Meeting Notes test no formatting

Submitted by Stepper Camilleis There were 43 attendees present at our 4rd meeting at the Newton Presbyterian Church. Guests included John Zieiinski (Mike’s father) and Bill Pitella. Scott  kicked off the meeting with a great story of his detecting career which spans more than 50 years, including his philosophy on why the finds tend to be greater now with the ongoing advancements in metal detector technology. Scott spoke of a fellow TH’er from California who found six gold coins yet wants to go to the eastern states to find Colonial coins and relics! Treasurer Paulo mentioned that there was a balance of about $5000, a good standing at this time. He mentioned that membership dues will be due by the January meeting ($40 individual, $45 family.) There will be three big prizes; a 6-oz silver round, a 4-oz $100 bill design and a 2-oz Norman Rockwell ingot. Paulo auctioned off items donated to us from the estate of Steve Nickerson, a fellow TH’er who had recently passed, money will be donated  to the Cancer Society.  Jim mentioned that Roy Gouge, who now lives in Tennessee, is doing better and will be going to Sarasota FL for the winter. Stepper extended the sign-up sheet for the December 16 Holiday Party. The party will commence at 6:30, a half hour before the normal start time. Remember, there will be a Yankee Swap and the value of the gift you bring must be at least $25. RAFFLE/PRIZE WINNERS Silver Dime Drawing – Sylvia Silver Coins/Rounds/Ingots – Jennifer , America , Aidan , Bob O’Neil, Doug York (2x), Phil , Rob , Mike , Tom V 1986 Commemorative dollar and half – Paulo Serrated digging knife – Phil Digging trowels – Sharon & Sandi 50/50 ($100) – Sylvia Indian Head Draw – Glenn , didn’t win HOLIDAY RAFFLE PRIZES November – 1922 Grant Commemorative half, MS-62 December – 1874 Princess gold dollar FIND OF THE MONTH Pre-1900 Coin: 1st – 1788 Connecticut Copper – Tom V 2nd – 1794 Liberty Cap large cent – Stepper 3rd – 1729-54 George II British halfpenny – Danielle 1900-Later Coin: 1st – 1908-O Barber half – Tom V 2nd – 1944 Walking Liberty half – Aidan 3rd – 1909 VDB cent – Don Jewelry: 1st and Best of Show – Heavy 18K gold bracelet / Ken 2nd – 10K gold ring – Joe 3rd – Wildcat ring – Don Relic: 1st – 17th century spectacle buckle – Mike Z 2nd – Lead toy Indian – Don 3rd – Pocket knife scale c. 1909-13 – Broderick

Submitted by Stepper Camilleis There were 38 attendees present at our second meeting at the Newton Presbyterian Church. We used the larger auditorium of the church for better acoustics. Present were new member Doug of Salem MA, guest Ken of Natick, returning member Denise of Holden, new members Bob and Leann of Middleton and new member Skip  of Lakeville who has been detecting for 40 years. Skip brought in some of his best finds to share with the Club, including three British gold coins, Spanish silver and other cool stuff he found over the decades. Also, former member Jay returned, after having discovered three large cents in one hole this month … welcome back, Jay and Denise! Spotlight on Tom V, as he scored a stupendous find this month consisting of a large button issued for the  inauguration of George Washington in 1789, with the inscription LONG LIVE THE PRESIDENT! This is actually a very rare artifact, with estimates of known samples ranging from several hundred to a few  thousand. Treasurer Paulo mentioned that there was about $4000 in the bank after funds came in from registrations for the October 2 hunt. Sandi mentioned that so far only 52 out of a capacity of 100 attendees have  registered for the  hunt which will be held rain or shine. Rick spoke of the club’s Facebook group for further visibility of registration. Jim gave an update on the Club Library and discussed the procedure for borrowing books, as the storage locker has been moved to the church from its former location. Jim also discussed meeting on FaceTime with Roy Gouge, who, had donated $200 to the club for purchase of Morgan dollars for the 10/2 hunt. Don discussed submission of items for the Find Of The Month table, including choosing the correct “L point” level and providing supporting documentation for finds where the age or type of item is  questionable. Scott told a great story about a trip he and Mary took to the Cape with a friend from another group. They were detecting at a beach about an hour from where they were staying. They were in a secluded area and at night, a “strange woman” got out of her car and approached Scott and the other detectorist. She kept walking closer, and Scott didn’t know what to make of this until he realized it was Mary Jane ! RAFFLE/PRIZE WINNERS Silver Dime Drawing – Joe M Silver Rounds – Mary , Judi , Sharon , Jim M Statue of Liberty Gold Plated Silver Ingot – Sharon 1857 Flying Eagle Cent – Kevin M 1976 Bicentennial Mint Set – Kevin M Three 1980 Susan B. Anthony Dollars – Karl 1988 Proof Set – Dave 2007 Presidential Dollar Proof Set – Cary 50/50 ($100) – Dave Indian Head Draw – Kevin , didn’t win Spring Steel Digger – Christina FIND OF THE MONTH Pre-1900 Coin: 1st – 1723 Hibernia halfpenny – Stepper 2nd – Spill of three large cents – Jay 3rd – 1893 Barber dime – Tom 1900-Later Coin: 1st – 1923 Peace dollar – Stepper 2nd – 1932 Washington quarter – Judi 3rd – 1941 Mercury dime – Danielle Jewelry: 1st – 1911 Harvard Class of 1891 Reunion watch fob – Stepper 2nd – 1900 Sterling spoon – Mary Jane Tsiakalis 3rd – 14K gold chain pendant – John GRelic: 1st and Best of Show – George Washington Inaugural Button – Tom V 2nd – Toy hand truck – Judi 3rd – Antique Padlock – Kevin M

It was great to be back in person with 31 members again after the long haul of the COVID pandemic confined us to Zoom.  We have moved to the Newton Presbyterian Church right off route 90.  Guests were Doug York of Salem MA and Dave Adams from Newton. Doug started detecting more than 40 years ago and signed up as new member.  Mark announced that his son got married on August 15. Karl’s  wife Charlene, who is ill sent the club a thank you for our support. Broderick made a stupendous find this month consisting of a Georgian period (probably from sometime in the 1700s) gold-plated watch winder. This won Best of Show for the month. Treasurer Paulo mentioned that the club balance is a bit thin due to large purchases of silver coins including for the upcoming October 2 hunt. He said that there was about $1700 in the bank but that the balance would be back to normal in October after our hunt  income.   526 tickets have already been sold for the year-end Christmas raffle. If you haven’t already, you need to sign up for the October hunt that will be limited to 100 hunters. Club member were offered a discount . There will be 675 silver coins and 2000 clad coins buried during two hunts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon; and a chance for a gold coin in a third hunt.   Some of us remember Roy Gouge, who as far back as the 1970s owned a metal detector shop on the upper Cape, in Wareham, and was President of the Gateway Treasurer Hunters’ Club, and his wife Phyllis, who were very active participants at MTHA events. Phyllis died several years ago but Roy was designated as an honorary lifetime member. Roy now lives in Tennessee and also in Florida and he recently sent the MTHA a check for $200 as a donation t toward the purchase of several Morgan silver dollars as hunt prizes.  Club Librarian Jim mentioned that the MTHA gained 20 members since tour last meeting in Newton Highlands in February of 2020. Jim had several new club cards printed for us with the new venue address.   Mark was able to retrieve the foot locker from the Newton Highlands site for our Library. Club President Scott told an entertaining story of a hunt he attended many years ago that was sponsored by Roy’s Gateway club. Club officer elections will be taking place in October and nominations are due in September. At the August meeting we discussed the option of members volunteering to take over incumbent officer positions. RAFFLES Silver Dime Drawing – Kent (won 25 silver dimes) Silver Ingots (5 ticket drawings) – Dave , Sue , Mary Jane , John , Broderick Royal Canadian Marconi Sets (2 drawings) – Jim , Dave 1988 Olympics Proof Silver $1 (2 drawings) – Victor , Joe M “Successful Coin Hunting” book by Charles Garrett – Paul Z “Treasure Hunting” book by Charles Garrett – Dave 50/50 ($108) – Cam Indian Head Draw – Glenn , didn’t win Door Prizes (2) – Helena Minelab Equinox 600/800 manual – $10 bill contest won by Victor FIND OF THE MONTH Pre-1900 Coin: 1st – 1876 Liberty Seated quarter – Stepper 2nd – 1890 Indian Head cent – Kent 1900-Later Coin: 1st – 1905-S Barber dime – Broderick Jewelry: 1st and Best of Show – Georgian Era Watch Winder – Broderick 2nd – 18K diamond and sapphire ring – John G 3rd – 18K wedding band – Bill S Relic: 1st – Circa 1840 coin silver spoon handle – Stepper 2nd – Circa 1830 Diplomatic Eagle button – Broderick 3rd – 17th century show buckle – Kent

There were 24 attendees present at the June 19 Father’s Day meeting. Before the meeting began in earnest, Dave and Glenn told stories of accidents where their cars were totaled. Luckily, Dave has suffered  only minor injuries and Glenn not at all. Hopefully they’ll both be back on the road soon with new wheels. This month, Mary sold her house and Scott bought a new ’21 GMC Sierra SLT. Congrats to Mary & Scott! Scott also bought several US coins and received some free foreign coins for upcoming hunts scheduled for later this year. The meeting kicked off with a recap of the schedule for the Salisbury Beach hunt on Sunday, 6/26. We will meet around noon in the parking lot for pizzas, play Left-Right-Center, have an impromptu silver jewelry hunt, and then be poised for a natural finds hunt when the low tide peaks around 4:00. We also spoke again about the second hunt planned for Salisbury on 8/7. We will meet at the Pavilion that morning, and a seeded hunt will begin at 10:00 in a sectioned-off area of the beach. There will be more games, such as corn hole, Left-Right-Center, canjam and frisbee. Anyone can feel free to bring soda and snacks, and the hunt is open to family members. Judi Batchelder displayed several gimp projects her 2nd-grade students participated in this month, in addition to the 6/3 metal detector hunt. Judi also gave a recap of a weekend hunt she attended at an old farm  site in Jefferson, NH with Scott, Danielle and Sharon the weekend of June 10-12. They didn’t find many old coins there but still had a fun time. Paulo gave a recap of the financial situation, where the balance is only around $2000, mainly because a lot of money was spent last month at the Nashua coin show, in preparations for hunts planned for this summer and  fall, so there would be adequate and ample prizes. Dan gave a comprehensive tutorial of the Find of the Month, including entry rules, guidelines, voting and “level point” calculations, Best of Show, etc. This discussion was especially helpful to newcomers and those who aren’t familiar with the process of evaluating and “scoring” a detected item. Sometimes it can be difficult for even seasoned TH’ers to estimate the age of a  relic or piece of jewelry, especially if its style carried on for a century or longer, and Dan has been recognized as an expert in this research with related business experience. Thank you for your insight, Dan! The MTHA is still seeking a new venue for reinstating live meetings. Danielle and Stepper have some thoughts about potential sites, but no site has been yet pinned down in a feasible location and reasonably prices. This is a “work in progress” and any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. RAFFLES 1923 Peace dollar – Mary Jane 1925 Peace dollar – Aidan 50/50 ($65) – Bob O Barber Half Draw – Danielle , didn’t win FIND OF THE MONTH Pre-1900 Coin: 1st – 1776 Mexican 1 reale – Joe B 2nd – 1848 large cent – Stepper 1900-Later Coin: 1st – 1919 Standing Liberty quarter – Stepper Jewelry: 1st – Antigue 14K gold ring with CWE monogram – Aidan 2nd – Ruby & diamond ring – Kent Relic: 1st – Antique chalice – Bob O 2nd – c. 1720-1790 shoe buckle – Joe 3rd and Best of Show – 1700s crotal bell – Joe M

Submitted by Stepper Camilleis There were 24 attendees present at the May 22 meeting. Scott and Mary were unable to attend. We kicked off the meeting with some social discussions such as home air conditioning systems, the recent riots at Hampton and Revere Beach, and Paulo attending that day’s Red Sox game. Paulo sat in the bleachers where the sun was beating down uncomfortably, but by the 4th inning he was able to move to the much shadier 3rd base side where he joined some of his friends. Joe M gave a recap of the 5/21 hunt in Coventry, RI sponsored by Dirt Fishing Adventures, where two incredible finds were made – a Draped Bust half dollar and a Morgan dollar! This segued into a discussion of other sites in Rhode Island where stupendous finds were made, such as Beau Freund’s 1652 Tree coin, and Bill Ladd’s great finds and related videos. When the meeting got underway in earnest, the prime topic of discussion was the club hunt and barbecue planned for Sunday, August 7 at Salisbury Beach. We will meet at the Pavilion that morning, and a seeded hunt will begin at 10:00 am in a sectioned-off area of the beach. There will also be games, such as corn hole, Left-Right-Center, canjam and frisbee. Anyone can feel free to bring soda and snacks, and the hunt is open to family members. Paulo gave a recap of the coin show he attended in Nashua, where he bought a full ration of coins for the fall hunt … 550 Mercury dimes, a roll of Standing Liberty quarters, some 40% silver halves, war nickels and a couple of silver dollars. He also purchased some defunct denominations such as an 1855 half cent, an 1853 half dime graded AU-58 by NGC, and an 1875-S 20-cent piece graded VF30 by PCGS. Paulo topped the display off with an encased group of six US proof sets date 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961 and 1962, as a single prize. What great coins to win, all around! Paulo also discussed the possibility of hosting another farm hunt sometime this fall after the harvesting season has ended. Paulo also reached out to the club again for anyone in need to have the member contact him via email with details. Don and Dan  agreed to institute a new provision, such that an outstanding find that didn’t get enough votes to place in the Find of the Month contest should still be recognized to the tune of a special prize awarded to the finder. This was done for the first time, as this month, newcomer Mike Z found an 1877 Indian Head cent, which is the rarest date of the entire series. This is a really welcome addition to the Find of the Month, because it frequently happens that one or two items just blow everything else away in terms of voting strength. Thanks to Don and Dan for reaching out with this thought. RAFFLES Peace dollar – Bob O’Neil     Morgan dollar – Rick Smith   50/50 ($50) – Sandi Gilardi FIND OF THE MONTH Pre-1900 Coin: 1st – 1853-O Liberty Seated half – Stepper Camilleis 2nd & Best of Show – 1809 Classic half cent/inverted “9” error – Glenn Godwin 1900-Later Coin: 1st – 1908-O Barber half & 1945 Mercury dime – Mike Zelinski 2nd – 1958 Franklin half – Mary Jane Tsiakalis Jewelry: 1st – 1919 Victory (over WW I) celebration brooch – Danielle Suarez 2nd – 18K wedding band – Kent Blethen 3rd – Antique gold bangle bracelet – Stepper Camilleis Relic: 1st – 1700s crotal bell – Danielle Suarez 2nd – c. 1850 Jenny Lind traveling show button – Stepper Camilleis 3rd – c. 1820 Haitian Phoenix button – Judi Batchelder

Submitted by Stepper Camilleis There were 24 attendees at our April 24 meeting. Treasurer Paulo Adams indicated that there is a balance of around $6550. Paulo indicated that we will soon be stockpiling for the Fall Hunt at  Houghton’s Pond. There was also discussion of having more and larger members-only hunts, as well as the prizes being predominantly cash and silver coins. It would be helpful if someone step in and help with the procurement of prizes and supplies for Club events. Coupled with Sandi’s ongoing management of the Club web site, she has quite a lot on her plate. Thanks to anyone who can help support her. Scott Ferguson gave a recap of the 4/24 hunt at the farm in Lancaster. Although not much was found, Bart Navarro detected a 1770-75 George III British farthng, Glenn Godwin found a Mercury dime and  Broderick Gumpright found a Sterling silver ring. Still, we all had a great time, including visiting the ice cream/food stand on the farm property and shooting the breeze with our old TH’ing cronies. Glenn seems to be feeling much better from his illness now. Don Latino’s brother John joined the MTHA and was present at this hunt as well. At this Zoom meeting there were discussions of past hunts, including Shane Le-Blanc’s amazing 2013 discovery of a cache of nearly 500 US silver coins that had been buried in a crock pot and mason jar in the 1960s. Don Latino mentioned that Shane has a medical issue he’s dealing with and we all wish Shane a speedy recovery. We also spoke about a box of coins found in the Charles River, a jewelry hoard and a set of Sterling silverware detected in a river many years ago. It was mentioned that in a recent period of drought, several spills of old coins were unearthed. Rick Smith stated that there is the possibility of removing the dam in Watertown. Scott mentioned that for the first time, at this meeting, an “outstanding citizenship” award would be given, and Sylvia Cross was recognized for this. Congrats, Sylvia! Paulo picked up several cool collector coins for a holiday raffle, mostly slabbed by PCGS, NGC or ANACS, for raffle prizes. First prize is an 1883 Shield nickel graded by ANACS as MS63, then a 1936 Cleveland Cent Commemorative half dollar MS65, a 1943-D Walking Liberty half in MS65, a 1940-D dime MS66 Full Bands paired with an 1883 Hawaiian dime, a 1913 Barber dime MS62, and a Deep Mirror Prooflike 1883-O Morgan dollar in MS61. Lots of high-grade coins here! Don Latino and Dan Schwartz agreed to institute a new provision, such that an outstanding find that didn’t get enough votes to place in the Find of the Month contest should still be recognized to the tune of a special prize awarded to the finder. This was done for the first time, as this month, newcomer Mike Zelinski found an 1877 Indian Head cent, which is the rarest date of the entire series. This is a really welcome addition to the Find of the Month, because it frequently happens that one or two items just blow everything else away in terms of voting strength. For the raffles at the 4/24 meeting, Joe Mishley won a 1924 Peace dollar and and Paulo Adams won a 1923 Peace dollar.  Mary McCue won the 50/50 raffle,which was $55. The Barber half draw was pulled for Dave Rockwell but he didn’t pick the winning envelope. FIND OF THE MONTH Pre-1900 Coin: 1st – 1853 Liberty Seated quarter – Stepper Camilleis 2nd – 1877-CC Liberty Seated dime – Don Latino 1900-Later Coin: 1st – Standing Liberty quarter – Erica Fletcher 2nd – 1908 Barber dime – Mike Zelinski Jewelry: 1st and Best of Show – 5-diamong ring – Kent Blethen Relic: 1st – 1720-1770 Open work shoe buckle – Mike Zelinski 2nd – Coin silver thimble – Kent Blethen 3rd – Late 1800s coat clasp – Danielle Suarez Judges award  1877 Indian Head cent   Mike Zelinski