Coin spills, my 1'st war nickel, and a silver & turquoise ring - 11/22

Didn't get started all that early today. Did a couple things around the house and wondered if Lee was going to call, or if he was loaded down at work with Turkey Day so close. Finally hit the road around 10:30.

Went back to the park I was at last week, and started near the area where I found those deep farm items.
None to be found this week, but started in with clad spills. Biggest was maybe 10 coins. It's a distant corner of the park, so kinda weird to find them where they were. Big surprise was the war nickel spill. 1942, and with it was a 1942 and 1943 wheatie. So I did a small 35% silver dance. :happydance01: 1'st signs of old life in that park so far.
Kept walking the beat in that corner, got more clad, and then what looked like another copper penny or dime signal turned out to be a deeper Native American design silver & turquoise ring. So I did a big dance. :yahooopped out the plug of dirt and saw a makers mark. Got a bit more excited as it could a real Native American jewelry maker.
That seemed to be the grand finale. I worked that that area a bit more with just lone clad to show, then went rogue and wandered for the next couple hours. More clad, then headed to the car around 3:30.

The maker's mark turns out to be from the Bell Trading Company. Founded in New Mexico in 1935. They sold Native American jewelry in tourist areas in the southwest. In 1972 they changed their name and makers mark, so I have a ring at least 43 years old, and it may be Native.
Here's a link to the Native American maker's mark site I found. http://www.art-amerindien.com/signature_picto-hallmarks.htm
The ring is too small for my big mitts. It would fit my pinky if I had it expanded a wee bit.

Sorry for the lousy indoor pics. She shined up better than it looks. I'll get one in the sun tomorrow.

congrats on the ring Brian , it was a bit brisk out today . stay warm out there .

Today was nice once the sun came out. Yesterday was brisk. Wish I could have joined you guys but I'm down to 1 vacation day left.

Terrific hunt, Brian! I really LOVE that ring! It is beautiful and has some nice natural wear to it. It looks old to me. Wonderful!

:congrats:

Congrats on your first War Nickel. That ring looks really nice also.
Great Job

Are you just getting better with that V3i, I think so. :thumbsup01: Super nice ring and loving that war nickel. I have to ask, was the ground frozen at all?

erfect10: WOW what a ring that is Awesome Bri and a Huge :congrats: on your first war nickel to bad it's turning winter on us HH

look at you finding silver !!!!! nice hunt matey boy , loving on that ring mate.

Nice ring. You know it's around 1900 having the makers mark. Now u and I got a war nickel this summer. I fown it weird to find the mint mark above the Monticello dome. Mine was Denver. So you needed lee to hold your hand? Haha.

Yeah Friday was cold. Al, there were a few spots the top layer was frozen a bit. Like the mud areas pushed up between the leaves along the dirt road was just a little frozen. So you are saying we endured worse on Fri.

Congrats on the vintage ring and war nickel!!! Seems like you're getting the hang of the V3i :congrats:

Nice going Brian. Since the ring is too small for you, just send it this way. (I know a great silversmith) :lol: The wife and I both wear a lot of silver. My favorite is the Zuni work. Congratulations on the war nickel too. Keep on swingin'.

Super nice ring. Nice follow-up on the research. WD

aloldstuff said:

Are you just getting better with that V3i, I think so. :thumbsup01: Super nice ring and loving that war nickel. I have to ask, was the ground frozen at all?

Click to expand...

Sorry for the late reply Al. Yeah, there were random patches that were frozen. I passed on a few targets since all I have is that Fiskars garden knife for parks, and it had a partial failure Sunday (hello Lesche). I'm happy with the machine Al. 3 months isn't much time with it, considering I've been detecting 6 months. So much more to learn.
I'm liking the ring more and more Tony. It has been sized down. There's silver solder on the inside. I'm wondering what it would cost to size it up again, and maybe clean up the turquoise.
Thanks for the kind words all. Not sure how many trips are left this season, but that was my best park hunt. Making the banner here is just as rewarding. Wooo!

And did get out for a quick hunt with Lee on Sunday since it was so nice out. He had stuff to do, so we didn't hit the road until 12:30 maybe. He took us to a huge park that has done well in the past, but we had a slow go of it. He found a few wheaties, 1917 being the oldest. I managed an Emerati coin that rang up like a nickel in the main park, and managed coin spill and emblem while working a median with big trees. Is a coin spill on a median a sign of a failed jaywalker? :shocked04:
We also got approached by a guy who detects as well. He showed us a binder of pics of some of his finds. Including a mason jar of pocket watches he'd found in that park.

This weekend isn't looking bad at all. GL & HH guys.
My 1 Dirham (small type), and emblem with a logo that looks familiar. Anyone?

I don't know about your last picture, but I love the ring! A real beauty.