It's A Miracle I Saw This! I Almost Walked Right Past It. Mudlarking on the River Thames at Low tide

The Thames Tide was coming in rapidly and by chance I glanced down one last time. Something caught my eye. Is it an embossed bottle? I hope so!!! Join me as I go mudlarking on the River Thames and see what I find. You never know what the Thames tide will throw out! I certainly was not expecting this.
Don't forget that if you want to mudlark on the River Thames you need a permit from the Port of London Authority. Keep an eye on their website for updates on permits:-
www.pla.co.uk/Environment/Tham...
Thank you for watching! See you soon.
Nicola xx
www.tidelineart.com
twitter and instagram @tidelineart

[@stephensmith4480]

Happy New Year Nicola. You were nearly spot on with your description of The Colt Pistol. It's actually a Colt 1903 Pocket Pistol in .38 ACP ( 38 Caliber Automatic Colt Pistol ) They were made from 1902- 1928. There are subtle differences between the 1902 and the 1903, one of them is the vertical striations for you to grip the slide while working the Action are on The Rear of The Slide on the 1903 and they are on The Front on The 1902. They were a very well made pistol and very reliable. Hope this helps and thank you for all your efforts.

[@Slappy901]

Colt 1903's are hammerless aren't they? Hidden by the slide? This one has a big hammer sticking right out of the back of it

[@stephensmith4480]

@@Slappy901 There are two different Models. The Colt Pocket Hammer Model in .38 ACP And there is a Hammerless Model too but as far as I know it was chambered in a different caliber. The one shown is obviously The Hammer version.

[@roberthouston1280]

The hammerless came in .32 ACP and .380 ACP aka 9mm Kurtz.

[@stephensmith4480]

@@roberthouston1280 Yes, I have just found on Wiki that they were also in 9mm Browning Long Cartridge but they were the ones built under Licence by FN. I had not heard that before.

[@leefair9598]

is it loaded coz it’s cocked bk ?

[@sdcoinshooter]

Another observation - Her knowledge of clay pipes is amazing. Before it’s even out of the mud she states: “This is an 18th century pipe, from 1720… smoked by a man named Fred, a blacksmith that lived at house 14 of Maple street in London. Fred had a wife and son and enjoys playing the violin.” OK, I’m exaggerating but not by much.

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Yes yes! Love it

[@sdcoinshooter]

@RepentandbelieveinJesusChrist. Why? On my comment about clay pipes?

[@dedet6900]

@@sdcoinshooter😂

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

@@sdcoinshooter 🤣

[@pathardin7580]

You forgot; Fred was also bald.

[@claudiadesoto2378]

Your videos make my lonely days , little brighter. Stay safe and keep the videos. Happy New from Indiana USA

[@kittyr6534]

My way of just “bee-ing” this evening was sitting and watching your video, Nicola. Sometimes I do feel like the world is full of unkind or even hateful people, so it’s always good to be reminded by people such as you, to think about all the beautiful people in my life. You are so genuine in the way you talk about your experience of people’s kindness too 🙂 Rainbows have taken on a special meaning to me and a group of my friends since one of us died from cancer in 2015. One of the girls told us about how they were driving on the day she died and thinking about her, when a beautiful rainbow appeared ahead of her. Ever since then we all think of Ruth when we see a rainbow and we’ll often take a photo and send it to the rest of the group saying “look at this beautiful Ruthbow”.

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

That's beautiful! Here's to Ruth! 🌈

[@kittyr6534]

​@nicolawhitemudlark Thank you Nicola ❤

[@geralyn-mm]

You gave me goosebumps - confirmation from Spirit - your friend Ruth loves her ruthbows and beautiful friends.

[@lauriemcfadden4646]

Hey Nicola, I always enjoy your videos!! Here is some info: J. Stevens & Sons is a Canadian company that has been in business for over 145 years. The company was founded by James Stevens in London, England, who began manufacturing and distributing surgical instruments under his own name after completing his apprenticeship with a surgeon’s instrument maker at the age of thirteen. In 1874, James’ son, Daniel Stevens, established a Canadian subsidiary in downtown Toronto, ON, which was followed by the opening of a second Canadian office in Vancouver, BC by James’ other son, George Stevens, in 18891. The company would become the 11th registered business in the province. Today, J. Stevens & Sons is a leading Canadian supplier to hospitals, physicians, and long-term care facilities, with national distribution of medical supplies and health care solutions across Canada.

[@shelleyharris4176]

Thank you for the info. I live in Montreal Canada. How did button's change into surgical products??

[@SuzyEH]

@@shelleyharris4176 It might have been used on a bag or some type of container for some type of surgical instrument.

[@kindle7191]

Hi from Vancouver Island. I work at a medical office and order supplies from Steven's!

[@TheSynthnut]

John Stevens & Sons was also a engineering company in Southwark, making railway signalling equipment.

[@marionward7672]

I did get a strong feeling that it was d London, Canada not London England. We tend to think we have the only londoe

[@sunnydavidson297]

I live in USA and recently watched the extraordinarily high surf in California. I added a comment that beach combing when it was safe again to go on the beaches would be exceptional. Maybe you could go to some sea side area after a storm and find some unusual things. It wouldn't be the Thames, but still good. Once on a familiar Cape Cod (USA) I found a vintage, intact Coca-Cola bottle on the sand. This past Christmas I found a Buddha necklace in a small shadowbox. I always admire Nicola's limberness in being able to extricate her finds.🤗🇺🇲

[@lauralake7430]

I am so excited to go beach combing at Mavericks…just as soon as Lady Pacific doesnt want to kill us😊

[@platedlizard]

as soon as the storms stop i'm heading to Newport, Oregon for some beach fossil hunting.

[@safarikitty9632]

I'm 61 years old. I most DEFINITELY remember using Rotary phones..!!

[@mollamaija]

I needed this! I am so much happier now than a half houe ago. You are so sweet and positive, my worries for a while went away. Thank you. See you soon!

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Glad you enjoyed it ❤️

[@joanneowen4540]

What an intriguing find of that old gun..imagination does indeed run with ideas..I wish to wish you and all the mudlarks and the people of England hope and safety and health with those devasting floods we see in the news.Big hugs to you all

[@markrenton1093]

@@sheepsfoot2 that is what I thought, I would have went dark after finding that.

[@joy-to7dx]

I would have kept it

[@alisonclarke9650]

Thank you Nicola for your kindness and care for your audience 😊 Love your videos!

[@immaterialimmaterial5195]

How lovely to stumble on this beautifully made film! Absolutely fascinating. Thanks!

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@angelanicholson951]

@@nicolawhitemudlark the little jewelry-looking item reminds me of a hat pin.

[@TOMAS-lh4er]

She didnt notice that the hammer on the gun was cocked back in the fire position, !!

[@myrtleholly2016]

loving the nature scenes--all the birds doing what birds do--and the lovely rippling waves

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Thank you!

[@kathieprater2431]

Happy New Year, Nicola! May 2024 be filled with all of your "bucket list" finds as well as all of your favorites! We will all be watching!

[@VenusDeMilitant]

Dear Nicola, thank you so much for all the work you do. Have a beautiful 2024!

[@kevwalton5529]

Hi Nicola, me again. I just want to say you’re a breath of fresh air in this mad sometimes manic world we live in so thank you for your enduring positivity and endless charm 😊

[@maladyhawke]

I MISS the old phones! I would changed the covers on occasion. I used to have a beautiful green and velvet edged with embroidery cover. haha, thank you for bringing back that memory

[@GeeNoniGee]

My RzrV3 took *the* best pictures! It was reconditioned, and it had the loudest speakers of any cell phone I've ever had. When it fell apart, we'd cobble it back together with a spare parts phone we had, but it finally just kinda disintegrated, lol. My son got me a Flip3, which is a flip phone with a touch screen. I don't love it, but other people enjoy asking about it, lol. The crease in the middle annoys me. That, and my best friend got one that opens the other way, and it's TWICE as big as mine, now I feel inferior, lol. (It's just a phone, I don't really mind, lol!) 😊

[@deloradeabel8487]

We live in the Sierra Nevada foothills of N. Calif.,around 3000 ft. & at that level & above us there is no cell phone service,so we still use land lines!Happy New Year to you,your wonderful family & all your great mudlarking friends!❤

[@michaeldennison436]

Well we have cell service here in Southern Maine in the US but well still have an old black rotary dial wall phone (Bell System made by Western Electric) in our kitchen and I suppose still paying for a land line is foolish but we have been here 48 years and it still works even when we lose power. Her videos are great and refreshing.

[@deloradeabel8487]

It espically comes in great when the power goes off!

[@clare5250]

I was almost expecting a genie to appear while you were rubbing the lamp🧞! Thank you for your informative and fun videos Nicola.

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

ha ha I only thought of that after Id finished making the video and rather wished Id thought of it before!

[@Lily-Bravo]

That's what went through my mind too!

[@RT65CB-SWL]

@@Lily-Bravosame here too!

[@bbutc]

I wonder what Nicola's 3 wishes would be?

[@MikeGreenwood51]

@@bbutc The last wish would likly be for the Jinn to be returned to the confinement of the lamp. That all suggests her other two wishes were..........'Let me not speculate'.

[@walkabout16]

Beneath the ebb and flow of Thames's tide, Where secrets sleep and relics hide, Nicola White, a mudlark bold, With eyes keen, her stories unfold. As the tide recedes, revealing the shore, She wanders, seeking treasures more. Among the pebbles and sandy mists, A glimmer catches, a sight she missed. "It's a miracle I saw this," she cries, As she kneels down with eager eyes. For there, half-buried in the sand, Lies a relic from a distant land. An embossed bottle, weathered and worn, A treasure from the past, reborn. With delicate hands, she lifts it high, Tideline art beneath the sky. Inscribed with tales of days long gone, It speaks of journeys, lost and won. A relic of history, once cast aside, Now cherished by the Thames's tide. So join Nicola on her quest, As she explores what lies at rest. For in the mud and silt, a story waits, To be unearthed by those who contemplate.

[@suzannesheridan9535]

Happy New Year Nicola! Enjoying living the mudlarking life by proxy through you and some others. The finds and history are fantastic. Looking forward to more.

[@janesalisbury3686]

Thank you, Nicola. My family had silverware/flatware like the piece you found , in the 60s, it was given away by Kellogg (I think ) by collecting vouchers or box tops. You could have your family initial engraved on the handle. We had a whole set of them!!! Honest to god they lasted for decades . . . at no cost!!!

[@tillybinkieking7258]

Wow! Very Interesting. In my family in England.. things were collected for, I still have a Pears Soap card.. when sufficient number were bought, they got a Brownie Camera! In the Dining Room there was a large wooden cupboard and drawers (for serving the dishes). Nanny kept the table cloths and many, many bars of soap! (I was told by my mother).

[@joanneriley3899]

They also done this in this 2012/13, but only for spoons. I got 2 T spoons and a table spoon for my grandson with his initials and a Kelloggs Character. I had the CoCo pops monkey put on his. And you are correct, they are extremely well made, better quality than the cutlery set I purchased lol.

[@janesalisbury3686]

Hi, when Mother died in 2014 I had to clear out her house, there were till a few pieces left, I took them to a car boot sale with some other bits and bobs in one of those cutlery holders you have in the drawer. A lady bought the lot for her son to take to his little kitchen at university, I hope they helped him do well there!@@joanneriley3899

[@andygoldensixties4201]

Nice start of a new year; BTW it's advisable not to handle a gun (expecially with a cocked hammer) from the muzzle, and point it toward yourself as you did, though I agree it's highly unlikely that there something dangerous in that weapon left for so long in the mud: but please be always prudent (we need a healthy Nicola)

[@MrWolfSnack]

Don't be paranoid. Even WW2 relic hunters digging up armed landmines are not so paranoid. You could throw it down the stairs and it would likely shatter like a piece of glass. It's totally corroded.

[@SaltimusMaximus]

I think you are more than safe handling that gun, unless you drop it on your foot and hurt your toe

[@mark-sj3qr]

The oil can might be an oil lamp, and the small piece looks like it has the symbol for eternity. Love the videos, thank you for the work we don't see.

[@geralyn-mm]

I thought the same!

[@commonsense246]

I agree, oil lamp or smudge pot

[@JR-yz2iy]

Happy New Year Nichola. Thank you as always for braving the cold weather to keep us entertained with your videos. Take care.

[@Sweetjudiblueyes]

15:10 Hi Nic! When I visited Berlin in the early 80s, I saw a part of the Berlin Wall with graffiti that said “Regenbogen kennen keine Grenzen” translated meant “Rainbows know no boundaries” & it always stuck with me. Thanks for another interesting& artistic video

[@atxcats42]

I lived in W. Germany about the same time. That's such a beautiful sentiment (although you could also translate it as "borders.") My favorite part of our Berlin stay was stumbling upon the Pergamon Museum with the reconstruction of a section of the Ishtar Gate - the blue tiles were so amazing, and I tried to imagine how beautiful it must have been under the blue sky of Babylon.

[@Sweetjudiblueyes]

@@atxcats42 you are right… I had to travel in uniform & I hated to see Check Point Charlie…we used to hear stories of the extent people would go to escape East Germany..to risk their very lives. How we rooted for them!

[@barbarajohnson7711]

Happy New Year Nicole, great to start the year with you and the Thames. It is like running into an old friend on the Thames forshore. As a wonderous Canadian I had a early evening exploration in 1961 of the forshore.......without ever thinking I would find such a connection in the 2000's. Love how the world goes around. Thank you for all your Tellings about all your finds.

[@geralyn-mm]

It looked like a cold day along the water's edge. Thank you for a lovely video in every way

[@BoardLord83]

Hi Nicola, happy new year. The little thing you find is a watch winder, but not a common one, is an interchangeable tips model, basically if you had multiple watches with different winding holes you could screw the most suitable charging tip into it.

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Amazing thanks!

[@irmavanderkruis8835]

Hi Nicola, thanks once more for gifting me a pipe and sharing a coffee and cake. Back home in Friesland I think back to my wonderful time on the Thames foreshore. Thanks also for your lovely and very interesting videos that teach me so much.

[@PenguinMaster2371]

The wooden dog looks so happy he's laughing now he has the hat. Saving him was a good thing To think how un-nerving he first looked but now he's found his home and he's thanking you for it. Such a sweet thing. Happy New Year to you and the that Mud larkers.

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Thank you! yes, in a future video you will see where I find that hat :)

[@mariadewey4369]

Happy New Year dear Nicola. Loved today’s video. You have a wonderful mind and heart. Thank you for enriching our lives. Ps. As a cat lover (actually animal lover) I thank you for taking care of that cat skull. ❤️ I hope he or she was a happy one. Love from Costa Rica.

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Thanks Maria xx

[@dr_steve]

Happy New Year, Nicola! Thanks for the rainbow and lovely fireworks over London at the end. It's great to see you once again mudlarking on the foreshore. Hope you enjoyed being with your mum and stepdad and the rest of your family over the holidays. Here's to a safe and enjoyable 2024. Bee happy, Nicola!

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Thx Steve xx

[@bethsmith3421]

I think your J. Stevens & Son was a company started by John Stevens in 1779. He started as a maker of agricultural implements, then moved into gas pipes. His son James John Stevens moved the company into making signal workings for the railways and also made whistles. The writer of the article I read talks about many brass founders made buttons, and kitchenware along with whistles. This seems the most likely maker of the button you found. Great finds on this outing. Happy New Year!

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Thank you! ❤

[@dianaclitheroe5037]

Ive just found that article too 🤣 Ive posted the link x

[@MsThylacine]

Happy New Year, good fortune, fascinating finds, good friends, and good times! Love watching the Ladies larking together- what a witty and fun bunch! Happy New Year!!

[@lisaharner3720]

Happy 2024, Nicola! Hope you find many mudlarking treasures in 2024! Thank you for the amazing fireworks! 🎆 ❤️

[@Nigelsmom2136]

I would love to visit the UK on mudlarking but I understand you need permits that are difficult to obtain. It just seemed like such a fun idea for a vacation instead of the usual tourist traps.

[@Thatsinteresting363]

I totally agree! I’d love to do this kind of trip!

[@longdarkrideatnight]

There are companies that will take you and sort the paperwork.

[@Patricia-rc5gn]

Haven’t issued any new permits for the last 2 years and no sign of them issuing any new ones in the near future.

[@budboggess5575]

I'm sure the "Danger" is obviously the tidal changes....a 10 or 20 foot tidal change can change mudlarking to swimming....then drowning... which definitely takes all the fun away...

[@grannyweatherwax9666]

You only need a permit on the Thames in London. Most other places are OK. I mudlarked next to Portsmouth historic dockyard. Not sure if I needed a permit, but didn't find anything older than victorian. And nobody said anything 😅 I did mudlark somewhere in Yorkshire that I later found out was a place of historic significance, (I think it was called). Basically you are NOT allowed to take anything from there. I was mortified, when I later realised 😳

[@Tweeterbird1969]

I love all of this so much. We would go to old places like ghost towns and look for the trash heap or pit and find so much when we were young. Found arrowheads out around the lake and in the countryside in the Texas Panhandle. My Daddy got a metal detector also. Love all of the finds and what you do! Very nice. Thanks for showing this to everyone.

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Sounds wonderful!

[@vivh6254]

Love the wildlife that you so kindly include with your vlogs. You are extremely talented. Thank you for making such wonderful videos.

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Thank you very much!

[@montydewitt547]

Great video as always. Thank you N.

[@Jo-yp8wy]

Regarding the three hole buttons: I suggest getting in touch with the historic clothing department at the V&A. They would probably know what they were used for.

[@margotkearney2438]

I believe that three holes buttons were originally made,because they could. They are not so easy to sew on. They were used on the convict uniforms of the ships harboured on the Thames. They were also used on German Military uniform trousers during Second World War. Now they are mostly tiny ones used on high end shirts.

[@tillybinkieking7258]

Wow! So interesting. How did you know?!😃

[@johnhopkins6658]

Google 'three-hole buttons' and you can still buy them.

[@charlesfredrick4789]

The three hole button. Was usually a collar button.

[@sailorcosmic5899]

I love how you create a back story for each of your finds. Makes it very interesting.

[@marjielalonde3875]

Happy, happy new year Nicola, and thank you for all the enjoyment and enlightenment you bring all year long. Love from western Canada.

[@polkcellar]

As always Nicola, fascinating ,educational, and beautifully narrated with visual delights. Thank you very much for your continuing work!❤

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Thank you!

[@tonygiraldes7848]

Just the greatest channel and content creator 🙂❤️ much respect ✊ happy new year 🎆🎊

[@jimschafer9196]

Thank you Nicola great time on the Thames - sweet

[@GTJeanna]

Absolutely love the treasures! Thank you for sharing, once again!

[@teresahill6356]

Happy New Year Nicola .Hope you have a wonderful mudlarking year ❤

[@cynthiaswearingen1037]

Awesome finds, Nic, the gun is an unusual! I hope you're having a wonderful new year! BE HAPPY!!!❤

[@shasernst74]

Happy New Year! I love your videos! It takes me out of reality, if only for a few moments, and transports me back into the past with all the possibilities of the backstories on the objects you find! You are a shining star in an all too often dark world!❤❤❤❤❤

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Thank you! ❤

[@katrineroberts4084]

Happy new year Nicola,I have missed your weekly videos. Its good to see you again.

[@nickgreaves3355]

And it’s still cocked! Lucky it’s so rusted up very little chance of it firing still but never presume take no chances real or imitation stay safe Nicola and a happy new year from the Mersey Mudlark!

[@paulwatters9225]

Yes, I noticed right away that it was cocked and that tells me that it probably has quite a story to tell. It would only be cocked if it was intended to be fired, or it had just been fired, chambered a fresh round, and was ready to be fired again. If someone intended to dispose of this pistol by throwing it into the river, why cock it? If the police can clean it well enough to see a serial number, a "cold case" of some kind may be solved.

[@CSM_Gray]

No chance of it firing in that condition.

[@FindsByPirjo]

Happy New Year Nicola! Let's be and enjoy the year coming. I hope your Colt is an old one and looking forward to hear what the police said about it. I always love to see your clay pipe extractions. Amazing fireworks in London! xx

[@PablaMMoore]

Happy New Year for you and family, Nicola. May God in 2024 bring you health, happiness, provision, protection and many interesting findings in the Thames and every other place you go!❤

[@ShortOrderCook]

Happy New Year Nicola, I hope you had a great celebration to bring in the new year. Looking forward to seeing what you uncover in 2024!

[@oldgittarist]

Judging by the decoration on the grip that is possibly an early Colt 1903 .38 semi-automatic pistol, a very interesting find and probably a canditate for restoration if not retained by the police! Well done Nicola!

[@MargaretLeber]

The 1903 was "hammerless" . But see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_M1902

[@TheDevice9]

this one definitely has a spur hammer, looks to me like 1902 Pocket Hammer @@MargaretLeber

[@Vidar.m]

​@@MargaretLeberno its not hammerless. kzbin.infoaOaicykqCgk?si=2OfIX6yMvVIQP_TU

[@33479Leigh]

Why would the police keep it? It’s a great find , congrats

[@RobSchellinger]

​@@33479LeighBecause civilians can only own shotguns in the UK. They even jailed a soldier, a few years back, for having a trophy pistol from Iraq or Afghanistan.

[@FoxHound0985]

I believe your pistol is actually a Model 1903 Pocket Hammer. The barrel/slide sticks out way further from the trigger guard on the 1902. Very cool find!

[@winchester714]

Hi Nicola, I'm a little late to this party, but the pistol you found in this video is a Colt Model of 1903 Hammer, chambered in .38 A.C.P. ( Automatic Colt Pistol). I can tell by the grips it was made in the 1920s. Most of these were the Hammerless Model which were chambered in .32 or .380 ACP. I have one of these in my Colt collection!! A Great find! dl

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Thank you

[@morge...]

And now destroyed by the police 😵‍💫

[@joy-to7dx]

I would have kept that gun😢

[@hhall3533]

Happy New Year Nicola! Was thrilled to see a video from you.

[@ArnoldRozeboomPot]

It's an earlier one than the 1911. It was cocked and ready to fire when disgarded. Hopefully, it was a devious plan that didn't proceed. Al the best for 2024 from the Netherlands, Nicola

[@reelingminnesota2855]

Naw it's a 1911.

[@MargaretLeber]

@@reelingminnesota2855 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_M1902

[@johnrichter4652]

It’s a Colt 1902 Pocket Hammer, 38acp.

[@ArnoldRozeboomPot]

I think you are right ​@@johnrichter4652

[@spargerful]

Definitely a 1902 Pocket Hammer. You can see the takedown plunger at the end of the muzzle end of the slide. A 1911 doesn't have one.

[@shirleyn546]

Happy New Year Nicola! I think that can may be a lamp, best rub it to see what happens…

[@LBStew]

Perhaps Idris Elba will appear!

[@shirleyn546]

@@LBStew 😀👍🏻

[@lynettecockburn332]

Happy New Year Nichola! Lovely video with the exciting gun. Looking forward to the next x

[@user-vj7tw7fd5r]

i live by the sea on the south coast ,today it was wickedly cold but the sea was wild and just being in the warm and looking out was more than perfect ,love your fossicking about magic moments .oh i too remember those phones ,happy new year.

[@ernestconnell8087]

Always be careful with any weapon, no matter what condition it may appear. Good find. 👍

[@thephilpott2194]

Well yeah, there is that. It's probably not a hazard to health but we should make the point that material such as concretion blocking the barrel does not remove the possibility of blast finding a different way out of a gun. Even smokeless powder loses efficacy over the decades fortunately, and salt water would no doubt have leached in and killed it by now.. Odd that it's cocked, isn't it? As if it was wrestled away from someone and thrown in the water. Serial number long gone i should imagine.

[@geoben9801]

I join you, albeit vicariously, through your wonderful larks along the ancient Thames and delight in your finds of such marvellous, interesting and sometimes mysterious objects! Really Nicola, thanks for taking us along, it's most enjoyable.🩷✨😉🇺🇲✌️

[@Akumacom]

Thanks for that beautiful larking adventure and a very, very happy and healthy new year to you too. Greetings from Berlin/ Germany

[@Bananaboogiebone]

all the best for the year to come Nicola .. hope u find the best of things this year :)

[@paleo75]

Love your videos. So peaceful!

[@christinekeay8456]

Happy New Year, Nicola! What an mixed bag this time 😍

[@superbellabeau]

I love rainbows as well! I'm always amazed something in nature is so beautiful. Love all your finds today especially the pipes. Happy New Year Nicola! Hope the year ahead brings you lots of amazing treasures. 😊❤

[@tausa75]

Happy new year, and may this year see you enjoying the search for many interesting things from years past.

[@carolinebell1210]

Happy New Year Nicola. Great finds today, I absolutely love the oil can that would look great on a shelf with all the other collectibles.

[@user-lf7wq8zr4c]

Nicola, Happy New Year! My Wife and I love you and your Mudlark. I see you now have 3 little Kittens that have lost their...well more than mittens!! LOL enjoyed your new pet,

[@EdithClarke-fg6oe]

Happy New Year dear. I will be with you all next year. Along with Kit and Kaboddle and Northern Mudlarking ❤

[@gillstephenson1563]

Brilliant as always. Thank you so much & Happy New Year.

[@pauldavies1710]

What a gorgeous end to your video Nicola. Love your exploits on the Thames. Happy New Year indeed.

[@repetemyname842]

Just based on profile it appears to be a newer model than the 1904 Colt, the police might be able to clean it up enough to find the serial number which will tell the whole story. If it is the old Colt it will be a .45 ACP caliber (automatic Colt pistol, 1904). Nice day with the pipes!

[@gccurry1]

looks like a WWI era Colt model 1911

[@Talenten]

Correct. .45 Colt 1911

[@moif_velocita]

@@gccurry1 It's too small to be a model 1911

[@Dan-wo4bx]

@@moif_velocitai’d agree it’s not a 1911 the grip is too much of a right angle to the barrel. I’m no early colt expert but it looks more like a 1902 or any of the earlier colts than a 1911 which the grip is over 90degrees to the barrel .

[@sjrc2010]

This video (once again) started an interesting conversation in our house. We are in our early 30s and so have never used a rotary dial. We wondered if 999 is the chosen emergency number because of the design of the dial and after a Google, we found that that is exactly why! The number 9 is the easiest number to find in the dark/ emergency. I love that everything has a story or reason behind it. As always, thank you for an interesting and thought provoking video! Happy New Year xx

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

What a great conversation. And interesting fact that I did not know! Thx

[@patagualianmostly7437]

You are correct of course...... Always wondered about the US system ..... It's now 911....both numbers easy to find on a dial phone.... But is 911 a nod to Sept 11th? or does is predate that awful day? On the UK 999 system, it was criticised because the dial seemed to take forever to return....as you can imagine...in an emergency.... "Every Second Counts" of course. Therefore, I guess 911 makes more sense.....well, when Dial Analogue phones were the norm at least.

[@hannaR_]

Really? I am in my late 30s and we were using that kind of phone until 2013, it used to be my grandmothers, it was bought in 1950s, now we have it as decoration only. I loved using it. 😊 Interesting info about 999!

[@sjrc2010]

@@hannaR_ We must have just missed them. My family didn't have one and I guess I didn't know of or use anyone else's. I do think they are classic and sophisticated though 👌 My boyfriend remembers one from when he was young but he never used it.

[@hannaR_]

​​@@sjrc2010You are right, they are really classic and sophisticated.👍Ours is black, very heavy and it looks much older in design (like from 1930s). ☎️

[@kellyrager3456]

Happy New Year/ I liked seeing you with the Peakys a few videos ago. Thank you for your love of history, research and sharing with us. Remember Just B!

[@az55544]

They are both M. There's a line etched under both of them to indicate where the bottom of the letter is. 9 and 6 also have this treatment when there is no clear up/down from which to read. also, on the bottom, it's reading correctly as an M with the other numbers and letters.

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Matthew, Mark, Matilda.....

[@imogenethomas1138]

My thoughts exactly!

[@nancykunik4370]

Yes i grew up with rotary phones ! ... Loved the sound of the dial spinning ... Can still remember the phone # from where i grew up in the 60's

[@abigailfoster2467]

Back then, no one ever said “I can’t find my phone!”😂

[@jakejames3063]

Happy New Year Nicola, I hope 2024 is a great year ahead & you find many treasures on your journey 🤩

[@katehamb439]

Love watching your amazing finds. The bird calls in the background have made my cat come to watch with me. 😊

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Love that!

[@stephaniewoods9600]

Love your videos. The 3 hole buttons you find might be what model ship builders use for 'dog heads', part of the rigging on sailing ships. You can buy packets of these in hobby shops. There must have been lots of model ship builders in the past too.

[@verity3616]

That is so interesting. I was thinking they might be used on lady's hats to keep interchangeable ribbons secured. Yours might make more sense though as the three holes would at least have meaning this way.

[@janedickson-gw4pb]

I DO know how to use a rotary phone!! 😂 that certainly ages me!! Enjoyed your mudlark & the beautiful rainbow!! May the New Year bring you much joy & lots of treasures!! Totally agree about just “Being”. ❤

[@carolcampbell5623]

Happy New Year Nicola. Thankyou for your great video. I love your unexpected finds. Always watching from Australia ❤

[@2kblueberries]

Nicola- I’ve just found your channel and am really glad. I’ve been enjoying learning about your mudlarking finds and going on your adventures. Such a cool way to keep history alive! All the best from Oregon.

[@alden1132]

Mudlarking on the Thames is pretty high on my bucket list. Love your videos.

[@jannb2653]

Don't you need a licence?

[@alden1132]

@@jannb2653 I believe it's a permit, but I'm no authority on the subject

[@juliaforsyth8332]

They've stopped issuing new ones. Too many hucksters flogging off historic artefacts.@@alden1132

[@fairyacorn4854]

Buttons with three openings were used in the XXth centruty on German equipment (bags/Brotbeutel, tents/Zeltbahn, backpacks/Rücksack) and very rarely (at the end of the war for economic reasons) to complete the clothes.

[@darkangelkate3950]

Happy New Year Nicola! Thank you for this lovely video.

[@patjohnson9287]

Wow, great fun! Thanks❤

[@lindabateman1357]

Happy New Year Nicola! The oil can could be a lamp. It’s not dissimilar to other basic hand held oil lamps I’ve seen. It would be interesting to find out.

[@joellenbroetzmann9053]

The old rotary dial phones worked as "pulse" dialers. When you dialed the 1, it would break the electric line 1 pulse, causing a pause. The 2 would cause a break of 2 pauses etc. If one was clever, one did not even have to dial. One could hold the receiver buttons down one pulse, two pulses etc and cause the phone number to be dialed. But rare was that person, as pushing down the buttons also ended the call if held down a fraction too long. I worked for AT &T for many years. Most of that time was before cell phones were available. Many country folk in the US had 4 or even 8 families sharing a party line at that time including my grandmother. Often I would pick up her phone receiver to hear a neighbor talking.

[@joannewakeley8026]

When I was little, my dad told me about pressing the buttons on the cradle to dial. Came in very handy for phones that had their rotary dialer glued in place. 😂

[@katrineroberts4084]

Party lines I think they called them. From Latin or Spanish compartir - to share.

[@juliaforsyth8332]

Haha! We used to do that.

[@luisuriashermosillo6804]

In 1965 I met Collie Colt the son of the inventor of the Colt pistol, his wife and children in Valle de Bravo, Mexico. He wanted to be a writer and was working on a novel. It seems later he went back to the US, where it seems he died. Interesting stories along so many years. ☝🌟😊

[@tinasavage674]

All the best Nicola for the new year , great video 😊

[@davideitner8017]

Happy New Year! I believe the initial scratched into the oil can has a line associated with it in both locations. Usually a line like that would be at the bottom of the letter or number. If this is consistent with that general rule, it would be an M. Love your videos!

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Thank you David. You're right

[@qz9720]

Yeah I thought this

[@patrickblind998]

Wanted to say the same thing. First clue is that on the underside, it would be the opposite of the embossed volume designation and second, the way you would have held it, it would have appeared as an M. Didn't even think about the scratch line underneath for a few minutes.

[@gambonianca]

I had just watched this video on my tv and had to get on to see if anyone else had this same idea. I did notice the line which I would have thought people would put under the letter, making it an M. I was also thinking that most people or at least me lol would subconsciously follow the same pattern of the writing that was already there and align my initial with it. All in all though it was a very interesting video and am sure I will be looking over some of your earlier ones. Take care.

[@debrah7548]

Just want to tell you once again how wonder-full I find your videos. Like a get-together with a cherished friend each outing. Love the history, your inquisitiveness, and sweet demeanor. Thank You for being you!

[@nicolawhitemudlark]

Thank you! ❤

[@michaelwyatt1143]

Happy New Year Nicola. I enjoy watching all your videos.Looking forward to the rest of 2024.

[@annfahy2589]

Love the sound of the waves😊

[@kimbateman226]

Hi Nicola hope the New Year will bring you excellent finds. The gun was an impressive find and the little cat skull was so dainty, imagine the life the cat had, then to rest in the muddy waters, but now he will be looked after with his friends in the studio, by the way how is Mr Squirrel