M E T A L M A N 9

M E T A L M A N 9

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November 17, 2023 Storing your finds

November 17, 2023 Storing your finds.

November 17, 2023 Storing your finds. The storage of your “Finds” or of anything that you choose to collect is probably as personal and individual as the metal detectorists themselves. Or, maybe you choose to just not keep any of your finds although I’d think that to be most unlikely. So I thought I’d share some ideas of what seems to work well for me so far. Coins are easy. They go to the bank for cash. At least the modern ones and the really damaged one do. Insofar as the really interesting coins and tokens, I’ve pulled a page from the numismatist’s hand book. I use coin flips and vinyl pocket pages to hold the flips. I also use these same coin flips for holding religious medallions that I’ve found and other small and thin items. These are relatively inexpensive and it helps me keep track of where my little treasures are. I set up 2 three ring binders with Canadian coins in one and US coins, foreign coins, tokens and miscellaneous small items in the second. I’m not a coin collector per say but this system works well and allows for quick reference or retrieval. The other and newest addition to my storage woes are these interlocking plastic storage drawers. I picked these up at Princess Auto for about $20.00 each. Each box has 2 drawers. Each drawer being 9 ½ inches wide X 5 ½” inches across X 2 ½ inches deep. They are quite sturdy and can hold a lot of weight. They were perfect for holding any found cutlery. I also use these for holding Match Box type toy cars and the like and for all my found belt buckles and buttons. Shadow boxes or Riker display cases also work well. These I like to use for my more precious finds or for those items that mean a lot to me personally. They don’t work so well for really heavy or bulky items but buttons, coins and tokens or even arrowheads display well. They are easily movable from one wall to another or sit well on a shelf somewhere. A jewellers display case or a simple ring tray works well for jewellery and bling. Mine looks terribly disorganized. My two gold rings, the only gold that I have found to date, are secured in a safer place, just like any other valuable that one keeps in the home. I had a friend who hid a silver bar in plain sight… he used it as a front door stop of all things. It was heavy, dull and people who came visiting constantly tripped over it. It was his warped sense of humor and a brilliant idea all at the same time. My original storage system was glass sealer jars: 1 liters and 500 ml size. I still like using these as I have tones of them and I like that I can readily see through the container on all sides and underneath too. I labelled the year on top, again for ease of reference. Having been keeping many of my finds over the last four year, I have found it very handy in going back to look for a specific item or two. I also use these jars to hold and display the many square nails, old bolts and fencing staples that I have processed and cleaned up for preservation. Why? I don’t rightly know why. I love their history, the age of them, and hey… they look good once cleaned and oiled. My bigger pieces, which are mainly antique farm equipment parts, are in ice cream pails for the time being until I decide what I’ll do with them all. Some are quite deserving of being cleaned and protected from rusting. Others are just cool conversation pieces. My last resort is the infamous cardboard box. A place to dump stuff so to speak that is until I figure out a better storage system or decide on what I want to do. I don’t keep all the items that I find, no, far from it. All of those pesky “Pull Tabs” and can slaw and copper wire end up at the recycler for cash as does a lot of iron. Copper, iron, and aluminum are all resalable commodities. I do a lot of “Scrapping” when I’m not out metal detecting so it works out well. I just add the unwanted items into the scrap bucket. However you choose to store and save your little treasures is your choice. I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer but it’s nice to be able to find an item without tearing the house apart. I had set aside a special religious medallion that I was wanting to research this winter. Yeah... that’s it. That’s the idea… take an item out of its normal storage place and “Set it Aside”… I spent a week and a half in early November looking for this medallion. I checked and double checked, even moving furniture and books off of shelves… you know the feeling! Oh I found it alright. Now it’s back into its normal storage place where I should have left it in the first place. I can now proceed with my research with the intention of posting a story with pictures this winter. Stay tuned! Better yet… See you at the Metal Detectorists Get Together on December 3rd. Location: Brandtwood Estates at 685 St. Anne’s Rd. Wpg. From 2pm – 4pm Roger