19th Century Scovill Gilt Police Buttons

[Iron Buzz]

Surface finds, at that! I was metal detecting and having absolutely NO luck, when I spotted something round on the ground just ahead of my coil. It made a gorgeous beep when I swept it. It was pretty crusty, but I could see enough to know that it was something worth taking home. Then... one more!

Spent about an hour tonight with ammonia and Naval Jelly and cotton swabs. Didn't get everything but I think there are looking pretty damned fine, even if they wouldn't have passed morning inspection.



[Edit: the picture doesn't really do them justice. There is more gilt on them than it would appear by the photo]

I made one other surface find today... a crotal bell! A simple one, but in perfect condition.

 

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[Diggin Dude]

Wow!! Those are some really nice buttons!! Nicely done!

Congrats and HH

 

[Iron Buzz]

Wow!! Those are some really nice buttons!! Nicely done!

Congrats and HH

Thanks. You know, I got to wondering about how they got there. One button... no big deal. That happens all the time. A whole jacket full of buttons... the jacket was dumped there and the cloth rotted away. But two buttons? Was there a fight that ripped them off? These were found in a tough river town.

 

[dirtlooter]

makes you wonder for sure. really cool buttons, what they represent is pretty cool too. they look like you did a great job cleaning them too

 

[CRUSADER]

Are these on ploughed land? We call finds that we spot before we detect - 'eyes only'.

 

[vpnavy]

Wow!

 

[Mzjavert]

Good eyes.

 

[Trezurehunter]

Congrats on some nice looking buttons, and your crotal bell. Sounds like you might as well leave your detector at home and save on the batteries. Thats why I like hunting the fields. You can make a lot of "eyeball" finds in the open dirt.

 

[trapperart]

Congrats on the buttons

 

[pepperj]

Nicely done on the eye ball finds, sometimes I get a bigger pleasure in seeing one just sitting there to be picked off. Great looking buttons btw.

 

[Iron Buzz]

Are these on ploughed land? We call finds that we spot before we detect - 'eyes only'.

Nope. Not at all. In the woods, actually, just off of a paved road!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Awesome button finds, congratulations!

 

[CRUSADER]

Nope. Not at all. In the woods, actually, just off of a paved road!

OK, woods are not somewhere I search much but I'm amazed at how 100+ year old finds are still in the leaf litter. (Happen to me quite a bit)

 

[K1DDO1979]

They look awesome. I found a very nice one before too but no gilt left at all. Congrats! [emoji106]

 

[Iron Buzz]

I went back there today with a screen and shovel and got one more large police button, two more small ones, and a WHOLE LOT of other pearl and other buttons. Pictures to come. Guessing this was a tailor shop or seamstress' home.

I'll tell ya, this old dude NEVER EVER would have guessed that he would have a button collection! LOL!!

 

[Kurios1]

I went back there today with a screen and shovel and got one more large police button, two more small ones, and a WHOLE LOT of other pearl and other buttons. Pictures to come. Guessing this was a tailor shop or seamstress' home.

I'll tell ya, this old dude NEVER EVER would have guessed that he would have a button collection! LOL!!

That's kinda' funny, but as you well know the history and significance of some buttons is amazing. Makes many of them better than coin finds. I love my button "collection".

 

[tinpan]

Hi nice buttons.The condition may be due to the affect of natural bio reactor. Simply the natural species of trees and the mulch which they drop filters out minerals and chemicals out of ground water. Been detecting down hill and in forrests for long time . T P

 

[Iron Buzz]

Hi nice buttons.The condition may be due to the affect of natural bio reactor. Simply the natural species of trees and the mulch which they drop filters out minerals and chemicals out of ground water. Been detecting down hill and in forrests for long time . T P

They actually clean up very well, aside from some sort of heavy mineral build up that won't soften and won't chip off. I thought that peroxide was working on it because of the way that it bubbled when immersed, but it doesn't seem to have any real effect.

I probably messed up the first two a bit by naively brushing with a dry toothbrush when I first dug them. The ones I dug today are being treated with kid gloves.

If anybody has any thoughts about the mineral crust, let me know. I've tried Naval Jelly, warm ammonia, and warm peroxide.

 

[CRUSADER]

I went back there today with a screen and shovel and got one more large police button, two more small ones, and a WHOLE LOT of other pearl and other buttons. Pictures to come. Guessing this was a tailor shop or seamstress' home.

I'll tell ya, this old dude NEVER EVER would have guessed that he would have a button collection! LOL!!

No-one that I know starts detecting as a button collector, but you can be damn sure you end up as one.

 

[Iron Buzz]

With today's three new ones added:

View attachment 20170910_151026.jpg

Are the smaller ones cuff buttons? And does anybody know if that collar button belongs with the police buttons?