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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[DownNDirty]

Another fine assortments Brad. I know what you mean about the heat and bugs-I've been out in it a lot lately and I've been sweating like a prostitute in church. My favorites are the iron relics-especially the door lock, hammer, trivet and shoe buckle. You did another outstanding job with your cleaning, preservation and restoration-thanks for the effort that you put into your posts.

 

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[A2coins]

wow you could put all that in a museum sweet

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[Patriot Relics]

Quite an assortment of relic Brad- glad to see you back in the dirt after a bit of a break. I'm always taken back at how well you preserve the iron you dig- buckle and trivet came out great. Infantry 2 piece is a great save as well.

 

[Relicific]

Excellent hunting and post.
Trivet is a real treat.

 

[trapperart]

Great bunch of finds and nice job on the iron relics congrats and good luck

 

[Scrappy]

Quite an assortment of relic Brad- glad to see you back in the dirt after a bit of a break. I'm always taken back at how well you preserve the iron you dig- buckle and trivet came out great. Infantry 2 piece is a great save as well.

Are you back?!

 

[DownNDirty]

Thanks a ton Tom! I'm glad you brought up that "watch winder". I thought thats what it was too, but it doesnt have a square bit on the bottom where it would wind the movement. Instead it has a tiny hole. Maybe the square bit was iron and inserted in that tiny hole at one point? If not a winder, I have no clue what it is... but looks cast and old.

View attachment 1463931

Here you go, Brad:

 

[Aureus]

Awesome finds! Love that French rosette!

 

[OutdoorAdv]

View attachment 1463968

Thanks man

awesome collection of everything, I have a trivet also but not as nice as yours

Thanks dirtlooter! I really lucked out with the condition on that trivet. A couple spots were rough, but otherwise it turned out great.

wow you could put all that in a museum sweet

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Thanks man! I'm running out of room in my displays... guess that's a good problem to have

Excellent hunting and post.
Trivet is a real treat.

Thank you Relicific. I'm liking that trivet more and more. Always cool to discover something new that I didn't know existed.

Great bunch of finds and nice job on the iron relics congrats and good luck

Thank you Art

 

[OutdoorAdv]

I found a similar one yesterday, with the hole in the bottom. My theory is the same as yours Brad-that the inside of the hole is squared and the watch stem is also square.

I need to clean that hole out some and see if its square. It seems small and round!

I have a couple other winders. The one in the center has the typical square hole in the base. The one on the right had some sort of iron tip on it that rusted away. Because the new one on the left appears to have a tiny hole, I was thinking maybe it also had a iron tip that was stuck in there and rusted away. I don't really know much about these things though... maybe I should try and clean out that hole and see if it really is square in there.

Another fine assortments Brad. I know what you mean about the heat and bugs-I've been out in it a lot lately and I've been sweating like a prostitute in church. My favorites are the iron relics-especially the door lock, hammer, trivet and shoe buckle. You did another outstanding job with your cleaning, preservation and restoration-thanks for the effort that you put into your posts.

Thank you Glenn! HAHA.. it was ridiculously hot out. High 90's with high humidity and I had to wear long pants, treated in permethrin, to kill the ticks... and a treated baseball hat, but I did get away with a treated t-shirt. I would look down and see ticks crawling up my pants and stop mid crawl and fall to the ground. Permethrin pre-treatment is incredible. Not a single tick got to my skin and I'm sure I had a couple dozen or more get on my clothing. Then there were the swarms of mosquitos that constantly tried to land on me just hoping the sweat had rinsed off the deet on my skin The joy's of summertime relic hunting!

Thanks for the nice compliments man. I really like to hear people appreciate the iron. That hammer sure is cool... I didn't realize just what it was until I hosed off the iron pile and sorted through it. As much as I wanted to keep the patina on the brass part of the lock, it really looks cool with the contrast between it and the iron.

Quite an assortment of relic Brad- glad to see you back in the dirt after a bit of a break. I'm always taken back at how well you preserve the iron you dig- buckle and trivet came out great. Infantry 2 piece is a great save as well.

Thank you Jon! I pulled a rose head and a square nail out of the plug with that infantry button... it was a horrible signal. I got pumped when found it in the dirt and saw how big it was and all the gilt on it. Its very heavy too... well made. All my other CW buttons are much lighter, and obviously smaller. I really appreciate the compliment on the preservation. Hope all's well over there and you're getting back soon to dig in the dirt.

Awesome finds! Love that French rosette!

Thanks a ton man! Do you have any insight on the symbol on it? I googled a bit and it appears most symbols have 3 Fleur-de-lis under a crown. This rosette had one big one, surrounded by 4 small ones under a crown.



I was wondering if this rosette was just a standard French symbol or perhaps just a random design.

 

[cjon455]

With so much to see it's hard to pick a favorite. I love what you do with the iron. It cleans up amazing! The shoe buckle frame is pretty darn cool, heck it's all cool. Congrats!

 

[Z.K.]

Seriously true. Posts like this are a real treat, and Brad spends a tremendous amount of time restoring and preserving. Posts of this type are under-appreciated imho, and snuffed out by posts featuring silver Rosie's cleaned with Bartenders friend.

Same page. I stopped posting the 20th C. silver I find a while back just because I felt like it detracted from the deeper history I've come to love digging and posting. I get why many are excited by those kinds of finds (I totally was at first).. But posts like these, which capture a reverence for objects, earlier American life, and technical restoration skill, are why I still frequent TNET.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

With so much to see it's hard to pick a favorite. I love what you do with the iron. It cleans up amazing! The shoe buckle frame is pretty darn cool, heck it's all cool. Congrats!

Thanks Chris I really appreciate it man and its great to hear people enjoying the iron relics as much as I do.

Same page. I stopped posting the 20th C. silver I find a while back just because I felt like it detracted from the deeper history I've come to love digging and posting. I get why many are excited by those kinds of finds (I totally was at first).. But posts like these, which capture a reverence for objects, earlier American life, and technical restoration skill, are why I still frequent TNET.

Thanks a TON Ken. I really appreciate those kind words about my posts on here. One of the coolest things about this hobby is a persons evolution of interests, which is mostly driven by the things we dig, and its different for everyone. I used to love coins and hate digging flat buttons. Now its the opposite and I get excited to wipe the face of a button, hoping to see an eagle or a design. I still love coppers and who doesn't like silver, but I get more excited now for unique things like the rosette or the trivet in this post! I actually dug a 1917 Merc on Sat and didn't include it in here... but I remember when that wasnt the case, and it was not too long ago, that the Merc would have made the hunt. So I guess the things we each dig is what drives our interests in the hobby and its constantly evolving.

 

[CRUSADER]

Sweet! Thanks man I was hoping you'd show up on this post. Great to know its 18th C. and I'm guessing French? I googled some for "Fleur de lis and crown" and found some similar images, but nothing that was the same. Now that I'm writing this, I just picked it back up and its NOT a Fleur de lis with stars around it, but rather 4 smaller Fleur de lis in each corner!

The Fluer-de-lis in it's self was used in many European Coat of Arms & very popular in Britain, however because of the 2 over 1 arrangement & it being in a oval cartouche, it does strongly suggestion FRENCH.
The next issue to solve is the very Generic looking Crown, that doesn't look Regal. In Britain we have many other crown types awarded called Coronet's which are given to various ranks, like Baron etc... It fits none of those types, which then still points to France. At this point, it not being French Regal, & being either generic or some other French system that I'm not familiar with, you will need the right researcher to narrow it down.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

The Fluer-de-lis in it's self was used in many European Coat of Arms & very popular in Britain, however because of the 2 over 1 arrangement & it being in a oval cartouche, it does strongly suggestion FRENCH.
The next issue to solve is the very Generic looking Crown, that doesn't look Regal. In Britain we have many other crown types awarded called Coronet's which are given to various ranks, like Baron etc... It fits none of those types, which then still points to France. At this point, it not being French Regal, & being either generic or some other French system that I'm not familiar with, you will need the right researcher to narrow it down.

Fantastic info man! Your knowledge is invaluable on here. That does narrow it down and help out a lot. When I google "fleur-de-lis and crown" I basically get no where. So I can't thank you enough Cru.

 

[joeyfresh]

Triv...what?? Forget reference books, I'll just print your posts. I'm equally amazed that Abe pulled that out of his butt, not so much Bill
That rosette is equally awesome and intriguing. Hopefully someone will ID it's origin. Great job Brad!!

 

[joeyfresh]

Sorry, I just saw Cru's reply on the rosette. Cool!

 

[Ahab8]

Triv...what?? Forget reference books, I'll just print your posts. I'm equally amazed that Abe pulled that out of his butt, not so much Bill
That rosette is equally awesome and intriguing. Hopefully someone will ID it's origin. Great job Brad!!

Whatever dude!!!! You're just jealous of my old spoons and you show your jealousy by being mean to me Joey. Brad that rosette is really eye appealing. Glad you got some info from Cru on a def id. It's not easy to find designed rosettes. I really love that one. That's also a stunning rat tail lol. But nice job on the reconstruction. Always good to practice. Hope you get some time to get out there and salvage the summer. This has been a tough o e for both of us. I just need more time and you need a few new sites. It'll happen my good man

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Triv...what?? Forget reference books, I'll just print your posts. I'm equally amazed that Abe pulled that out of his butt, not so much Bill
That rosette is equally awesome and intriguing. Hopefully someone will ID it's origin. Great job Brad!!

Thanks a ton Joey! Abe was on point with the ID on that flat iron stand too... hey, we all get lucky every once and a while. haha I had sent Bill a picture of a few pieces of iron and he said "that iron trivet is cool" and I had to ask which one was the trivet But now I know and its always great to learn new stuff from others in the hobby.

Whatever dude!!!! You're just jealous of my old spoons and you show your jealousy by being mean to me Joey. Brad that rosette is really eye appealing. Glad you got some info from Cru on a def id. It's not easy to find designed rosettes. I really love that one. That's also a stunning rat tail lol. But nice job on the reconstruction. Always good to practice. Hope you get some time to get out there and salvage the summer. This has been a tough o e for both of us. I just need more time and you need a few new sites. It'll happen my good man

Don't act like you're not jealous of that frankenrattail spoon. I know when you heard I was gluing it back together, you were envious to add it to your collection of boring regular rattail spoons. haha Thanks a ton buddy! I have a plan to try and salvage whats left of my detecting year, so hopefully things pan out with permissions and sites. Hey, I found a merc, so at least I wont be silverless for the year. I hope you get some time to get out a bunch more too.

 

[Scrappy]

Thanks a ton Joey! Abe was on point with the ID on that flat iron stand too... hey, we all get lucky every once and a while. haha I had sent Bill a picture of a few pieces of iron and he said "that iron trivet is cool" and I had to ask which one was the trivet But now I know and its always great to learn new stuff from others in the hobby.



Don't act like you're not jealous of that frankenrattail spoon. I know when you heard I was gluing it back together, you were envious to add it to your collection of boring regular rattail spoons. haha Thanks a ton buddy! I have a plan to try and salvage whats left of my detecting year, so hopefully things pan out with permissions and sites. Hey, I found a merc, so at least I wont be silverless for the year. I hope you get some time to get out a bunch more too.

Abe finds so many rat tails that sooner or later he'll find a friggin' mold.