TRRT Scope
About TRRT:
The
Texas Relic Recovery Team was organized to locate and preserve relics
and artifacts found on local properties. We use videography to record the
discovery process and history of the property.
Who we are:
Team
members are metal detecting hobbyists with a passion for locating,
identifying and collecting objects found with their metal detectors.
(detectorists)
Every property holds items that have been lost over the years. Most
relics recovered are made of metal including coins, tokens, toys,
military insignia, buttons, jewelry, etc.
Discoveries also include pottery, marbles, ceramics and other
miscellaneous finds discovered while excavating a target.
These objects represent the history of events and residences of the
property often spanning many years. Many property owners are surprised
by how many objects are located along the pathways and grassy areas of
their property.
Often dropped and lost many years ago by a previous generation of family
members, the relics found tell us a story of the properties past use and
inhabitants.
Using state of the art detectors and retrieval tools our members take
great pride in their ability to recover a detected target with minimal
damage to the item discovered while leaving the target area in an
undisturbed condition.
When
a target is identified, the member begins by precisely pin pointing the
object detected and beginning the retrieval process.
The
retrieval of the object consists of removing the smallest amount of
sod/soil possible to extract the item without damage.
Upon
retrieval the excavated soil is them replaced and every attempt is made
to leave the area as it was prior to the excavation.
There are several retrieval techniques; however the most popular is the
cutting of a small flap or plug in the grass/soil with a knife like tool
designed for this purpose.
The
flap/plug technique provides the detectorist the ability to easily
replace the removed sod with no damage to grass roots.
While every attempt is made to cover the excavations in a manner as to
prevent its visible detection, a small amount of loose soil may be
present until the first rain and/or lawn watering.
TRRT
uses videography to document the properties history and the relics
discovered by our team members.
Depending on the age of the property or the historical significance of
the site we may also utilize a simple questionnaire worksheet to collect
relevant information to be included in our videos and displays.
We
publish our videos on YouTube and forums for the enjoyment of other
hobbyist and history buffs worldwide. Member finds are often displayed
together and loaned to local museums and libraries at the request of
local historians and librarians.
We
encourage property owners to allow us to include an interview in the
video, however this is not required.