Putnam / Westchester Metal Detectorists & Archaeological Society

Newsletter

P/WMDAS third trip to the old farm in Granite Springs, NY was not the charm. The law of diminishing returns finally caught up to us. This site which over the past two years has given up over 25 coppers and numerous colonial and post colonial relics was most stingy with quality finds on this year’s hunt. Many searchers left the fields by early afternoon with empty pouches. One of those who stuck it out till the end was new member Ben Carter who was rewarded with a fine 1926 Mercury dime which he dug in an isolated field away from the beaten path. Not to be out done his brother Donald recovered a pristine 1906 Barber dime lost in the vicinity of the bee hives (maybe this spot was avoided previously for obvious reasons). Pete Kelly hunting in the same area where in 2010 he found a colonial copper was rewarded with a small bronze buckle. These finds, along with a damaged old button found by Conrad Rasinski were the only recoveries of note reported. As new sites of quality become harder and harder to come by we are reminded of how important it is to be ever vigilant for “targets of opportunity”. Members are urged to relay information on potential sites to the Club’s president.

Public Lands For The People (PLP) has scored a significant victory in the town of Carthage, MO. Archeologists had pushed the Town Council to severely restrict metal detecting in Carthage by mandating that no artifact more than 100 years old could be removed from its resting place. A massive e-mail campaign was launched by PLP requesting all detectorists and treasure seekers to contact the Town Council opposing such oppressive restrictions. To the credit of the council they listened to theses requests and have decided not to discourage the hobby in Carthage. It is up to those folks in MO that search the Carthage area to do so in a most respectful manner honoring the FMDAC guidelines for ethical detecting. Thanks to all P/WMDAC members who wrote in support of PLP’s efforts. Thanks also to members of the Town Council who were thoughtful enough to respond personally to our letters. Progress can be made. Joining PLP is a good step in the right direction.

NJ “Away Trip”

While poorly attended this year’s “away trip” to Pt. Pleasant, NJ had a number of high points. Accommodations were reasonably priced, adequate and conveniently located to points of interest. The weather was perfect for detecting, walking the board walk and deep sea fishing. Crowds were a bit of a problem as parking, even though free, was at a premium. Some of the shops had closed for the season but there were still plenty of places to spend your money. Any return trip should try to avoid the Columbus Day 3 day weekend. Detecting was done on Jenkinson’s Beach which was quiet early in the morning and in the evening but filled rapidly during the mid-day. This is a huge beach and those in attendance covered only a fraction of it. Hurricane Irene had left some debris and had moved some sand.  It proved difficult to locate consistent honey holes. Most finds were made along the high tide line where wave action had cut away small sections of the beach. Finds were confined mostly to modern clad coins which were in good abundance. Some jewelry was recovered (most of the costume variety) Rich Farnell, however, did recover a very fine sterling ear ring. One silver dime was dug by Don Mayers so the potential for older finds is certainly there. Only one other detectorist was seen in the area but grid marks in the sand indicated that the beach sees considerable detecting interest.

Everyone spent a pleasant day fishing for ling aboard the Norma K docked within walking distance of the motel. The boat was well equipped and fast but experienced sever difficult in setting anchor over the selected wreck sites. This resulted in a significant loss of fishing time. Nevertheless everyone caught at least 2 ling and Rich Farnell distinguished himself as “high rod” putting 7 ling in the pail. These fish proved to be OUTSTANDING on the table but provided little excitement as a fighting species. While P/WMDAS members caught only ling there were a few cod, hake, flounder and blue fish taken by other anglers. Sadly the sea bass season had been shortened and was closed. These fish were in great abundance and would have been a lot of fun to pursue.

This is no place to go if you need to loose weight. There were many fine eateries close to the motel. All agreed that the blue ribbon for gastronomy went to Spanos Italian restaurant. This is not a pizza “joint” (no calzones or pizza). No liquor license but you can byob. The lasagna is a must try and there were numerous other offerings of the highest quality. The staff was pleasant, servings large (we got 2 meals out of one portion) and the price was reasonable considering quality and quantity. Certainly one of the highlights of the trip was enjoying drinks at the patio raw bar hosted by the Shrimp Box. Located right on the dock where the fishing fleet moors the scenery was awesome and the clams and oysters top shelf. Pricey but a great treat. One could enjoy sex on the beach or a killer colada or perhaps a pomegranate punch. Those not into the sushi scene could feast on crab cakes which equaled all expectations.

Next year (2012) we go to the Adirondacks in September but Pt Pleasant should remain as an alternative to the Cape. The detecting may be a bit more productive in MA but NJ certainly offers a more varied menu. 

One hand washing the other was the order of the day in mid August when members of the Kent Historical Society and P/WMDAS got together to remove trash from an old Cemetery in Kent New York. Under the direction of Jimmy See who is a member of both groups a significant amount of miscellaneous “junk” was removed from the site. Jimmy has been very helpful in obtaining search sites for the Putnam Westchester group and it was nice to have the opportunity to return the favor. The day was bright and sunny with good fellowship and a job well done. Some of the “junk” even turned out to be pretty good “stuff”. Thanks to every one who answered the call and a special atta boy to Jimmy for his continued support of both organizations.

Southeast New York Outing

P/WMDAC hit a home run at this year’s outing in S E, NY! Twenty one members registered for the event and most went home with a pouch full of outstanding finds. The weather was a cacophonous of sun, wind and a brief cloud burst or two but for the most part the day was pleasant and comfortable. All the recent rains seemed to enhance the number and quality of signals and made the digging a bit easier. The only plus with the generally hard ground there is that the “heavies” don’t sink too deeply. Most targets were less than 4 inches down (with a few exceptions). Success was controlled by the strength of one’s back and the willingness to dig all signals in that mysterious “strange range”. A surprisingly large number of targets registering in the penny dime zone turned out to be sterling silver. With the appearance of a few nice Indian pennies in the mix it also paid to dig the screw cap, zinc penny tones. Clads were abundant and it is estimated that some $50 to $60 worth were recovered. Finds were many and varied including:

Indian pennies, US and Foreign Silver coins, wheat pennies, sterling silver jewelry, gold jewelry, trade and game tokens, antique dog tax tags, political campaign pins, and old buttons. No doubt many will be on display during the November Finds of the Month competition. A large number of trash items were removed from the site and all in attendance did a good job filling holes and leaving the area in good shape. We are grateful to the landowners for allowing us the privilege of detecting this site and welcome the invitation to return again in 2012.

                               Fall Classic 2011 Hoorah!

Our streak of perfect weather conditions remains unbroken. November 5^th dawned bright and clear with a cool breeze and promises of temperatures approaching 60 degrees. The set up crew arrived at the beach about 8:30am and SURPRISE, the beach had been occupied by none other than the US Marines-Semper Fi. Quick negotiations with the sergeant in charge found us to the east of our regular site but with their blessing we were good to go.

By 10:00 am twenty one hunters were poised to tackle the 202 coins and tokens planted in the sand*. The first hunt lasted about 30 minutes and when the dust had settled 91% of the targets had been recovered. Competitors were rewarded with Indian Cents, V nickels, buffalo nickels and two 2 cent pieces.

The second hunt required members to track down tokens of undisclosed alloy which would be redeemed for silver dimes, standing quarters, proof silver coins, and the grand prize of a 1/20^th oz gold coin. Any unfound coins remaining from the previous hunt were also fair game. This event took a bit longer than the first but within 45 minutes all detectorists were back at the pavilion to redeem their tokens. Approximately 6 tokens remained undug. The coins they represented will be added to next year’s stash. The winner of this year’s gold coin was Tito Arguinzoni.

Before lunch the long awaited raffle was conducted. The winner of the silver coin was Karl Johnson while Robert Severini held the correct number to claim the Tiger Shark detector from Tesoro. While all this action was going on members Carol Mayers and Don Carter had been busy preparing lunch. As was the case last year the format had changed from a catered repast to a “let’s cook our own” menu. This year, members enjoyed kielbasa, burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, coleslaw, chips, chili, soft drinks and brownies. Many thanks to all those who brought food to the table. Special thanks to Rich Markert and Larry Cohen for conducting the raffle and hats off to the US Marines for guaranteeing our freedom to enjoy these special times. God Bless, Hoorah!

* The classic is designed as a “break even” event. Due to high silver costs and a lower than anticipated response to the detector raffle this year’s event was several $100 in the red.

Artifact Detecting Team (ADT)

Members not taking advantage of the detecting opportunities provided by ADT are missing a golden opportunity to access a potentially memorable hunt and ignoring the chance to promote the hobby in a most positive way. This season only 5 P/WMD&AS members travelled to Long Island to support the ADT in its effort to renovate the Sayre Barn. The concept of “pay to play” may well be the way of the future to leverage availability of land normally closed to detecting. Spending a few moments this winter browsing the ADT website (www.artifactdetectingteam.com) will be well worth the effort. The historic fields obtained by Barry Small and his associates for the ADT all hold the potential for memorable Colonial era recoveries. Finds this year included Spanish cobs, reales, US and British coppers and many interesting buttons. All artifacts recovered may be retained by the finder. There are certainly no guarantees of success and indeed some hunts have been disappointing but those of us who chose to attend never had regrets for our decision. A day in the Hamptons is a joy even when the headphones seem to have been turned off. Most hunts are only an hour or so from Port Jefferson so taking the ferry to LI is a viable option to dealing with NYC traffic. The companionship is edifying and cordial and the thrill of victory far sweeter than the occasional agony of defeat.

2011 Christmas Party

This year’s change of venue may have broken the weather nix that has cursed P/WMDAS’s Noel since the club’s conception. NO SNOW! Fifty one members and guests enjoyed a warm and successful evening of fun at the Putnam National Country Club in Mahopac, NY. The setting was festive, the cheese and fruit appetizers were deemed outstanding and everyone had plenty to eat and the repast was presented in a timely fashion. Adam, Donna, Steve and our host Vinnie did an outstanding job to insure that our evening evolved smoothly. Even the background music and sound system well supported our needs.

The club was fortunate this year to have been well supplied by many of our merchant friends in the detecting business. The board of directors especially thank the folks at Kellyco, Valley Coin, Lost Treasure, American Digger and Snows Detectors for their generosity.

While there were well over 50 prizes awarded at the gala during the raffle some winners deserve a special note of recognition:

Winner of the 50/50 drawing for $176.00 Todd Olson, Conrad Rasinski held the lucky ticket for the Morgan Dollar and Al Kontis  went home with the much coveted Garrett AT Pro.

The club will soon go into winter hibernation until the next meeting in February. The board, however, will be back to work Monday morning to review the Christmas Party results, to prepare the fine tuning for next year’s party and to asses the financial health of the organization. We intend to return to the Putnam National facility in 2012 and the board welcomes suggestions as to how to make next year’s gala even better and more profitable. To all those who helped, to all those who attended and to all those who served may you all enjoy a joyful Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Dues Reminder

As the year comes to an end members are reminded that a change in the Club’s By-Laws will soon be in affect. Per Article V of the By Laws item # 3: Annual club dues shall be payable to the Treasurer, c/o the P/WMD&AS, INC. Annual dues shall be paid no later than the April Membership Meeting of each year for current members. A current member is anyone whose Name appears in good standing on the membership roster for any of the previous 3 years.

Please note that per Item # 5 Annual dues paid after the April deadline will be assessed an additional $10.00 late fee.  Dues do not have to be paid at the meetings. Checks may be mailed directly to the treasurer made out to P/WMD&AS Inc. Other pertinent details regarding dues are covered in the current BY Laws.