Louisiana 14th Infantry Officers Buckle. My very best find.

dg39

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Mar 30, 2006
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Deep in the swamps of Louisiana..
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I usually hang around the what is it thread more than any other, but I have been meaning to post this for some time and have not had the chance nor time to do so. I found this little gem about four years ago while digging near a battle site in south Louisiana. I really don't want to tell where because I still find things and it is on private land. From what I can determine from talking with relic hunters and friends it is very rare. It is cast metal rather than brass. At one time it was probably gold gilded. To top it off on the back is engraved: Louisiana-- 14 Infantry--1863.
Also where it was found the 14th did not fight, so it could have been from the uniform of a soldier who was on furlow or who had been transfered to another unit. I put a bit of chalk in the engraving to show it off. It was found about 6 to 8 inches down with my White's 6000 DI Pro.
My legs were so weak I just sat down in a mud puddle and looked at it for about what seemed to be a half hour. I was by my self so I had to wait till I got back to civilization to show it off.
You don't see these too often so enjoy. I really would like to get an idea on its worth. I've seen a lot of figures low to quite high. Several near $5000.00.
DG
 

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Upvote 0

Noodle

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Jul 20, 2005
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Wow, that's a treasure, dg. I've never seen one before. Good find! Hang onto that site.

- Noodle
 

OP
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dg39

dg39

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Mar 30, 2006
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Deep in the swamps of Louisiana..
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cryptodave said:
WOW! :o :o :o
WOW!!!! :o :o :o :o :o

AWESOME FIND!

Question... Did that all come up at one time, or was it seperate when you dug it out of the same hole?
It was encrusted in clay. I did not find out it was engraved untill I had started cleaning the back and saw the 1863, the the rest cleaned up. Really it was almost together, like the belt had been dropped.
DG
 

CRUSADER

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May 25, 2007
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The bird must be from the famous myth:

Although someone will have to remind me what bird it is?

The myth goes like this:

The young were so starving that the mother feed its own breast meat to keep them alive.
 

d2

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Mar 18, 2005
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Great find. Beautiful...d2
 

River Rat

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Dang, Noodle beat me to the answer.

W :o W!!! What a find!! Now, I'm gonna have to do some research to see if the 14th Infantry was in my neck of the woods. I have a feeling to where it was found.

;) RR
 

River Rat

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Fossis, I didn't find it...wish I did. This belongs to DG...a lucky guy indeed.

;) RR
 

R

RUDY2003

Guest
Holy crap dg, thats incredible. Findin both pieces together is rare too....
Great find.....

Keep safe...
 

artemis moon

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Jun 1, 2007
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Oh, Man, that is a beauty!!! I love to think of who lost it and how it was lost. Maybe it belonged to a soldier home on furlow who lost his buckle during a romantic interlude with his sweetie. ;) Just daydreaming, but I really hope that it was lost during a pleasurable activity.
 

bearbqd

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Jun 20, 2007
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Oh wow, what a spectacular find. Both halves and center piece intact too. Outstanding!! What a rare piece.
 

Leon

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Jul 2, 2004
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Wow!,,, Very nice find, Congrats!!!
I wouldn't have a clue as to it's value, but from the looks of the condition it's in, and with the engraving on the back, I would think, it would at least be worth a pretty penny... You want a new one, or an old one for it? ;D
Continued Good luck, & Happy hunting~
 

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dg39

dg39

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Mar 30, 2006
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Deep in the swamps of Louisiana..
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McSancho said:
uh oh. I hate to always be the one with bad news, but I suggest that you also send a picture of that one to North South Trader.See what they have to say. I will reserve my complete opinion, but they are experts and I would like to see what they think.
I let the pictures speak for themselves. Its just a display piece anyway and will not go on
the market.
:D
 

MonkeyBoy

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Feb 6, 2006
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McSancho said:
well, that is wonderful and I commend your efforts at sharing history.I know an awful lot about militaria of this era, and there are several red flags on this piece. The engraving unfortunately stands at the top of this list.There are a number of forgeries of this ilk currently being published in the top civil war collectors and historians magazines, and all have that same engraving and always a conspicuous date of '62, '63, or '64.North South Trader are some of the pre-eminent authorities in the field and would not appraise for value, just authenticity.I know that as a museum director in the business of education that you want to present authentic artifacts to the public, and I would hate for someone to see one of these at an antique store or flea market and to buy it for several hundred dollars thinking that they are getting the deal of a lifetime, and in actuality getting taken. It is very possible that someone buried it in an area with the intention of aging it, etc., but I deal with alot of this stuff, and I will go on record as saying that I absolutely question its' authenticity.
Sorry for the bad news, I really am, but wishing doesn't make it so. I just want to stand up for authenticity and accuracy regarding our common history and artifacts of the war.send a picture to Steve Sylvia at North South Trader's Civil War, the e-mail is "[email protected]" ,be specific in the subject line and include your phone number in the body of the message.If they say it is real, I will be the first to apologize and congratulate you. It is free, so what have you to lose? Just clear up the controversy and let's find out exactly what is going on.

I second all of this... while there were cast locals.. the combo of it being cast and engraved sends up warning flags. There are just soooo many fakes out there I would want to make sure and have it checked by a reliable source. I fully understand you are not going to sell it... I am the same way.. I have never sold anything nor do I plan to.. but the next person who gets it may not feel the same way... to me.. it is just as important to have it verified as it is to tag it with date and location of where it was found... so the person who ends up with it knows something about it...

Just my thought on the matter... not accusing you of anything or questioning your honesty... Years ago my Father dug a SC two piece and we all went through the same thing..

MonkeyBoy
 

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dg39

dg39

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Mar 30, 2006
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Deep in the swamps of Louisiana..
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Show me photo proof and I will accept it. I just know how it was found. No big deal. The only reason I posted was to show an example. If it is as you claim, someone put a LOT of work in it.
I do know I have a good friend who has a 15 by 20 foot room in his house full of relics and has been digging since the late 1950's. He assured me it was probably real. He has found rifle tampon in the field with initials and company scratched on it and even traced down a picture of the owner, so I trust his judgement. Down here in the center of the Red River Campaign you find a lot of unbelieveable relics. Oh, and this was found about 7 years ago, also.
DG
 

outraged

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Apr 14, 2007
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dg39 said:
He has found rifle tampon in the field with initials and company scratched on it , also.
DG


Um what exactly is that??? And PLEASE omg PLEASE DO NOT POST A PIC hehe.
 

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