Leave nothing behind ! An example of why to take everything home !

[Steve T]

Hi all

With the recent threads/replies that have been posted regarding 'rusty bits of crap' being left at sites and such like, I thought I'd show you an example of why you should take EVERYTHING you find home, before deciding it's crap.

It is important to take everything home during a relic hunt as you never quite know what you've got until it's been fully cleaned. I have a number of examples of such incidences as have other hunters like LUCKYSTRIKE and Whitehunter............getting a rusty hunk of something or other home, cleaning it, only to find it is a piece off an aircraft, part of a gun or any number of other important type of relic.

So here is an example. Back in May, Falschimjager invited a few of us over to a base dump, (used by the US medical corps), he'd known about for a number of years. During the dig, I took everything home and cleaned it all. Well....all except the three bits of gas fitting I found. They have been sitting in my 'waiting to be properly cleaned area' ever since.



On Saturday I had just finished soaking some of the more recent bits I'd found in rust remover. I was just about to chuck the liquid away when I thought I'd bung these three pieces in. I wasn't expecting anything great.

I removed them from the remover an hour ago and gave them a good rub with a brillo pad. Two of the pieces bore no markings what-so-ever. However, the third one did and it is this piece I am holding up as an example as to why you should TAKE EVERYTHING home !!!!



And the markings ?

HM GOVT

BC MEDICAL SECTION

Now I have no idea what the 'BC' stands for but here we have a perfect example of what I am talking about. This piece shall now take pride of place in the USAMC dump section of my display. Without the clean, I'd have never known as these markings were not visible AT ALL until after the soaking in rust remover.





So remember.................

TAKE EVERYTHING HOME AND THEN DECIDE IF IT'S CRAP OR NOT AFTER IT'S BEEN CLEANED !!!!

Cheers

Steve T

[Eric Zentner]

Very cool steve and good info...

[LUCKYSTRIKE]

Good advice Steve, they've come out well.
I have a couple of those from the same place, one of mine is marked but I think different to yours. Nice to see the 'His Majesties Government' marking revealed on yours. Surprisingly several War Dept. arrow marked items were also found there so perhaps the dump was used by British forces as well or perhaps British items were supplied to the US Medical Department.
Lets hope someone can positively id them with this additional info.
Cheers
LUCKYSTRIKE

[Patgore]

Just a wild guess but is "BC" actually British Oxygen Company or Corp.?

These look a bit like medical gas cylinder fittings.

Cheers,

Pat G.

[Steve T]

Patgore - Many thanks. As I said in the post, these were found on a USAMC dump so this is very likely their use.

Steve T

[martynv4]

Just a wild guess but is "BC" actually British Oxygen Company or Corp.?

These look a bit like medical gas cylinder fittings.

Cheers,

Pat G.

Steve, a quick search just showed up 'BOC Healthcare' who are indeed still selling various gas fittings of all kinds.
Regards to not throwing anything away, I fully agree and it was perhaps just the advice some collectors needed to see. Not everyone may have the forsight to do so.

Martyn.

[davejb]

Yes The fitting is definately British Oxygen Company, they used to have a depot just off White Hart Lane Tottenham and that logo was on the front of the building

[Steve T]

Thanks guys.

As a pharmacist, I kind of assumed it was BoC having been dealing with them for more than 20 years now Even so, your contribution is MOST welcome

Cheers

Steve T

[Falschirmjager]

Hi all

With the recent threads/replies that have been posted regarding 'rusty bits of crap' being left at sites and such like, I thought I'd show you an example of why you should take EVERYTHING you find home, before deciding it's crap.

It is important to take everything home during a relic hunt as you never quite know what you've got until it's been fully cleaned. I have a number of examples of such incidences as have other hunters like LUCKYSTRIKE and Whitehunter............getting a rusty hunk of something or other home, cleaning it, only to find it is a piece off an aircraft, part of a gun or any number of other important type of relic.

So here is an example. Back in May, Falschimjager invited a few of us over to a base dump, (used by the US medical corps), he'd known about for a number of years. During the dig, I took everything home and cleaned it all. Well....all except the three bits of gas fitting I found. They have been sitting in my 'waiting to be properly cleaned area' ever since.



On Saturday I had just finished soaking some of the more recent bits I'd found in rust remover. I was just about to chuck the liquid away when I thought I'd bung these three pieces in. I wasn't expecting anything great.

I removed them from the remover an hour ago and gave them a good rub with a brillo pad. Two of the pieces bore no markings what-so-ever. However, the third one did and it is this piece I am holding up as an example as to why you should TAKE EVERYTHING home !!!!



And the markings ?

HM GOVT

BC MEDICAL SECTION

Now I have no idea what the 'BC' stands for but here we have a perfect example of what I am talking about. This piece shall now take pride of place in the USAMC dump section of my display. Without the clean, I'd have never known as these markings were not visible AT ALL until after the soaking in rust remover.





So remember.................

TAKE EVERYTHING HOME AND THEN DECIDE IF IT'S CRAP OR NOT AFTER IT'S BEEN CLEANED !!!!

Cheers

Steve T

Steve, Well said as there is a moral to this story as they say and i have a fine example. Two fellers out metal detecting near the site of an old rubbish tip in Littleton a few years back. The young guy found a string of old one Pennys, hed pick em up spit on em give em a rub and then chuck em away as to him they were crap! Now the old feller following behind the young guy just collected all the Pennys the young guy threw away, hed stopped spitting on them and giving them a rub after finding so many so didnt check the other Pennys. When the old guy got his Pennys home he soaked them all in brown vinegar and left them until the morning to have a look at them as he liked Pennys and was hoping to get a nice wartime date collection. Now when he rinsed off the coins he noticed one was NOT A PENNY but was a GOLD SOVEREIGN!!!! He got the gold sov valued at 200-300 quid. When the young guy was informed of his terrible folly he was as youd expect just a little bit miffed. Its a great story and how many times this kind of thing happens. A lot of coins turn up on that old dump and one wonders what other treasures may be there waiting to be found. So the moral deffinately is allways check before you chuck guys as you never know. Regards Tim.

[Steve T]

Excellent example Tim and exactly what I'm talking about

Steve T