DownNDirty
Bronze Member
It's been a couple of weeks since I posted my finds and I've been five or six times so this will cover them; sorry for the long post. I've continued to explore several thousand acres of adjoining permission (two owners) in an area settled in the 1730s/40s.
On the first hunt I worked the area around the home site where I found a paste knee buckle. After recovering a horse buckle and a plain knee buckle I dug a very interesting round stamped brass disc. At first glance I saw a left-facing eagle-interesting. After rubbing some dirt off of the front side I noticed some writing around the outer age-"Smith & Robbins/Charleston, SC."
I knew this was something different, and I could tell that it was in outstanding condition. But what was it? After I got home I cleaned it and posted pictures in the "What is it" forum
Thanks to Bramblefind I know that Smith & Robbins operated a wholesale hardware store at 313 King Street in Charleston, in the 1820s. Apparently they sold guns in addition to hardware
Other Tnetters contributed very useful info; it was looking like the object was the center disk from a "tongue and wreath" belt buckle, but that may not have been the case. Another possibility is that it was attached to a wooden object, such as a box for dueling pistols. The search for a positive id continues-please post comments if you have any ideas.
Here are all of my finds from that hunt
A return trip to the 1700s home site close by yielded a couple of flat buttons, part of the handle from a pewter spoon and a pair of sewing scissors
Next the son of the owner of the 3,000 acre adjoining tract took me to several sites he had found on the property & we detected them together. First stop was a turn-of-the century house that he had recently found in the woods. The first target I dug was a dateless buffalo nickel, which was a good sign.
I also dug this interesting-looking pin; no idea what it was used for
Then we headed to two large fields where he has found a lot of 18th century relics including a real and a couple of KGs. On the way he showed me a family cemetary in the woods close by, with three head stones of family members who lived there in the 1700s.
In the field where my friend found the coins I found a lone flat button, a couple of pieces of a bell and a brass keyhole.
The last stop involved scouting a field that had not been hunted much. As luck would have it we found the site of a structure that I'm convinced was a barn; it was loaded with big iron. The most interesting was this blacksmith-wrought plow blade that cleaned up nicely. It's a beast, weighing in at four pounds
Another interesting find was this "cleavis," which attached to the front of a plow assembly
A few days later I decided to scout a wooded area of the other owner's property. I knew that Union troops had camped in that area and also hoped to find a home site. I was not disappointed, as I located a nail bed of square nails. The hunt turned up two toe taps, which may have been from Union troops or could have been civilian. I also found a pocket knife, horse buckle, iron spoon handle and this piece from a "J. Woodward & Sons" 12 gauge shotgun
The last hunt was a return trip to the new site. Not far from the first nail bed I found the nail bed of a second 18th century structure. After digging several shotgun shells I picked up another mid-60s signal that I assumed was a shotgun shell. I almost passed it by but decided to dig it anyway; I'm glad I did. It turned out to be an 1857 flying eagle cent, most likely dropped by a Union soldier. This was my first FE cent.
Another civil war relic that I dug was the lever from the nozzle of a Union powder flask
Civilian finds from the day included a garter clasp and some sort of clip that had a pin in the back originally
Other finds were a handle from an iron ladle or large spoon and the largest harmonica reed I have ever found
Well now I'm up-to-date
Thanks for reading the long post & HH
On the first hunt I worked the area around the home site where I found a paste knee buckle. After recovering a horse buckle and a plain knee buckle I dug a very interesting round stamped brass disc. At first glance I saw a left-facing eagle-interesting. After rubbing some dirt off of the front side I noticed some writing around the outer age-"Smith & Robbins/Charleston, SC."
I knew this was something different, and I could tell that it was in outstanding condition. But what was it? After I got home I cleaned it and posted pictures in the "What is it" forum
Thanks to Bramblefind I know that Smith & Robbins operated a wholesale hardware store at 313 King Street in Charleston, in the 1820s. Apparently they sold guns in addition to hardware
Other Tnetters contributed very useful info; it was looking like the object was the center disk from a "tongue and wreath" belt buckle, but that may not have been the case. Another possibility is that it was attached to a wooden object, such as a box for dueling pistols. The search for a positive id continues-please post comments if you have any ideas.
Here are all of my finds from that hunt
A return trip to the 1700s home site close by yielded a couple of flat buttons, part of the handle from a pewter spoon and a pair of sewing scissors
Next the son of the owner of the 3,000 acre adjoining tract took me to several sites he had found on the property & we detected them together. First stop was a turn-of-the century house that he had recently found in the woods. The first target I dug was a dateless buffalo nickel, which was a good sign.
I also dug this interesting-looking pin; no idea what it was used for
Then we headed to two large fields where he has found a lot of 18th century relics including a real and a couple of KGs. On the way he showed me a family cemetary in the woods close by, with three head stones of family members who lived there in the 1700s.
In the field where my friend found the coins I found a lone flat button, a couple of pieces of a bell and a brass keyhole.
The last stop involved scouting a field that had not been hunted much. As luck would have it we found the site of a structure that I'm convinced was a barn; it was loaded with big iron. The most interesting was this blacksmith-wrought plow blade that cleaned up nicely. It's a beast, weighing in at four pounds
Another interesting find was this "cleavis," which attached to the front of a plow assembly
A few days later I decided to scout a wooded area of the other owner's property. I knew that Union troops had camped in that area and also hoped to find a home site. I was not disappointed, as I located a nail bed of square nails. The hunt turned up two toe taps, which may have been from Union troops or could have been civilian. I also found a pocket knife, horse buckle, iron spoon handle and this piece from a "J. Woodward & Sons" 12 gauge shotgun
The last hunt was a return trip to the new site. Not far from the first nail bed I found the nail bed of a second 18th century structure. After digging several shotgun shells I picked up another mid-60s signal that I assumed was a shotgun shell. I almost passed it by but decided to dig it anyway; I'm glad I did. It turned out to be an 1857 flying eagle cent, most likely dropped by a Union soldier. This was my first FE cent.
Another civil war relic that I dug was the lever from the nozzle of a Union powder flask
Civilian finds from the day included a garter clasp and some sort of clip that had a pin in the back originally
Other finds were a handle from an iron ladle or large spoon and the largest harmonica reed I have ever found
Well now I'm up-to-date
Thanks for reading the long post & HH
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I believe the scissors is a wick cutting scissors though and not for sewing.
