This is really an interesting story http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/15/us-waterloo-skeleton-idUSBRE85E0IZ20120615
His possessions are also illuminating - a musket ball is lodged in his chest; where a pocket would have been are some 20 coins, a rifle flint and a piece of material, perhaps the pocket itself or from a purse. One of the coins, a half franc, was minted in 1811.
That half franc coin can be seen here: http://news.yahoo.com/photos/u-s--s...et-holds-half-franc-coin-photo-150252148.html (which is a "sub-page" of this article http://news.yahoo.com/rare-remains-soldier-found-waterloo-105350488.html). This page in French http://www.info-histoire.com/actual...uvert-sur-le-site-de-la-bataille-de-waterloo/ has a video which also shows some of the finds. Attached is a screenshot of the coins, but I don't think we can recognize anything. Christian
I don't know how deep the body was, but I couldn't help thinking that a cache like that might register on a metal detector. I'd hate to be out on a Sunday morning metal detecting and end up unearthing a body.
40 cm according to the info-histoire article. And I am fairly sure you cannot simply walk around with a metal detector and start digging there. Christian
Well not there, sure. But I mean anywhere. There's plently of civil war battlefields (or places with a skirmish or something) that are just part of farms and fields. 40cm is just shy of 16 inches. A decent metal detector could detect 20 coins at that depth. It's conceivable that I could be detecting down south at farmhouse and get a good reading, start digging, and find a body that used to have the coins in their pocket.
Assuming that you use a detector (and start digging) only where it is legal, it may still be creepy to hope for a coin ... and end up with a coin in a skeleton. Have I had a chance to miss you lately? (OK, consider the question to be withdrawn. ) Christian
Grave robbing! 200+ years ago is not ancient. Pack him up with everything found and give him a proper military burial.
