Garden treasure

steephill

I enjoyed the TV series The Great British Dig where Hugh Dennis presents a team of archaeologists digging in peoples gardens. Here's what I have found in mine so far, not much of a coin hoard unfortunately. First a 1967 halfpenny.

More valuable (at the time!) a 1949 George VI florin (2 shillings old money, 10p today). They removed all the silver from the coinage in 1947 so this one hasn't survived very well. The nickel plating has mainly gone showing the copper base.

As our house is the first dwelling erected on this site as far as we can tell (late 60's) I wasn't expecting much but 2/- and a ha'penny was a little underwhelming. Anything more exciting turned up during your garden excavations?

Pete.8

Congrats! Maybe you'll come across a chest of dubloons soon
Over the years I've come across about 6 clay pipes and the odd very rusty bit of 'something'

philippasmith2

I do have a hoard of old coins - I think the oldest one is a Victorian farthing but can't recall where it came from.
One of my better finds was a glazed stoneware ( ? )  Ginger Beer jar which I uncovered in the grounds of an old farmhouse in Leicestershire in the mid 1980's.  Brewed by W. Mawson & Co. of Lutterworth and Market Harborough. No idea of the age but very good condition.
I find the various archaelogical programmes fascinating.  The problem is that what looks like an old bit of stone/glass or WHY to my inexperienced eyes often turns out to be something exciting. Makes me wonder what I may have missed. 
I keep hoping to find some  human skeletal remains but no luck so far

B3

Why??

Fairygirl

Can't beat a nice florin @steephill
I always loved those old halfpennies with the ship. No idea why really 
Can't say I've ever found anything worthwhile - usually just blocks of kerbstone or similar. 
Not sure I'd fancy finding any human remains @philippasmith2...

Hostafan1

I once dug up a fossilised sea urchin

Balgay.Hill

I found a complete 3 bar electric fire about 18 inches deep whilst digging a hole for planting a tree. Why would someone bury an electric fire?

Hostafan1

Balgay.Hill said:

I found a complete 3 bar electric fire about 18 inches deep whilst digging a hole for planting a tree. Why would someone bury an electric fire?

soil warming kit?

TheGreenMan

I found a dog skeleton wrapped in a duvet cover with a teddy bear underneath it. 

TheGreenMan

Balgay.Hill said:

I found a complete 3 bar electric fire about 18 inches deep whilst digging a hole for planting a tree. Why would someone bury an electric fire?

Maybe they got sick of telling their wife to "put more clothes on instead"!!

SherwoodArrow

I have found this Victorian half penny. The road I’m on was an track/footpath through a field so I get clay pipes as well. 


Also this s-shaped fastening. I only found it last year after 25 years of digging the same veg garden it just turned up on the top. It was very dirty so I cleaned it up using a hawthorn thorn (I’d seen them doing that on Time Team). I got in contact with the local portable antiquities scheme officer who said it was probably from the 1600s. It’s not really old or very fancy but I’m pleased with my little bit of treasure.