NEW SITES: CIVIL WAR NAVY TONGUE AND Ultra Rare Late War EUREKA Shell Sabot!

{Sentinel} · Feb 12, 2012

Hey Guys, I'm back with my latest finds from my last outings! I got out last week after a week of no digging and was finally free to spend a few hours digging til my hearts content. It started out slow $:-\$ at a couple reserve sites that always produce a few relics but it was slow......just a couple of bullets. Went to scout a new site that ended up being a bust, nothing much there....then I ended the day at a new site that I've had my eye on that finally got cleared. I had had some good luck in the adjoining property with a lot of Civil War Military buttons, a bunch of bullets and coins....When I first got to this new spot I wasn't holding my breath but I had a feeling there would be a few Civil War relics in there....the first couple of signals were can slaw and then a button signal! Out popped an Eagle button, then a few minutes later another but then followed by 3 cans :/ Then I got another very strong, loud signal and I thought to myself "well mine as well dig this can up too so that I can clear out the trash". I popped the plug and scooped out some dirt, then took another scoop and was about to take a third when I quickly glanced to my dirt pile to see if the target had popped out yet and there, laying UPSIDE DOWN, was a TONGUE to a tongue and wreath buckle!! My adrenaline was going at this point because I didn't know what kind it was, so I held my breath and flipped it over and gingerly removed some dirt away. That always-hoping "C.S." didn't pop out but a beautiful BIG eagle did! Although it wasn't a C.S., it was another hard to find Tongue: watch it below. Other than a bend to it, it is complete and intact! *I've actually already worked my magic on it and straightened it for the display case.

ALSO, I found an artillery sabot that was unlike any I've seen or dug over the years but knew it had to be Civil War by the make and all the Civil War relics that I had dug from this site. When I got home I contacted a friend I know, Jack Melton, who runs an artillery site as I had a suspicion it was a rare find. Well after a couple of hours he calls me back and asks if he can forward my number to a renowned artillery expert and author, Mr. John D. Bartleson, Jr. He said that it was none other than a late war (1864 field tested by Washington Artillery) Eureka Sabot and that in his 50 plus years he knows of only one other ever being recovered (that one documented in a book on CW artillery) and of the two, mine was in much better shape and went on to say about my attached photos of the Eureka Sabot that "The attached early model is pretty rare. On a scale of 1 - 10, a ten being rarest, it is a 10." In fact, he has asked that I send some photos so that he can sketch it for an upcoming book as it is the best example of a Eureka Sabot he has seen....I knew it was rare when I dug it, but not quite that rare.

Finally, I teamed up with a friend of mine Wes, and we went and dug a new field site and we ended up digging some Buttons, I got a 1820 Large Cent and he found a very well preserved 1857 Flying Eagle as well so here's the lot thanks for lookin :