SMPress
Jr. Member
- Oct 5, 2009
- 78
- 0
- Detector(s) used
- Blue and Gray, XLT, DFX, Spectrum V3, Beachhunter 300
So I went out detecting this morning. I haven’t been out in about 18 months, maybe longer, the wonders of having a working wife and small child to look after on weekends! I found a post from a fellow who was looking for someone to go out with, to a public area that he had hunted several times before. I offered to come along, feeling grateful to have company, and a place to go.
We arrived at the location in Annapolis Maryland about 7am, and got to work. He had previously found some good items at this park, a silver ring, and an ACW bullet. He thought that someone he knew had even found a gold coin here years ago. I was a little worried that the site may be hunted out, but figured a day outside getting some sort of exercise was a good thing, and I was going to enjoy it no matter what.
I was hunting with my Whites Spectrum 3V. I bought this several years ago, but this is only my second time getting to use it. My first couple targets were pencil ends, then a clad dime, then a bunch more pencil ends, and shredded cans. We moved to another spot, and we both started digging old pull tabs. I got a clad quarter, then a good hit. I dug a button at about 8 or 10 inches depth. It looks to be a naval button, maybe 60’s or 70’s? For all I know it could be from last week, or the ACW, but it just seems newer? It looks like one of those two part hollow jobs. I only found the front piece, no back to it. Still kind of cool, I had only found 3 buttons in the past, and all three were very plain colonial civilian flat buttons, this one at least has some character to it.
Up to this point, he had a little luck, he pulled a wheat, couldn’t see the date, he needs to clean it up, and a nickel, but it was so encrusted, we couldn’t even identify the type. Hopefully he will have a good find there because I think that was the last of his finds for the day.
We moved over to another section of the property. I started detecting along a tree line, which also happens to be just off of an old rail line that sat there during the 1800’s. I was told that some 20 to 30 thousand US troops were stationed here during the war, and many more likely moved through the area. I got a hit that rang up as a button, said 10 inches deep. I started digging, and digging, and digging. About 14 inches down, I saw what looked like the bottom of a can. I had already dug about 6 full cans, and figured I just had another one. I popped it up off the bottom, and pulled it out to drop in my trash pouch, but it was crazy heavy. I started knocking some mud off of it. I couldn’t tell what it was, it seemed like the bottom of a can, or maybe a jar lid, but it was heavy, like lead. I kept thinking maybe I have a breast plate on my hands, but I didn’t see any design on it, so kept telling myself I was dreaming. It was bent pretty bad, and a crease down the back, but I couldn’t see any tabs back there. I thought about tossing it in my bag for cleaning at home to see if it was just trash, but I simply couldn’t help myself, I had too many uncertain hopes about it being a plate, which I never in a million years expected to EVER find, much less in the city!
Anyway, 3 minutes and lots of saliva and a finger showed enough to confirm that there was an eagle present, so I started jumping up and down like an idiot! The eagle was a little more evident later when the mud had dried.
I wish it wasn’t bent up so bad, must have been hit by farm equipment at some point in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. I think this land hasn’t changed too much since the early 1900’s…
This piece has the pride of place in my relic collection, coolest thing I have ever dug!
Thanks
Andy
The Button, anyone know anything about navy buttons and likely age of this
Here is the plate as it looked when I got home:
This shot shows how bad the bend is:
Here is the back, it had 4 tabs on it, I know I have seen some with 3, not sure how many different backs these things had?
And here is the front after I washed in under some water in the sink:
We arrived at the location in Annapolis Maryland about 7am, and got to work. He had previously found some good items at this park, a silver ring, and an ACW bullet. He thought that someone he knew had even found a gold coin here years ago. I was a little worried that the site may be hunted out, but figured a day outside getting some sort of exercise was a good thing, and I was going to enjoy it no matter what.
I was hunting with my Whites Spectrum 3V. I bought this several years ago, but this is only my second time getting to use it. My first couple targets were pencil ends, then a clad dime, then a bunch more pencil ends, and shredded cans. We moved to another spot, and we both started digging old pull tabs. I got a clad quarter, then a good hit. I dug a button at about 8 or 10 inches depth. It looks to be a naval button, maybe 60’s or 70’s? For all I know it could be from last week, or the ACW, but it just seems newer? It looks like one of those two part hollow jobs. I only found the front piece, no back to it. Still kind of cool, I had only found 3 buttons in the past, and all three were very plain colonial civilian flat buttons, this one at least has some character to it.
Up to this point, he had a little luck, he pulled a wheat, couldn’t see the date, he needs to clean it up, and a nickel, but it was so encrusted, we couldn’t even identify the type. Hopefully he will have a good find there because I think that was the last of his finds for the day.
We moved over to another section of the property. I started detecting along a tree line, which also happens to be just off of an old rail line that sat there during the 1800’s. I was told that some 20 to 30 thousand US troops were stationed here during the war, and many more likely moved through the area. I got a hit that rang up as a button, said 10 inches deep. I started digging, and digging, and digging. About 14 inches down, I saw what looked like the bottom of a can. I had already dug about 6 full cans, and figured I just had another one. I popped it up off the bottom, and pulled it out to drop in my trash pouch, but it was crazy heavy. I started knocking some mud off of it. I couldn’t tell what it was, it seemed like the bottom of a can, or maybe a jar lid, but it was heavy, like lead. I kept thinking maybe I have a breast plate on my hands, but I didn’t see any design on it, so kept telling myself I was dreaming. It was bent pretty bad, and a crease down the back, but I couldn’t see any tabs back there. I thought about tossing it in my bag for cleaning at home to see if it was just trash, but I simply couldn’t help myself, I had too many uncertain hopes about it being a plate, which I never in a million years expected to EVER find, much less in the city!
Anyway, 3 minutes and lots of saliva and a finger showed enough to confirm that there was an eagle present, so I started jumping up and down like an idiot! The eagle was a little more evident later when the mud had dried.
I wish it wasn’t bent up so bad, must have been hit by farm equipment at some point in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. I think this land hasn’t changed too much since the early 1900’s…
This piece has the pride of place in my relic collection, coolest thing I have ever dug!
Thanks
Andy
The Button, anyone know anything about navy buttons and likely age of this
Here is the plate as it looked when I got home:
This shot shows how bad the bend is:
Here is the back, it had 4 tabs on it, I know I have seen some with 3, not sure how many different backs these things had?
And here is the front after I washed in under some water in the sink:
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