Identification;

What we are trying to achieve here is an Understanding…

I make no apologies that this is longer than i expected…

So many of the Artefacts that are found or has been found are just parts of something much bigger, and so to gain an understanding of what “has been found” as it is always relevant to a much bigger picture… One of the most problematic things, any metal detectorist, archaeologist, or anyone who digs up an Artefact, or has found an item, that they are unsure off, it is how best to describe what they have found, this is where many people fail, especially someone new to the hobby of Metal Detecting, and this is where an item, is then either discarded or put into a box of “don’t knows” it’s these items that need to be addressed as a greater proportion of them are more important then they look, this is where the forums and social media sites help, by simply posting a “photo & help to id please” could bring in the ID you need… why do these items need an ID ? quite simply, if you have found part of a Roman coin for example, then there is an good possibility that it might just turn out to be a Roman site, which then produces Artefacts from that era, on every turn of the seasons plough, hopefully from this single part of an artefact, you can then look forward to maybe finding, an item from the Roman period next time you venture out on that field, as there is a good possibility that occasionally something might turn up, on each new seasons ploughing… Some of better ways for us to look at how to ID an item, & we start to look for answers to our finds, this is a difficult subject because like me you have no idea what that lump of metal your holding is, was or if it was anything at all… but we are not going back to the scrap box, to look for, or trying to id that something, as we have written about that before, we are having a look at describing that lump of metal your holding… for example look at the object, if it is round then it could best be described as a disc, not dissimilar to a coin… a roman brooch is best described as a T-Shaped piece of metal, or a buckle frame as a small or large oblong piece of metal with a couple of holes either side, the point i am making is i have just found all sorts of interesting bits in a box from someone who asked me to take his scrap to the scrapyard… Keep everything if you are unsure… I mean everything from bits of glass that looks interesting to pottery that you have no idea as to its ID but keep it, stones that could be fossils or semi-precious stones, bits of non-ferrous metal which could lead to a possible site of interest that needs further investigation or it could be just part of an item to add to your ever growing collection… Without sounding as though i am lecturing anyone, please remember you have invested time, money and effort into this hobby, don’t let the hobby get in your way, enjoy what you have found, Treasure Hunting is not just about Gold and Silver, enjoy your surroundings, the weather, or just the possibility of being able to identify the artefact or coin you have found, by this i mean start buying books to ID your finds, or hunt for your own ID on the internet before asking for confirmation, & not ask someone else to ID your finds, the satisfaction of doing this is immense…