Frank
Happy Gardening
 Administrator
Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Location: Malmö, Sweden
Posts: 9558
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:35 am Post subject: Have you ever found 'treasure' in your garden? |
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I stumbled upon this article this morning:
Woman Gardening Finds Rare Penny
and wondered whether any of you guys have ever found anything valuable lurking below the surface of your garden? I think we covered this on the forums before but as we have many new faces I thought it would be good to revisit.
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Chitweed
Showing Great Promise
Joined: 21 May 2007
Location: Delaware, USA
Posts: 291
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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I haven't found treasure myself, but my Grandfather did. During the Depression, he was tilling a newly cleared part of the farm, a bit nearer to the tree line than he had ever done before. The tractor's till blade broke in half. He thought it was a big rock, which happens often when tilling new ground. When he went grumbling over to the back of the tractor, there was a now broken wooden chest. In it were a bunch of silver spoons, along with some paper (English) money and some coins. Apparently someone had used this as a safe place for their valuables sometime back, using a tree as a marker. Poppop never found out who's it was, so after a few years, when times were tough...(11 kids to feed), they sold the coins and all but a few spoons.
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CritterPainter
Knows Their Stuff
Joined: 27 Aug 2006
Location: Washington State
Posts: 1395
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| Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:47 pm Post subject: |
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Chitweed, what an awesome story! Just think, it would have been a cool find at any time, but to find it during the Depression.... very wow!
Found a "bottle dump" in the backyard of the house I grew up in. Mom tossed it all, but for a 9-year-old kid, it was buried treasure, lol!
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Mary 
I have a mind like a steel...sieve
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Netty
Chaotic Gardener
Joined: 04 Nov 2006
Location: Southern Ontario zone 5a
Posts: 4958
PlantStew: 5262 |
| Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 1:31 am Post subject: |
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I dug up all kinds of old bottles and dishes at the old house. I saved the bottles...some of them were really cool!
At the new house, I constantly dig up rusty farm fasteners of all kinds, old square nails, broken glass and dishes. Maybe I just haven't hit the good pile yet...this house has been here since at least 1935! A friend of mine recently dug up a 1898 dime in her veggie garden. I thought that was cool, but nothing as exciting as your grandfather's find Chitweed!
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Frank
Happy Gardening
Administrator
Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Location: Malmö, Sweden
Posts: 9558
PlantStew: 1617 |
| Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:30 am Post subject: |
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That was a pretty amazing find Chitweed and it was also in a treasure chest, how cool! All I have ever found lurking below the soil was the occasional clay pipe like these:
http://www.carf.info/education/projects/robert/
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CritterPainter
Knows Their Stuff
Joined: 27 Aug 2006
Location: Washington State
Posts: 1395
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| Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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Guess that's the downside to living where noone since the dawn of time ever lived before, nuthin here but rocks! Guess I'll have to stick with garage sales... hey, it's friday, gotta run!
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Mary
I have a mind like a steel...sieve
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toni
Mistress of Garden Junque
Moderator
Joined: 07 Jan 2006
Location: North Texas (Map)
Posts: 5692
PlantStew: 521 |
| Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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The first small gardening attempt I made in the backyard was when Amanda was about 2. I started trying to dig up a flower bed along the back wall but it was summer, no rain for several weeks and the black clay we have for soil was so hard I got discouraged. But I did find this man's ring while I was out there.
It is a small black sapphire stone, in the sun you can see the 6-ray star in it. The ring is 14k gold. We haven't had it appraised but since the stone is so small we don't imagine it is worth all that much, but Randy enjoys wearing it now and again.
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glendann
Official Garden Angel
Joined: 19 May 2006
Location: Texas (Map)
Posts: 7164
PlantStew: 219 |
| Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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Thats beautifultoni.My Uncle was discing and hit a black stone corn grinding pot.We live near OSR (Old Spanish Road).We think its Spanish or Indian .They used it to grind up corn to make their bread.
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Live today to the fullest because tomorrow is not promised.
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bsewnsew
Knows Their Stuff
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
Location: Rural Western Pennsylvania
Posts: 1191
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| Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 8:35 pm Post subject: I dream |
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I always dream I find stuff .Never happened.
Glenda ......I am going to send you a penna rock.
barb
You can treasure that one.....Pretend it is a gem..;o0
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pharmerphil
Just Arrived
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: Southern Minnesota
Posts: 36
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| Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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for about 4 years, every season in a place I had converted to garden, I found one or two very old marbles.
They sat on my mantle for 3 years, a visitor offered me 25.00 cash for them..I refused...
didn't want to lose my marbles 
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bsewnsew
Knows Their Stuff
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
Location: Rural Western Pennsylvania
Posts: 1191
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| Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:44 pm Post subject: marbles |
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 ha ha ha
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TheBip
Showing Great Promise
Joined: 25 Mar 2007
Location: Indianapolis, IN (Map)
Posts: 523
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| Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:21 pm Post subject: |
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Most interesting thing I ever found was a bottle of nail polish o_O Weird, eh?
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bsewnsew
Knows Their Stuff
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
Location: Rural Western Pennsylvania
Posts: 1191
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| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 12:49 am Post subject: ha ha ha |
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Bet that turned you on......
Actully I found a old cross and a religious medal.. Too rusty to disguise.
b
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glendann
Official Garden Angel
Joined: 19 May 2006
Location: Texas (Map)
Posts: 7164
PlantStew: 219 |
| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 3:39 am Post subject: |
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Oh I would love a Rock  gem from Pena.
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Live today to the fullest because tomorrow is not promised.
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dooley
Official Garden Turtle
Joined: 03 Jul 2005
Location: Arizona, U.S.A (Map)
Posts: 3535
PlantStew: 2 |
| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 4:30 am Post subject: |
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We bought an old house that was over 100 years old. We found all sorts of bottles and stuff when we were digging a garden. One bottle was labeled Professor Parker's Pleasant Worm Syrup. Ugh! We still had it. There were a lot of old patent medicine bottles. We kept a few and sold the rest. We've found old coins and arrowheads. Nothing really valuable but some pretty glass things. dooley
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