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As I’ve said many times before, when it comes to the coins & artefacts that I’ve been lucky enough to have discovered whilst metal detecting, I try not to have favourites. However, for me, detecting isn’t just about the finds. It’s about the friends that I’ve made...
the places that I’ve visited & the memories that I’ve created. I consider myself extremely lucky. Some memories stand out a little more than others for varying reasons, so I’ve decided to try & share one find a day until I get back out again & the reason why it’s so special to me
In no particular order, here’s the first recollection of some very special days that I’ve had detecting. Day one...
It was the 2nd of July 2018, a baking hot Monday. Two good friends of mine had invited me to their small holding in Staffordshire. It was the first time that I’d been able to visit T & R & it was fantastic to finally meet them both. A really wonderful couple...
..Believe me when I say that my friends small holding is absolutely stunning. After a very warm welcome, my friend showed me to the field that I’d be detecting. Before long, Leanne & myself we’re taking a stroll around the field, soaking up the sun & drinking in the view...
..the field was very quiet, but sometimes that’s just the way that it is. You can only find something if it’s there. I was in my element at any rate. I was having the time of my life 
During the first few hours I discovered a few buttons & a modern tuppence...
During the first few hours I discovered a few buttons & a modern tuppence...
after a few hours of detecting, Leanne and myself sat by a hedgerow for a bite to eat. The sun was beating down, the birds were singing & Leanne was laughing at my jokes. All was good with the world. I even took a picture for posterity that Leanne does find me funny. Good times
...after Leanne had managed to suppress the fits of laughter that I’d kept her in (honestly, it’s true, she finds me that amusing 
), I continued detecting & Leanne walked beside me. I was hoping that I’d find something but I wasn’t quite expecting what was about to happen..
), I continued detecting & Leanne walked beside me. I was hoping that I’d find something but I wasn’t quite expecting what was about to happen..
..now, I should stop here & make you all aware that Leanne isn’t quite as enthusiastic as I am about metal detecting. She has no interest in it whatsoever & as such, has no real interest in the things that I find...
...there’s been many occasions when I’ve literally been dancing in the middle of a field & when I’ve finally caught a glimpse of Leanne, her jaw has been on the floor & she’s had a look on her face that suggested she wished the ground would open up & swallow her...
..that’s what makes this particular day, all the more special to me. Because of what was about to transpire. We began walking beneath some power lines. Low power lines generally interfere with metal detectors, but I wasn’t getting too much interference, so I continued my line...
...when I came across one of the sharpest signals that I’d had all day. I immediately remarked to Leanne that it just had to be a coin. I was so sure it was, I told her if it was anything other than a coin, I’d move to Cuba, change my name to Miguel & learn to play the maracas...
..at this point, I’m sure that Leanne was praying for it to be the bottom end of a can of Lilt (other soft drinks are available), but she watched me dig the hole & then joined me on the grass to peer in to see if anything was blatantly obvious in the earth. We both saw this...
..at this point, my heart began to race. I’d actually been hoping for any coin that I could no longer spend in a shop. I’d have been happy with a pre decimal penny of King George VI. But this looked silver. It was irregular in shape & it was big. It’s easy to get carried away tho
..and sometimes my imagination doesn’t always match the reality. So I tried to control my emotions. I attempted to recall the birth of my children & the breathing that Leanne had employed during labour. True story. I sat there taking deep, slow breaths..
..that was until Leanne told me to get on with it as she really wanted to know what it was too. So I leaned in & began loosening the earth below it. It had been hot for a few weeks & the soil was like concrete, but eventually it gave & that was when my waters nearly broke...
...seriously, I clutched the coin, lay on my back & began hyperventilating. Leanne thought I was having a seizure & tried to help regulate my breathing But one thing I will never, ever forget was the look on her face when she saw the coin...
But one thing I will never, ever forget was the look on her face when she saw the coin...
...it’s the only time that she’s really looked excited about something that I’ve unearthed. It may have been because she doesn’t normally watch me dig, but on this occasion she did. It may have been because she thought it was the bottom a Lilt can & that I’d be moving to Cuba..
..whatever the reason, the sight of this coin made her look as giddy as a schoolchild in a sweetshop, and I will never forget that moment for as long as I live..
And here’s the coin as it is today. It’s a half crown from the reign of King Charles I. King Charles I was born in 1600 & was King of England, Scotland & Ireland from 1625 until his execution in 1649..
This coin was minted in the Tower of London between the years 1641 & 1643. We can tell this by the mintmark showing a triangle inside of a circle. It would’ve been one of the last series of coins minted in the Tower under the King. After 1643, coins were minted under parliament..
And there you have it. A day of detecting that I will always remember & a coin that will always make me smile for many different reasons. I’ll leave you with this fantastic oak tree that was most probably in the field when the coin was dropped all those years ago. It’s huge 
