Fleur-de-lis Rosette, Gilt Infantry Overcoat, Flat Iron Trivet, and more...

[OutdoorAdv]

Its been a very slow year for me detecting and it had been about 5 weeks since I last went detecting. But, I was able to get out for a bit last week totaling about 16 hours in the field. It was HOT and slow going with lots of bugs! However, I did end up with some really cool items, my favorites being an interesting Fleur-de-lis and crown lead rosette, and a huge infantry overcoat button with a lot of gilt left. I also got a complete iron shoe buckle frame and an interesting (very small) flat iron trivet (stand).

The non-ferrous: (shoe buckle and trivet included)



The ferrous:



I'm calling this a rosette because it has 3 loops on the back where it looks like it was sewn onto something. I believe its lead based on its patina and weight, but it has some flaking so I suppose it could be a pewter alloy with a higher lead content? It has a Fleur-de-lis with 4 stars (*edit: not stars, but 4 smaller Fleur de lis) and a crown on top. I'm open to input on what it might be or what it might mean.



This is my first overcoat button and my nicest CW era button. It has a lot of gilt left and cleaned up nicely. The backmark is "D. EVANS & CO. *ATTLEBORO MASS*"



I've dug a few iron frame fragments and iron chapes and tongues... I've preserved complete iron shoe buckles for friends, but I hadnt found a complete iron frame myself. So I was pretty pleased to get this one. It's solid and preserved very nice.



This flat iron trivet was something I didn't even know existed. Its tiny and apparently a stand for a very small flat iron. It crossed my mind when I pulled it from the dirt, that it looked like a flat iron associated item, but I figured it was way too small. Thanks to my friend Ahab8 for the proper ID of it and to my friend Bill D. for the proper (trivet) terminology. Love digging things I didn't know existed and learning about them.



Would love some more info on this all iron hammer with a chisel end. There is a similar one on the Crouch book, in the artillery section, however I believe this one was just used around the house. Maybe a mason hammer, farrier hammer or blacksmith hammer... or just a tack hammer! Anyway I thought it was really cool and preserved nicely.



You guys can laugh at me for this, but I did glue this horrendous rattail spoon back together... had it not had a sweet rattail on it, I would have chucked these pewter bits into the junk pile. It came out of the dirt in 3 pieces. I wanted to practice putting it back together for my next-awesome-yet-to-be-dug pewter item that needs assembly So I coated them in Elmers, tacked them with super glue, and filled in the cracks with epoxy. Happy with that technique.



Hand forged felling axe, with a stamp of "Cannon" on the head. My friend Z.K. sent me the book "American Axes" that has a list of makers. Unfortunately I don't see a maker listed for "Cannon". Complete axe heads are some of my favorite iron relics to preserve.



Cool mortise lock with a copper or brass lock plate. I like preserving mixed material items, but I've yet to find a material to keep the copper or brass from being exposed to electrolysis, so I can retain its patina. I tried Vaseline on this one, but the heat in the electrolyte melted it away in an hour! I've tried wax and tape in the past... I'll think of something else to try next time.



Hand forged fireplace shovel I wish it was complete... but this is a household item I would consider more personal, since it had a use in daily life. The bracket is hand forged and riveted. Neat piece and preserved nicely.



In the non-ferrous group shot there is a small, round tin. When I shook it, I sounded like fluid was inside. I had been wondering what was in there for the last 5 days, but I wanted to finish electrolysis and take my pictures for this post, before I destroyed it! So after photos yesterday, I carefully opened it... no gold coins and diamonds in there... just nasty water. BUT there was a surprise, because the tin was lettered. It says "Silver Gem -One Cent- Chewing Gum" and I added a non-dug online example.



Close up's of the non-ferrous






... And the trash and iron. There is a 3 foot, 6 inch strap hinge at the top with a clinched rose head and hand forged nuts and bolts.



Thank for looking and happy hunting everyone.

 

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[villagenut]

looks like you have an old hammer head in your trash pile. It could be an old forged piece, I would clean it rather than chuck it.

 

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[Kurios1]

The amount of way cool and interesting finds in your post would keep me very content if stretched out over the next two or three seasons. Un believable haul of top shelf goodies. Well done coming out of moth balls for this huge score.

 

[pepperj]

Nice saves on the button, hammer and trivet. The watch winders had a steel end on them for strength as the soft or hardened brass would wear out sooner. The one flat piece is a trivet also I believe as the three knobs would keep it raised off the surface.
I look at your iron and I feel so bloody guilty of all the iron in containers thats for future processing when time will allow.
Really enjoyed the post, had the aching legs up on the desk and read through the replies. Another great post, and preservation show of some history.

 

[metalev4]

Your restoration skills are very impressive. The iron looks amazing. Congrats on the I button, those overcoats are awesome and usually heavily gilted. That one is a stunner. Also love the watch key, one of my favorite things to find. Slow season....you totally redeemed yourself.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

looks like you have an old hammer head in your trash pile. It could be an old forged piece, I would clean it rather than chuck it.

Thanks a ton villagenut

NICE Catch on the hammer! I was really excited about that hammer head when I dug it. I zapped it with the rest of the items, however it looked more modern, so I didn't include it in the post. I would guess 1900's perhaps? There is a makers mark stamped in it (circled in red, bottom left picture) that looks like "??MB" It had a wood handle and a iron wedge.



Here it is next to one I found last year that I believe is forged and older... 1800's maybe. The head is skinnier and round, and the claws have much more of an angle to them.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

The amount of way cool and interesting finds in your post would keep me very content if stretched out over the next two or three seasons. Un believable haul of top shelf goodies. Well done coming out of moth balls for this huge score.

Thank you Kurios1, I really appreciate it! Felt great to get back out there.

Nice saves on the button, hammer and trivet. The watch winders had a steel end on them for strength as the soft or hardened brass would wear out sooner. The one flat piece is a trivet also I believe as the three knobs would keep it raised off the surface.
I look at your iron and I feel so bloody guilty of all the iron in containers thats for future processing when time will allow.
Really enjoyed the post, had the aching legs up on the desk and read through the replies. Another great post, and preservation show of some history.

Thanks a ton for that winder info man. I had posted a picture a couple pages back with my theory on an iron tip. Great to hear that is the case. I'm tripping over boxes and 5 gallon buckets of iron with Sharpe scribble of site names, in my garage. Most of the "good" stuff I processed already, but there is still a ton (possibly literally haha) of iron left. It'll probably get scrapped\recycled after another sorting. Then there's the boxes of processed iron that I don't have room to display. So don't feel guilty, it'll be waiting for you when you're ready... and even though I preserve a lot, I'm still drowning in iron.

Your restoration skills are very impressive. The iron looks amazing. Congrats on the I button, those overcoats are awesome and usually heavily gilted. That one is a stunner. Also love the watch key, one of my favorite things to find. Slow season....you totally redeemed yourself.

Thanks a ton man My "slow season" is relative to the last few years where I was able to get out a ton. ha So its really just "slow" to me when compared to the last years where I was getting out weekly. I'm pretty sure I've replaced, fixed or redone everything at the house that can break now, so hopefully that means I get out more. haha

That button has some weight to it and its ridiculously large compared to the coat and cuff buttons. Its one of my favorites.

 

[sprailroad]

Everything that can be said, already has been, but I just had to jump in to say, that was one outstanding post Outdoor, really.

 

[Scrappy]

That hammer head is banner all the way! Looks neo-classical in design

 

[OutdoorAdv]

That hammer head is banner all the way! Looks neo-classical in design

I was thinking it looked more Lowes-hardware-section-classical I was actually fully expecting to see the stamp say "Stanley"

 

[Scrappy]

I was thinking it looked more Lowes-hardware-section-classical I was actually fully expecting to see the stamp say "Stanley"

View attachment 1464626

Totally wrong! Banner hammer! Post medieval

 

[Don in SJ]

Congratulations on a nice variety of finds! The rosette is a bit different than most I have seen found and posted, good one for sure. Not too many iron trivets dug, and getting one complete is a bonus. I am trying to remember what the signal was for mine but don't remember, I dig almost all targets at homesteads and mine came from homesteads in the woods, not a field. I have three that I found, two identical, but one of them is broken, and than a nice smaller flat sad iron sized trivet. OK, found my post for ten years ago on TNet, so I found mine quite a long time ago! http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/c...rivets-before-after-pics-added-two-irons.html I never did preserve the broken one, so perhaps I will have to go to my junk boxes and find it, I think it was complete except for a foot broken off. That one was I believe identical to the larger of the two in my post. Don

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Everything that can be said, already has been, but I just had to jump in to say, that was one outstanding post Outdoor, really.

Thank you sprailroad, I appreciate it!

Congratulations on a nice variety of finds! The rosette is a bit different than most I have seen found and posted, good one for sure. Not too many iron trivets dug, and getting one complete is a bonus. I am trying to remember what the signal was for mine but don't remember, I dig almost all targets at homesteads and mine came from homesteads in the woods, not a field. I have three that I found, two identical, but one of them is broken, and than a nice smaller flat sad iron sized trivet. OK, found my post for ten years ago on TNet, so I found mine quite a long time ago! http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/c...rivets-before-after-pics-added-two-irons.html I never did preserve the broken one, so perhaps I will have to go to my junk boxes and find it, I think it was complete except for a foot broken off. That one was I believe identical to the larger of the two in my post. Don

Thanks a ton Don. WOW... those trivets in your 10yr old post are fantastic. I can't believe I hadn't heard of these things or knew they existed until I dug this one. Those two in your post are in excellent condition too... mine broke a leg and a bit of the loop at the tip, while it was in electrolysis. Like you, I dig most targets... The Deus isn't great with the IDs, and I run mostly in 18khz, which has pros and cons, one con being that its worse at iron IDing. But that just means I dig more, and find interesting bits of iron. haha

Thanks again Don, Brad

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Great job as usual on the preservation, especially with that trivet. That's a gorgeous piece; one that has so far eluded me.

 

[Aureus]

Again, an awesome rosette! I personally don't recognise the coat of arms or the crown but as Cru said the shape bares a striking resemblance to the French type. I was wondering if it could be part of a family crest as the crown does not seem to be of a royal type. If you want i can try to put the pic at the forum in France as I'm fluent in French. There's a chance people will recognize it over there.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Again, an awesome rosette! I personally don't recognise the coat of arms or the crown but as Cru said the shape bares a striking resemblance to the French type. I was wondering if it could be part of a family crest as the crown does not seem to be of a royal type. If you want i can try to put the pic at the forum in France as I'm fluent in French. There's a chance people will recognize it over there.

Thanks a ton once again Aureus! If its not too much trouble, that would be awesome if you posted it on a French site. I'd be very interested in hearing their thoughts on it. If its a family crest, I'm sure it would be a dead end, but if not and someone recognizes the symbol, perhaps it will help date it to a more specific period.

Thank you again Aureus

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Great job as usual on the preservation, especially with that trivet. That's a gorgeous piece; one that has so far eluded me.

Thanks a ton Bill! And thank you for teaching me the proper term for the "trivet". I was calling it a "flat iron stand" and had no idea there was a proper term for it. ha Its always great to learn about new relics and find something I didn't even know was a thing. ha

 

[Steve in PA]

Thanks man... That one is NICE! You're right, its totally up my alley. Definitely post your collar iron on this thread when you get a chance.

I found this last week too, but at a more modern spot. It's much bigger than the cast one. Do you think this is a trivet as well? Its not forged or cast, but rather stamped from sheet... so I think its probably late 1800's or 1900's... cant be any older than that. This I wont preserve.

Sorry Brad, I keep forgetting to get a picture and dimensions for my collar iron.

 

[Steve in PA]

Brad, sorry it took so long to get this up, but here is the collar iron I found, or what's left of it. When I found it, there was a conglomeration of iron in the open area. I gave it to a friend to clean and he was tapping it with a hammer and apparently it all fell out. Anyway it measures 3.5 x 1.75 inches

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Brad, sorry it took so long to get this up, but here is the collar iron I found, or what's left of it. When I found it, there was a conglomeration of iron in the open area. I gave it to a friend to clean and he was tapping it with a hammer and apparently it all fell out. Anyway it measures 3.5 x 1.75 inches

That's a nice one Steve. I've only found a couple irons, but they are some of my favorite relics to dig.

 

[btjbtj]

Loved reading this post -- what GREAT stuff! Congrats and thanks for sharing. ~Lisa & John