Steve in PA
Gold Member
- Jul 5, 2010
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- Fisher F75, XP Deus, Equinox 600, Fisher 1270
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Just returned from TEXAS - Republic Of Texas buttons X2, Dragoon, Aritillery, & MORE!
Last week I made my semi-annual trip to Texas to catch up with old friends and do a little relic hunting. Wednesday we spent about 6 hours at a 1850s military post in West Texas. I have been to this spot an number of times before and it never disappoints, although it has been hunted for 40 years. This time the conditions were pretty tough. The grass was high and it has been hunted a lot in the last couple years. I did pretty well with 17 bullets, 11 buttons, a few other odds and ends, and a strange eagle on a ball device that we couldn’t find in any books. My friends didn’t do so well, in fact my one buddy said it was the first time in 40 years that he didn’t find a marked button at this camp.
Saturday we went to a Republic of Texas fort site in central Texas. Four of my friends actually purchased the property about 12 years ago just to relic hunt it. These are the guys I cut my relic hunting teeth with back in 1991-1992 when I still lived in Texas and was just getting into relic hunting. I mentioned that I would like to try and find a Republic of Texas button since I had never found one. I was told that I had a chance at this site, although it was a very slim chance since this site had also been hunted hard over the years. I drove down with two of the “shareholders” and we spent three hours on this site. I wandered off into some woods thinking the ground would be softer and woods are harder to grid and clean out. It paid off for me with two Republic of Texas Infantry buttons. Other than that, I only found a couple fired musket balls. The other guys didn’t get any buttons but they were happy for me.
Here are my finds from Day 1 uncleaned. A lot of the buttons have baked on layer of dirt that hides the detail.
Here are my two Texas buttons from Day 2 uncleaned
Here is my take from the two days minus a few rivits and Henry casings
Republic of Texas Infantry buttons cleaned. The both have pushes, but I am happy to cross them off the bucket list. These buttons are very rare since the Republic of Texas had a very small army.
Dragoon button had a nice slick patina and didn't require anything except toothbrush and toothpick.
Cuff Artillery. I used hot peroxide, then a distilled water and baking soda paste to rub through the baked on dirt and expose the detail.
Could use a little help with this bird. It is cast brass and appears to be an eagle on a globe or a bomb. We couldn't find it in the insignia book.
Back of the eagle device. There is a raised boss where and attachment pin or hook had been.
US Greatcoat button aka US Wreath. This one had some stubborn dirt stuck to it like cement. Still needs some work.
Last week I made my semi-annual trip to Texas to catch up with old friends and do a little relic hunting. Wednesday we spent about 6 hours at a 1850s military post in West Texas. I have been to this spot an number of times before and it never disappoints, although it has been hunted for 40 years. This time the conditions were pretty tough. The grass was high and it has been hunted a lot in the last couple years. I did pretty well with 17 bullets, 11 buttons, a few other odds and ends, and a strange eagle on a ball device that we couldn’t find in any books. My friends didn’t do so well, in fact my one buddy said it was the first time in 40 years that he didn’t find a marked button at this camp.
Saturday we went to a Republic of Texas fort site in central Texas. Four of my friends actually purchased the property about 12 years ago just to relic hunt it. These are the guys I cut my relic hunting teeth with back in 1991-1992 when I still lived in Texas and was just getting into relic hunting. I mentioned that I would like to try and find a Republic of Texas button since I had never found one. I was told that I had a chance at this site, although it was a very slim chance since this site had also been hunted hard over the years. I drove down with two of the “shareholders” and we spent three hours on this site. I wandered off into some woods thinking the ground would be softer and woods are harder to grid and clean out. It paid off for me with two Republic of Texas Infantry buttons. Other than that, I only found a couple fired musket balls. The other guys didn’t get any buttons but they were happy for me.
Here are my finds from Day 1 uncleaned. A lot of the buttons have baked on layer of dirt that hides the detail.
Here are my two Texas buttons from Day 2 uncleaned
Here is my take from the two days minus a few rivits and Henry casings
Republic of Texas Infantry buttons cleaned. The both have pushes, but I am happy to cross them off the bucket list. These buttons are very rare since the Republic of Texas had a very small army.
Dragoon button had a nice slick patina and didn't require anything except toothbrush and toothpick.
Cuff Artillery. I used hot peroxide, then a distilled water and baking soda paste to rub through the baked on dirt and expose the detail.
Could use a little help with this bird. It is cast brass and appears to be an eagle on a globe or a bomb. We couldn't find it in the insignia book.
Back of the eagle device. There is a raised boss where and attachment pin or hook had been.
US Greatcoat button aka US Wreath. This one had some stubborn dirt stuck to it like cement. Still needs some work.
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