P.E.I. man believes he has found oldest European artifact, wants verification

After 30 years, the high-pitched squeal of the metal detector still evokes excitement forRick Barton.

The resident ofPinette, P.E.I. still gets fired upwhen he hears thesound hisheavy black metal detector makes when it locates something.

"That sound means silver or copper," said Barton, his face lighting up whenhe heard theshrill sound.

"Oh yes, and then you start digging, and you never know what it is...you never know."

Barton said he won his first metal detector in a poker game, andwas hooked. It led him to recently find a treasure trove of historic items in eastern P.E.I.

Barton said he has spent hundreds of hours on a 39-acre farm field near Lord Selkirk Park and the Belfast Highland Greens golf course. It was therehe found over 1500 items, most of whichhe believeswere used by the French before the expulsion in1753.

Historic value wins over cash

Barton's dining room table serves as a make-shift museum, covered in artifacts. He has each item carefully packaged with dates and descriptions.

Among the items are a dozen coins, with dates stamped on them as early as 1700.

He donated a coin from 1682 to the Garden of the Gulf museum.

He also has a few coins he believes werehandmade silver pieces dating back to the 1680s.The largest coin dates back to 1808.

Barton said he saw a similar one on eBay for $1,000. But he said hisgoal isn't to make money.

"My belief is that this stuff has more historical value than monetary value. I want to share this with kids in the future. I'm showing it to school groups, and I'm letting all my neighbours and friends and people who want to see it, see it."

Oldest P.E.I. artifact?

For children, the favourite artifacts aretwo seven-pound iron cannon balls, about the size of bowling balls. Barton said hebelieves those date back to the beginning of the Acadian Expulsion in the 1750s.

Barton said hisfavourite item isn't the flashiest, but it could be the oldest.It's a handmade silver brooch the size of a quarter, that he believes dates back to the 1400s.

"I believe it to be the oldest European item ever to be found on P.E.I. It belongs in a museum ... I've talked to ajewellerand he believes it's old, it's not a fake ... it could be anheirloom, but who would passthat down 500 years?"

Barton said he has a theory as to how the antique item could have appeared 300 years before the first European settlers.

The Prince Henry Sinclair Society of North America believe Prince HenrySinclair left Scotland andlanded atChedabucto Bay, Nova Scotia in 1398.Barton said hebelieves thetravellersmay have left it behind, after replenished their water supply at a natural spring nearLord Selkirk Park.

The Island'sprovincialarchaeologistshave taken photos of all of Barton's artifacts, but they haven't dated them.

That could be coming soon though.

Barton said herecently sent a request to the Royal Ontario Museum to verify the age of some of the oldest items.

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