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Author: Sandi Gilardi

July 16 2021 Meeting Notes

 24 attendees

Mark Roberts chaired the meeting and coordinated the prizes and discussion of the upcoming club hunt on October 2.

The MTHA welcomes four new members: Mike Recco Sr., and the Weinstock family, Laura, Stan and their son Aaron, from Wellesley.
Paulo Adams gave the Treasurer’s Report. Several half dollars including at least 7 scarce “commemoratives” from the 1920s and 1930s were purchased at a recent coin show, for the year-end Christmas raffle. This purchase brought the Club’s balance down to about $2500. Paulo explained how valuable these coins are, as they are uncirculated or close to it. Jim Meaney gave an update on our old Newton Highlands meeting site. It was supposed to be under construction with new yard work but no definite plans are known yet. Scott Ferguson will keep us up to date on where we will be meeting from month to month until we find a permanent new home, if we’re not back in Newton.

Congrats to Mike Recco on his discovery of a stupendous buckle from the 1600s that he found at a 17th-century farm site in Maine found  through family connections. Mike also mentioned that he has access to other very old properties in Maine for detecting. Good luck, Mike, and welcome to the MTHA!

Stepper detected a small but historically significant coin-silver spoon believed to be of British origin and dating from the late 1700s or early 1800s; and a sharp 1847 half dime with a story to share concerning a family connection between the spoon and the coin. Stay tuned for the details!

RAFFLES
Joe Mishley won the silver dime raffle, which also contained several 40% silver
halves donated by Rick Smith. Thanks to Rick for his contribution!
Standard raffles:
Silver dollars/rounds – Mark Roberts, Mike Recco (2x), John Golden, Joe Mishley
1897 Barber quarter – Paulo Adams
Copper Netherlands duits – Karl Kenneway (1733), Mike Recco (1751)
World Coin book from 2006 – Phil Kolber
Scratch tickets – Bobby Denault, Aidan Shea, Mike Recco (2x), Rick Smith, Jay
Ela, Dan Schwartz, Bill Stowers, Scott Ferguson, John Golden
Indian head draw – Aidan Shea – didn’t win
50/50 ($50) – Joe Mishley

June 18th 2021 Meeting Notes

Five visitors joined us in Devens MA for the first Club meeting in over a year!

The club is strong and has continued to gain more members. We hope to get back into the Newton meeting place soon; but are waiting to hear from the Woman’s club on availability. 

Judi spoke about the accolades she received for helpers in her May 14th school hunt in a  Pembroke. Meeting members made it happen for some future hunters. We were glad to see Ray and Rick back with some medical miracles.

Our yearly club hunt is on for Saturday October 2 in Milton. Registration open late in July.

We started by recognizing all who helped keep the club connected thru these long months. Jim, Paulo,  Mark, Stepper, Sandi and Rick provided means to keep up to date with each other on ZOOM, Facebook, our website, and with running events.  We are all glad that Scott has kept us going and growing in Massachusetts.  Thank you to all who came to outings (we had many!) and ZOOM meetings.  Thanks to all who kept online portals up to date and accurate.

A few members from the Apple Valley Relic Seekers came to visit our club in addition to the 26 club members who enjoyed snacks, raffles and games run by the club in a nice atmosphere.

Marita won the Morgan Dollar in the Silver “Dime Quarter Half ” grab bag.

Bob Denault won the “bowl of silver raffle”.

Scott entered the “treasure chest”  alternative drawing, but ended up with a Dandy Don Dime.

Five dollar scratch tickets went to Judi, Don, Bob D, and Mary Mc.

The silver halves/1oz rounds drawings were won by Paulo, Mary Mc, Dave R, Rick and Johnny Cache

The 50/50 drawing of $103 went to Stepper

A few items made it to a finds table.  Be prepared for our next meeting on July 16th!

FOM

Pre 1900 Coin -1798 Penny Stepper

Post 1900 Coin- 1910S 1cent

Relic- WWII Gunner Badge  Broderick

No Jewelry entered !

May 23 2021 Meeting Notes

Recorded by Stepper Camilleis

Scott discussed the possibility of hosting live meetings at our original site in Newton Highlands beginning in September. However, there were some logistical issues addressed, so the MTHA may be considering alternative venues. We discussed the feasibility of hosting the meetings at locales quite far from the greater Boston area. We spoke about the possibility of reinstating a schedule and programs similar to what we had pre-COVID. Currently, a “work in progress.”

We are planning to hold a club hunt soon. One idea was having a cookout in Braintree that day. Details forthcoming on this event, which falls on Father’s Day.

Judi Batchelder gave a recap of the fabulous hunt she sponsored for her second grade class. All the children had a great time too, and maybe some of them nowgot “hooked” on metal detecting! Lots of kids detected quite a few foreign coins that Judi had buried. Glenn, Stepper, and Bob O. attended the hunt and helped out quite a bit as well. Thank you so much for organizing such a great program, and for your support to the community, Judi!

Scott told an interesting story of how he met a schoolgirl and 25 years later she remembered his exciting discussion on gold panning.

Congrats to Bob Denault on his discovery of a stupendous set of platinum earrings!  This of course took top billing for this period.

Two-week Finds Contest winners:

1st – Bob Denault – set of 2 platinum earrings

2nd – Judi Batchelder – Silver butter knife circa early 1900s

3rd – Stepper Camilleis – 1787 “Fugio” cent

Barber half draw – Joe Mishley – didn’t win

Standard raffles:

1883 Morgan dollar – Paulo Adams

1936 Walking Liberty half – Dave Rockwell

1962 Franklin half – Stepper Camilleis

50/50 – Rick Smith (twice in a row!)

May 9 2021 Meeting Notes

Recorded by Stepper Camilleis

The highlight of this meeting was the El Cazador prize raffle. Paulo Adams held up a jar filled with 980 raffle tickets for the certified 1780 Spanish silver coin that was recovered from the wreck of the El Cazador. This spectacular coin was won by Dave Rockwell.

cazador
THE WINNER IS……

Scott Ferguson came up with the excellent idea of hosting a similar contest, perhaps quarterly rather than annually. One suggestion for a prize is a gold nugget recovered from the SS Central America that sank in 1857. There will be further discussions regarding what works best in terms of shipwreck recoveries.

There was a preliminary discussion about reopening live club meetings starting in September or October. A temporary meeting site was suggested, at the former site of Fort Devens in Ayer. Paulo and Scott aired this proposal out to the attendees of the meeting. Further details will be forthcoming regarding this or any other potential meeting sites.

Regarding the COVID scourge and everyone’s health, we got updates from Rick and Bobby and Sue.

Victor Ausilio discussed how he has observed that so many grandparents are raising children, especially since last year. Judi Batchelder also observed that children are losing their parents and that it’s sometimes tough these days for children to get a decent education, especially in a virtual setting.

Kudos to Judy for sponsoring a program about metal detecting program at the elementary school in Pembroke where she teaches second grade. This is taking place Friday afternoon, May 14. Foreign coins will be strewn over the schoolyard in ample quantity so that each of 16 kids can detect about 20 coins. Thank you so much for your support to the community, Judi!

Paulo mentioned that Rita Colella, a longtime MTHA member and former resident of Watertown, is interested in coming back and joining us on the Zoom meetings soon. It was unanimously voted that Rita would be reinstated as a lifetime member. Welcome back, Rita!

As for exciting detecting stories, Kent Blethen came back and found a beautiful 1747 Mexican 1-reale. Dan Schwartz displayed a 1630s King Charles I British silver twopence a friend of his found. Dan also spoke of a hunt at a park in 2006 in Somerville, near where he used to live, where his detecting buddy found a 1569 Elizabeth I silver coin … this may have come over on the Mayflower or even earlier! Dan also discussed his adventures at Plum Island where he detected lots of old silver coins, and his friend found a Spanish 2-reales and a Revolutionary War button of the Massachusetts 11th Regiment, which is apparently quite rare.

There was also a discussion of an abundance of 17th-century Islamic coins found on the Cape, and debate as to whether these coins were tied to activity of one particular pirate. The general consensus is that the coins and the pirate are not related. Last September, Stepper Camilleis detected a Spanish copper maravedi from 1651 that was in fact determined to be a pirate coin. Stepper lives on the Cape and wasn’t aware of any Islamic coin circulation.

Two-week Finds Contest winners:

reale
1747 Reale

1st – Kent Blethen – 1747 Mexican 1-reale

2nd – Aidan Shea – gold ring with onyx stone

3rd – Stepper Camilleis – Coin spill of 3 Barber quarters and a “V” nickel

Barber half draw – Christina Lamkin – didn’t win (180 tickets sold for this)

Standard raffles:

1902 Morgan dollar – Bob Denault

1960 Franklin half – Sue Rockwell

1941 Walking Liberty half – Aidan Shea

50/50 – Rick Smith

El Cazador ticket raffles:

Grand prize – 1780 Spanish 2-reales – Dave Rockwell

2nd place – 1921 Morgan dollar – Bob O’Neill

3rd place – 1934 Peace dollar – Judi Batchelder

4th, 5th and 6th place – SLQs – Bob Denault, Scott Ferguson and Stepper Camilleis

Special Prize – El Cazador comic book – Sue Rockwell