GMDC NEWS August 2016 Can you dig it? We can! detectinghistory@ yahoo.com Club Officers President Susannah Kriegshauser Vice President Jim Hammond Treasurer John Westermayer President's Corner By Susannah Kriegshauser Hello fellow dirt fishers! Our Mystery Hunt #2 is behind us and we want to thank Bill Seibel for getting us the site. 23 people showed up. This is yet another instance of members coming forward to help fellow club members have fun. The day was specially ordered by the officers to give members a somewhat lower temp, blue skies, and a slight breeze. We spare no effort in our quest to make members comfortable! LOL Pictures of the hunt are on the following page, along with an article about Bill Seibel s research on one of the artifacts found. Check it out! We found a ring, tokens, an 1883 Indianhead penny, 1920s-40s era razorblade holder, a LOT of railroad-related items, the usual farm iron such as chains and partifacts, and more. Thanks to John Quinn and others who watched out for another member at our monthly hunt this past Saturday. An irate homeowner crossed the street to berate one of us for digging everywhere, although no one was near his property. If this should ever happen to you on a club hunt, please get an officer immediately. We wear yellow vests to be highly visible, and we will always handle the situation so you don t have to. And as John later stated, this is why we buddy up. Our September presentation will be by Kristen Trout of the MO Civil War Museum on Civil War Battlefields: The Beginning of Relic Hunting. Pat Reece recently gave a wonderful presentation on the detecting trip she, Jim Hammond, and myself took to England. She has now posted it on YouTube. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/g_vn_b79joa September 3, the Saturday before the BBQ, I will be giving another Metal Detecting Basics Class. Details are under the Classes tab on the website. I am hoping to get my package from England before then so that we can hunt for medieval thimbles, buttons, and more. Tell someone you know who might be interested. Registration is required. Happy Hunting! Page 1
CALENDAR Jan 05: GMDC meeting Jan 16: Metal Detecting Basics Class. MO Civil War Museum Jan 23: Metal Detecting Basics Class. MO Civil War Museum Feb 02: GMDC meeting Feb 21: GMDC hunt. Willmore Park Mar 01: GMDC meeting Mar 12: Metal Detecting Basics Class Mar 20: GMDC hunt. St. Marcus Park Apr 05: GMDC meeting Apr 09: GMDC hunt. Christy Greenway May 03: GMDC meeting May 14: Metal Detecting Basics Class May 15: GMDC hunt. Mystery Hunt. DeSoto, MO Jun 07: GMDC meeting Jun 11: GMDC hunt. Fultz Field. River des Peres Jul 05: GMDC meeting Jul 09: GMDC hunt. Mystery Hunt. Aug 02: GMDC meeting Aug 06: GMDC hunt. Jos. Leisure Park Sep 06: GMDC meeting Sep 10: GMDC hunt. BBQ/Hunt Games Oct 04: GMDC meeting Oct 08: GMDC hunt. TBD Nov 01: GMDC meeting Nov 05: GMDC hunt Mystery Hunt Dec 06: GMDC meeting NO HUNT IN DECEMBER NO MTG OR HUNT IN JAN Monthly Meeting by Jim Hammond The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm. Minutes were accepted by Rick Crowell and John Quinn. There were no new members this month. A box was set up for donations to the museum to help pay for lights, materials, and staff time. The museum does not charge us a meeting room fee and is kind enough to stay late to clean up and close up after us. This will be a permanent feature. The BBQ/Games Hunt in September will be in JB at the General Atkinson Pavilion. Donated raffle items would be welcome. Tickets are $5 a person, payable by September 6 meeting. We need someone to give the October presentation. Do you photograph your finds? Can you tell us how your type of detector works? Do you have a detecting-related hobby? The next Metal Detecting Basics Class is on September 3. See the website for details. Send your In the Loupe article about yourself to the club email. The September meeting presentation will be given by Kristen Trout of MCWM on Civil War Battlefields: The Beginning of Relic Hunting. Mark your calendars. There will be NO monthly hunt in Dec., Jan., or Feb. There will be NO meeting in January. Officer nominations begin in February. Please keep Steve Mooney and Howard Hesketh in your prayers. Steve is undergoing neck surgery, and Howard is having tests done. We hope the two of you will soon be back on the hunt! Attendance prizes were given out as follows: 1. Dave Steck 1891 Liberty seated dime 2. Rick Crowell 1915 Barber dime 3. Lee Nunnally 1942 Mercury dime 50/50 raffle was won by Lee Nunnally, who donated it back to our BBQ fund. Thanks Lee! Page 2
MYSTERY HUNT #2 COLUMBIA, IL Page 3
Mystery of the Copper Ring by Bill Seibel I've been doing some historical research regarding the man s copper ring with the initials HS that Susannah found on Mystery Hunt #2 at my farm. The land which is currently my property was conveyed to Daniel Schneider from his parents, Peter & Maragretha, in 1874. Daniel had wed Carolina on May 7, 1868. This marriage produced 5 sons and 5 daughters. Some of them may have been born on the property. One of their sons was Herman Schneider, born 1877 and passed from this earth in 1965. Carolina Schneider sold the property in 1909, nine years after the passing of her husband Daniel, to William Reger. No Schneiders lived on the property after 1909. The son of William Reger is the individual we acquired the farm from in 2013. Here s what I ve found out so far: Given this information it is easy to speculate that the ring Susannah found belonged to Herman Schneider. Going on that supposition, it is almost a certainty that it had been lost somewhere during the years 1890 to 1909, so it s quite old. Peter Schneider (Mar. 6 1807 - Apr. 2 1890) His headstone is in German. Maragretha Schneider Likely immigrated to the United States from Germany. Son: Daniel Schneider (Oct. 14, 1845 - Aug. 22, 1900) Carolina Kraetzsch (Oct. 20, 1851 - Jan. 6, 1923) Page 4
The Many Virtues of Renaissance Wax By Pat Reece BBQ/GAMES Hunt September 10, 2016 10am-2pm Jefferson Barracks Park Genl. Atkinson Pavilion (Registration Required by Sept. 6 sign up through our email or at a meeting. $5 a person age 12 and up. Renaissance Wax was originally developed for the British Museum for restoration and protection of art treasures, and is a superb micro-crystalline polish ideal for many uses. For the purposes of metal detecting, it can be used to polish and protect metal finds like coins and artifacts, because it leaves a hard, thin coating that is resistant to moisture and fingerprints, but is easy to remove as needed. The polish will also help protect the health of people who handle your treasures containing lead from the possibility of lead poisoning. This wax also has many uses around the home, such as a rust and corrosion protection for tools, a quick shoe or leather shine and water resistance protection, or even as a way to polish your wooden floors. (No lie Susannah did her bedroom floor with this 3 years ago and it s still perfect! And it only took a very small amount.) You can purchase Renaissance Wax from online sources like EBay and Amazon, and it comes in both 65ml and 200ml sizes. A little goes a long way but with so many ways it can be used, pay a little more to get a lifetime supply by going for the larger size. We ask that those whose last names begin with A-M bring a side dish, and those whose last names begin with N-Z bring a dessert. We are a family club, and we invite you and your family to a fun time in the park. There will be BBQ, fun games, and a giveaway of a Bounty Hunter PioneerEX metal detector to all who participated in our contest, plus other goodies. Bring your pinpointer and a hand digger, but no shovels, since this is a county park and no digging is allowed. We are playing games with our diggers, not finding relics. We need many people to help with this, and we will have a signup sheet at all future meetings. Thanks to those who have already indicated their willingness to help! We need people to run the games, and crews to setup and takedown. The club will provide the hotdogs and hamburgers, buns, condiments, plates, and utensils. The club will provide water you will need to provide any other drinks you want. Bring a chair and sunscreen! Page 5
IN THE LOUPE hunting treasure and digging in the dirt. Happy hunting all!! Kathy Crowell Hey there! I just wanted to introduce myself and tell how I was introduced to metal detecting. My name is Kathy Crowell. I am a housewife and mother of two awesome children. I have always been interested in finding old relics and coins, etc. I love the thought of finding treasures from the past, though new treasures are great too! I first tried metal detecting about 25 years ago at my sister's house. She had purchased a metal detector for her husband and we tried it out in the yard. I loved it! However I was not able to get my own detector until several years later and it was nothing fancy. I still have it today and do well with it. I mainly stuck close to the house for hunting, only going to local parks and creeks, schools, etc. since I was alone and didn't feel very safe. I have found everything from old hatchets to coins and tabs. I am just now starting to metal detect as often as I would like since my husband has finally come around to the idea of this being a great hobby. YAYYY for me!! My best find was actually just recently at the club Mystery Hunt #2. I found an 1883 Indian Head penny! When I am not treasure hunting, I am a wildlife rehabber at the WRC in High Ridge. We help injured and orphaned wildlife and re-release them into nature. I guess you could say I am just a rock hounding, treasure hunting, animal loving kind of person. I love being a part of this club with other people who share my love and excitement for BEATING THE SUMMERTIME BLUES by Pat Reece When the ground around St. Louis is as hard as concrete, consider detecting in softer material at elementary schools and parks with mulch playgrounds. These areas will almost always yield clad coins, kid's toys, and even jewelry lost by parents and active kiddos. Other good places can be the surface area around above-ground pools, especially near the ladder and under any decking, and where chairs had been placed around inflatable kiddie pools. Research your area, and you may be surprised by the number of sites available for hunting while you wait for those good soaking rains! Page 6
Gateway MD Club 222 Worth Road St. Louis, MO 63125 detectinghistory @yahoo.com WHO WE ARE We are a group of detecting enthusiasts whose aim is to get out there and have fun, find fellowship, and find and preserve our nation's history. We dig responsibly, act respectfully, and operate legally. We invite you to join us. You won't be disappointed! MEETINGS We meet on the first Tuesday of every month at Missouri Civil War Museum 222 Worth Road St. Louis, MO 63125 "Can you dig it? WE can!" For either the CLASSIFIEDS or HUNT BUDDIES, please send them through detectinghistory@yahoo.com CLASSIFIEDS Looking to sell my spare Minelab Explorer SE for $350. It comes with Manual/book Minelab Explorer SE with headphones Rechargeable & AA battery packs FBS slimline 10" coil (factory) Sunray X-1 inline probe Detech 10x12 SEF DD coil 6" DD Excelerator EQ 2 Pro Search coil control box rain cover carry bag at 7 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm) Open to the public Kelly Faust kellysfaust@yahoo.com 636-448-2778 HUNT BUDDIES **Anyone wanting to go to England next year, leave a message on the club email if interested. Several members are thinking of going, one is definitely going, and we can put you in touch. Page 7