randy
01-25-2012, 06:57 PM
Well, its time to get back to my stories, and, I think this one is kinda cool.
Recently I posted a complete silver spoon, with an '07 on the back, and a monogrammed name on the front. One of my goals was to attempt to find the family and return the spoon to the heirs. I wasn't sure how to do this, and filed it in the rainy day file, but, of course, went back to the site to see what else was there (turns out a handful of silvers, posted previously), and while detecting, this elderly woman approaches me and asks me if I've found anything. We all get this, and I know it annoys some (and yeah, it totally annoys me when it is kids), but I think its alot of fun to engage and talk to the mature locals -- if it wasn't for this experience, the hobby would mean less to me.
So, I start talking about my finds, a couple of old coins, and this silver spoon, and I ask do you know anyone on your block named Regina. Not only does she, she tells me she lived next door, and was born in 1907. :perfect10: Are you kidding me? I just verified the age of the spoon, and located the residence of the owner. :perfect10: Unfortunately, after more discussion, the owner is deceased (not surprising after over 100 years), but there is no family and no heirs.
After the elderly woman gives me the lowdown on the site and all its regradings and fills, (she's lived next door for over 60 years, and, as if she is a civil engineer (she may have been, she was quite sharp), she knows all this important stuff <:), I ask if she's keen on me detecting her property (which, as above, is next door to the owner of the '07 spoon, and was built in the 1800s happydance02).
She gives me carte blance permission and says just show me what you find -- you can keep it, I'm just curious.
So, today was the first day I was able to detect her property, and I hit a miserable looking merc. I'm saying, with my luck, this abused train wreck will be a '16D (but I have old eyes and could not read the date in the field). Later, I hit a rosie, and then this gorgeous sterling thimble.
She comes out and asks if I've found anything. I always like to give gifts to those who grant me permission, and figured the thimble was perhaps from her or her family, and would make the perfect gift, and I say I found some coins from the 40s and 50s and this old silver thimble, and she says I'm sorry you are not finding anything interesting, and if you do find something interesting, please let me know. Well, I find the thimble interesting, but that's just me. I'll be more than happy to send her a fruit basket when I'm done, and that's what I'm gonna do.
So, I get back home, and start processing that miserable looking merc, and it turns out to be a 1916. Not only that, it has a mintmark. Are you kidding me? Turns out to be a '16S, so I'm not sure how to feel.
Anyway, I love the thimble. the 10 apparently, is a size. The art on it is cool. The story is me, and I love writing them (despite the parodies that happen occasionally), and more importantly, I love living them, as do the locals I interact with. (I'll desist for quite a while going forward, but hopefully someone out there with frozen ground will enjoy the break in monotony).
Thanks for looking and HH everyone.
Recently I posted a complete silver spoon, with an '07 on the back, and a monogrammed name on the front. One of my goals was to attempt to find the family and return the spoon to the heirs. I wasn't sure how to do this, and filed it in the rainy day file, but, of course, went back to the site to see what else was there (turns out a handful of silvers, posted previously), and while detecting, this elderly woman approaches me and asks me if I've found anything. We all get this, and I know it annoys some (and yeah, it totally annoys me when it is kids), but I think its alot of fun to engage and talk to the mature locals -- if it wasn't for this experience, the hobby would mean less to me.
So, I start talking about my finds, a couple of old coins, and this silver spoon, and I ask do you know anyone on your block named Regina. Not only does she, she tells me she lived next door, and was born in 1907. :perfect10: Are you kidding me? I just verified the age of the spoon, and located the residence of the owner. :perfect10: Unfortunately, after more discussion, the owner is deceased (not surprising after over 100 years), but there is no family and no heirs.
After the elderly woman gives me the lowdown on the site and all its regradings and fills, (she's lived next door for over 60 years, and, as if she is a civil engineer (she may have been, she was quite sharp), she knows all this important stuff <:), I ask if she's keen on me detecting her property (which, as above, is next door to the owner of the '07 spoon, and was built in the 1800s happydance02).
She gives me carte blance permission and says just show me what you find -- you can keep it, I'm just curious.
So, today was the first day I was able to detect her property, and I hit a miserable looking merc. I'm saying, with my luck, this abused train wreck will be a '16D (but I have old eyes and could not read the date in the field). Later, I hit a rosie, and then this gorgeous sterling thimble.
She comes out and asks if I've found anything. I always like to give gifts to those who grant me permission, and figured the thimble was perhaps from her or her family, and would make the perfect gift, and I say I found some coins from the 40s and 50s and this old silver thimble, and she says I'm sorry you are not finding anything interesting, and if you do find something interesting, please let me know. Well, I find the thimble interesting, but that's just me. I'll be more than happy to send her a fruit basket when I'm done, and that's what I'm gonna do.
So, I get back home, and start processing that miserable looking merc, and it turns out to be a 1916. Not only that, it has a mintmark. Are you kidding me? Turns out to be a '16S, so I'm not sure how to feel.
Anyway, I love the thimble. the 10 apparently, is a size. The art on it is cool. The story is me, and I love writing them (despite the parodies that happen occasionally), and more importantly, I love living them, as do the locals I interact with. (I'll desist for quite a while going forward, but hopefully someone out there with frozen ground will enjoy the break in monotony).
Thanks for looking and HH everyone.