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JEWELRY FINDS
1. 1904 Western
State Normal
Ring
By: Rob Poth
2. Silver
Friendship
Ring
By: Sally Osborne
3. Silver
Earrings
By: Ron Osborne
4. Victorian Era
Shoe Clip
By: Mike Walker
5.Victorian Era
Pendant
By: John Assenmacher
6. 14-K 'Bella'
Name
Charm
By: Jack Short
7. Silver Indian
Chief Head
Ring
By: Tracy Osborne
8. Silver Ring
with Pearl
Inlay
By: Ron Jenner
9. Victorian Era
Steamship
Charm
By: Rick Seymour
10. 1966 Class
Ring
By: Tom Becker
11. Key or Pen
Return
Leash
By: Nancy Lipscomb
Rob Poth was
our winner
with his 1904 Western State Normal
class ring. This ring was found in Gull
Lake and it shows some surface
pitting from spending 100 years in the
lake! Rob showed the ring to what is
now called Western Michigan
University and they plan on doing a
story about the ring, Rob, and his
hobby. Who knows where this could
lead? Maybe they will hire Rob on as
a new professor for their new treasure
hunting studies class.
COIN FINDS
1. 1892 Indian
Head Cent
By: Tom Herman
2. 1865 U.S.
2¢ Piece
By: Ron Davis
3. 1886 Seated
Liberty Dime
By: Rob
Poth
4. 1838 U.S.
Large
Cent
By: Mike Walker
5. 1891 Seated
Liberty
Dime
By: Sally Osborne
6. 1940
Washington
Quarter
By: Ron Osborne
7. 1835 U.S.
Large
Cent
By: John Assenmacher
8. 1881 Indian
Head Cent
By: Jerry Lipscomb
9. 1838 Large
Cent
By: Tracey Osborne
10. 1916-S
Mercury
Dime
By: Ron Jenner
11. 1856 Seated
Liberty Quarter
By: Bruce Wood
12. 1839-O
Seated Liberty
Dime
By: Rick Seymour
13. Dateless Buffalo
Nickel
By: Deb Wittkowski
Just
look at this list of coins!
My feeling, back in the early 1970's,
was that by the time the 1980's rolled
around, all of the old coins would be
found and the hobby would be over!
Instead, every year it gets better!
For most of my high school
years I was like that Buffalo Nickel --
dateless! Tracy Osborne was our
winner with his 1838 Large Cent! Last
year our winner in November was
Bruce Wood with an 1838 Large
Cent!
FOB,
BADGE, TOKENS
1.W.H. Harrison
Campaign Token
By: Tom Herman
2. 1863 Civil
War Store Card
By: Mike Walker
3. Arcade
Token
By: Sally Osborne
4. Louis &
Sophee
Token
By: Nancy Lipscomb
5. 1863 Civil
War Store Card
By: John Assenmacher
6. Michigan
Central R.R. Tag
By: Rick Seymour
Tom Herman was our winner
with his William Henry Harrison for
President campaign token. It reads,
"The people's choice in 1840."
For the
first time in about 20
years I drove down Riverview Drive
to go from Plainwell to Kalamazoo.
As I was just entering Parchment, I
saw this guy with a metal detector in
the yard of an old Victorian home.
Well, it was Tom Herman and it was
also raining pretty hard!
I asked
Tom if he found
anything good there and of course he
had. He told me that he had to hunt in
the rain because in two days the home
owner would be back. I said, "What?
You mean you didn't get permission
to hunt there?"
"Oh, I got permission, but
not from her. I got permission from
her children." Where there's a will ---
I guess. Nice find, Tom.
MOST UNUSUAL
1. 1860 Civil
War MI State
Seal
By: Mike Walker
2. Victorian Era
Belt Buckle
By: Tom Herman
3. Metal Statue
of Boy
Drinking
By: Ron Osborne
4. Antique
Bottle With Metal
Bail
By: Rob Poth
5. Frontier Toy
Gun
By: Greg Stonerock
6. Rudolph
Christmas
Ornament
By: John Assenmacher
7. Antique Spark
Plug
Gapper
By: Jerry Lipscomb
8. Axe Head
'Allen & Sons'
By: Carlisle Flegal
9. Toy Cap
Gun
By: Tracey Osborne
10. Cracker Jack
Toy Car
By: John Dudley
11. 1776
Memorial Medallion
By: Ron Jenner
12. Cub Scout
Neckerchief Slide
By: Deb Wittkowski
13. Crimp Seal
from
C.W.R.R.
By: Rick Seymour
It was
sure good to see Rob
Poth back in the club! Rob was water
hunting when he found a 1880-90's
Hutchinson soda bottle. A man named
Hutchinson invented this closure
while the entire bottling industry was
looking to get away from the
unreliable corks. The narrow neck of
the bottle had a rubber-covered
washer in it with a metal wire loop
attached. The washer was held in
place, in the bottle, at the base of the
bottle's neck by the pressure of the
carbonation. The wire loop extended
up from the washer and looped around
just above the bottle's top.
The
thing must have worked
pretty well because it was said that
you had to slam down on this metal
bail pretty hard with the palm of your
hand to break the seal. When the seal
was broken and the carbonation
pressure released, you heard a loud
"POP," hence the term "Soda Pop."
Whenever
you see a hutch soda bottle,
it is always made from very thick
glass! I think they really pressurized
their product to assure the seal would
hold and the product stay fresh.
Ron
Jenner was watching the
interpreters as I explained how this
bottle was opened and he pointed out
that the sign for 'pop' was holding a
bottle in your fist, using one finger to
point to the bail wire, then slamming
down with the palm of your hand to
open the imaginary bottle! We can see
how ancient that sign is! Pretty cool, I
think!
MISCELLANEOUS
1. 1950's
Child's Cowboy
Wallet
By: Rick Burch
2. Bag of
Chinese Coins
By: Mike Walker
3. 1873 Mattawan
Plat
Map
By: John Assenmacher
4. 1930's Toy
Tin
Airplane
By: Deb Wittkowski
5. Bottle With
Plant
Inside
By: Greg Stonerock
6. 1911 Boy
Scout & A&P
Pins
By: Carol Firlick
7. Bowling
Ball
By: Ron Paris
8. Old Mill
Stone or Grinding Stone
By: John Dudley
Our winner was Carol Firlick
with her two tiny pins-- the Boy Scout
pin and the A & P pin. The Boy Scout
pin is pretty well known and it was
from the first years of scouting. All of
the wannabe scout leaders were still in
the closet, if you get my drift. It makes
my blood boil when I think about how
this great institution has been under
attack.
That is
why the United Way
will never get a dime from me. Unless
they changed, the United Way would
no longer support the Boy Scouts
unless they allowed homosexual scout
masters. Now, think about this for a
minute. If you were a gay man, where
would you want to be? Of course!
Camping with young boys!
The A & P pin was
very
likely worn by a cashier at one of
"The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea
Company Stores." The A & P stores
started in 1859! There are many A &
P collectibles.
Truth About
Christmas
They want to strip Christ from
Christmas in America, especially from
public property. Actually there are
many things I could do without. I
could get by without the Christmas
trees and the tinsel and the lights and
Santa Claus. I could even skip the
cards and the presents. Christmas isn't
Christmas without Christ. This being
the Christmas Season I am going to be
'politically incorrect' and talk about
Christ and what he means to me. If
this is something that bothers you can
fold up and stop reading your
newsletter now, but I hope you won't.
I serve as our metal detecting
club's chaplain at our weekend camp
outs. In my message at the fall event, I
spoke about the importance of the new
birth. Jesus was approached by one of
the most highly educated men of that
time named Nicodemus. Nicodemus
was a Pharisee and a Jewish ruler.
He approached Jesus under
the cover of darkness so as not to be
seen by his fellow Pharisees, who
hated Jesus and wanted him killed. I
believe that Nicodemus was a cut
above the rest of his group and
realized there was something special
about Jesus. Nicodemus asked Jesus,
"Rabbi, we know that thou art a
teacher come from God: for no man
can do these miracles that thou doest,
except God be with him."
Jesus answered and said unto
him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
except a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus asked, "How can a
man be born when he is old? Can he
enter the second time into his mother's
womb, and be born?"
Jesus replied, "Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, Except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is
flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit."
In my message at our fall
camp out I used the passage from
Matthew 7:13 Where Jesus said;
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for
wide is the gate, and broad is the
way, that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in
thereat:" 14: "Because strait is the
gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it."
I told the group to picture two
large funnels, one big enough to frame
a large city like Las Vegas. In that
funnel, picture very alluring neon and
flashing signs advertising every vise
imaginable--- not just the things like
gambling, liquor, and sex, but you
could even include some Christian
church names. This is the wide gate
and it draws many into it, as people
blindly try to fill that inner need, a
need that they truly do not understand.
This funnel gets narrow and
constricting as you travel through it
because unforgiven sin chokes and
strangles a man as he becomes its
slave. The small exit empties out into
an eternity of torment and separation
from God, who is light--- into outer
darkness .
The other funnel is turned around
and its entrance is as small, well, it is
as small as the birth canal! There has
to be a conception. The Word of God
is planted like a seed in a man's heart
and he sees himself as God sees him. I
remember very clearly the time that
happened to me. I felt like I was going
to collapse to the floor because of the
weight of my sin! I could have shaken
it off and walked away, or I could cry
out for mercy. I threw myself at God's
mercy. At this point I was in
agreement with God about my lost
condition and I accepted His
forgiveness. Just like a newborn baby,
I wanted to feed! The local Christian
bookstore must have felt like their
ship came in! I started to buy up any
Bible commentaries I could lay my
hands on. The exit from this funnel
opens wide up to the heavens and
eternal life, joy, peace, love!!!!
Growing up in Christ has not been
a smooth trip. At one point I wandered
away from the Good Shepherd, and
He came looking for me. I was falsely
accused of spanking my 13 year old
son. Allegan County Child Protective
Service stepped in and gave me a
restraining order, I couldn't go home
until an investigation was completed.
It took 11 months. During that time,
my wife's attorney convinced her to
make a strong statement to show the
court that she didn't condone my
behavior, or she would risk losing the
kids to foster homes.
"What strong statement would you
suggest?" she asked.
"Divorce," was his reply.
She looked upon this as a chance to
look up old friends and party. The
problem was that our 13-year old,
strong-willed son held power over her
and she would do anything he asked.
Soon he had some of his friends move
in to my house and they destroyed it.
To make a long story short, I lost my
family, my home, my car and I went
into incredible debt trying to save my
business. In order to appear good, in
the eyes of the court, I started
counseling with my pastor. I was sure
he understood my innocence and I had
expected him to straighten the whole
mess out with just a phone call. Well,
that didn't happen, instead he kept
shoving Bible study assignments
under my nose. Sure, I prayed about
it. I not only asked God to fix things, I
laid out complete detailed instructions
for Him to follow!
All hope was slipping away! In
order to sleep during this 11 month
ordeal, I slept in an old Dodge van
conversion. I showered by standing
over a floor drain as I poured a bucket
of cold water over myself. I started to
self medicate with alcohol and it was
the only way I could get to sleep.
One night I was supposed to
get my young daughter for pictures to
go into the church directory. There
was nobody answering the phone, so I
decided to risk violating the
restraining order by driving over to
what was left of my ramshackled
home. My son was there with some of
his friends, but I was informed that my
wife was out on a date with another
man. I asked my son's friends to leave
and, when I turned my back, one of
them jumped me. I rolled over, but
because of his weight I couldn't get
up. With powerful blows, he beat my
face to a pulp!
I had enough! At the start of this
nightmare I forgot to tell you that I
had just buried my best friend in the
world, my father. He fell from a
ladder in my store as he tried to help
me. I just could not take anymore
hurt! I drank myself into a stupor and,
with a loaded gun, I made up my mind
to put an end to my miserable life.
Thinking of my mother who would
likely be the one to clean up after the
shotgun blast, I argued with myself as
to where I should do the deed. I was
sobbing and drinking and even talking
out loud to God. I wasn't lovingly
praying to a holy God, I was yelling at
Him! For years I had wanted back the
joy that I had when He first came into
my life ... but seemed to be gone
forever.
In a final burst of anger, I told God, "It is no
wonder you deserted me." (It
was actually I who had left.) I
confessed my failures to him. I had
failed as a father, a son, a grandson, as
a Christian. I shouted out, "God, if
there is any tiny shred of me that you
can use, I give it to you!" With that I
passed out drunk on my bed. Yes,
God can understand a drunk! Finally,
I wasn't trying to con God, I was
honest, and he values honesty.
I had a most vivid dream that night.
I saw my ex-wife and my son carrying
stuff out to the curbside for trash pick
up, and it was my stuff. I found myself
sitting on the curb with this junk.
Every now and again, scavengers
would pick through the piles looking
for anything of value. Pretty soon
everything was gone, except me.
When the garbage truck stopped, an
its evil looking driver walked around
and bent to pick me up, a beautiful
white-robed man with nail-scarred
hands backed the driver away. As he
lifted me to my feet and wrapped his
arms around me, He said, "He belongs
to me."
Not a single problem was gone the
next morning, but that long lost joy
was back! I had a song in my heart
again! At the end of the 11-month
investigation, the man from Child
Protective Services walked into my
shop. He offered a handshake, which I
refused. He told me that the
investigation was over and the case
was closed, and I was found to be 'not
guilty' of any abuse. I had been
looking at the ground when he said
that. When I looked up, the man had
tears coming down his face!
"It isn't my job to come here to tell
you this; they will send you some
papers in the mail. I came to tell you
that I am so sorry for what has
happened to you. I have left the
department for good and I want you to
know I will never take part in
destroying another family again."
With that he turned and walked away.
I never saw that man again, but from
time to time I still pray for him.
A year or so later, at my pastor's
urging, I started attending a Christian
singles group in Kalamazoo where I
met my current wife. Life still has its
peaks and valleys, but like Job, God
restored all that I had lost by ten fold!
Do you look at America in
bewilderment? How so very easy it is
for men to believe incredible and
outrageous lies, take global warming
for example. Here is the real reason
they are so easily duped.
Rom:1:28: "And even as
they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind, to do those things
which are not convenient."
America seeks to solve her
problems without the God our
forefather's sought direction from.
America is like Noah's Ark, a ship
without a rudder! Without a God who,
as the song says, "Stands beside her,
and guides her;" she is adrift and
without direction. I fear for our
country today.
Thanks for your
friendship and may each of you and
your loved ones have a very Merry
Christmas!
NEWSLETTER
The next newsletter that I
write will start my 13th year of doing
the newsletter. At the start of this
summer, I asked our president to find
someone who could take this job over,
but so far there have been no takers. I
can no longer afford to do the
newsletter.
The club pays me $100.00
each month to cover expenses for
printing, postage, mailing labels and
mailing tabs. That still leaves me with
between $60.00 and $80.00 out of my
pocket. But that is not the problem; it
is the time that I cannot afford. My
main competition is mail order metal
detectors and since the rapid spread of
the Internet, mail order has all but
ruined the local small businesses and
my business is on the brink of
disaster.
When you guys are hanging
out on the forums planning your next
treasure hunting trip, or having a good
old time a big relic hunt, I'm slaving
away on another newsletter. The three
days or more that I spent putting
together this month's newsletter
probably cost me $3,000 to $4,000.
That is money I missed because I was
creating a newsletter and not E-bay
auctions.
The newsletter doesn't need to be
to be five or six pages long. Many
clubs have a single page with simply
meeting minutes and announcements.
Also, the club would cover 100% of
the costs. Ideally, it would be best for
someone retired or a team of two or
more who could work on it together. I
have enjoyed writing the newsletters
and it is not something I look forward
to giving up, but I have no choice. I
hope someone steps up to take the
January newsletter. If not, I will do
one more, but that will have to be the
last one.
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