"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find....

    Those are the words of Matthew 7:7, although I'm sure his reference wasn't to finding a coin on the foreshore of the Thames.  But hey, St. Pauls is near the Thames, so I'm going to count it as part of 6 degrees of separation!!
    Finally after many trips to the promised land ( the foreshore ), I found a coin ( actually a Jetton ), dating back to around 1660-1685.  It looked like nothing when I spotted it among the rocks, covered in a dark sandy concrete like grit.  But, I knew it was not the common garden variety good luck coin I seem to come across.  Once home, with a little  scrubbing the round copper disk revealed a series of names and images.  Searching the internet I narrowed it down to a time period of around 1700, but I couldn't find an identical match.  Summoning the vast intellect of the London Mudlark facebook page, I posted the below picture of my find.  And in no time at all Karen L. provided me all the info on my find.

                                          Copper alloy jetton,issued by Charles II

The rest of the days finds were the typical pipe and assorted shard and glass fragment pickings. 

I did find the biggest complete wig roller I've come across.

That sums up the last adventure.  My patience of finding a coin like object has finally been rewarded. Others seem to find them on a weekly basis, but they have eluded me like D B  Cooper has eluded the FBI.  Maybe the ice has been broken and I will find more coins.  For now though I am happy with what I have been able to find

 

 

 

Summer is here, the sun is out...

It's so nice to see that summer has finally arrived.  Not actually for a few more days, but who's counting.  I spent a few hours basking in the late evening sun a few days ago, idly looking to see what the river would give up.  Although the rare coins, toys, and lead seals still play hide and seek from me I did come back with a nice grouping of pipes.  Its neat that these little fragile clay smoking pots of yesteryear come bobbing up on a fairly regular basis, but sad to think that once exposed and released from their muddy grave their days are numbered as they are dashed against the rocks on the foreshore in the proceeding tides.  Taking them home is kind of a search and rescue mission.

So, these are my only post of a find for this trip, my quest for coinage continues!!

      a bakers dozen,  10 newer larger versions and 3 nice small bowl oldies

      Sundown on the Shard

                                                   The old and new intertwined

I Smell a Farthing!!

   Okay, that was a tasteless title.  Yesterday, the weather was spectacular in London, however due to track replacement on the two Tube lines I usually use to get to the foreshore, I was unable to browse my familiar shore.  I took a gamble and went the opposite direction as the tracks were open in the westbound direction.  I had met a mudlarker who had found some nice items by the Putney Bridge, so I headed there.  Wow, what a neat place.  Quaint, small, quiet, clean, scenic as can be, but not much in the line of discovery.  I would guess that there are some nice finds to be had, but a person would have to settle for less quantity and less frequency of exciting finds.  That's where the farthing comes in.  I picked up about 6 coins along my walk, and came upon the first farthing I have found.  It was nudged between some pebbles and a boat ramp.  Dirty at first, I thought is was just another wishful coin toss from someone recent.  Once home I  cleaned off the grime to expose a nice 1947 rendition of a King George VI farthing.  Funny that it is from the same year of the French Franc I found a few months ago.  A marble here, and a musket ball there, a couple of keys that are still being cleaned and I was done.  Not sure if I would return to mudlark there, but I certainly would to enjoy the numerous pubs, coffee shops and serene setting.  A few days before back on familiar ground I found a nice assortment of pipes, spanning all the ages.  The long one with a curved pipe shaft is the first I've found like that.  The top of an old water jug intrigued me enough to take it home, as it is quite large, has a nice black finish on it, and is made of clay.

 

                                                  Musket ball, dented from impact

                                                     clay marble, pea size

                                                 Lead trade token

                                              Nice metal button, center design brand mark?

               Farthing front

    Back side

                       Putney

                                        Great old lights and brick work

                            Life of Leisure!!

 

Hit me with your best shot.....

The sun was out, perfect for a couple of jaunts down to the foreshore.  One evening tide and a morning tide later I had a few new additions to show.  I made my first trip to Rotherhithe, a little farther away but worth the time.  The Mayflower set sail from this location back in 1620, maybe leaving a trail of broken pottery and pipes to the new world!  Pictures below show the fruits of my labor and love. 

          Sunset

       a few  hours later

                                     glass pieces and wine bottle with cork inserted still

 

                                            glass bead

                                     another bead, nice a smooth, I think made of stone

                                                              top view of bead

 

 

Hand painted, delf maybe

 

bone handle of eating utensil, knife likely

 

decent pipe and slipware shard

 

bottom of flow blue teacup or sugar bowl, age unknown

bottom view

 

1 marble, 4 cannon shot iron balls

not sure what this is, made of morter and I believe iron point.  about 2.5 inches across.  looks like miniature sun dial

side view.  what do you think it is?  Ringholder now!

 

That was the sum of my adventure.  It was neat to see where the Mayflower left from England, after reading about it so long ago when I was young.

Goodbye Yellowbrick Road, hello Foreshore Brick Road....

   Besides the magnificent finds of pipes, pottery, coins, glass, shoes, toys, etc that mudlarkers routinely come across on the foreshore are an amazing collection of bricks.  These bricks come in all colors, condition and wording.  Being an American, I know little of the history of these bricks, but they seem to come from many places, near and far.  I wouldn't dream of taking any of them  home, as the shore seems like a fitting final resting ground.  They look to me like tiny gravestones, their owners names slowly fading into history.  I take their picture, as I would a tombstone at West Brompton Cemetary!

I hope you enjoy these, I bet you've seen some of these bricks if you have been on the foreshore!