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Pondering the Past

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Yorktown, VA
Pondering the Past

AKA on Instagram! Hi! My name is Isaac and I enjoy discovering the stories of our past with my metal detector.

Follow along and watch as history comes to life, one relic at a time!

📍🇺🇸
Based in New England ♦️🌲
Originally from VA ⚔️🏛️

10/26/2026

Here is the front of that 1774 King Louis XV French Sol I found yesterday!

This was a French copper coin that was circulating alongside British and early American coinage in the late-1700s to early-1800s in the Northeastern US. This one retained a gorgeous green patina, special thanks to the fertile and well drained soil in this area!

I’ve always wanted to dig one of these late-18th century French coppers, so it was really nice to finally find one! As a bonus, this one is in such good shape a with a clear 1774 date, meaning this coin was made just one year before the American Revolution broke out! It was likely lost sometime in the very late 1700s or very early 1800s.

10/26/2026

My buddy and I dug these hinges today, and funnily enough, they happen to have the same number, 846. These were likely off the same piece of furniture!

Due to the file marks, cast brass, and the presence of the numbers on each piece, these likely date to the late 1700s or early 1800s! Does anyone have an idea of what these were off of?

Super funny that we found these 3 parts in different parts of the field today, but they obviously have a connection!

10/26/2026

Another super nice coin came out of the ground this afternoon, and this time, it’s French!! A King Louis XV Sol from 1774!

I was hunting an iron infested area directly behind a 1790s homestead. This was on a slope, so I figured people would’ve thrown things behind the house here, or lost things more easily on an odd inclined piece of ground. Luckily I got a signal in between a ton of nails that barely came through, and at 6” deep, I saw a huge copper disc pop out of the sidewall of the hole.

The dark, rocky, and well drained soil here really helped preserve this coin. I rubbed the dirt off to reveal a beautiful green patina and a full date of 1774. What’s interesting about this coin is King Louis XV passed during this same year this coin was minted. After his death, Louis XVI took over the throne, resulting in the French Revolution less than 20 years later.

It’s always great to find an old copper coin, but it’s especially thrilling when it’s a coin you’ve personally never found before! Especially with a date so close to the Revolutionary War! Happy to add another new item to my collection and can’t wait to show more of my finds from this particular outing!

10/25/2026

Beautiful early American coin found today with my metal detector! This is an 1802 Draped Bust Large cent in absolutely gorgeous condition with a clear date!

My friend Sam found an incredible spot which was once a late 18th century homestead, only evidenced by a few older trees in a line. We’ve hunted it pretty hard, but I got lucky after making one diagonal pass through the field. I got a faint 92-94 and about 7-8” deep, a large coin appeared at the bottom of my hole.

Immediately it revealed itself to be a gorgeous 1802 Large Cent with a beautiful dark blueish patina. Definitely among my nicest of this variety of coin. I also found a few buttons, but this large cent definitely stole the show. Can’t wait to display this with all of the other interesting late-1700s to early-1800s items from here!

10/16/2026

I was invited to metal detect at a historic house yesterday. The owners didn’t know what the date of the house was, but believed that the original back ell of the house was as old as 1720. Unfortunately, most of the ground was landscaped due to a large outdoor pool being built directly next to the house.

I started working around the outer edges of the property, which were less likely to have been landscaped, and was able to pop out a few old items.

There was not much left in the way of really old stuff, but I managed to find 3 items dating back prior to the Civil War. One tombac alloy button from the 18th century, a shattered pewter spoon, probably circa 1820, and a really interesting Rosette. It appears to have some sort of carriage wheel on it, but I am not 100% sure as the property owner is now in possession of these items!

I also managed to find a beat up Toe Tap which was on the end of a Civil War era shoe, a cufflink with a small pearl in it, a pocket watch piece, religious pendant, and a few oldish coins, three wheat cents, a 1938 Mercury dime and a 1952 Washington quarter.

Not bad considering the circumstances, and I know there is more in the surrounding woods where there is an old barn foundation, so I can’t wait to go back! Even when most of the original dirt has been moved, there’s always a few things the bulldozers missed!

10/16/2026

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Advanced Metal Detectors is ran by Jerry Cooper, a well-respected 20+ year veteran metal detectorist, tester, and dealer in the metal detecting industry. With his direct involvement in the industry side, having worked with every metal detecting manufacturer, he has unbiased knowledge on which metal detectors would work best for your style of hunting, at the very best prices.

Advanced Metal Detectors has a 5-star reputation in customer service and will help you find a quality metal detector that will fit your budget. If you call Jerry at 607-353-2191 and mention me in anyway (Isaac), you can get exclusive deals that aren’t available through the website. Through the phone, you will have access to 1 on 1 personalized service, including answering any metal detecting related questions. We also offer guaranteed service after your purchase, which includes tracking information sent, full video demonstrating the ultimate set up for your detector, and always available for call when specific questions come up.

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-If you purchase directly from the Advancedmetaldetectors.com website, you can use my code “Pondering the past” at checkout to get 10% off any order $500 or more!

-If you CALL Jerry at 607-353-2191, and MENTION ME (Isaac), you have access to the BEST DEALS, 1-on-1 personalized service, and answers to any metal detecting questions you may have!

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If you’re thinking about delving into a new hobby, or are a seasoned metal detectorist looking to upgrade, visit Advancedmetaldetectors.com or call Jerry at 607-353-2191 and mention Isaac or Pondering the Past for the best deals in the industry!

10/09/2026

Saved the day with this beautiful U.S. Two Cent piece!

I was having a tough day of metal detecting until I started removed a few large pieces of trash from a site that was hit very hard. After removing a tin can, I rescanned the hole and got a faint high tone underneath. I saw the edge of the coin, at first I thought it was a penny, maybe a nickel, but the edge kept getting bigger and bigger as I removed more and more dirt. It turned out to be a two-cent piece, a denomination

These two-cent pieces were made by the U.S. Mint for only 10 years, between 1864-1873. This was in response to a coin shortage fueled by a volatile economy during the Civil War years, causing people to hoard all their coins. Over 30 million of these two cent pieces were minted in 1864 and 1865 alone, which helped bring small change back into circulation.

This is also the first coin to feature the United States’ motto “In God We Trust,” which gives it a little bit of historical significance! It goes to show, it can be worth the effort at hunted out sites to think outside the box a little. That giant piece of trash may be covering up a true piece of treasure that’s deeper!

10/07/2026

So I found this weird item the other day while metal detecting the site of an old homestead. This site has produced items from about 1840s-1880s in the past, so when I found these coins with Roman and Greek imagery, I was a little shocked!

These five paper thin brass charms and a long piece came out from a single hole. The five charms have Neoclassical imagery from several ancient empires including the Greeks, Romans, and Armenians. These charms have soldier marks, indicating they were once connected to the long piece.

Now the question remains, what was this used for? Could it have been a Neoclassical charm bracelet, or perhaps something completely different, something possibly even more significant? I’ve never seen anything quite like this found, and am curious to know the story behind how and why it was lost. It makes you wonder how a piece depicting major ancient European empires ended up buried nearby an 1800s cellar hole in Massachusetts!

10/06/2026

Managed to squeak out one really good find on Saturday at a group metal detecting hunt!

Got up super early and drove about 2 hours to do some searching with other fellow metal detectorists at a house built in the 1820s, lived in by a doctor. Sadly the person who metal detected it before us 20 years ago must’ve gotten a ton out of here, as obvious coin tones were almost non existent throughout the property. However, there were plenty of buttons left masked in the iron nail bed around the house, and I managed to eke a good one out.

This button depicts an eagle with an anchor inside a shield, indicating it was at one time a Navy button, probably made in the 1820s. There are two running theories about these buttons I’ve found:

-there was an excess of 1820s Navy Buttons produced that didn’t end up on a uniform, so the extra buttons were transformed into civilian buttons by soldiering the loop on the front of the navy, hiding the logo.

-these buttons were repurposed by Marines circa 1838 (when the group was officially turned into a branch of the U.S. military), and there weren’t enough Marine buttons to meet the demand, so certain regiments may have used the old navy buttons.

Either way, this was at one time a really cool 1820s Navy button worn by an American sailor over two hundred years ago. But obviously that’s not the full story, since the shank is attached to the designed portion of the button! Such a unique piece and I’m super glad to have found this hiding amongst the trash and nails surrounding this 1820s Doctors house! I also managed to win “find of the hunt” with this button, which was really fun!

The best part about this group hunt wasn’t a physical find, but the connections and networking I was able to do with other metal detectorists. It was so fun to meet other people who were interested in the hobby, share stories, and reminisce about old finds together! I’ll post the total finds from this group hunt soon, but this button was definitely the star of the show!

10/01/2026

Woah, just dug this oddball up at an 1800s cellar hole foundation! My first thought was potentially a Roman themed charm bracelet, but not 100% sure! Let me know your thoughts on what this crazy looking item actually is!

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Yorktown, VA
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