Well, after a weekend off, we travelled to a site that we'd not been to since April this year. This permission has produced some incredible finds from superb samples of pottery to a nice example of a Iceni gold stater.
This was our twentieth visit to the farm as a whole, the first being 16th March 2014.
The landowner said that there were two fields that had been re-ploughed and seeded with winter barley. This would perhaps be a good test as to how many artefacts and coins remain in plough layer after several methodical searches, the previous ploughing session was for potatoes.
The first field we had a look at is a 40-acre field that has indeed produced some incredible history.
Unfortunately, not as much history was revealed as expected. This can only be down to the intensity of previous surveys as, after all, there is a limit to how much history is actually present there.
We moved to another field that also has had as much attention as the previous one and again had produced some superb finds. Again, not as much history was recovered.
We are now certain that there are TWO main factors that seriously affect all metal-detectorists dreams and desires, either there are NO items present OR the site has been over-saturated by metal-detecting.
Ironically, even our own sites are proving the fact that, once covered 100% over several visits, very little will remain. You then have to accept whether or not it is financially viable to visit that area/field again and perhaps "rest" it for a couple years?
Admittedly it is really sad to have to drop a site that was once an incredible permission and may have been number one your permission list. That's life I suppose and we accept that there are many more exciting sites to explore.
At least there are other fields that may be of interest at this permission, one of which is having potatoes lifted at the moment.
Anyway, at least we did recover some history in the form of 7 Roman coins, a complete fibula, the head of a fibula, a couple of Roman mounts, a couple of ferrous artefacts, a lead pot mend with the Roman grey ware still attached.
HD images of the days recoveries can be seen here.
This was our twentieth visit to the farm as a whole, the first being 16th March 2014.
The landowner said that there were two fields that had been re-ploughed and seeded with winter barley. This would perhaps be a good test as to how many artefacts and coins remain in plough layer after several methodical searches, the previous ploughing session was for potatoes.
The first field we had a look at is a 40-acre field that has indeed produced some incredible history.
Unfortunately, not as much history was revealed as expected. This can only be down to the intensity of previous surveys as, after all, there is a limit to how much history is actually present there.
We moved to another field that also has had as much attention as the previous one and again had produced some superb finds. Again, not as much history was recovered.
We are now certain that there are TWO main factors that seriously affect all metal-detectorists dreams and desires, either there are NO items present OR the site has been over-saturated by metal-detecting.
Ironically, even our own sites are proving the fact that, once covered 100% over several visits, very little will remain. You then have to accept whether or not it is financially viable to visit that area/field again and perhaps "rest" it for a couple years?
Admittedly it is really sad to have to drop a site that was once an incredible permission and may have been number one your permission list. That's life I suppose and we accept that there are many more exciting sites to explore.
At least there are other fields that may be of interest at this permission, one of which is having potatoes lifted at the moment.
Anyway, at least we did recover some history in the form of 7 Roman coins, a complete fibula, the head of a fibula, a couple of Roman mounts, a couple of ferrous artefacts, a lead pot mend with the Roman grey ware still attached.
HD images of the days recoveries can be seen here.
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