M E T A L M A N 9

M E T A L M A N 9

Click the date link, then a photo to start larger photo gallery & see descriptions

January 1, 2022 - Happy New Year to all. A 2021 Recap.

January 1, 2022 - Happy New Year to all. A 2021 Recap.

January 1, 2022 Happy New Year to all. A 2021 Recap. Yes, one more year has come and gone, and what a year it has been for all. A difficult year for some, a stay close to home for most, a time of challenge for all. Through all this, Tess and I wish you all a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year. Yes, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully it’s the exit and not a train coming eh! Like last year, ( See November 24, 2020 - Year 2020 Round Up ). I put together a recap of some of the year’s finds for 2021. And it was not a bad year at all. In fact, once the highlight pieces were spread out on the counter, it made for an interesting assortment of memories, history and a lot of fun as well as a few surprises. I had not quite realized just how many bullets and shell casings I’d dug up. Some were yet unfired others like a bullet or musket ball was flattened or shattered after hitting something hard. Coin wise, well I found much less this year than I had in 2020. But the age and history of the coins found will be hard to top. The absolute highlight is the badly corroded 1797 British penny found on the mud bars of the Red River. It doesn’t get much older than that in our part of the world. It’s difficult to date lead musket balls but I suspect that they also date from the 1800’s. ( See September 1, 2021 - Red River Mud Bars ). Other highlights and fun stories were no doubt the 1942 Newfoundland penny and the magnetic gold ring, all found on Winnipeg Beach. ( See June 24, 2021 - Winnipeg Beach , the Newfoundland Penny and June 18, 2021 - Winnipeg Beach and the magnetic gold ring). And I just have to smile when I think of my very last outing with Bruno in Sandilands Provincial Forest, the very last possible day of metal detecting just at the forefront of the big storm that brought us winter. ( See November 10, 2021 - Sandilands Provincial Forest ). Back to coins: 2021 yielded $16.25 in Canadian coins, $1.46 US, and of course .01c more with the Newfoundland penny. From buttons to toy cars to fishing weight and hooks, slag lumps, a jack knife or two, iron buckles and the aluminium bracelet inscribed “Maurice”, all these pieces tell a story and come with a history of their own. Friends and family also got to join in on the fun. Marc met me at the end of Plinguet Street in St. Boniface, ( See April 11, 2021 - Plinguet St. Revisited ), David swung the coil on the beach in St. Malo, ( See May 19, 2021 - To Saint Malo with David ) Yolanda and Tess got their feet wet on a cold and windy day, ( See July 6, 2021 - Winnipeg Beach: A family outing ), Michel and Miranda got to explore beneath an old farm shed ( See September 18, 2021 - Under a 1950’s Shed ) and Pete, Shawn and crew detected in unison in historic North Bay, Ontario at a site at Champlain Park. ( See November 3, 2021 - North Bay, Champlain Park ). The review made me realize just how many people had joined me at metal detecting. Thank you all. It was a blast! Yes, I’d say it was a good year overall. If nothing else, I hope that my stories, pictures and adventures have brought you some measure of distraction and enjoyment. I myself have very much enjoyed putting these pieces together. Now would also be a good time to thank my sponsors: Mike at Bison Software who tirelessly manages the Metalman9.ca website and Pat at Impress Printers who always comes up with catchy designs for our printing needs and enhancing aerial photos. And you’ve no doubt noticed the BDO ruler for scale. I’m already looking forward to an early spring and to getting out there again. The “Gold Coast” in Florida had been on our list for an entire month in either January or February…. Well, that’s going to be for some other time. Tess and I have talked of maybe driving back to Vancouver again and visiting family this coming summer… maybe. If the Red River remains at historic lows for a second year, that spells out the possibility of finding more artifacts from the 1800’s. The rivers were the super highways in those early times. There is still an old WWII airfield, now farm land, north of Portage La Prairie that I want to get to. And the Two Little Points School site and area just keeps on yielding little treasures. Stay posted, stay tuned and keep checking the Metalman9.ca website. Every time you check in, even for just a second or a minute creates a stat. Some months I’ve been getting between 300 to 500 hits. Keep on Clicking ! And to close off a year that’s been well different, here are the stats from the scrap that I’ve been turning in to the recycler for cash in 2021. Yes, cash. Something has to support this hobby. When I’m not out metal detecting, I’m out scrapping. Detectorist turned Scrapper! Who knew? Iron 10515 lbs. (5.075 tons). Yes. It was a good year overall. Aluminum 581 lbs Copper 170 lbs Brass 39 lbs Beer cans 997 Roger 204 lbs