CS eggshaped oval belt plate

[jpitt1970]

I found this in the early 90's on a Saturday.....the day before Easter...I got it in a heavilly md'd spot in Gainesville Va in a field that is now A huuuuuuge commercial develpment..as most of my sites are now. The construction was just into the early earthmoving stages. Half of the field was cordoned off w/ black erosion control fencing & being left alone because they were waiting (for many years) to have a burial plot from the original farm to be moved..One day somebody screwed up & ran the bulldozer through the fencing & plowed a spot as wide as the blade & only about 4 inches deep then backed up. we all of a sudden started finding sharps tie ring bullets all over in about a 10 foot square..over 200 between my buddy Dave Beveridge & I.. I often wonder if Dave is on here, havent heard from him in years...anyway, we started finding pack rivets & buttons and other stuff and more and more tie rings. Another buddy walking to the site (detector off) picks up an Austrian 4 sided bayonnete just sticking out of the freshly piled dirt, which last I saw him was actually being used on his reenacting rifle, since it cleaned up so well!!! Since we were all of a sudden finding stuff after everyone had all but given up & went elsewhere, we hit the area with weedeaters & lawnmowers...it was a hayfield & the hay was close to 4' high.. The farmhouse was used by both sides as headquarters & a hospital numerous times during both battles of Bull Run or Manassas, depending on what side you're on...and we found all kinds of union & cs stuff...When I found this plate, I saw the back first & was thinking it was just a spoon, until I dipped it in a puddle to clean it a little & saw CS!!!! I went back the next day on Easter & dug an almost perfect Eagle breast plate in a poison ivy patch that I knew obody had ventured into...I'll post that another time I could ramble on but since I went too far down the screen it is going nuts and making me crazy trying to type

[jpitt1970]

not in great shape, but really rare to dig one.. I had a guy offer me 1000 bucks 20 minutes after I dug it....also the back is engraved w/ lover's initials...I'll break it out again soon & let you guys know what the initials are, but I don't handle it very much...this was the first time in over 20 years...my relic room is in transit now because of a water problem and my friggin camera is busted...this is a scanned image..I'll get better pics later

[d2]

That is a great find!!! I have been MD'ing hard for about ten years now and found my first belt plate, here in Arkansas just last week. A U.S. plate but was in great shape and still had some leather on the back. As happy as I was I can only imagine the fit I would have if it had been a CS oval. Once again that is a wonderful find...d2

[allen]

that is a once in a lifetime find !!
totally awesome !

[Tank69]

cool find

[Bradley137]

Great story. Stuff is still out there. Just gotta have a little luck.

[collector01]

great find, I would love to find one in any shape. I wish I was older so I could have hunted before all the developments. I always hunt the poison ivy Hoping no one else hunted it but never find anything.