IMAUDIGGER
Silver Member
- Mar 16, 2016
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Awhile back I found something that looked like a large concho....I posted it up here to try and identify it....
meanwhile I found another similiar looking item that was stamped W. Taussig, San Fransisco.
I posted it up here and a couple fellows were kind enough to identify both pieces as being broken centers of two piece sash buckles (tongue and wreath). All of the information provided just fueled the drive to find some of these buckles that were manufactured soley to market to the California gold rush miners of the 1850's.
I focused mentally on finding a buckle and within a couple weeks I was rewarded with a Taussig.Pollack & Co. buckle (minus wreath).
I have been detecting around old California mining areas for many years and never found a buckle, yet in a span of a couple weeks I had found 3 different halves (two broken)!
I have returned to this location several times in an effort to find the missing wreath. Chances are it's laying around somewhere - but it's kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Yesterday I cut out a couple pieces of brush that were hanging over an old mining ditch about 20 feet from where I found the other buckle. I swung the detector coil over the area and got a broad signal that registered 77 on my detector's display. I carefully dug down about 10" with my Eastwing rock hammer. I knew there was a small chance that this might be the missing wreath. So I excavated a rectangular trench around the target, leaving a mound of dirt in the middle....once I knew I was close, I popped out the mound and out rolled ANOTHER center of a two piece sash buckle! Unbelievable! Now I have doubled the odds of finding the missing wreath!
It is in perfect condition. Difficult to read in the picture because It has only been lightly rinsed off. I am waiting to fully clean it until I find the other half, so I can ensure they have a similar appearance.
The size, shape, and design appeared to be exactly the same as the Taussig.Pollack & Co. buckle I found earlier. It made me wonder if it was a "re-brand" and if so, which company was actually making the buckles...Taussig or Cohen? Did Cohen buy out Taussig/Pollack and use their dies? So I took a photo of each buckle and layed them over the top of each other.
The differences between the buckles became apparent. One thing for sure, one of the two companies was copying the other.
I did a little research on M. Cohen and Brother buckles and only came up with a couple hits, mostly leading to TNET. Not much info out there.
There was a Max Cohen doing business as M. Cohen and Brother in New York in 1911. I am wondering who the brother was.
Any information people can provide would be great, especially from you California relic guys that are knowledgeable about these buckles!
meanwhile I found another similiar looking item that was stamped W. Taussig, San Fransisco.
I posted it up here and a couple fellows were kind enough to identify both pieces as being broken centers of two piece sash buckles (tongue and wreath). All of the information provided just fueled the drive to find some of these buckles that were manufactured soley to market to the California gold rush miners of the 1850's.
I focused mentally on finding a buckle and within a couple weeks I was rewarded with a Taussig.Pollack & Co. buckle (minus wreath).
I have been detecting around old California mining areas for many years and never found a buckle, yet in a span of a couple weeks I had found 3 different halves (two broken)!
I have returned to this location several times in an effort to find the missing wreath. Chances are it's laying around somewhere - but it's kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Yesterday I cut out a couple pieces of brush that were hanging over an old mining ditch about 20 feet from where I found the other buckle. I swung the detector coil over the area and got a broad signal that registered 77 on my detector's display. I carefully dug down about 10" with my Eastwing rock hammer. I knew there was a small chance that this might be the missing wreath. So I excavated a rectangular trench around the target, leaving a mound of dirt in the middle....once I knew I was close, I popped out the mound and out rolled ANOTHER center of a two piece sash buckle! Unbelievable! Now I have doubled the odds of finding the missing wreath!
It is in perfect condition. Difficult to read in the picture because It has only been lightly rinsed off. I am waiting to fully clean it until I find the other half, so I can ensure they have a similar appearance.
The size, shape, and design appeared to be exactly the same as the Taussig.Pollack & Co. buckle I found earlier. It made me wonder if it was a "re-brand" and if so, which company was actually making the buckles...Taussig or Cohen? Did Cohen buy out Taussig/Pollack and use their dies? So I took a photo of each buckle and layed them over the top of each other.
The differences between the buckles became apparent. One thing for sure, one of the two companies was copying the other.
I did a little research on M. Cohen and Brother buckles and only came up with a couple hits, mostly leading to TNET. Not much info out there.
There was a Max Cohen doing business as M. Cohen and Brother in New York in 1911. I am wondering who the brother was.
Any information people can provide would be great, especially from you California relic guys that are knowledgeable about these buckles!
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