Seen & Found

bawn79 · 29-06-2014 11:53am

slowburner wrote: »

Is it stone or wood?

Thanks for the interest slowburner - its stone. I thought the two holes definitely look man-made.

Bonedigger · 29-06-2014 12:27pm

If not natural,could it have been used as a weight for fishing nets?

slowburner · 29-06-2014 12:56pm

Agreed that the holes look man made but marine worms can make some pretty convincing holes.
Bonedigger could well be right if they are man made, but I wonder why two - if it is a weight.
It might be worthwhile to have a closer look at the edges (arrowed) and the bores with a loupe or lens to see if there is any evidence of tooling etc.

ellejay · 17-07-2014 2:03pm

Hi

I found two of these coins while digging a vegetable patch.
Could anyone tell me what they are?

Loads of bits of pottery and sharpened stones also.

Thanks in advance for any help.
17072014303.jpg

ellejay · 17-07-2014 2:07pm

17072014304.jpg

Bonedigger · 17-07-2014 2:38pm

I can't make out anything to be honest - the pics are quite blurry!Any chance of better images?

ellejay · 17-07-2014 3:53pm

thanks for reply bone digger, i'll try to get better pic and post up

Bonedigger · 17-07-2014 4:06pm

ellejay wrote: »

thanks for reply bone digger, i'll try to get better pic and post up

Thanks ellejay.
By the way,where was it found - Dublin?
The embossed centre(circle) is intriguing.

ellejay · 17-07-2014 5:14pm

I found it in North Wicklow.
Soon as I can get a good picture i'll post it.

slowburner · 18-07-2014 11:32am

ellejay wrote: »

I found it in North Wicklow.
Soon as I can get a good picture i'll post it.

The pottery and especially the 'sharpened stones' would be worth seeing.

ellejay · 18-07-2014 11:46am

Bonedigger wrote: »

I can't make out anything to be honest - the pics are quite blurry!Any chance of better images?

Sorry for wasting your time bonedigger but they're both now in pieces.
I showed them to a friend and they broke them trying to get the dirt off.
I'll keep my eye out for more.

ellejay · 18-07-2014 11:47am

slowburner wrote: »

The pottery and especially the 'sharpened stones' would be worth seeing.

I'll take some pics and post them up over the weekend.

Bonedigger · 18-07-2014 12:02pm

ellejay wrote: »

Sorry for wasting your time bonedigger but they're both now in pieces.
I showed them to a friend and they broke them trying to get the dirt off.
I'll keep my eye out for more.

Those 'coins' could potentially have been quite significant finds.You should never,ever try to clean any artefacts yourself.
I was going to suggest(before you posted the disappointing news above) you contact the National Museum to see if they could have a look at them,but it may be pointless now.How badly damaged are they?In fairness it did look significantly corroded and we may not have been able to tell what it was anyway,but it's still disappointing.

By the way,I'm not having a go at you personally.The temptation to see what they were obviously got the better of you and your pal.I know they weren't broken intentionally.There are techniques that can be employed to see through corrosion on coins like x-radiography,x-ray computed tomography,etc.
If I'm being honest,it's unlikely the National Museum would have employed such techniques in this case,but we must take into consideration the potential historical significance and value these 'coins'(we don't know for sure that's what they were) may have had.
I know some will think me funny worrying about some cruddy old coins!:)

ellejay · 18-07-2014 2:59pm

Bonedigger wrote: »

Those 'coins' could potentially have been quite significant finds.You should never,ever try to clean any artefacts yourself.
I was going to suggest(before you posted the disappointing news above) you contact the National Museum to see if they could have a look at them,but it may be pointless now.How badly damaged are they?In fairness it did look significantly corroded and we may not have been able to tell what it was anyway,but it's still disappointing.

By the way,I'm not having a go at you personally.The temptation to see what they were obviously got the better of you and your pal.I know they weren't broken intentionally.There are techniques that can be employed to see through corrosion on coins like x-radiography,x-ray computed tomography,etc.
If I'm being honest,it's unlikely the National Museum would have employed such techniques in this case,but we must take into consideration the potential historical significance and value these 'coins'(we don't know for sure that's what they were) could have had.
I know some will think me funny worrying about some cruddy old coins!:)

I'm very annoyed at my friend because I warned him not to do anything, only to gently look. I read in a previous post in his thread not to attempt to clean anything. The damage definitely wasn't intentional, on my part anyway.
They're in tiny pieces unfortunately.

I'm pretty sure I saw another "coin" and meant to go back to pick it up but got distracted. I'll have a good root around this weekend.

i kind of hope they're nothing significant so that would mean nothing was damaged.

Bonedigger · 18-07-2014 4:07pm

ellejay wrote: »

I'm very annoyed at my friend because I warned him not to do anything, only to gently look. I read in a previous post in his thread not to attempt to clean anything. The damage definitely wasn't intentional, on my part anyway.
They're in tiny pieces unfortunately.

I'm pretty sure I saw another "coin" and meant to go back to pick it up but got distracted. I'll have a good root around this weekend.

i kind of hope they're nothing significant so that would mean nothing was damaged.

You've certainly learnt a valuable lesson ellejay.I would suggest if you find anything else in future to keep it safely to yourself(you'll have to report your finds to the National Museum of course).Friends or family members always believe they know better,but often times they can do more harm than good,or worse,even lose the object.To give you an example,I was doing a bit of research into a particular site close to my home where significant numbers of mesolithic and neolithic flints were turning up;I spoke to the farmer who owned the land the flints were being found on and he told me he found two stone axeheads while digging holes for posts.Sadly he no longer had them - he gave them to a 'friend' and had not seen the axes nor his 'friend' since then.These axes could have given us very valuable information about what may have been going on at that site.I'm sure there are many more out there who can share similar stories.
Do,as slowburner has asked,upload some images of the pottery and 'sharp stones' you've found when you get a chance.I'd love to see them.
It's interesting you should mention that you saw another 'coin'.I'm almost tempted to think it's a small hoard,but it's more than likely a random scatter of coins in the one area.

Aelfric · 22-07-2014 7:42pm

Not a Viking-age coin with raised lip around the edge like that. The 'boss' in the middle makes me think it's a bronze button, possibly off a coat or jacket, and possibly a composite military button that's missing the domed front (the bit with the regimental crest on it).

slowburner · 30-07-2014 9:50am

Many of you will already have heard of this conference on aerial archaeology.
The deadline for the 'early bird' rate has passed so registration involves paying the high rate.
http://www.aarg2014.org/

Simon.d · 08-08-2014 9:29pm

Any thoughts on this stone?

Came across it the field containing the Danesfort ringwork and bailey, Co. Kilkenny. (20c at bottom right corner for scale)

slowburner · 08-08-2014 9:51pm

Simon.d wrote: »

Any thoughts on this stone?

Came across it the field containing the Danesfort ringwork and bailey, Co. Kilkenny. (20c at bottom right corner for scale)

This is interesting. The head says it's natural but there is something about it that makes you look twice.
It is like a miniature cupmarked stone. Too small perhaps.
If you can bear with me, I'd like to run it by one or two people.

Simon.d · 08-08-2014 9:58pm

slowburner wrote: »

This is interesting. The head says it's natural but there is something about it that makes you look twice.
It is like a miniature cupmarked stone. Too small perhaps.
If you can bear with me, I'd like to run it by one or two people.

Wasn't sure either.. Just caught my eye..

Here's higher resolution: http://i.imgur.com/xOXZXvE.jpg

slowburner · 08-08-2014 10:23pm

Any idea of the rock type and if it's different to the local limestone geology?

Simon.d · 08-08-2014 10:32pm

slowburner wrote: »

Any idea of the rock type and if it's different to the local limestone geology?

No idea.. Was doing a bit of kite aerial photography when I came across it so just took a quick photo... And saw no other stones in the field that were similar in terms of surface features..

One of the aerial shots:

slowburner · 08-08-2014 10:37pm

There is a chance, an outside chance, that this is not natural. If it is granite, then it could be extremely interesting.
Leave it with me.

bogwalrus · 09-08-2014 12:09am

Simon.d wrote: »

Wasn't sure either.. Just caught my eye..

Here's higher resolution: http://i.imgur.com/xOXZXvE.jpg

Rock above it seems similar composition and has no crevices. Looks like there could be more of it burried. Looks decorative to me but definitely has weathering signs.

pwarren · 15-10-2014 6:21pm

Pretty cool. go check out Antarctica in google earth. Strange stuff.

Bonedigger · 31-12-2014 7:35pm

I found the following flint and chert flakes in a field close to my home today:

Chert flakes

61082BAFFC4147178E2C75E2BAE6E461-0000372749-0003710531-00800L-207730EDB3D045D6BC4096C8792EF4DC.jpg

C868C2A819674F958649BFAF65D9ED96-0000372749-0003710529-00800L-6266151143A0427F82F745BFD30FD5D9.jpg

92430FFF642A49F9B6A8B58E7B13D21B-0000372749-0003710530-00800L-7119ACB1EE08445EA56BA88A662E4872.jpg

Patinated flint flakes

ACF3351A8FE642A88EAE9D4531714F6A-0000372749-0003710532-00800L-C217872D715940B2B24C2FCB261C55A9.jpg

One of the chert flakes looks like a blade,and bears a notch along one lateral edge,but this may just be a later chip.They're difficult to date of course,but have come from a site that has produced Mesolithic cores and materials from later periods too(note the varying degrees of patination on the flint flakes).

Aelfric · 06-01-2015 2:24am

Great stuff Bonedigger. Very nice pieces. They should be reported to the NMI as soon as possible, so they can be identified and properly recorded.

Stu

Bonedigger · 06-01-2015 8:11pm

Aelfric wrote: »

Great stuff Bonedigger. Very nice pieces. They should be reported to the NMI as soon as possible, so they can be identified and properly recorded.

Stu

Hi Stu,
These finds make up a small fraction of the lithic artefacts I've found on this site to date.I first found flint flakes there in 2008 and have since submitted over two hundred flint,chert and rhyolite artefacts to the NMI.I was also quite lucky to find a Neolithic stone Axehead there too!:) By the way,all have been surface finds on ploughed soil.I've been careful to record the findspots of the artefacts on illustrated plans,which are now also with the NMI.The latest finds will join the others on my next visit to Kildare street.

David

Mountainsandh · 03-02-2015 1:27am

Have a lot of catching up to do here it seems !

Looking at maps this evening I spotted something, it would be great if you guys could have a look.

There is nothing showing on NMS.

http://binged.it/1CroIyr

Curraheen
Co. Tipperary
52.269521, -7.829088

It's pretty much visible on all aerial views, but it's large and old field boundaries seem to have been removed so could be a recent corral sort of thing.

Visible on the NMS aerial view too but don't know how to link that.

slowburner · 03-02-2015 2:45am

Mountainsandh wrote: »

Have a lot of catching up to do here it seems !

Looking at maps this evening I spotted something, it would be great if you guys could have a look.

There is nothing showing on NMS.

http://binged.it/1CroIyr

Curraheen
Co. Tipperary
52.269521, -7.829088

It's pretty much visible on all aerial views, but it's large and old field boundaries seem to have been removed so could be a recent corral sort of thing.

Visible on the NMS aerial view too but don't know how to link that.

Nice one. Almost certainly a rath.
The field boundaries have been modified in that field over time. The boundary shown on the 6" Historic probably respects the original position of the rath.
It would be worth notifying the NMS.

Seen & Found

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