Out today maybe some Victorian??

[Emily]

Good evening all,

Well, I bit the bulletins went out for a couple of hours today. My first problem was that I had forgotten my shovel, my second is that the fields I have access to at the moment that aren’t planted yet are infected with litter. Metal and plastic alike, but mainly metal.

Have any of you got other permissions like this?? It actually disgusts me that these fields are in this state. The rubbish is all over the surface like a sickening join the dots and then, to make matters worse, the metal has been forced underground by ploughing, so I no longer trust what I’m hearing. Nearly every signal is some bit of can or a lid or tin foil or some unknown entity, to the point where despair sits in and gets comfy. I feel that there can’t be anything to find in this field and if I happen upon something that could be interesting, it’s actually just pure luck rather than any sort of skill. Am I the only one feeling like this??

Of course, not all fields are like this, but with this particular farmer, all his land (of which it’s a substantial amount) is a metal/soil mix like some foul compost. How does it get like this?? I genuinely don’t have a clue.....and it puts me off going back, which is a shame as I know it could give up some interesting finds, I just wonder whether it’s worth the monumental battle to get to them.

Anyway, I somehow managed to pick out a few pieces. A 2p coin and a couple of 303 bullets are among them, as well as a sweet spoon or fork handle, but a couple of the pieces, I know idea what they could be. Maybe a drawer handle for one or a buckle, but for the other, your guess is better than mine.

It was amazing getting out, but honestly, I’m disappointed that the fields have been allowed to get into the state that they are. I may venture elsewhere for a while....anyway, sorry for the rant, I’m just passionate about it and maybe some of you have similar stories??

[Dave The Slave]

Well done on getting out, Emily
Yet to have a contaminated field.
Nearest is when you get a road alongside the hedge, years of car window rubbish.
Best Wishes,
Dave.

[Blackadder43]

Your farmer may have been forced or willingly took "green waste" to spread on his land
They use the pretence that its good for the land, but is invariably full of chopped cans, foil and anything else folk throw in their recycling and garden waste tippings.....
Quite a sad state of affairs and makes it a very noisy and not very enjoyable trip out
I have 1 farm where this is all over his land
The farmer told me that he was forced by i assume the council to take lorry loads of this and plough it in

Least you braved the elements today and found a couple of things

[Kenleyboy]

I have one small permission which I rarely go to which has green waste . It is a nightmare but if you can stand it I would persevere . I did on mine as I had nowhere else to go for a while but it did pay off with a tiny Gold Stater . Despite finding that little gem I have to admit it does drive you insane as some of the signals are so good you just have to dig them .

[Emily]

Well done on getting out, Emily
Yet to have a contaminated field.
Nearest is when you get a road alongside the hedge, years of car window rubbish.
Best Wishes,
Dave.

This field ran along a road too, so that didn’t help, but man, it was really hard going.

[Emily]

Your farmer may have been forced or willingly took "green waste" to spread on his land
They use the pretence that its good for the land, but is invariably full of chopped cans, foil and anything else folk throw in their recycling and garden waste tippings.....
Quite a sad state of affairs and makes it a very noisy and not very enjoyable trip out
I have 1 farm where this is all over his land
The farmer told me that he was forced by i assume the council to take lorry loads of this and plough it in

Least you braved the elements today and found a couple of things

I think he was willing, but either way, in my opinion, he’s ruined his land. It’s so upsetting. Yes I did, thank god!! Any idea what they are??

[Emily]

I have one small permission which I rarely go to which has green waste . It is a nightmare but if you can stand it I would persevere . I did on mine as I had nowhere else to go for a while but it did pay off with a tiny Gold Stater . Despite finding that little gem I have to admit it does drive you insane as some of the signals are so good you just have to dig them .

The problem is that this is a 1000 acre permission. I’ll see if I can get onto some of his other fields soon and see if they’re as bad. Maybe this one is taking the brunt of it...the problem is that I know Romans were in the area, and I’ve found a gorgeous flint arrow head, so I’m sure there’s some great stuff to find, it’s just masked by other things, and if the signal is a little iffy, I’m less likely to dig it, thinking it’s rubbish as there’s so much of it, but great signals keep turning out to be can. A catch 22 if there ever was one.

Any idea on what the finds could be?? I’d love to be enlightened.

[Easylife]

A draw handle and is that the start of a hallmark on the cutlery handle?

[Easylife]

A landowner once offered me a cultivated field to detect. I went there and was shocked to see all the rubbish sticking out of it just like you describe. It was no fun at all so I just detected the footpaths around it and never went back again.

A vast area of one of my pasture permissions has metallic green waste in the form of aluminium chunks which give good clean signals. The trouble is that it just sounds and reads like silver or large copper items so to avoid it chances missing out on good items. There are some good finds to be had on there but I can only tolerate it for short periods at a time. But if that was my only option then I guess I'd just have to persevere.
When I spoke to the farmer about it he said he had a bad batch of fertilizer once.

[Emily]

A draw handle and is that the start of a hallmark on the cutlery handle?

I thought it was a drawer handle. Any idea of the weird snail like object??

I can’t tell about the spoon. There’s definitely the start of something, but I assumed it was just decoration. Aren’t hallmarks traditionally higher up on the back??

[Emily]

A landowner once offered me a cultivated field to detect. I went there and was shocked to see all the rubbish sticking out of it just like you describe. It was no fun at all so I just detected the footpaths around it and never went back again.

A vast area of one of my pasture permissions has metallic green waste in the form of aluminium chunks which give good clean signals. The trouble is that it just sounds and reads like silver or large copper items so to avoid it chances missing out on good items. There are some good finds to be had on there but I can only tolerate it for short periods at a time. But if that was my only option then I guess I'd just have to persevere.
When I spoke to the farmer about it he said he had a bad batch of fertilizer once.

I wish I could do that, it’s not my only permission, but I know that there’s something good hiding, so can’t seem to stay away. It’s not fun though.

I completely understand the signal dilemma. Can and run sound great!! I’d hear a great signal and then contemplate whether it’s worth digging. I inevitably do, but it’s nearly always rubbish. Maybe I should try somewhere else for a while.

[Easylife]

A draw handle and is that the start of a hallmark on the cutlery handle?

I thought it was a drawer handle. Any idea of the weird snail like object??

I can’t tell about the spoon. There’s definitely the start of something, but I assumed it was just decoration. Aren’t hallmarks traditionally higher up on the back??

The decorative scroll is crusty like was amongst greenwaste, it would go in my scrap bucket. The cutlery handle looks to be made of a solid silver coloured metal, maybe aluminium if it is really lightweight? Yes, the mark at the break just looks like some decoration. Better luck next time.

[shaggybfc]

I have access to a pasture field of about 50 acres. I was a little alarmed when I saw the farmer was piling up muck ready to spread on the field. We had a chat and he said he was planning to plough up the field for planting maize. It'd been pasture for the past 50+ years so I was happy. I had a look over the huge steaming muck heap, and didn't see any waste. 3 months later, he'd ploughed, muck spread and seeded. I was given the go-ahead to detect. After 30 mins, my rubbish bag was full of waste metal. I was gutted as the field had given up a few nice finds and lots of potential. I was apprehensive to mention it to the farmer, but I did. He was gutted as well. He'd taken in several loads from other local farmers, and thinks it's come from them. That was 4 years ago. Will it stop me going on,,,,,, narh, for every bagful I pull off, it's a bagful I won't dig again.
It might take you the rest of your life, but you will clear it

[Emily]

A draw handle and is that the start of a hallmark on the cutlery handle?

I thought it was a drawer handle. Any idea of the weird snail like object??

I can’t tell about the spoon. There’s definitely the start of something, but I assumed it was just decoration. Aren’t hallmarks traditionally higher up on the back??

The decorative scroll is crusty like was amongst greenwaste, it would go in my scrap bucket. The cutlery handle looks to be made of a solid silver coloured metal, maybe aluminium if it is really lightweight? Yes, the mark at the break just looks like some decoration. Better luck next time.

I’m thinking it might’ve been inadvertently buried among the waste in the field, and will probably go in the scrap drawer, but I do like a mystery.

[Emily]

I have access to a pasture field of about 50 acres. I was a little alarmed when I saw the farmer was piling up muck ready to spread on the field. We had a chat and he said he was planning to plough up the field for planting maize. It'd been pasture for the past 50+ years so I was happy. I had a look over the huge steaming muck heap, and didn't see any waste. 3 months later, he'd ploughed, muck spread and seeded. I was given the go-ahead to detect. After 30 mins, my rubbish bag was full of waste metal. I was gutted as the field had given up a few nice finds and lots of potential. I was apprehensive to mention it to the farmer, but I did. He was gutted as well. He'd taken in several loads from other local farmers, and thinks it's come from them. That was 4 years ago. Will it stop me going on,,,,,, narh, for every bagful I pull off, it's a bagful I won't dig again.
It might take you the rest of your life, but you will clear it

I’m pleased there are other detectorists who understand, but equally I wish there weren’t as this is obviously a big problem. Surely there’s someone who is fighting against this awfulness?? Working to put safeguards in place?? Thank you for your optimism. I shall try to channel it.