Recovering Our Past

Ploughsoil is a very corrosive environment for old artefacts that get pulled up into it. The broken soil is rich in oxygen and this combined with water and agrochemicals will trigger rapid corrosion of base metal artefacts. Although safe from the worst effects of corrosion, silver and gold artefacts are still at danger from being cut by rotovators.

An ancient artefact has a life expectancy of only 10 years in ploughsoil.

Our club rescue artefacts that are otherwise going to be destroyed, and by stringently recording and displaying our finds, the club is saving this history for the local community.

Circulated and buried modern coins showing what a few years in the plough soil can do even to modern alloys.	Fragments of cultivator ripped hammered coinage.	Victoria half penny cut by plough.	This silver pocket watch has suffered multiple plough dings.

This tiny medieval half penny was still big enough to get ripped during cultivation.