A warm 45-degree February day here in Maine offers a nice break from winter’s grip, usually.
But on the Down East coast, those days seemed to be the norm a few winters ago. For someone like me, that only meant trouble. The challenge was finding safe, fishable ice within a reasonable distance from my house. Luckily, those warm stretches gave me the chance to pursue a hobby I enjoy just as much as ice fishing.
I’ve always been curious about history. It was arguably my favorite school subject, and I still find myself drawn to history documentaries and podcasts. Metal detecting is the perfect hobby for a history enthusiast. Amid the massive amount of trash in the ground, pieces of history remain hidden. Small treasures lie beneath our feet, and over the years, I’ve learned a lot about the history of Americans in our area by uncovering those relics.
I guess I am a treasure hunter, and I’m not just talking about gold and silver pirate treasure. To me, finding historical artifacts that connect us to our past is the greatest treasure.
I also love coins. Over the years, some of my favorite finds include buttons, shoe buckles, knee buckles, military artifacts, musket balls and silver coins. Most of these relics are found around old homes and buildings. They give us a glimpse into the daily lives of those who lived before us.
Here in Maine, the ground freezes quickly, and by mid-December it’s usually impossible to get a shovel into the ground, so most people put away their metal detectors for winter. But one place where the ground doesn’t freeze is where saltwater rises and covers the ground with each tide cycle.
Almost every coastal town sits beside a river, and if that river is tidal, there was likely a shipping industry of some kind dating back to the 1700s. Rivers were the lifeblood of those towns. Supplies came and went, they served as main travel routes and they were even used as trash dumps. That means there’s a lot of history beneath the intertidal gravel and muck.
During a particularly mild winter a few years ago, I spent several afternoons at low tide along various rivers near my home. Most of the finds weren’t anything special, but I did come across some interesting pieces like a few buttons from the 1800s, a surprising number of brass nails and a handful of musket balls.
A good signal from my detector made me hopeful. Just beneath the tightly packed gravel, I flipped out a stunning 1853 Seated Liberty dime. The silver coin was in excellent condition despite the black staining from being in the water for so long. If my day hadn’t already been made, a few minutes later I uncovered a large copper coin. To my surprise, it turned out to be an 1837 Hard Times Token.
These tokens were produced during a period of economic downturn in the U.S. as a form of emergency currency. Due to a shortage of official coins, private companies minted them to facilitate trade. They often resembled official one-cent coins, but with slight differences, most notably the addition of the word “not” before “one cent.”
There were various designs, and the one I found featured a turtle carrying a safe on one side and a donkey on the other. After some research, I learned the token had a political theme, mocking Andrew Jackson and his successor Martin Van Buren during the economic crisis of the 1830s.
This small glimpse of hidden treasures makes me wonder about the person who lost that token and what the people of Maine were thinking at that moment.
During times of struggle and crisis, Mainers were probably just trying to earn a living, likely living a life outdoors. It’s also probable their income came from working in the woods, much like many Mainers do today. While silver and gold are cool, sometimes the real treasure is learning about the past.
I’m not ready to wish winter away just yet, but a few mild days in a row might find me back on the river again.