Trash pit found at colonial era farm with wine seal marked clay pipes and more

[Chief31]

Found another trash pit at the 700 acre property I hunt on and off in Central Virginia this is the 3rd pit at this property. Some beautiful pottery pieces and finally found my first colonial wine seal which seems to represent the owner T Todd!! Super cool piece . The pipes are marked TD with a number 4 . Early buckle was in the pit as well. Nice bone handle fork. The one piece livery button was found somewhere else on the property. Thinking the pit is early to mid 1700s? But the buckle I think may me earlier

 

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[Chief31]

Great finds.

For the period in which the pipe was made, there were two makers using the ‘TD’ mark, for which the most likely is Thomas Dormer of London, in operation from c.1748-c.1770. The other possibility is Thomas Dennis of Bristol, in operation from c.1734-c.1781, but I think that’s a Dormer mark.

[Note that from c.1848, McDougall of Glasgow also used ‘TD’ marks, which later became a generic for higher quality pipes and was then used by others (including American makers) trading on McDougall’s reputation…but that’s clearly not a mid-19th century pipe.]

As @CRUSADER says, the stag button is a ‘sporting’ button, not a ‘livery’ button. The band of twisted silks on which an isolated crest is usually (not always) depicted is called a ‘torse’. With some enhancement, I can see the letters ‘ND’ at about 8 o’clock followed by a word that looks like it ends ‘RNER’ and then ‘SN something’ beginning at around 1 o’clock. I wonder if it might be Hammond Turner & Sons (with ‘sons’ abbreviated to ‘SNS’). They were noted for making fine sporting buttons in Birmingham between c.1840-c.1850.

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Great info thx to you and Crusader I had originally thought this was a one piece button which is why I thought it was earlier than the sportsman buttons from mid 1800s

 

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[scruggs]

Congrats, You did well with some very nice recoveries!