I visited President James Madison's Montpelier estate in Orange, Virginia in early November as part of their on-site Metal Detecting/Archaeology program associated with Minelab. Our group was given several gridded sections to mark every metal hit followed by a small sampling of digging three hits per 10'x10' square. Nails are the common find in the insane iron-rich soil but we ran into everything: a couple large cents, fence staples, horse shoes, plough parts, even a gun part. As I was starting to dig a plug for what was most likely a nail, I popped out the plug of Virginia soil and there was a piece of green on the left side of the hole. I took it out and immediately had to sit down. Underneath a small amount of soil was the word "Madison". What I found was a wine bottle seal from President Madison's wine collection. One of the archaeologists nearby was stunned and let out a "No way!" which brought a crowd in no time. I still can't believe that what is probably the best find of my life was not metal, not my intended target and I didn't even get to keep it. No matter what, I'll never forget it.
Dave Charles – IL, USA.
