bonepicker
Bronze Member
W.B.CO. SUPERFINE GOLD PLATE Infantry Button, Sharps, & possible Dragoons rifle lead
My relic hunting buddy called me yest with no notice, and asked if i wanted to go hunt an area we scouted last fall.
At the end of that last scouting trip we happened upon a Sharps round and a few smaller cal. minnie balls.
We wanted to go back to this area sooner, but hunting season was just around the corner, and we were asked to wait until hunting season was over before we could go back.
I dont get a chance to hunt CW very often, so needless to say i was en route and making double time.
So yesterday was our first time to get back in there since last fall. Surprisingly the woods had thinned out quite a bit, which worked to our advantage.
We didnt have alot of time after a long drive and a 1/2 mile trek through some areas with thick underbrush, so we headed straight to where we had found the lead last fall.
First couple digs were melted lead and a broken skeleton key, then 50 feet away another broken key. If those keys could talk.
Then i dig a shotgun shell beside a tree. I went around the tree and 5 feet away i get another shotgun shell hit with the deus, but this one wasnt a shotgun shell.
It turned out to be a Union Infantry button with W.B.CO. SUPERFINE GOLD PLATE Backmark about 7 inches down. Guess thats why you gotta dig those shotgun shells.
Havent had a chance to ID the button yet, but i would love some help. It looks to have an unusually large I in the shield.
Not far away i dig a small conical bullet with a solid base. It kind of looks like a baby sharps. It measures .44 x .74". Not sure if it is 1 ring or 2 rings, but it kind of looks like it could be from a colt dragoons later model rifle. #80 page 26 of the M&M book.
No far away i dig some more melted lead and then a sharps round, which is my second sharps. I love those, and they are rare for us to dig. The sharps measures .52 x 96" on my cheap set of calipers.
I think the closest match in the m&m book for the sharps would be #180 page 34.
After the sharps i dug a little more melted lead and a few fired roundballs.
We wanted to stay longer, but it was getting dark, and we still had to hike out, so we had to leave while we could still see a little bit.
So we were intially thinking we had discovered a possible small cavalry campsite near where we believe a few older houses once stood, mostly because of the small caliber rifle bullets; however, finding the Infantry button kind of throws that theory off a bit.
Hopefully we can get back in that area soon with more time to hunt, before the underbrush starts growing again.
Thanks for looking. Any help with ID's would be appreciated.
UPDATE: I just took some better pics of the button, and was able to get a little better details on the backmark.
I couldnt find the button in Alberts book, and couldnt find it in Tices book either.
I spent a little time looking at Waterbury backmarks in Tices book and found a pic of what i think my backmark is supposed to look like.
According to Tices book, the SUPERFINE GOLD PLATE W.B.CO. mark was used 1870-1890.
I could be wrong, but im starting to believe my button, bullets, etc, could be post CW era.
I hope someone can tell me more and i hope i am wrong, but due to what im reading, my site and finds could be post CW.
Please Advise.
Id like to add that the reason why i believe this could have been CW, is because we know there was CW activity in this area.
Without giving up too much info. The site is at the entrance of a main waterway, and we believe there were confederate saltworks in this area, due to google imagery.
Thanks again.
My relic hunting buddy called me yest with no notice, and asked if i wanted to go hunt an area we scouted last fall.
At the end of that last scouting trip we happened upon a Sharps round and a few smaller cal. minnie balls.
We wanted to go back to this area sooner, but hunting season was just around the corner, and we were asked to wait until hunting season was over before we could go back.
I dont get a chance to hunt CW very often, so needless to say i was en route and making double time.
So yesterday was our first time to get back in there since last fall. Surprisingly the woods had thinned out quite a bit, which worked to our advantage.
We didnt have alot of time after a long drive and a 1/2 mile trek through some areas with thick underbrush, so we headed straight to where we had found the lead last fall.
First couple digs were melted lead and a broken skeleton key, then 50 feet away another broken key. If those keys could talk.
Then i dig a shotgun shell beside a tree. I went around the tree and 5 feet away i get another shotgun shell hit with the deus, but this one wasnt a shotgun shell.
It turned out to be a Union Infantry button with W.B.CO. SUPERFINE GOLD PLATE Backmark about 7 inches down. Guess thats why you gotta dig those shotgun shells.
Havent had a chance to ID the button yet, but i would love some help. It looks to have an unusually large I in the shield.
Not far away i dig a small conical bullet with a solid base. It kind of looks like a baby sharps. It measures .44 x .74". Not sure if it is 1 ring or 2 rings, but it kind of looks like it could be from a colt dragoons later model rifle. #80 page 26 of the M&M book.
No far away i dig some more melted lead and then a sharps round, which is my second sharps. I love those, and they are rare for us to dig. The sharps measures .52 x 96" on my cheap set of calipers.
I think the closest match in the m&m book for the sharps would be #180 page 34.
After the sharps i dug a little more melted lead and a few fired roundballs.
We wanted to stay longer, but it was getting dark, and we still had to hike out, so we had to leave while we could still see a little bit.
So we were intially thinking we had discovered a possible small cavalry campsite near where we believe a few older houses once stood, mostly because of the small caliber rifle bullets; however, finding the Infantry button kind of throws that theory off a bit.
Hopefully we can get back in that area soon with more time to hunt, before the underbrush starts growing again.
Thanks for looking. Any help with ID's would be appreciated.
UPDATE: I just took some better pics of the button, and was able to get a little better details on the backmark.
I couldnt find the button in Alberts book, and couldnt find it in Tices book either.
I spent a little time looking at Waterbury backmarks in Tices book and found a pic of what i think my backmark is supposed to look like.
According to Tices book, the SUPERFINE GOLD PLATE W.B.CO. mark was used 1870-1890.
I could be wrong, but im starting to believe my button, bullets, etc, could be post CW era.
I hope someone can tell me more and i hope i am wrong, but due to what im reading, my site and finds could be post CW.
Please Advise.
Id like to add that the reason why i believe this could have been CW, is because we know there was CW activity in this area.
Without giving up too much info. The site is at the entrance of a main waterway, and we believe there were confederate saltworks in this area, due to google imagery.
Thanks again.
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