July 2020 Taking full advantage of the break in the typical dreary South Wales weather, a friend of mine [Chris] and I had arranged a day of detecting and it was my turn to deliver the goods on one of my permissions. I packed my Minelab Safari and Chris, his Garrett AT Pro and we set out for a picturesque corner of Carmarthenshire. I’ve been using my Minelab Safari for around 4 years now after migrating from a Garett Ace 250 and it was the best decision I have made. The sheer capability, management and reliability of the machine is flawless. I have every faith in the machine when digging a target and it has enabled me to find some incredible finds since purchasing it. The permission we were searching today had previously produced an eclectic range of finds, from hammered coins, crotal bells and bronze artefacts to name just a few. Our plan of action? Simply enjoy being out and explore the vast acres of land and see how it goes. Fortunately, the fields were short pasture and easy to detect as the farm was in between cuts.
Around halfway through the day, the usual finds had appeared, Victorian coins, lead musket balls, bullet cartridges and the ever popular ring pulls. Continuing through fields, we arrived at a field that Chris and myself had both unearthed hammered coins, when suddenly my Safari begun to sing out its enchanting tune. It was probably, the best signal of the day so far. Looking at the control box I could see a solid 34 reading, a coin signal. Digging into the ground, it was soft, which was hardly surprising because even though being July we have had our fair share of rain in the weeks leading up to today. I popped the plug and begun to search the ground using my pinpointer. Chris who was standing close noticed the look of excitement on my face as I peered into the hole. Reaching in I removed the ever-popular coin ball. A gentle squeeze and then came a flash of silver… I removed the earth and, in my hands, rested an oval silver item. It was not a coin; it had a link. A pendant maybe? Looking more closely and using the dew from the grass to clean it, a bust of a male appeared and upon flipping it over I could make out the word ‘Henretta Maria’ surrounding a woman’s head. This was nothing like I had found before. After some time, marvelling at its brilliance, the item was placed in the ‘special’ finds pouch and we carried on before the evening set in. The end of the day was fast approaching, as we headed back to the car it was Chris’ turn to unearth some silver. A beautiful ‘Edward’ hammered coin. He was ecstatic and took great pleasuring reminding me that it was his third hammie from my permission. But what a splendid coin it was too. The day had drawn to a close and later that evening, after a gentle brush under a running tap the true beauty of my silver item began to unfold. Thanks to the help of Julian who quickly recognised the artefact. I had uncovered was a Charles l and Queen Henrietta Royalist Supportive Badge. The name T Rawlins which is visible under the bust of the Queen is that of a Thomas Rawlins a 1600’s jeweller who worked under the Kings Headquarters in the Oxford mint and was noted for creating the ‘Oxford Crown’. Needless to say, I am elated with the find which is now currently off to be recorded. The third cut of the field is due any day now and I shall, without doubt, be returning to the field to see what other wonders I may unearth!
