This was buried and UNDERWATER for over 100 years!

[@jaystrongbow9435]

Brad, whenever you straighten an old item, heat it with a torch to anneal it, and it won't break. I've fixed some pretty crushed items like thimbles and stuff heating it. Heat until it just glows, no need to go crazy. That's a fun day you had there.

[@GMMD]

Thanks Jay, I would rather keep the patina intact

[@jaystrongbow9435]

@@GMMD I can appreciate that.

[@lta6494]

I used to anneal pin heads for injection molds when they came back from heat treating. I haven't thought about my time in the metal shop in 30 years!

[@PaulBrown-uj5le]

I was just thinking that.

[@jimmyjones6298]

Thanks, Chief.

[@bartleylitts3112]

My vote is a letter opener. Nice finds Brad!

[@mamaneedmore2428]

I have seen those letter openers before. It came in a set with the quill and ink well, it dated back to mid 1700s. Great find man.

[@tarafoley6030]

Stunning to find how Old something found can be, yes?

[@judyherman1249]

I believe that's a letter opener because that decoration at the top looks like a big fluffy feather that they would put on old quill pens. Also Hair pins were always round like chop sticks and smaller, never flat. Awesome finds too.

[@jlen82]

The letter opener is quite beautiful, congrats on the great find.

[@koslund11]

I'm going with the letter opener, looks like a high end letter opener. Nice finds Brad. Thanks for sharing. Take care

[@iriswaterford8881]

I agree with you koslund11. It is a letter opener, I have several in different sizes, yet most times use a pen to open a letter. A hat pin is thinner so a woman can put it through the hair and her hair.

[@tarafoley6030]

Iris Waterford ... As a woman, fascinated with history thru my grandma & great aunt ... I can't picture a woman, taking the chance of cutting her hair by using this piece in it. Letter opener for sure.

[@iriswaterford8881]

@@tarafoley6030 yes a hat pin can be pierced through hat and hat, or weaved through if you have fine hair.

[@joeprovence8707]

Brad, your commentary and description of the treasure you find makes your videos great. I look forward to Friday for that reason. Chill Bill can tell a story also, hope he is back full time soon. Thanks for sharing with us!

[@alanstackhouse2939]

Nice finds Brad..Thanks for taking us along.😊

[@PracticalKen]

Great finds. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

[@yell70]

Hi Brad, love your work and videos very much! That letter opener looks to me like it has two or three symbols of New Zealand - the tree fern and the tiki - a tiki In Māori mythology is the first man created and looks like the symbol from which the fern leaf starts. The decoration down the blade looks also like native tribal symbols and design. You may be detecting the house of a whaler or sailor as a fellow like that would surely live on a site with water views like your detecting. Could be wrong but curious mix of related symbols and design there. Do some googling on my suggestions. Cheers From Vic in Brisbane, Australia

[@alanaschneider1496]

Thank you for saying this! As a New Zealander, I practically fell off my chair and started yelling at Brad that thats a New Zealand Item 100% No doubt about it!

[@maverickhockey48]

Definitely a letter opener. I’ve actually found a letter opener detecting before. Odd but very fun find. Nice work, Brad.

[@chrisbroome5325]

Nice finds Brad! Letter opener is awesome! I'm headed out to an old German submarine base from the 40s here in Fl. Wish me luck

[@vanlifeoverlander6785]

Cool, because of people like you we can find out more about our ancestors. Love treasure and artefact hunting.

[@ChristianThomas-wf5dl]

Tags may have been for post boxes. The bend in the letter opener may be by design. Imagine a letter flat on the desk and the angle would make easier to use if you were sitting, so don't straighten it before you do a little research. Great video Brad, Thank you.

[@loumarlow7295]

It's a quill feather on the letter opener. How lovely! 🤩

[@foneman12134]

Hey Brad, great video, as usual,, lol I think I recognize the tube you showed in the wrapup as the inner tube to a powder measure, for a blackpowder type maybe a musket. Keep up the great vids.

[@memorylaine]

It was a great metal detecting day! Love your videos!!!

[@dannyl2598]

Those tags are used just as you described. They are sometimes called chits which is an English word that basically means a promise to pay or a check. They were also used in mining to keep track of who was in the mine. A local hunting club uses them to keep track of who is on what stand. In all of those cases, that number would be a single individual. When used to keep track of who was issued what equipment, like in a prison, a worker would carry several chits with the same number. He would get it back when he returned the equipment. Thanks

[@TheHellFlower1]

We call tickets (the ones that come through with orders on them) "chits" in the professional kitchen too.

[@pacificnorthwestdiggers4205]

That kind of hunt is usually a fun one. Nice letter opener, too!! Stunning!!

[@brendabrooks6334]

Hi there Brad I believe those are sheep tags. That's what we used on our farm. And you kept saying the site was an old farm.

[@WizzardofOdds]

The ladies of Northern Mudlarks channel would love the things you found today.

[@echofoxpaw73]

what a find, that letter opener is beautiful! so many cool finds.

[@joemcintyre2090]

I have never mentioned how bad ass your intro music is. You are inspiring in many ways Brad Martin. Thanks for doing what you do.

[@GMMD]

Thanks Joe!

[@old5andimer713]

Brad, a good day on the hunt .. The letter opener / Hair Comb Stay is particularly nice, as is the glass bead .. Thanks for showing and reminding me of the "monochromatic" color of early Spring in Vermont .. Soon to be wonderful, multiple shades of Spring Green spreading across the landscape and mountain sides .. You never let us, your viewers, down with your clear narration, your extensive varied knowledge of all the artifacts that you discover when you're out on the hunt .. Thanks for sharing.

[@bells1054]

Great hunt!!! The letter opener is gorgeous!!

[@misselliebenton]

I have found only 1 letter opener in my 8 years detecting. Yours is super beautiful Brad!

[@torreyanderson1525]

I found some similar tags in an old mining town in Montana. An old timer identified them as Miner's tags. Kind of an ID badge. They had to hang them up on a board when they came out of the mine so they could make sure everyone was out at the end of the day.

[@debbieflaherty1975]

I’m so grateful to you for posting this information…. I was hoping someone would. Thank you 🙏

[@martyfleury5422]

Wow Brad that is a great find..love that opener 👏 👌 🙌 👍

[@christopherreynolds8873]

Awesome video Brad. Thanks for taking us with you.

[@teresathetreasurehunter]

What an amazing place. I’m headed to Vermont in a few weeks to hunt for treasure with some friends. Love the fancy letter opener. Another great video 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@lostrailbeds8289]

Your theory on the "25" and "71" tags is more than likely correct. Tags for employee OR! a piece of machinery. Case in point- I drove trucks for 40 years. 34 with same company. We were issued keys with tags VERY similar to your 2 for trucks we drove. Brass tags with stamped #s on them. I still have 3 or 4 of them, so, in the future when perhaps my or your grandkids are metal detecting around my ole homestead- they'll find them! Haha! Great video Brad! As always......

[@kbtruck65blair64]

Cool area to hunt for treasure. Very neat letter opener. Thanks Brad for taking us along with you.

[@mariebonfiglio2063]

Brad congratulations on all those great finds. Love watching your videos and thank you for sharing…

[@globalcolor4080]

IMHO, you nailed it, letter opener and it is fabulous!

[@dwightpickens2895]

Wow Brad your finds are awesome congratulations love your videos

[@EZDiggin]

Some nice relics on the day Brad. That letter opener is sweet. Lots of buttons and a sweet bead. Plus an IHP. Happy hunting and be well

[@gracehennessey772]

Great finds , I love the beauty of old things they just don’t make things the way they use too. Really enjoyed your video.

[@twindiggersminnesotapamandpat]

Brad fantastic video. What a beautiful location. I think that is a letter opener. Love the buttons, a great place to keep returning to. Happy Easter to you and your family.

[@jerrydineen2827]

Definitely a letter opener Brad, awesome find!

[@DiggerDegaz]

Fantastic hunt Brad! Enjoyed you going over some of the items you spotted on the surface too!

[@yerdigginitmetaldetecting]

Kind of neat that it sits under water most of the year and you make it back for a revisit during its window of opportunity. I always love finding marbles when out detecting … bonus! 💥

[@biggerbehindthetrigger2814]

That is such a wonderful place with a great history. Great finds.

[@canigetachannel]

Sincerely, thank you very much (reflection). We appreciate you greatly (family). Be blessed, you and yours (Brad).

[@cynthiaswearingen1037]

The letter opener is a beauty. It looks like a museum piece! Love the buttons and tags!💖

[@bisonben]

New music sounds great! I'm always impressed when people can find good stuff along rivers - my experience has always been that they are littered with modern trash and layers of silt/ debris from years of flooding. Nice work!

[@GMMD]

Thanks Ben!

[@vineyardsky]

Wow, at last a bead!!! I've never dug one myself but I'm super glad to see you find one. The new music is nice toon

[@diggersdentysonu.k.m.d8813]

boom 💥 Friday is hear hope weel has gone well cracking job as well looking forward to the next 👍

[@zw5509]

That letter opener is interesting. The Fern is of course New Zealand and the section below the fern looks like a stylized Maori face. Maybe from someone who emigrated? Great location.

[@julielandy9162]

Brad early on in the video you were looking at surface finds and tossed a small rod like thing. You said not sure what that is.. Briefly seen but could be a corset hook or crochet hook. Well done always enjoyable.

[@sarahstrong7174]

Great place to hunt! Thankyou for showing us.

[@hooper4581]

Great hunt .Always a pleasure to watch pal thanks for taking us along !

[@toyrav64]

Just found your channel….everything is so enjoyable to watch. Your commentary is so calming….glad I found your channel and I’ve subscribed.

[@richardbaumeister466]

Finding a place like that would make me want to pitch a tent and continue detecting for as long as time would allow!

[@wiseguysoutdoors2954]

Brad, your content is always interesting and well put together. Thanks for bringing us along!!

[@GMMD]

I appreciate that!

[@robertslusser6753]

I like the letter opener and I can identify with your urge to straighten it out. Just drives you nuts, doesn't it?!! Love your video's and I'm glad winter is over so that you can get back out there.

[@jusdafax1]

The graduated cylinder could be one of two things depending on how large it is. First of all, it could be a powder measure for reloading pistol shells. It appears to be too small for most hunting rifles. If it's much smaller than that it could possibly be a measure for dosages of medicine either for humans or for farm animals. Home remedies often came in bulk jars and required measurement to get the proper dosage.

[@stevenstark9017]

congrats Brad on finding those awesome finds especially the ornate letter opener

[@zennbeejones9526]

Nice finds Brad,I truly dig your videos.

[@carolricks-mcdougald4138]

Love this hunt. Great finds!

[@roxannaweaver2155]

Hey there Mr. Brad. Lots of interesting surface stuff there. I like picking the top mostly because that's what I did as a kid. I was always looking at the ground finding pieces of glass, cool little rocks, bird eggs, stuff like that. The only place I actually dug was in a huge ditch that ran alongside one of the houses we lived in when I was a kid. Now that was a cool place, lots of little seashells there. I thought that was a marble too when you first showed it but a bead is neat too. I think that fancy stickpin/letter opener was for a hair decoration. My mom had something similar that went through a large tortoise shell comb that she had for years. Ladies with long hair often used those to decorate their updo's back in the day. Anyway, if you find out exactly what it is please let us know. Thank you for sharing your fun with us.

[@lindaopperthauser2284]

Hauntingly beautiful sound is the loon's call. Also that of a train whistle way off in the distance. Two of my favorite sounds!

[@ninadowlin4938]

Great tour of the lake at low water level l THANK YOU!

[@computergrant1]

Really cool Brad, just like Mudlarking in England! And yes, I love the haunting Loon call across the lake in Wisconsin. When I lived in Colorado, I would listen to the Loon call on KZbin. I now live in Pennsylvania, but haven't come across any Loons yet.

[@lyricsdebra]

New subscriber and I love your videos. You have a perfect story teller or radio announcer voice!

[@AndrexT]

Nice finds Brad. The letter opener may have come with a slightly cranked handle so it would sit up on the desk so you could grasp it easier to pick it up.

[@rickyb2200]

Nice finds , I enjoyed the video , Thanks for sharing with us.

[@jengalloway4961]

Yeah "71" my birth year. Yes I'm old. Lol I know how good you are at research. Maybe you have an old map of homesteads. That is so cool to have the opportunity to check this area. In my town they lowered one of our 3 rivers during a huge tunnel project. I found some really cool things while the river was low. It used to be the main way to travel into Fort Wayne in the 1800s. Great finds!

[@DigginWithDeej]

Interesting location Brad. I bet it has more to give. Curious finds! Let us know if you get a confirmation on the letter opener

[@GilbertNichols]

Cool finds. I enjoy following you. Have a happy Easter weekend.

[@obieobrien5883]

I look forward to Friday and seeing what you find! Always fascinating!

[@tatrokk]

Love your videos and music. I expect to see you on the Discovery Channel someday.

[@laurafrancis-zl4wj]

Love your program. I am 73, probably one of your older viewers, but please don't take it wrong, but you and some of your friends are truly hot. Just because I am oldI can appreciate all things that are attractive. That includes your scenery. I used to live in northern NH, so your woods remind me of the area. Keep up the good work!

[@davidraines1380]

Brad I like to find things like that. You don’t have to find gold to have a fun hunt. But of course it is great to find gold and silver

[@virginiawestcot3111]

Love the new guitar intro Enjoy your video's I used to live in Vermont way up by Quebec border

[@jkonet1]

LOVE YOUR CHANNEL, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

[@jeremyo8233]

Would this be considered your first mudlarking video!? I really enjoyed this! Thanks again Brad for so masny hours of entertainment!

[@w.w.bennett310]

Bits and pieces of history! Fascinating!

[@anjadahlin6]

In Sweden older powerlineposts hade taggs like yours. Happy easter to you and your family.

[@southernvtgrown]

Nice hunting spot friend. Got out the other day with my cheapie treasure pro and hit a couple stone walls, always finding odd made farming tools mostly, maybe a black powder bullet or two. ✌🏼💚 from the southern part of the state.

[@sandrajohnson9926]

8: 24 - Letter opener. Exquisite! Nice find, Brad. I haven't watched since you were in France.

[@debshaw680]

Amazing finds!

[@nickandlaurihyde]

Wonderful site and video Brad! Now I have a question. Given that this was the site of a home or dwelling of some sort, there was also a stone foundation that was shown with what appeared to be a dark hole beneath it. Assuming that was a collapsed basement space? Why didn’t you go search the area under the foundation? Unless it was still submerged but it would have been nice to hear some kind of reason why you weren’t exploring that space? Sad that you won’t get back there until next year. That spot is a gold mine of goodies!! Do they drain that lake every year?? Wishful thinking….. great video overall!! I would love to have been able to poke around in that spot! Lucky you!

[@aprilp.4530]

That letter opener is one of my favorite finds of yours ever.

[@impunitythebagpuss]

Another great video . Keep em coming please! Your letter opener is really spectacular....so beautifully decorated! Well done! Thought one of your first surface finds looked like an Allen key? Is that even possible?

[@karentashuas3171]

Working my way backwards in videos here, glad I started watching again 😊

[@Objective-Observer]

What I think is going on here: the river is depositing stuff in and around the foundation walls, that boulder, and the hole. It wasn't necessarily a dump, the river is doing that. Definitely a Letter Opener, and the artwork is a curious thing for me. A letter opener is such a utilitarian object that most folks would use a knife. Indeed, my search found more Saber shaped letter openers all the way to the Georgian Era. Or they WERE a cutlery handle pattern with a modified blade. Your's is so highly decorated, and on the blade!... almost like it wasn't meant to be used, just look good on the desk top. Then I remembered what was so familiar about it. I've googled letter openers for all the major periods that would apply to this site, and I can't find anything close to that... but souvenir letter openers got closer. I think it's modern [20th Century] and a souvenir, everything about it looks like the Souvenir Spoons. The construction looks flashy at first, but it also is a bit cheesy, because it is so highly decorated. Truly expensive letter openers were made in precious metals. Hat Pins did get to be enormous, but they had small round shafts. The longer they got, the more substantial the shaft had to be, and yes, they were lethal. Some cities began to BAN those larger hat pins, because they had a spike in crimes using a large hat pin. Even a murder case, where a woman claimed she fought off her attacker with her hat pin, and killled him. and I think she was convicted, because the victim was her husband and money was involved. Thanks for taking me to places that I will never get to see, and it's always fun seeing what you pull out of the ground.

[@karyndekeiser-moulton1213]

Exciting hunting Brad!

[@LQOTW]

Wow, Brad, what an interesting adventure! I wonder how you refrain from just digging holes all over - there's so much cool stuff to find!

[@robinkhan7468]

Exciting place. Black buttons and beads usually mean a time of mourning was present.

[@goofusmaximusII]

Great adventure as I can always depend on you to do.

[@sarahlbxo1535]

So glad i found your chanel. Ive been binge watching for houurrs

[@basshunter4144]

Brad good seeing ya again nice finds letter opener is beautiful any more thought on 2nd cd God bless be safe until next time.

[@memorylaine]

The opening camera shots would beautiful framed ..talented and we just got started

[@GMMD]

Thank you!

[@swann548]

Nice finds ! Love the letter opener 👍

[@laurenoreilly4140]

You found so many buttons and cutlery. The letter opener is beautiful! I hope you let us know about the tags, once you find out about them.

[@levanapaduch3699]

I just found you & very interesting! I need to say that your photographer has a great eye & does a fantastic job. The shots of you using your detector in nature are very good!!!

[@TheSprinklator]

Seem to remember some dairy cows in the pastures circa early 70's had round, brass, numbered ear tags. Just a thought. After the great flood of '27, quite a few reservoirs were built to control the watersheds. Whole farming communities were flooded. Always wonder what lurks beneath while fishing in those locations.

[@Troutwrangler]

Great new music.

[@joebrown1382]

Great location nice relic finds. That looks like a letter opener to me very nice find. Maybe a bit heavy for a hair pin.

[@saintsefo4763]

Hey, Brad. Loved the video of your finds. My favourites are the letter opener and the glass bead. It's too bad you have to wait another year. I bet there are even more interesting objects yet to discover. Thanks for sharing. Stay healthy and safe 👍🏽 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

[@grandmakellymcdonald]

Very interesting! 💕👵