Metal Detecting Perth’s Swan River
18 CT Ladies Gold and Diamond Ring - Swan River Metal Detecting Find
Recently I have not had much time to do any metal detecting, as my partner and I have just bought a Post Office and News Agency in my rural town in the Great Southern of Western Australia, Dumbleyung. We have been very busy doing some training courses in Perth.
Swan River Metal Detecting Finds
But last week I found the time whilst I was in Perth to head down to the Swan River for a few hours to do a bit of treasure hunting on the sandy banks of the Swan River.
Mens Silver Ring as I found it
I decided to find a new metal detecting spot, so I had a look through my Street Directory and I found a nice little spot where there would be a good chance to find some rings, relics and coins, an area which has been well used by people for the last 100 years or more.
I have uploaded photos of what I found that day and evening, and also before and after photos after I have cleaned my finds, such as the Silver Ring above and below.
Mens Silver Ring - after Electrolsys Cleaning
The place when I went metal detecting, was Clarkson Reserve on the Maylands Foreshore.
When I was there, I met a curious lady who asked me what I was doing. Her name was Jenny Seaton, a media, radio and television personality who currently has her own program on Curtin FM a radio station broadcasting in the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia.
Beautiful Art Deco Broach
So today she is going to interview me on the radio, so thats a bit exciting and a first for me.
I told Jenny I would post photos of the items I found that night for her listeners to look at.
I found some great items, especially the Ladies 18ct Gold and Diamond Ring, which I found in about 3 foot of water. And also the Mens Silver Wave Ring which was in about the same depth.
So here is what I found on the evening I met Jenny on the Swan.
If your interested in seeing what I have recently found, please go to my other website Metal Detecting Photos or just click on the links below.
Favourite Finds
- 18 CT Ladies Gold and Diamond Ring
- Mens Silver Wave Ring
- Gold Chain
- Silver Chain with Silver Love Heart Pendant
- Ladies Hair or Chest Broach
- Beautiful Silver Hair Broach – Found buried under Grass
- Beautiful Brass Art Deco Broach – Found under Paperbark Tree
- WW2 Anti Aircraft Bullet Shell Base Marking – FA 41 – Very Unusual Find on the Swan River
Other Finds
- 1945 Australian Penny
- 1945 Australian Penny
- Corroded Australian Penny (Date Unknown)
- Corroded Australian Penny (Date Unknown)
- 1927 Silver Three Pence
- 1910 Silver Three Pence
- 1953 Silver Three Pence
- 1956 Silver Three Pence
- Silver Six Pence – Date Unknown
- Around $20 in Australian Coins
- Heaps of Fishing Sinkers
- Very Old Toy Car – 1940’s
Have you lost your Ring or any Gold, Silver Item of Value?
If you have lost any Jewellery or Rings recently at any Perth Beaches, Swan River, Parks, Playgrounds or at your home in the garden, please get in quick and book me to hopefully find your Lost Jewellery
If I can’t help you, I’ll find someone who can, I have some good metal detecting contacts who have helped me in the past.
How much do I charge?
I charge nothing at all to search for your lost item, but my services is based on a reward only if found basis that is, if I find your lost ring, jewellery etc, then it is up to you what you’d like to give me as a reward.
A small fuel surcharge may be required depending on the distance I need to travel.
If I don’t find your lost item, then I don’t expect anything.
I do not hire out my metal detectors.
Swan River Metal Detecting Finds
Swan River Metal Detecting Finds
Click to Enlarge
I was in Perth on the weekend just gone, and decided to do some metal detecting around the Swan River area, so I decided that I would head down to the Garrett Road Bridge where there is a nice picnic area which is popular with families, swimmers and kayakers and canoers.
I thought it would be a perfect spot to find some old coins, rings and other lost treasures.
It proved to be a great metal detecting spot, and I found plenty of coins, too many lead fishing sinkers, a long lost Avon Descent Medallion and a nice silver love hearts charm bracelet and a few other things.
As I have mentioned in my previous metal detecting stories, I really like to find old dog id tags (K9 Dogs that is) and I found one of those as well.
Sheeba's Lost Dog Tag
It had a phone number on the tag, as well as the dogs name which is “Sheeba” so I decided to give the owner a call, and she was very surprised that I had found it. She told me that it fell off Sheeba, around 4 years ago, whilst on a walk along the river bank. I was happy to hear that Sheeba is still alive and well, she is now 11 years old. But starting to slow down due to old age.
1999 Avon Descent Competitors Medallion - Found Near Garrett Road Bridge - Bayswater
So here is exactly what I found near the Swan River Metal Detecting:
- 1999 Avon Descent Competitors Medallion – Found Near Garrett Road Bridge – Bayswater – Front
- 1999 Avon Descent Competitors Medallion – Found Near Garrett Road Bridge – Bayswater – Reverse
- Extremely Corroded 1919 Australian Penny
- 1964 Australian Penny
- Sheeba’s the Dogs’ - Dog ID Tag
- Very Corroded Australian Half Penny (Date Unknown)
- Junk Brass Pendant
- 1946 Australian Shilling
- 1952 Australian Six Pence
- 1946 Australian Six Pence
- Silver Love Hearts Charm Bracelet
- Numerous other coins – $2 – $1 – 50 Cent etc
- Australian Six Pence Coin Date Unknown as I need to clean the coin. But you can see what 50 plus years of salty water immersion does to a silver coin.
Silver Love Hearts Charm Bracelet
Had a great couple of hours detecting there, I got there around 4pm with my girlfriend Natalie and our three little mongrel dogs, she played with them, whilst I detected, and when the mosquitos started to bite too hard, thats when I decided to pack up and head home to check out my lost treasure!
I am heading back there again in the very near future, but this time I will be taking my Minelab Underwater Metal Detector, so I can do some shallow water metal detecting.
I use a Minelab Excalibur Metal Detector when entering deeper water, it is 100% waterproof and a great detector.
The above finds I found using my Minelab E-Trac Metal Detector, it never lets me down and I always come home with something good.
More Great Finds – Return to the Old Homestead
Antique WW1 Era Toy Lead Tank
A few days ago I got the metal detecting withdrawal symptons, so I decided to return to a place I had been to a couple times before where I had some great success finding coins and old Australian relics.
I have previously wrote about this old homestead before, you can see both my metal detecting stories about the old Australian homestead here:
As per the second link above, as I walked towards the homstead I decided to turn my detector on, walk at a normal walking pace without swinging the coil and I happened to find a spot with many coins in a small area.
So now as I walk towards a old house I always do this, and it is amazing how successful you can be, without even swinging the detector.
Anyhow back to my story, I went back to the house and started detecting where I had last found the coins, around 10 metres from the ruins, in a ploughed sandy field and it did not take me long to start finding a few interesting things.
I was very excited to have found a beautiful toy tank, which I believe must be a late era World War 1 Toy Tank, likely a model of a real tank.
Antique WW1 Era Toy Lead Tank
It’s definitely one of my favourite finds, not valuable, but just looks beautiful, it is very heavy for such a small toy and built to last.
I had a great couple of hours and I found the following.
50 Years Commonwealth of Australia Medallion which was given to school children to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Australian Federation in 1951. The design was chosen after a competition, with the valuable cash prize of two hundred guineas. It was won by John Wolfgang Elischer for his depiction of a man hand-sowing wheat. The wheat has grown to represent the seven States of Australia on the other side of the medal. See a better image here
Jubilee of Australian Federation medal, 1951
I found two more pre-decimal coins as follows:
Also found numerous bullet cartridges a nicely decorated brass button and the usual brass belt buckles
I had a great day, and find items of little value is still a great way to spend the day.
I am definitely returning back there in the near future, as it has given me some great results, and the ground is perfect for metal detecting and still is still a good area that remains to be searched by me.
Old Toys, Badges, Coins and Bullet Holes
A Penny with a bullet hole through it!
Over the last couple of days I have been doing some treasure hunting at yet another old house, just outside of town, but all that remained of this house was just the concrete slab. I believe that this house probably had something to do with the Railway, possibly a Station Masters house, no sure, but it is directly opposite the Railway Line in Dumbleyung.
Man in a Old Toy Tractor
I found a few things of interest to myself as follows:
- A Old Toy Man in a Tractor
- Toy Ranger Pistol
- AMF button with KC & “no borders” map – WW2
- Brass Coat Hook
- Silver Fork
- Stainless Steel Fork
- Dumbleyung Football Club Badge dated 1969
- Australian Railway Badge?
- 1943 Australian Penny
- 1916 Australian Half Penny
- 1922 Australian Penny
- A Penny with a bullet hole through it!
Dumbleyung Football Club Badge dated 1969
Hidden Stash Found Metal Detecting!
My Minelab E-Trac Metal Detector finds a hidden coin stash?
Today I went back to the old house where I found the 1941 East Africa Shilling a few days ago, with the aim of hopefully finding some more old coins and other exciting finds. So as usual I was excited and confident as I always am when I go metal detecting.
It did not take long for my heart to start pumping with adrenelin when I came across this cylindrical object in the hard soil, it took me ages to get to it, and as soon as I saw that it was a “jar like” object, I got really excited thinking that finally I have found my first ever stash of hidden coins, what some boy may have buried many years ago.
As soon as I saw it, I took a photo of it, and then gently dug around it, you can see where my little shovel had scuffed it a few times, putting small dings on it… that was when I dug to hard with the shovel, because the soil was rock hard.
The Stash of Money - No Dirt!
Tools of the Metal Detecting Trade - Small Shovel - Sieve or Sifter - Metal Detector
Anyhow, I dug it out, and pulled it away from it’s little hideaway, and tipped it upside down, shaking it, waiting for the coins or treasure to fall out …. all what was in it, was dirt! So I was a bit disappointed about that, but nethertheless, it was very exciting to find the enamel tin buried upright, and quite unusual. So sorry to disappoint you, there was no hidden stash.
Today's Metal Detecting Finds - Coins etc
But I did have a great metal detecting day, finding quiet a few more old coins and other unusual items around the house as follows:
E-Trac Metal Detector and a found coin - Australian Penny
Australian Pennys
- 1964 Australian Penny
- 1948 Australian Penny
- 1951 Australian Penny
- 1942 Australian Penny
- 1943 Australian Penny
Australian Half Pennys
Todays other Metal Detecting finds
I also found some other interesting things … where I was Metal Detecting, the place is on a hill with a beautiful view, over looking the farm plains below and there is a beautiful big old shady tree near the house, so I decided to do some metal detecting under the tree.
It is one of those trees that you could build a Tree-House in, and has standing room below the branches, with views to the plains below also, and I found a few coins there, as well as the Stokes Sugar Serving Spoon as pictured below. And also I found the ladies Powder Mirrow under the tree also.
So I could just imagine that no doubt, people would have had beautiful summer and spring picnics under the tree and thats how they probably lost the stuff below.
I also noticed quite a few bones buried under the tree, thats where the dog tag comes into play, I found the dog licence tag below just under the surface of the soil, so no doubt there was probably a loving farm dog buried under that tree 50 years ago. I did not find a skull or anything, just plenty of bones just below the surface. And I buried them again once I had finished.
That beautiful tree must have plenty of stories to tell, picnics, sweathearts, kids playing, all the beautiful things that come with life.
Beautiful View from the Old House
Metal Detecting Find - Copper Stones Sugar Serving Spoon - Made in Australia
Metal Detecting Find - Road Board of Dumbleyung - No 44 - Dog Registration Licence Tag - 1953 to 1954
Metal Detecting Find Found Under Tree - Ladies Powder Mirror - With Powder Still In It!
I had a great day today, as you can see above, I love metal detecting, it is one of the best things I have ever done. It is so good for the soul, it keeps you fit, your mind active, and the rewards as you can see from my site and wonderful. As soon as I start Metal Detecting, all my worries about life just go away.
I spent six hours detecting today, really enjoyed my day!
It’s taken me three hours to write this Blog … why, because my laptop is old … I need a New Laptop Computer
The Old Australian House - Remants of a past Era!
Metal Detecting Old Homestead Ruins
The Old Homestead Remains - Great Metal Detecting Spot
Well the last couple of days I have been up to quite a bit, Metal Detecting and Bottle Hunting.
I went for a drive just outside of my hometown, around 20kms out and I decided to go looking for old bottle dumps, along the way I came across the remains of an old homestead, which appears to have fallen victim to a fire a long time ago.
I thought what a perfect opportunity to get the detector out and do a bit of coinshooting, and hope I would find a penny of two.
The area was very trashy, but the sandy ground was perfect for detecting.
I found a few interesting things as follows:
- 1942 Australian Penny
- 1945 Australian Half Penny
- Gold Back of a Pendant which says 9ct Silver Lined
- An Old Brass Coat Hook
- Silver Plated Fork (Unknown Silver Stamp Marking)
- Gold Plated Leadwork (Dove) I like this one!
- Big Old Brass Belt Buckle
- other things
I plan on going back there in the near future!
Click on the images to see a better quality photo
Gold Plated Leadwork remains (Dove) I like this one!
Gold Back of a Pendant which says 9ct Silver Lined
1942 Australian Penny
Silver Plated Fork (Unknown Silver Stamp Marking)
1945 Australian Half Penny
Old Brass Coat Hook
Old Shack Finds
Remnants of the Shack
The last couple of days I have been doing a bit of Metal Detecting around an old shack near my town. As far as I am aware the shack was the home of a family who settled in the region in 1906.
I found plenty of coins there, but no old coins, just alot of 1 and 2 cent coins and a couple of 10 cent pieces, in a place where I believe may have been a childs sand pit, where they would play.
Unfortunately I have not found no old coins, no pennys, no three or six pence coins, so that is a bit disappointing, as I was sure I would find some older coins.
I did however find a couple of interesting little nick nacks.
brass shoe ashtray "made in India"
little badge "Minehead"
Sugar serving spoon
Numerous Shotgun cartridges and bullets
1 and 2 cent coins
Off to the next place ….
