'I’m obsessed': mudlarking for treasure

[lee greagsbey]

"'I’m obsessed': mudlarking for treasure along the Thames"

A read from the Thames...

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/ ... -interview

[dig-it-pete]

That word again!! 'Historical artefacts' sounds much better

[lee greagsbey]

That word again!! 'Historical artefacts' sounds much better

I know Pete, I think of you now when ever I see that word now... pretty poor on her behalf... as she has just launched her book on mudlarking.

[dig-it-pete]

That word again!! 'Historical artefacts' sounds much better

I know Pete, I think of you now when ever I see that word now... pretty poor on her behalf... as she has just launched her book on mudlarking.

[ageezer]

i dunno what they expect to find as 90% of the foreshore between wapping and blackfriars had been hammered down to 6 feet or more ..when i dug down there i used to take a ladder to get out of the holes and so did many others.. so all this dont scrape without a licence makes me laugh..the only place where you might make finds is on very low tides deep down the foreshore but you dont get much time to dig a hole.. a mate bought her book and was disappointed as its very shallow and misinformed so he tells me..

[lee greagsbey]

I guess it's like i heard people say "hammys don't have babies" we all pulling them out but when the gone there gone... but i do see people are still finding interesting things in old father Thames... granted that its not like back in the day as your saying it was hammered but some of the smaller items were missed, you should of be more thorough...Lol
I will have a gander at her book when i am in town next at Waterstones.

[IronRon]

Its all about selling her book im afraid .. the tide went out a long long time ago on mudlarking on the thames.

[ageezer]

you have to realise that the tech of the time was the compass77b which was pretty good but not every digger had 1 and they missed the smaller coins like hammy 1/4s and 1/2s ,and some were sieving the muddy spoil and it was a rush when the tide was coming in to check the heap and fill in the hole and get cleaned up..if we had probes at the time not much would have been missed but they hadnt been invented...very small coins are likely to be around if you get down on knees and get your eyes on the gravel..there was guys that used to crawl along the foreshore back in the 70s and 80s and they wore kneeling pads..sometimes the tide didnt go out far before it came back in so digging time was short

diggers were more interested in silverware, large coins, and daggers and swords and silver and pewter tankards and pilgrim badges and rings from all periods plus ceramics like belarmines

plus hoards of which about a dozen were found

[john winter]

Worth noting that this book has gone straight in at number 6 on The Sunday Times Bestsellers list.

[ageezer]

the nicest find was the silver chain of Ss which was buried about 8 feet deep ..the finder bought his house with the price they paid him

[dig-it-pete]

the nicest find was the silver chain of Ss which was buried about 8 feet deep ..the finder bought his house with the price they paid him

Would love to see a picture of that if there is one

[ageezer]

its been in the TH mags and its out there if you do a search ..believe its in the BM now

this is a copy so it looks like this in silver https://armourandcastings.com/en_US/products/1187

[dig-it-pete]

its been in the TH mags and its out there if you do a search ..believe its in the BM now

this is a copy so it looks like this in silver https://armourandcastings.com/en_US/products/1187

Thank you and what an amazing find that would have been

[ageezer]

its being discounted by 4 quid in waterstones ,,it is easy reading .soporific if you cant sleep ..others from the 80s are thinking of doing a book with all the super finds as they have photos from the glory years showing silver wine tasters ,,gold and diamond rings from the medieval period .arms and weapons .silver and pewter tankards etc

[lee greagsbey]

Thanks for the update ageezer, maybe I will thumb through it when i am in Guildford, November most probably now... I be interested if the others from the 80's do a book?