16th Century Silver Coins Cache Discovery
Picking Up "Leftovers"
After we had dug four more prospect-holes and had numerous tea breaks, we pocketed five more "hammereds". At 4 am, another metaldetectorist Dmitry arrived at the site and started digging his own prospect-hole with a great enthusiasm. His determination was rewarded with a few "keepers" as well. Forrest and I recovered two more coins when the sunrise broke out. But it was time to get some rest before we would collapse from total exhaustion.
After we slept for a few hours, we resumed the search around the spot by using our metal detectors and recovered some artifacts that were missed by others. Soon we couldn't get any more signals and we called it a day.
The Last Group of Finds From the Spot (Until Next Field Plowing)
A 16th Century Bronze Signet Ring
It took me a while to ID all coins from the cache. I have to admit it was a hard process but a very educational one. As I determined, the cache consisted of coins minted at four early Russian mints that were located in Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, and Tver in 16th century (see individual pictures in the "Wire Money" photo gallery. The face value of 70% of coins was "1 Kopek" (1/100 of Rouble). The face value of the rest of "fish scales" was "1 Denga" (1/2 of Kopeck), among them I had one rare coin-- "Polushka" (1/4 of Kopek).
All "Hammereds" Cleaned
At A Closer Look...
All in all, it was a great experience that allowed me to grow a little more as a treasure hunter. I also made new friends among fellow metaldetectorists. My interaction with everyone gave me an incredible opportunity in learning something new and useful. There is nothing like a good and humorous conversation or a great treasure hunting story that can inspire and put one in a positive mood! And that would be very important for successful metal detecting!
Happy Hunting!
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