What a relief it was! Rev War #12

Iron Patch

Gold Member
Sep 28, 2007
19,254
8,730
Dirtyville
🥇 Banner finds
3
Detector(s) used
Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I don't even know where to start with this one, it's a long time since I've been on a 4 hour high and still going - although it may be coffee buzz that has taken over now. :tongue3: There's a bit of a back story to this, but won't get too much into that as it would take too long to explain... but I did not see anything like this coming. I did my year-end post while Ironhorse was on vacation having never expected my best day was yet to come.

I recently started hunting some fields I had been taken to once before, basically feeling the statute of limitations had run out on the previous permission seekers, and also because I needed somewhere to dig! :laughing7: I had some success with a find years ago so decided to try the same spot in that particular field to see if I could repeat the success. So that was my plan, and all I had. So I get there and conditions were decent to dig but it would be corn stalks I had to deal with, but beggars can't be choosers right. I spent about an hour and a half swinging and all I had to show for it was two plain buttons... and at that point I was thinking about what would be the back up. I never text while hunting, but it was so slim I was talking to the Patriot some and wishing I was on one of his fields!

So after those 90 minutes I figured it was time to lose some coffee, but I was too close to the farmhouse so decided to make my way down the field. While on the walk I had the thought... wouldn't it be funny if this was how I dug something good, and then I could tell the Patriot how my luck hand changed and how it happened. So I walk down and do what I had to do, then started to make my way back to the site and swinging fast and not being concerned at all with overlapping swings, as I didn't believe there would me much to find lower in the field. I walk about 10 or 15 paces and get a high tone screamer, dig it up and see it's a bent piece of copper or brass, just junk... and then flip it over to see it's a belt plate! Just a plain one, but only the 2nd I've ever dug. My #1 thing to find has always been a marked one, but even this one was a day maker. Not near as nice as Kiddo's... and it looks like on top of having the bend I hit it with the shovel... but still it's a keeper.

So hitting the belt plate about mid. field that snapped me out of sticking to the iron patch and I started walking the rows, and sure enough the targets began to come out. Wasn't tons, but it seemed like the % were pretty good for what I was digging, and with a belt plate in hand I had turned things around and was having a pretty good day.

So I get home, and dug out my take for the day and start to scrape some dirt off the plate. I see it's pretty corroded so after a little thinking I decide to give it a lemon soak to clean it. Knew it would make it dark but that was ok, and it was also good just for the odd chance something was hiding below. So I drop it in the juice and move on to the other stuff and immediately see a little designed button I had noticed in the field because the back had so much gilt. I didn't think too much of it having just thrown it in with everything else, but now seeing it under better light it was more interesting. It looked like a tudor rose so I was pretty stoked I had likely found my first Rev War British Navy Lieutenants button. But then I looked closer - there was writing... no way! It's a Rev War King's American button, but the 2nd issue. When I started detecting I found a nice one and not being really into buttons at the time I sold it. Of course my interest grew tremendously, and for about the last 15 years I've wanted to find one, but turned out they are much rarer to dig here than the earlier type. About a week ago I had actually decided to try and track down the one I sold about 16 years ago to see if I could buy it back. That's how much I wanted one again, but now I don't have to!


I then go back to sorting, being on cloud 9, and paying more attention to cleaning the button well than worrying about much else. Was also texting with the Patriot and told him I had quite a surprise when I got home. I guess about 45 minutes had passed and decided to take the plate out to give it a brush, and it was coming along well with most of the green gone. Then I took a little closer look... and wait for it.... No way! There's letters on that thing! After 15 years I dig my button finally, and in addition waiting for basically as long as I've detected I've finally dug my first marked early military crossbelt plate. There's so little left I was concerned I would never ID it, but there was just barely enough at the top, and several letters at the bottom, and I was able to confirm it's a 1790s local militia from my area. Definitely not the prettiest relic, but it is what it is and I'm not complaining! I can't even imagine how many times I've thought about each of these finds and to get both on the same day is unbelievable, and in fields hunted by others, and ones that basically slipped under the radar for myself. That sure was a mouthful, and many might not see the big deal, especially if they didn't bother to read... but this was definitely a day I'll not soon forget. :headbang:
 

Attachments

  • corn.jpg
    corn.jpg
    146.7 KB · Views: 207
  • 334.jpg
    334.jpg
    96.3 KB · Views: 174
  • 335.jpg
    335.jpg
    109.3 KB · Views: 152
  • 332.jpg
    332.jpg
    108.4 KB · Views: 222
  • 333.jpg
    333.jpg
    169.7 KB · Views: 168
  • kar4.jpg
    kar4.jpg
    105.5 KB · Views: 241
  • 331.jpg
    331.jpg
    111.3 KB · Views: 181
  • 330.jpg
    330.jpg
    247 KB · Views: 182
Upvote 48
OP
OP
Iron Patch

Iron Patch

Gold Member
Sep 28, 2007
19,254
8,730
Dirtyville
🥇 Banner finds
3
Detector(s) used
Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
What a great write up man. I know if you put that much time into a post it’s important to you. The condition of that button is incredible! But that old beat up belt plate is a crazy good find. Really cool that it’s marked. Congrats on one hell of a day. Now to your next post. And hell yeah I’m voting BANNER. All day long


Not realizing what I had until I got home made for a crazy rush and made it harder trying to write something not having the time in the field for it to sink in. Sad to see this Fall end but we have at least one last shot.
 

Ahab8

Gold Member
Oct 15, 2013
8,408
8,288
Topsham, Maine
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Teknetics T2 SE w/15' SEF Coil/ Minelab GPX 4500/2 Garrett Pro Pointers/3 Sets Killer B Headphones/ Koss Headphones/ Detekniy Wireless headphone Adapter
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Not realizing what I had until I got home made for a crazy rush and made it harder trying to write something not having the time in the field for it to sink in. Sad to see this Fall end but we have at least one last shot.

Looks like that Deus is serving you well bud. I’ll get one come spring. Seems to like the low conductors pretty well. Really psyched for you man and glad we did NOT bet lol. Since I’ve worked 600 hours of ot and had no time to hunt
 

CASPER-2

Gold Member
Jan 3, 2012
17,153
19,933
NEW ENGLAND
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
6
Detector(s) used
WHITE'S XLT, PI PRO, GARRETT 2500, 3- FISHER CZ21s, JW FISHER 8X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
5xBOrnH.gif ..have you ever hit in that water?
bet there are some goodies in there too
 

OP
OP
Iron Patch

Iron Patch

Gold Member
Sep 28, 2007
19,254
8,730
Dirtyville
🥇 Banner finds
3
Detector(s) used
Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
.have you ever hit in that water?
bet there are some goodies in there too


salt water so condition would most likely be rough. I'm not sure how much beach is down there... never looked. I'm guessing at low tide there would be some to walk. If it stayed open through the Winter it would be my go to place, but hard to leave the fields for the shore.
 

OP
OP
Iron Patch

Iron Patch

Gold Member
Sep 28, 2007
19,254
8,730
Dirtyville
🥇 Banner finds
3
Detector(s) used
Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Patina and gilt on that Kings American is gorgeous, congrats on the plate

Here's the crazy part about that. Out of the ground it looked like the typical condition where I'd need a lemon soak to clean it, so that's what I did. But the more it started to come along the dirt and corrosion was gone and the surface was staying green... so I yanked it. Very happy I kept an eye on it because I much prefer it this way, and it's probably just as rare to have a button look like this out of my fields as one having all the plating.


Here's a pic I snapped the first time I popped it out of the lemon and was finally convinced it was what I was hoping it was.
 

Attachments

  • ukar.jpg
    ukar.jpg
    95.1 KB · Views: 81

Ahab8

Gold Member
Oct 15, 2013
8,408
8,288
Topsham, Maine
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Teknetics T2 SE w/15' SEF Coil/ Minelab GPX 4500/2 Garrett Pro Pointers/3 Sets Killer B Headphones/ Koss Headphones/ Detekniy Wireless headphone Adapter
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Super Super Super BANNER!!!!
 

Calabash Digger

Gold Member
Apr 18, 2016
5,300
11,756
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
XP DEUS II ,XP DEUS, EQUINOX 800, EXCALIBUR II,
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting

Donnie B from VA

Sr. Member
Apr 2, 2014
440
1,164
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II / XP Deus I
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Holy Crap! Those are bucket listers of bucket listers! Great finds!
 

OP
OP
Iron Patch

Iron Patch

Gold Member
Sep 28, 2007
19,254
8,730
Dirtyville
🥇 Banner finds
3
Detector(s) used
Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
This was by far my best hunt of 2017, and definitely one of my best ever having dug a button I've wanted to find for a very long time, and my first marked cross belt plate - a local militia dating to the 1790s. Today was a great day... I just finished a multi day hunt and posted my finds, and got home to see my belt plate which I sent away to have straightened had made it back from Virginia. When I dug it, it was bitter sweet, still mostly sweet, but hard to display with such a nasty bend... but not anymore! :headbang:
 

Attachments

  • 28942650_176166946352584_1977647348_o.jpg
    28942650_176166946352584_1977647348_o.jpg
    68.7 KB · Views: 52
  • thumbnail_20180501_153049.jpg
    thumbnail_20180501_153049.jpg
    114.8 KB · Views: 60
  • thumbnail_20180501_153055.jpg
    thumbnail_20180501_153055.jpg
    104.9 KB · Views: 57

Lanny in AB

Gold Member
Apr 2, 2003
5,651
6,342
Alberta
Detector(s) used
Various Minelabs(5000, 2100, X-Terra 705, Equinox 800, Gold Monster), Falcon MD20, Tesoro Sand Shark, Gold Bug Pro, Makro Gold Racer.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Incredible finds!! You aced it for sure.

Nicely done, and all the best,

Lanny
 

ironhorse

Silver Member
Oct 13, 2009
3,713
4,652
East Dirtyville
🥇 Banner finds
2
the repair job really took your find to the next level, you can get a true sense of the piece as it was used and now the display properties have been greatly improved
your guy did an awesome job!
 

can_slaw

Hero Member
Nov 10, 2017
656
655
Wisconsin
Detector(s) used
ACE 400, ACE 300, TESORO COMPADRE
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Can you share where you sent it to? That kind of craftsmanship, i want to keep them in the rolodex....
 

K1DDO1979

Silver Member
Feb 8, 2014
3,856
8,712
Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab equinox 800, Fisher F75 Ltd SE 2 & Fisher F2 with 11"DD
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Thats a beauty. Great restore job. I still wish i knew what the marks on mine i found represented. Cant wait to see what you find next! [emoji16]
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top