What it is all about

This is why I enjoy my hobby so much and is, to me, what it is all about.

Yesterday Friday 16th September 2011 I was invited to join a fellow detectorist for a day on one of 'his' fields.

The fields had just been harvested of a crop of Sugar Beet. This is the first time I had been on a field straight after the crop had been removed, I will think twice before doing so again :) The ground was solid there was not a drop of moisture to be seen. Still we gave it a go, he told me this was one field he had waited all year to get on, so that sounded promising. The first hour or so we had a few buttons some odd scraps of lead and a Georgian Halfpenny. I got a good clear signal and started to dig or rather tried to but the ground was solid. The problem with my detector setting is that sometimes the loud good signals turn out to be Iron at some depth. Well at about 4 inches and 10 minutes later, I still had not found it! The good signal continued and I was sure it was not iron. I got my associate to check with his machine which was a better model than mine and he confirmed the signal was good but said it was likely to be a button or cartridge case.

I sat myself down on the soil and started to dig carefully because I still could not pinpoint the signal. This meant it was deeper still.

I got a faint signal on the probe and did my best to dig around it bearing in mind the hardness of the soil. When I was quite sure I had surrounded the signal with a small V shape trench I eased the central clump of soil and straight way I wish I had my camera. There on the edge of the clump was a piece of decorated copper alloy. I was over the moon because this meant an artefact and not a coin. I do love artefacts :)
I showed the item to my associate and straight away he went in with the finger nails. I had to stop him, I not hurting it he said just getting the dirt of. "No you are not I said , It can wait until I get home."
" Don't you want to see what it is?" he says.. I said "It looks Saxon to me, possibly a medieval strap end!"
Well that was enough to make me put it away. Until this morning, when I put it to soak in Distilled water. Within a very short time the soil and what I thought was rust had fallen away to reveal (and don't quote me on this) a cast copper alloy Saxon Stirrup Mount with some decoration. I have not figured out what it is but there are similar ones illustrated on the Internet that say a figure with snakes. I cannot see it myself :)
I have taken this image and replaced it back into some fresh distilled water until I prepare it for Laura McLean our local FLO (Finds Liaison Officer). By prepare it, I mean to allow it to dry and then store it away from any more exposure to moisture.


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