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United Kingdom Detector Finds Database Newsletter - Issue Number 1 - January 2007
BORROWED 
 times
SEARCHING for a SOLUTION
The exciting news is that the UKDFDhasforged an alliance withThe Searcher magazine to feature some of the moreinteresting finds from the database.
John Winter (that’s me - your editor!)will be writing a regular column and I havealready contacted several members askingfor permission to use their artefacts. Indeed,I would like to take this opportunity topublicly thank all those who replied in apositive way by providing additional detailson the items for me to showcase in thisexciting new venture.Because of restrictions on space in themagazine, I cannot guarantee that all of mycopy will be used. We will just have to waitand see - some items may be carried over tothe next month.The first column should appear in theApril edition of The Searcher, available inthe first week of March 2007. Seems a longtime, doesn’t it? Can’t wait!The method of choosing items forinclusion in the first article was not veryscientific. I simply took a look in thedatabase, selecting those that were bothinteresting and accompanied by a decentpicture.Good quality images are so importantfor database records, especially if youintend to publish and I didn’t want to spendtime having to commission betterphotographs. Submitting decent pictures isone of the ways in which recorders can helpUKDFD and will remain as part of myselection criteria.The zoomorphic terminal shown in thepicture - number4199on the database - wasrecorded by Paul Linford, perhaps betterknown as Steptoe’s Dad. It also won theUKDN
Find of the Month
competition.This fascinating object has caused muchspeculation being described as;
a thing of beauty; a Celtic mount; a firedog finial
andeven
a decorative handle.
UKDFD
Clearly, apart from being a zoomorphicterminal, no one knows exactly what itsfunction was.Yes, an intriguing artefact and worthyof further research. See a fuller report in thefirst Searcher article available in March.The regular column will be called
  ,
a rathersnappy, meaningful and clever title dreamedup by the man-with-the-hat, Mr Gary Brun.So you can blame him!
 Editor 
UKDFD . . . just for the record 
Just Messing Aboutin the River
Debonair
 
aquanaut, hoard hunter andaccomplished detectorist Gordon Heritagewas all agog to find that one of his finds hadbeen selected to feature in the first Searcherarticle.No he wasn’t. I just made that up. Hewas just pleased to help a struggling hack with a deadline.For one of his most interesting andrecent river finds you will have buy, steal or just flick surreptitiously through a copy of The Searcher in your local branch of WHSmiths.Those of you who are curious and can’twait, can get a preview by checking outrecord number3839on the UKDFD.
Gordon Heritage
Rod Blunt, one of UKDFD’s greatestassets, works tirelessly identifying finds,giving advice and generally helping theforum run smoothly and efficiently.Unfortunately he is spending a lot of histime these days sorting out pictures of finds,in an attempt at making them suitable forpublication on the database - time that couldbe spent more productively.
GENERAL
Please make his job easier by reading allthe guidelines and image-making tips on ourwebsite. One way you can help, especially if you have any doubts about the eligibility of a find or the quality of an image, is byposting it on the forum first. The advicegiven will indicate whether it is suitable foruploading to be recorded . . . or not as thecase might be.
IMAGES
There is a vast range of image sizesbeing uploaded to the database - from lessthan 10KB to several megabytes.
Neither of these extremes are acceptable.
Typicallythe JPEG file size should be between 50 and100KB.Do make sure that images are in focusand the right way up and upload the obverse(head) side of a coin as the first image andthe reverse as the second image - byconvention the obverse is shown on the left.Avoid harsh shadows and fill the framewith the image. Superfluous backgroundmakes browsing by thumbnails impossible.Rod reminds you to upload enoughimages for a complete interpretation of yourfind . . . the more the better.Something a lot of posters do is toinclude a contemporary coin as a sizeindicator. Please do not do this for they may
Help Make MyJob Easier!
not be familiar in a 100 years time.Don’t include time or date stamps onyour images and if you use Blu-Tack makesure that it is out of shot.Please take care to use a suitablebackground. Avoid hands, prominentcolours and harsh patterns.
WRITTEN DATA
Please measure items accurately anddon't guess sizes. The difference in sizebetween a medieval penny and halfpenny istypically about 3mm, and their designs maybe very similar.Give full size information, not justlength, for example.Take a look at similar records whenuploading and use them as a guide forcompleting the fields on your own.Note that records will not be acceptablewithout a valid entry in the hidden ‘Parish’field.
 
Page 2
Isn’t it great in the Summer when theweather is fine, the crops have beenharvested and there is detecting landaplenty? Being out in the sun all day youmay have been rewarded with little in theway of finds . . . but you are rewarded witha Ronseal dark oak satin-finish neck tan.Can’t be all bad, eh?Soon those balmy Summer days are overand the detecting land is no longeravailable. What can you do to allay thosewithdrawal symptoms? Recording thosebetter bits and pieces is an idea, goodpractice and adds a new dimension to yourhobby - so let’s take look at thebenefits.
Benefits to the Detectorist
Recording can be done in those dark Winter months when the weather isunsuitable for detecting or when land isunavailable and provides a means of obtaining a quick and independentidentification of your finds.The advantage for many is that it can allbe accomplished by sitting in front of yourcomputer, thus eliminating the need totravel or part with finds in order to obtainan identification.
BENEFITS
eoof rcrding
eoof rcrding
with the UKDFD
You have an opportunity to learn aboutyour finds and the related history as well asinteraction with other hobbyists. And thereis a great deal of satisfaction knowing thatyou have participated in the identificationprocess.Did you know that a personal gallery iscreated in your name as soon as you startrecording? You also have the facility to printand retain hard-copy records of your finds. Imake it my business to print out the detailsof all my records and present them to thelandowner. Details, with picture, look veryattractive on the A4 page.
(see opposite)
Benefits to the Hobby
By recording, you personally show thatthe hobby is making a positive contributionto knowledge and our understanding of thepast. You also demonstrate that you areinterested in and recognise the historicalsignificance of your finds, so helping tocounter anti-hobby propaganda.Being a hobby-led initiative, UKDFDaddresses the needs and concerns of alldetectorists.
Benefits to the Public
UKDFD is accessible to all and providesa free search facility for academics and thegeneral public. The information containedwithin the database is also being preservedfor future generations.So, that is the benefit of recording yourfinds on the UKDFD.As part of the UKDFD policy of continualimprovement, we are pleased to announcethat there is now a dedicated facility thatenables users to print individual records in a‘Certificate Style’ hard copy format.The aim has been to produce anattractive layout, which, in almost all cases,will fit on to a single A4 page. The printedrecord will show all the related images, andthe user will be able to choose one of themfor display at an enlarged size.We believe this facility will be of particular interest to our recorders, whomay wish to keep a separate offline recordof all their finds.In order to use the facility, simply click ‘Print View’ on the blue bar below theheader block and choose ‘Print’ from thebrowser ‘File’ menu.
Gordon Heritage
Certificate Style Hard Copy
 
EXAMPLE
COMPETITION
This rather blurred photograph shows one of the UKDFD team making friends with asheep - or is it a nanny goat? Okay, it wastaken a few years ago, but can you guesswho it is? There are no prizes in thiscompetition, just accolades in the nextnewsletter for being such a good detective.Contact the editor with your answer!
UKDFDSECURITY
UKDFD is fortunate in having a coupleof experienced technical bods slaving awayin the engine room who have stopped mostof these unwelcome guests.The database has been built with thedetectorist in mind and we assure you thatyour records are safe. Not only are therecords and validations of the highestquality, but they are backed up every dayand ‘hard copies’ are also taken on variousAdmin computers.Some of the improvements are‘invisible.’ For example, the structure of thedatabase has been simplified and nowcategorises more and more classes of artefact, so that people know exactly whereto look to find the information they seek.The simple interface that the user sees whenentering the UKDFD database has just twosections (Coins & Artefacts), which are
You may or may not be aware, butdetecting fora are being inundated on adaily basis with new registrations.Unfortunately, a lot of these new‘members’ are not legitimate and areadvertising - in the main - porn and pillsites.
split into 9 and 7 categories, respectively.Because it is so simple to browse, usersmay be unaware that there are nearly 200classes of find that are separatelycategorised at lower levels, but everyrecord on the database can be displayed onthe screen within 3 mouse-clicks. Thisstructure is being continually developed asthe number and variety of finds recordedincreases.We have recently started addingreference information to our website, andto date have sections onThimbles, Galley  Halfpence andButton makers’ backmarks.The last of these is probably the mostcomprehensive listing of British marks onthe Internet, and we want to develop thiseven further. If you have any buttons withmakers’ backmarks that are not included inthe list, we would be very pleased if youwould post images on the forum. Rod isadding info to the master list on anongoing basis, and we will periodicallyupload the updated record to our website.We will be adding other referenceinformation to our website during the NewYear.
continued on page 3
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