Wrong ID !!

[Saffron]

I had a session out in the sticky thundry weather yesterday afternoon. A couple of weeks ago this permission (equine, old pasture) was so dry that it looked like it would be out of action until we had rain in the autumn, but the recent downpours have changed that so I took the chance to get back on it before the predicted "heatwave" at the end of the month.

First field was "fairly standard", a Victoria 1897 penny (vgc), a nice thimble, a plain buckle. Also one very interesting bronze item that I can not identify (needs a clean before I post a photo).

Due to horses being turned out in the field (OK, I admit it - an excuse because I was shattered!) head back to car. Dump waterproof (I had expected a thunder storm) in the car but change my mind and decide I will give the adjacent paddock half an hour rather than pack up.

I know this paddock well, its probably the most productive on the permission being at the side of the track and between what was the mill pool and the old corn mill. BUT its also full of masses of rubbish and is a nightmare to detect. But it starts well as the first signal is a George III 1816 sixpence in good condition.

1816 was a significant year in British coinage. During the second half of the 18th century little silver or bronze coinage was issued. In 1797 Mathew Boulton's "Cartwheel" pennies and twopennies demonstrated the improvements generated by steam powered presses. A change over to a gold a standard and "token" silver coinage came in 1816, when the Mint was moved from its quarters in the Tower of London to a new site on Tower Hill and utilised the new technology to begin a complete recoinage. During this the silver coins were made with an intrinsic value lower than the face value. (Information thanks to Spinks).

But paddock then reverts to the norm .... rubbish .... rubbish .... rubbish .... rubbish .... rubbish .... rubbish .... rubbish .... rubbish .... rubbish .... rubbish. Honestly this paddock is a heartbreaker.

Then get a "COBRA 1960" item, suspect its more rubbish but will check when I get home. Google straight away gives the answer AC Cobra sports car, apparantly quite famous as a racing car. Well that is an unusual find a badge from a sports car. Thought that considering how well the car seemed to be made that the badge was a bit flimsy, but then think "Its a racng car, weight is important so thats why the badge is so light rather than big and chunky".

Go out with a couple of mates last night, and as I give the one a lift have to move the detector from from seat to boot and we quickly talk about detect so I take the days finds into the pub and after a bit get them out.
The chap I gave the lift to straight way picks up my COBRA sports car badge .... "Thats Cobra wood treatment marker from an electricity pole".
"WHAT"
"I worked for them for over 30 years. When you have the metal wrapped around the bottom of an electricity pole its where the wood has been treated to protect it and prolong the poles life. The company was Cobra, and the date below it is the date the pole was treated and erected"

So my badge from a smart sports car has suddenly been downgraded to a bit of elctricity pole furniture. Gutted.

I hate that paddock and its rubbish.

Evan

[Jamesey1981]

I like the AC Cobra a lot, however the people that created it tested it on the motorway, which at the time had no speed limit.

The uproar in the press when the Le Mans entered coupe version hit 185 mph on the M1 near Watford is the reason we have had a speed limit set to the top speed of a Ford Anglia ever since.

I would add that this is probably an urban myth, but it's one that amuses me. The car hitting 185 happened, but it's probably not why the speed limit was introduced.

[Oxgirl]

Oh dear that’s not good. But you did get some nice silver the highlight of my sneaky post dinner waft last night was a vicky half penny so you beat me

[Jamesey1981]

Oh, I forgot to post this.....




Nice coin though even if your badge wasn't the real deal.

[figgis]

Don't think I'd have associated COBRA with electricity poles either, Evan. After all, why would you?

[Dave The Slave]

Great story Evan and i think we all would have been researching the AC Cobra.[quote=Jamesey1981 post_id=21017 time=1626205012 user_id=215]


" The uproar in the press when the Le Mans entered coupe version hit 185 mph on the M1 near Watford is the reason we have had a speed limit set to the top speed of a Ford Anglia ever since. ""
Absolutely brilliant line, Jamesey.

You just never know what you will find.
Cheers,
Dave.

[Saffron]

I hope everybody enjoyed the read, and had a bit of a laugh at my expense. But if truth was known I expect most detectorists have made the odd error with an ID .... admittedly most would not be to this extent.

Some good background from James about the AC Cobra which I did not know, and many thanks to him for that classic clip from The Detectorists .... proves I am in good company with making errors about the ID of finds (unlike them at least I had the age of my find right ... OK the "1960" was rather a good clue).

What really got me was what were the chances of chap that worked for the Cobra company for 30 years being sat by me when I pulled the finds out and put on the table?. Oh well, although disappointed that it was not a badge from the AC Cobra sports car I would rather know the true ID. I should soon do a write up for the landowner about the finds I have made and adding in this story will give him a laugh.

At least I found the silver George III 1816 sixpence, so the session in that little paddock was not a total waste of time. The little paddock the other side of the stream has produced two 1797 cartwheel pennies so it shows a fair bit of activity at the mill around this time, although a large part of that paddock is very mineralised (old large bonfires??) and contains nearly as much rubbish as this one.

There was a positive to this story. The chap that corrected my ID owns a field (sadly just the one) and has given me permission to detect it.

Evan

[Jamesey1981]

We've all made some howlers with IDs, you don't know it until you know it.

I enjoyed reading your post, I'll let everyone know next time I get one wrong if it's anywhere near as amusing.