About Ploughsoil

Ploughsoil is a find-ID reference for people who detect in Britain. It answers the question every detectorist asks at the bottom of a hole: what is this, and how old is it?

Why it exists

Good identification information exists. It is just scattered. It sits in Portable Antiquities Scheme guides, excavation reports, museum catalogues and battlefield surveys. Forum answers are quicker, but they are often guesses repeated until they sound like facts.

We pull the reliable material together, object by object, and turn it into something you can use with a set of scales and a pair of calipers.

How we work

• Sources first. Every weight, date and diameter comes from a source we have read. We list them at the end of each guide, with links.
• No invented numbers. Where we calculate something, like an ideal diameter from a weight, we show the formula and where it came from.
• Our own drawings. The illustrations on Ploughsoil are line drawings we make ourselves. If we ever use a photograph from elsewhere, it will be clearly licensed and credited.
• Record it. Every guide tells you who to report to. In England and Wales that is your local Finds Liaison Officer. In Scotland it is Treasure Trove Scotland.

Who writes it

Ploughsoil is written by the Ploughsoil team. We are independent and not connected to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, the British Museum or any detector maker.

Spotted a mistake? Tell us on the contact page. Corrections are welcome and we will fix errors.

Where to start

New to the hobby? Start with what counts as Treasure and target ID numbers explained. Got something in your pouch already? Try the musket ball size chart or hammered coin identification. Everything else is in the four drawers: Find ID, Law & permission, Getting started and Places & events.