECTOR.

A family Friend once gave me a 60 Dollar Radio Shack detector he did not know how to use.

Said he has Never found any thing with it.

I took it to the Flea Market and found $12.00 in change in a hour.   

I gave that one away in a Contest here and never did hear from the person that got it again.

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,46354.msg253448.html#msg253448

A southern-fried welcome from the great state of Mississippi

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,46354.msg253822.html#msg253822

J Walker