- 6/30/2023
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FunTranscript
00:00Greetings and welcome East Hampton, Bridge Hampton,
00:29Sagaponic, Aquabog, and community. Welcome and thank you for tuning in to Cafe with Sandra Kay.
00:39October is another glorious month in the Hamptons. The fall foliage is upon us.
00:46Leaves are falling from trees and having colors of reds, yellows, browns,
00:53and we also have Halloween approaching. It's time for costumes, tricks, and or treats.
01:02Thanksgiving is abound. Pumpkins can be found galore in lattes, muffins, pies, and more.
01:12October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so please be sure to go out for screenings for
01:18early prevention. But there is no better way than to start the day with taking a nice walk,
01:27a hike, or a drive to enjoy the fall season, its colors and temperatures, and the greater outdoors.
01:37Which brings me to my very special and extraordinary guest today, Brad Boxell,
01:45Digger Brad. Brad is a professional treasure hunter. He is keenly aware of the history and
01:54the artifacts that surround the Civil War and the American Revolution. He has donated artifacts
02:01to the Francis Tavern Museum in Lower Manhattan. Brad, you are passionate, you're mesmerizing,
02:08and we're honored to have you here today. Welcome. Thank you very much, Sandra Kay, and I want to give
02:14my best wishes to all those who have breast cancer. We will beat this, and I know that we
02:18will beat this, and I wish you the best in your recovery. I'm pleased to make sure that you all
02:25have your pick ribbons on for those in your family, or friends, or other relatives, or family
02:31members. Make sure that their friends have them too. We will beat this, and I can't thank
02:36enough for Sandra Kay and the cafe with Sandra Kay to have me on today with this amazing display of
02:42artifacts, and including you too. Thank you. Brad, so I'd like to start by you telling the audience
02:48when you discovered your passion for treasure hunting. Mel Fisher. Mel Fisher is, I think,
02:58one of the greatest archaeology finds of a lifetime, and also with the greatest treasure
03:03hunter in the world of all mankind. He has found what's called the Atosia, the 1733 fleet, and also
03:11the 1715 fleet, which sank off the Florida coast of Key West, which was in a devastating storm,
03:18and a lot of times they find gold chains, gold discs, gold coins, silver bars, silver coins,
03:27and other miscellaneous items found on the ships that a lot of the people would use
03:31in their shipping time. That's amazing. So he inspired you, and I know that you
03:37like to use a term that I believe... Today's the day. Today is the day. You go out, and today
03:43is your day. Yes, yes. Tell me, tell the audience, what is it that you love about treasure hunting?
03:50Treasure hunting is actually, I think, it's one of the greatest hobbies ever. You can go on
03:57any day, as long as it's not raining, and you can find stuff that will just make you smile and make
04:03your heart come out of your chest saying, wow, I cannot believe I just found this. As you can see,
04:09the artifacts here tells it all, and doing the research is probably very cool too, I think.
04:18It also lets you learn about the people back then, how they survived, the culture, and how they
04:26lived, and how they had to come through obstacles, and dangerous weather, and dangerous situations
04:33where they could live or die. It was up to them to tell the history, and every day we go to school
04:43like our kids do, and we let them hear the history. For me, it's also about
04:49letting the kids and teachers touch the artifacts. I think it's also an inspiration for them because
04:55they're holding history that they only can look through a museum. Here you get to see and touch
05:00this. This is actual stuff that was found all around the world, including Cambridge. Cambridge
05:08was very special for me, and Cambridge is actually where... Cambridge, England. Yes, Cambridge, England,
05:18and it was where one of the biggest Roman treasures ever discovered.
05:22Okay. Fred, I know I'd like you... We'll continue more on Cambridge. You have your metal detector
05:30here. I do. Can you explain to us how that's used? Sure. We have the metal detector here.
05:39And so this is made by Minelab, which is an absolute great company.
05:48And so the minus numbers on here wouldn't be the great numbers. So say, for instance,
05:54if I have a horseshoe, it might be a minus 10 or 11. I'll dig it anyway just to check.
06:00The higher numbers, like if it's a 15 or 20, I would dig it because it could be a gold ring,
06:05or a gold earring, or a gold coin. And also, so like for silver coins, it would come at a higher
06:13number, not a lower number. So the nickels and your pull tabs and your rings are all made out
06:19of the same material. So anytime that you get a pull tab, it's a good sign that there could be a
06:23ring or a nickel nearby that somebody lost. Very cool. Well, Brad, we want to see you in action.
06:29So we have a teaser from a movie that you are in that features you.
06:34Let's go to the video and see what you do. Take a look.
07:29Wow, that is amazing. Wow. You are quite a dancer. You're quite a digger. You've got it all.
07:48That's what most people say about me. Yes. So Brad, let's talk about where you've traveled
07:55and where you've done your digs and look at some of the artifacts that you can share with us.
07:59Sure. First and foremost, I'm going to talk about Cambridge. Cambridge is a very special place in
08:11my heart. It's where I actually got my first Roman coin from England. And there is a website
08:20called Mellow Detecting Tours dot com. And you can go to England and there's people there's all
08:28over people from all over the world. And they come and they have fun. They dig with us. And
08:36on some rainy days, we might go to an arctic shop and see some stuff that you probably probably
08:42I've found and see them and see them and also a display case as well. And Cambridge is very
08:49historical, as well as the history of it, too. It is actually where the biggest one of the biggest
08:59Roman treasures ever found from England. And I have some artifacts. Sure. Let's take a look.
09:05Sure. What you brought. So this is a turd or button during Queen Elizabeth the first time
09:17at it's not your normal pants button or shirt button that you see in the type of day that we
09:24wear today. Could have been it's actually I think it's definitely part of the shirt. And you can
09:34really see the holes and everything in it. That's pretty cool. Yep. And then also I have here is a
09:40Queen Elizabeth the first shilling. But the first I'm going to show you the back of it so you can
09:46really. Yeah. Let's show it into the camera. That's amazing. And what is on there? It has her
09:55crest of her family. And sometimes what they'll do is they put the coat of arms and where it was
10:01made. And I'm actually going to flip it over. It's not really clear, but you can almost see her bust
10:10of the face. Wow. And this was about nine inches deep and a thousand a thousand yard farm in
10:21England. Fantastic. Fantastic. Yep. Now I know, Brad, you are very knowledgeable about the American
10:29Revolution and the Civil War. Yes, I am. And you brought a good deal of artifacts with you from
10:36that period. Yes, I did. So let's take a look at some of those artifacts. Okay. Well, the American
10:43Revolutionary War is very key on Long Island. The north side of Long Island would actually
10:53be loyal to the king and south side would not be loyal to the king. So a lot of times
11:01they would actually people would actually have fights about it because he was a very ruthless
11:08man and a great ambassador by one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
11:15His name was John Adams. Yes. And Congress had asked him to go over to speak to the king of England.
11:21And and if you watch the HBO series called John Adams, you actually see the actor playing John
11:31Adams talking to the king of England, King George the third. And it's very intriguing and interesting.
11:39Yes. So most of the stuff is from that time period. We actually I have some colonial coppers.
11:50Okay. They're very dark. Most of them cannot be read, but they are thin because they are coppers.
12:01And and also we have this pipe bowl, which is a tavern bowl.
12:10What they did was that this was actually made in England. Okay. Apparently, what they used to do
12:16is that there were many diseases back then at the time. So, you know, hygiene and everything was
12:21was very unforgettable and very unclean. So for people in the tavern not to get sick,
12:28they would actually break a gentleman would start to smoke it, put the tobacco and light it up.
12:34And then what they would do was that one person would break it off and then they would smoke it.
12:40And when they're done, break it off, break it off to the pipe bowl ended. And this is what the pipe
12:47bowl actually looks like. Neat. And then I'll actually kind of detail on it. Yes. Yeah. Most
12:54of the pipe bowls are half broken sometimes. But this one is really cool because you can kind of
12:58see how dark it is still. Yes. And everything. Great. And what about what is that? Is that a
13:04buckle? Yes. So this is an actual colonial shoe buckle that they would have worn on their shoes
13:10at the time of the American Revolutionary War. And most of the shoes back there were made out of
13:19leather. And so this would be a four prong leather belt on the shoe. Fabulous. What did it feel like
13:27when you found this? It made me feel amazing and beyond beyond happy. You read it in the books,
13:38but and then you go to museums. But to actually feel it and touch it is something so different
13:44for actual people to hold because it's worn during the 1700s, the time of Washington,
13:51Benjamin Franklin, Marcus de la Fayette, who was Benjamin Talmage, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin.
14:01So and so on. So this was worn during the time of those public signing of the Declaration of
14:06Independence. And that brings us back to the Francis Tavern. Yes. Yes. So tell us about what
14:11were the artifacts that you donated? I donated a two real from 1782, which was a Spanish coin.
14:21And a lot of times the Americans wanted nothing to do with the British coin. So a lot of times
14:25they would throw them out. But so you would have France and other countries from around the world
14:31donating coins to the Americans. And in Mexico, they actually made Pacific coins just for us,
14:39which is spectacular and amazing. And to find one of these coins or buckles or any of the artifacts
14:46just makes my mind think of, wow, they actually wore this and now I'm holding it in my hand.
14:51That is so cool.
14:52Oh, there we go. So this is a big piece of iron. That thing was used for something.
15:21The next process is to me for to find out what it is. I go online and then I'll try to clean it.
15:28I don't want to clean it too much and damage it because it's very old and crumble and it could be
15:34very, very fragile and it could break easily.
15:37And I don't want to do that with this type of iron because you never know.
15:40It's probably the staple from the crop, probably for the hay and stuff.
15:53Just absolutely amazing to kind of feel what they felt because I feel it. I feel it. It's
16:01pretty amazing. And those who gave up their tomorrows so we could actually have our today's
16:06famous time by my grandpa, which I have to thank him for that.
16:10Everything was sacrificed. I mean, none of this would have been able today if it wasn't for them.
16:17To me, that's an honor to have this, to have these 25 donated items here. It's an honor,
16:22really is an honor. I don't think you can get special, more special than this.
16:29Actually awesome. It's absolutely an honor to be here. It's an honor to have my father here with
16:36me. When I pulled up to one of those group relic hunts and some interesting fella come running up
16:45to me full speed, Relic Bob, Relic Bob, I have been wanting to meet you in person for years.
16:53And he stuck out his hand and we shook hands and he told me his name was Digger Brad.
16:59And since that time, Brad and I have been on a number of
17:06relic hunts together and we communicate on Facebook and messaging and call each other
17:14on the phone. And Brad has been one of the joys of the hobby. But I've thought of what,
17:22you know, the song meant. I feel it coming in, feel it in the air tonight, you know.
17:28And I felt today was the day, just like Methodist just said, but today I can feel it in the air.
17:36Very famous words by Phil Collins from a famous song.
17:42And right now I'm going to reveal
17:57what we have here. And ladies and gentlemen, we have a button.
18:13So,
18:35we did it. Today was the day. Today was the day, man. I told you, I knew you were going to come
18:40today. I'm like, the sun is going to come out. And what did I say? Today's the day. And as Phil
18:45Collins said, I can feel it in the air, but today Digger Brad is feeling it in the ground with this.
18:50And right now, Robert's going to get a close-up of me. I'm just dropping it in here. One, two, three.
18:57There it goes down in the path. Awesome sauce. Awesome, awesome sauce. This is awesome. He's
19:04awesome. I'm awesome. This detector is awesome. This whole place is awesome. Filled with history,
19:09folks. But then afterwards, everybody dances. Woo-hoo. Shaking Groovy, baby.
19:25Now I know, what do we have here? This is a Clovis spearhead. Let's talk about it.
19:32All righty. Yeah. What is a Clovis spearhead used for?
19:37These were made, actually, this is over 5,000 years old, which is rarely do people get to see
19:44stuff like this. I found this after the 1996 big snowstorm out on Long Island and found it on the
19:55beach. I'm actually going to show how it was laying on the ground. So this was laying like this.
20:01And this top part right here is where I found it. Picked it up,
20:05thought nothing of it. We took it down to the museum in South Pole, the Indian Museum.
20:13And this is actually the second oldest spearhead in Northern America.
20:19That's amazing. That is truly amazing. Yeah. And what were these used for?
20:23These used to kill big animals, like your mammoths and your other kind of animals that
20:29would live back then during the Ice Age or, you know, around time. This was actually,
20:34is from Connecticut. It was traded, actually. And so you can say that this traveled from
20:42one state to another state. Very nice. Very cool. And here it is in my hands. That's right.
20:47Fabulous. And I know, Brad, also, Culpeper, Virginia. You went on a dig in Culpeper,
20:55Virginia. I did. Can you share with us a little bit about that experience?
21:00Sure. Culpeper, Virginia, was actually, it had the biggest battle of the Civil War,
21:09called the Battle of Brandy Station. Sorry, it was the biggest cavalry battle, if I'm not mistaken.
21:14Correct. And by the guy named Jeb Stuart, who's actually related to Mary Queen Stuart of Scotland.
21:22And Robert E. Lee had asked him to do a cavalry battle. Robert E. Lee is the most famous general
21:30of the Confederacy. And he ordered Jeb Stuart to do a cavalry charge. And it was the biggest
21:37cavalry battle of the Civil War. And also, we have a place down there, there's a place on there
21:43called the Graffiti House. It was also used at the hospital during both wars, by both sides,
21:51the Confederate and Union. And it is also the place where you can see soldiers writing their
22:00names and their ranks and where they're from, if they're infantry or artillery. And they wrote it,
22:05actually, with coal. So it would stay on the thing, you stay on the wall forever,
22:10so that people can actually know who wrote it and where they're from, what states.
22:13Oh, that's amazing. Now, I know, Brad, you also dig locally.
22:18I do.
22:18And on your family farm, the Luther Moore farm.
22:24Yes.
22:25Can you speak to us a little bit about your local digs?
22:28Local digs are very cool, because also, Acobog is very old too, as well. And there's a couple
22:37of places I go every day that if I have the chance to. And it's very cool, because every
22:46time I come home with something, I always look to make sure that I have my books ready,
22:53anything that can help me figure it out, whether it's from here or another part of the world, or
23:00the exact item. And we have books that give us the military type of buttons, your artifacts,
23:09your buttons, coins, et cetera, et cetera. And so you can see that some of the books here have
23:15actually helped me through the years. And it helps me study, saying that, OK, well, this is
23:20this. And now I know exactly what I have. And it's just great, because history is history. But
23:29for me, it's always about making people feel the history and also making it look through
23:36the history people's eyes, like Washington. What were their eyes looking, seeing through them
23:41when the Battle of New York happened, or the Battle of Brandywine, or the Battle of Yorktown?
23:48So these books actually tell a lot more history than people know about them, which is really
23:53great for people to understand the history. Yes. Now, Brad, you shared something with me
23:58that I think is kind of special. You said that if there is an artifact that you have found,
24:06and someone likes it more than you do, you're going to give it to them.
24:12Yes. Can you talk to us about that? I think it's more important for them to have it, because
24:17it may change their mind of history. And sometimes you get the most beautiful smiles
24:24and the most exciting faces I've seen in a long time. And it just brightens up someone's day.
24:32And I think it's also just amazing to see their reaction of actually owning a piece that I found
24:41from anywhere in the world or local that, you know, back then history is history, but now you
24:47get to hold history in the hands and actually touch it. Great. Well, Brad, thank you so much.
24:52It's been an honor. It's been a pleasure to have you. You are mesmerizing. You're charming and
24:57enchanting. And maybe one day I'll be able to go on a dig with you. But I want to thank you very
25:02much. I want to thank LTV. I want to thank Rob Stio and everyone. It is time for Thanksgiving,
25:10so we should all be grateful and thankful. Yes. And everyone have a great day. Kisses. Love to all.
25:18Love to all, guys.
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