1700s button, knee breech buckle, musketball and a Toasted 1842 Half Dime

[Don in SJ]

My main hunting season does not start yet for about a month, or once the underbrush starts dying down, but I have a few spots in the woods I can hunt during the summer months and today I went to the one where I got my hundredth Large Cent about a year and half ago.

I could only hunt about 50% of the prime area, due to the high weeds, but on the far side where I got a NJ copper back in the 90's I finally got a decent reading this morning. About 8 inches down I got the beautiful 34mm colonial button with a nice decorative design on it. and not far away again, very deep the musketball and a very nice 1700's knee breech buckle. My second or third one of those this year.

I tried hunting for awhile in the weeds and got a coin reading but it was shallow and for a split second I thought Half Cent when I saw it, but, logic prevailed and it was a clad quarter.

As I was just about done hunting I got a 5-6 inch deep reading that could have been anything from a button to a shotgun casing. I found the small disc in the ground and it looked like a toasted button from a fire, but after putting the loupe on it, I saw the words HALF DIME. So at least I got a coin, even though it is bubbled and fried from being in a fire. I know my son found a Half Real two years ago in similar state, the silver will not look like silver, even after cleaning, it stays more gray like pewter.

The buckle's rotted steel parts fell apart when cleaning, which was no big loss, since the frame is in decent shape, the button cleaned up beautifully and the coin basically stayed the same poor condition, although the date of 1842 was visible, so at least I got the date.
That was my 21st Pre Civil War coin for this hunting season and that is the newest one of the 21. It has been a great year so far for numbers, but not quality. I think between my son and I for pre Civil War coins, we are at 36 coins. Hopefully a few more before the end of the year..

HH
Don

 

[BuckleBoy]

All of those are excellent finds, Don. We're almost there for the "good times to roll" this fall. Best wishes for your primary season up there--we'll be busy in the fields here in about four or six weeks.

I'm glad that buckle came up whole--that in and of itself is a solid find--and the odd half dime is interesting...


-Buckles

 

[PBK]

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[treasurefiend]

Cool finds!!!

 

[Colonial KirkPA]

Don,

That is one nice Dandy button for sure. Congrats on the half dime as well!

Keep your coil low and your passion high!

Kirk

 

[Derek752]

Good finds Don
Nice button & half dime ... the .5 dime almost looks like its pewter the way the it deterioated

Now I'll be waiting for your Fall digs

D.

 

[pookie-princess of rust]

This was my third "interesting" coin found this year. First was a King George II Halfpenny that was made of low grade pewter, the second was the 3 in 1 copper, where they took a KGIII Halfpenny and hammered a Draped Bust Half Cent and Classic Head Half Cent onto it.

Whatever really happened to this little piece of silver, I am sure will never be known, shame coins can' talk!

Don

that 3 in 1 coin sounds interesting. got any pics of it? oh yeah. cool finds! cool collection of buckles.
aimee

 

[Silver Searcher]

Cool post Don I like that huge button it cleaned up well. TK.

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Nice finds Don! The buckle looks like it must have been made in the Colonial times, unusual but very nice. That Half Dime is very odd, seems if it were hammered it would be really obvious, could it have swelled due to the heat? I have a few burned coins, mostly aluminum coins that have swelled. HH, Mike

 

[Gilligan]

Nice finds Don, Bryan

 

[Don in SJ]

Nice finds Don! The buckle looks like it must have been made in the Colonial times, unusual but very nice. That Half Dime is very odd, seems if it were hammered it would be really obvious, could it have swelled due to the heat? I have a few burned coins, mostly aluminum coins that have swelled. HH, Mike

The buckle is 18th century and did have the steel tangs partially there prior to them disintegrating, and fairly certain by the size and curvature that it is another knee breech buckle. I was glad it cleaned up as well as it did.

Talked to a couple collectors who think the only way it could have been hammered and not damaged was if done between two pieces of leather, not direct contact with the coin, that would work I suppose, but I sure and not going to try it.

Am I 100% sure that is what happened to the coin? No, but by appearances seems to be the best answers.

Don