BuckleBoy
Gold Member
Hello All,
2022 has been quite a successful year, but it has also been a difficult one in some ways. My mentor died this past April. I had dug with him since 1991 and he was like a father to me. I got Covid in 2022 summer which totally knocked me on my butt for weeks. And my digging buddy had two surgeries which kept him out of the field for most of the year (he did get to go out a few times, and he got a killer Confederate spur and a beautiful 1837 Capped Half Dime).
Fortunately my wife was able to go dig with me many times, and her and I discovered several great sites together--and I really needed her company and support in the field this year.
2022 was a great year for quality coins, but to be honest the relics truly stand out above the rest. Many relic "firsts" that I've wanted to dig an example of for years.
Just looking at the finds in these 30 photos, and knowing the hundreds of pounds of scrap iron, brass, and lead we've cleared--and the garbage bags worth of aluminum can shreds and other junk we've dug…it makes me tired just looking at it all!
I'll start—and end—this post with a stunning jewelry restoration of a dug silver relic: one of mine to start, one of my wife's finds at the very end…
I recently dug a coin silver signet ring (unengraved), which probably dates to around 1850-60. It was so badly destroyed by the years in the ground that it looked like can slaw (check your "can slaw" VERY carefully in old sites, folks—it’s not all aluminum I assure you!).
Here are the After & Before photos:
Many thanks to my amazing master jeweler who can literally repair and restore anything I bring him!
I started 2022 by finishing off one of my sites from 2021... Bits and scraps found, but I did get a set of Civil War era lead knuckles and pieces of two shotguns:
Then my wife and I discovered a new, but fairly small site. I'd actually *almost* discovered it nearly 8 years ago but I wasn't quite in the right spot to hear faint iron beeps on my scouting mission. This wonderful little site had some interesting finds, a few Seateds (one really wonderful half dime and some silver coins which were unfortunately mutilated), and my wife got a stunning seated dime and her first Flying Eagle, a coin which had eluded her for years:
Then her and I discovered a second, tiny site--where she got her best find of the year (which I'll save for the very last photo of this post). At this spot I dug the first Capped Bust coin of the year--a worn 1834 Dime:
During a few weeks when she couldn't dig, I finished up another spot and squeezed a few more nice finds out, the star find of which was an VERY early Mardi Gras suspension bar which reads "VIVE LE ROI" ("Long Live the King"). Dates to the 1870-1890 period. Also got a perfect little kepi buckle from this field.
Then it started to get hot outside and I stumbled my way into a new site which I wasn't quite sure I wanted to dig. Signs were mainly 20th century, but most of the other spots of ours were in crop at the time so hunt it I did. Ended up pulling a good many finds, including a New Orleans Academy (NOA) military prep school button which I'd wanted to find an example of, and also a surprise old gold ring! This site had some weird finds, including an 1860s Italian large copper, two Chinese coins, and a French coin from the WWI era. I also got a post-war pelican button and a crusty pocket watch which was probably in a pit with lime at one time:
Then my wife and I found ANOTHER new site, which was loaded with finds--including a Model 1840 "Wristbreaker" Sword, pistol powder flask panel, and a handful of Seated and Spanish silver!
I subsisted on a few adjacent paths and edges of fields near sites while the crop was in, hoping for the plow to come. I did get a flattened piece of lead with the word "POKER" inscribed:
One small site I'd found had definitely been hit before, but it still contained some silver finds:
Then--right as the temperatures hit over 100 degrees, one of our colonial spots was plowed, and I hit it hard (and the weather hit me hard!):
I pulled some nice condition seated coins, some Spanish, a BEAUTIFUL 1831 capped half dime, and--believe it or not!--a 1796-1798 U.S. PEWTER REGIMENTAL EAGLE BUTTON!
Out scouting I dug a complete antebellum brass stirrup and a roller from a Victorian fluting iron, both of which are great relics:
I went out west with plans to dig some good relics but Covid hit and knocked me down hard. I did manage to find my first ever Ike dollar--actually two of them in the same hole--while in Utah.
Even though I wasn't entirely up to it, I did hit the beach and dug a lot of holes.
Then while cleaning up some finds and recovering from the Covid wallop, I discovered that a twisted-up piece of lead was actually a US PLATE! So naturally I went back out in the heat and mud and got some more. Well, I found a series of sites that outperformed my expectations. TWO MORE US Plates for a total of THREE! Pieces of a Model 1841 Mississippi Rifle, an incredible "interlocked USA" Civil War artillery rosette which miraculously wasn't destroyed by the plow, a pistol powder flask panel, a stunning Seated Quarter, A BEAUTIFUL engraved Love Token which I consider one of my best finds of the year, amazing collection of Civil War relics, musket sling hook, bullets, canteen spout, buttons, M1859 Cavalry Spur, a complete M1871 Colt Pistol frame...two full display cases worth and more...
I also dug a twisted-up early 1800s solid silver fork which weighs nearly 2 ounces, and we eyeballed about 200 marbles of many different types. We had a wonderful eyeball hunting season and those finds I'll have to add to this thread later on...
Here are some of my wife's awesome finds, including her first ever large cent, brass knuckles segment, Flying Eagle Cent, silver coins, and the decorative side panel of a box lock boot pistol:
One of the BEST finds the year was this 1860s coin silver bar brooch dug by my wife which we had our master jeweler restore. (It was bent in half and SEVERELY blackened):
Here are the totals as they appeared in our signature line:
2022 CaneField Bandits Totals:
M1840 cavalry sabre pommel
M1871 Colt open top .22 pistol
U.S. Civil War box plate
TWO U.S. Civil War belt plates
14K solitaire gold ring
M1841 Mississippi Rifle butt plate and patch box
Confederate CS-4 Spur
1850s coin silver bar brooch
Love token made of a seated quarter
Interlocked USA M1863 Rosette
Silver thimble
2oz solid silver 1810-20s fork
Civil War Era Lead Knuckles
CW lead poker chip with the word “POKER” carved in
Postwar Louisiana Pelican cuff button
Civil War Musket sling hook
Enfield trigger guard
1796-1798 US Regimental Eagle Button
1808-1820 pewter “US” button
Eagle “I” coat button
Eagle “I” cuff button
General service Eagle button
1749 and 17?6 half Reales
1854-O with arrows Seated Quarter
1852 silver three cent piece
1831 and 1837 Capped Bust Half Dimes
1834 Capped Bust Dime
1840 No Drapery, 1841-O, two 1857-O’s, 1858-O, 1860-O and one dateless Half Dime
1841-O, 1851, 1873, 1883 and two 1887 Seated Dimes
1899-O Barber Quarter
1889-O and 1903-O Barber Dimes
Two double barrel shotguns
1944-P and 1943-P war nickels
Two powder flask panels
Complete antebellum brass stirrup
Two Chinese cash coins
1860s Italian 10 Centisimi
1919 French 10 Centimes
Minieballs, Beefaloes, V and Shield Nickels, and some GawGag
Looking forward to 2023!! I can't wait to share with you what I've already dug--We're already on the board in a HUGE way!
Cheers,
Buck
2022 has been quite a successful year, but it has also been a difficult one in some ways. My mentor died this past April. I had dug with him since 1991 and he was like a father to me. I got Covid in 2022 summer which totally knocked me on my butt for weeks. And my digging buddy had two surgeries which kept him out of the field for most of the year (he did get to go out a few times, and he got a killer Confederate spur and a beautiful 1837 Capped Half Dime).
Fortunately my wife was able to go dig with me many times, and her and I discovered several great sites together--and I really needed her company and support in the field this year.
2022 was a great year for quality coins, but to be honest the relics truly stand out above the rest. Many relic "firsts" that I've wanted to dig an example of for years.
Just looking at the finds in these 30 photos, and knowing the hundreds of pounds of scrap iron, brass, and lead we've cleared--and the garbage bags worth of aluminum can shreds and other junk we've dug…it makes me tired just looking at it all!
I'll start—and end—this post with a stunning jewelry restoration of a dug silver relic: one of mine to start, one of my wife's finds at the very end…
I recently dug a coin silver signet ring (unengraved), which probably dates to around 1850-60. It was so badly destroyed by the years in the ground that it looked like can slaw (check your "can slaw" VERY carefully in old sites, folks—it’s not all aluminum I assure you!).
Here are the After & Before photos:
Many thanks to my amazing master jeweler who can literally repair and restore anything I bring him!
I started 2022 by finishing off one of my sites from 2021... Bits and scraps found, but I did get a set of Civil War era lead knuckles and pieces of two shotguns:
Then my wife and I discovered a new, but fairly small site. I'd actually *almost* discovered it nearly 8 years ago but I wasn't quite in the right spot to hear faint iron beeps on my scouting mission. This wonderful little site had some interesting finds, a few Seateds (one really wonderful half dime and some silver coins which were unfortunately mutilated), and my wife got a stunning seated dime and her first Flying Eagle, a coin which had eluded her for years:
Then her and I discovered a second, tiny site--where she got her best find of the year (which I'll save for the very last photo of this post). At this spot I dug the first Capped Bust coin of the year--a worn 1834 Dime:
During a few weeks when she couldn't dig, I finished up another spot and squeezed a few more nice finds out, the star find of which was an VERY early Mardi Gras suspension bar which reads "VIVE LE ROI" ("Long Live the King"). Dates to the 1870-1890 period. Also got a perfect little kepi buckle from this field.
Then it started to get hot outside and I stumbled my way into a new site which I wasn't quite sure I wanted to dig. Signs were mainly 20th century, but most of the other spots of ours were in crop at the time so hunt it I did. Ended up pulling a good many finds, including a New Orleans Academy (NOA) military prep school button which I'd wanted to find an example of, and also a surprise old gold ring! This site had some weird finds, including an 1860s Italian large copper, two Chinese coins, and a French coin from the WWI era. I also got a post-war pelican button and a crusty pocket watch which was probably in a pit with lime at one time:
Then my wife and I found ANOTHER new site, which was loaded with finds--including a Model 1840 "Wristbreaker" Sword, pistol powder flask panel, and a handful of Seated and Spanish silver!
I subsisted on a few adjacent paths and edges of fields near sites while the crop was in, hoping for the plow to come. I did get a flattened piece of lead with the word "POKER" inscribed:
One small site I'd found had definitely been hit before, but it still contained some silver finds:
Then--right as the temperatures hit over 100 degrees, one of our colonial spots was plowed, and I hit it hard (and the weather hit me hard!):
I pulled some nice condition seated coins, some Spanish, a BEAUTIFUL 1831 capped half dime, and--believe it or not!--a 1796-1798 U.S. PEWTER REGIMENTAL EAGLE BUTTON!
Out scouting I dug a complete antebellum brass stirrup and a roller from a Victorian fluting iron, both of which are great relics:
I went out west with plans to dig some good relics but Covid hit and knocked me down hard. I did manage to find my first ever Ike dollar--actually two of them in the same hole--while in Utah.
Even though I wasn't entirely up to it, I did hit the beach and dug a lot of holes.
Then while cleaning up some finds and recovering from the Covid wallop, I discovered that a twisted-up piece of lead was actually a US PLATE! So naturally I went back out in the heat and mud and got some more. Well, I found a series of sites that outperformed my expectations. TWO MORE US Plates for a total of THREE! Pieces of a Model 1841 Mississippi Rifle, an incredible "interlocked USA" Civil War artillery rosette which miraculously wasn't destroyed by the plow, a pistol powder flask panel, a stunning Seated Quarter, A BEAUTIFUL engraved Love Token which I consider one of my best finds of the year, amazing collection of Civil War relics, musket sling hook, bullets, canteen spout, buttons, M1859 Cavalry Spur, a complete M1871 Colt Pistol frame...two full display cases worth and more...
I also dug a twisted-up early 1800s solid silver fork which weighs nearly 2 ounces, and we eyeballed about 200 marbles of many different types. We had a wonderful eyeball hunting season and those finds I'll have to add to this thread later on...
Here are some of my wife's awesome finds, including her first ever large cent, brass knuckles segment, Flying Eagle Cent, silver coins, and the decorative side panel of a box lock boot pistol:
One of the BEST finds the year was this 1860s coin silver bar brooch dug by my wife which we had our master jeweler restore. (It was bent in half and SEVERELY blackened):
Here are the totals as they appeared in our signature line:
2022 CaneField Bandits Totals:
M1840 cavalry sabre pommel
M1871 Colt open top .22 pistol
U.S. Civil War box plate
TWO U.S. Civil War belt plates
14K solitaire gold ring
M1841 Mississippi Rifle butt plate and patch box
Confederate CS-4 Spur
1850s coin silver bar brooch
Love token made of a seated quarter
Interlocked USA M1863 Rosette
Silver thimble
2oz solid silver 1810-20s fork
Civil War Era Lead Knuckles
CW lead poker chip with the word “POKER” carved in
Postwar Louisiana Pelican cuff button
Civil War Musket sling hook
Enfield trigger guard
1796-1798 US Regimental Eagle Button
1808-1820 pewter “US” button
Eagle “I” coat button
Eagle “I” cuff button
General service Eagle button
1749 and 17?6 half Reales
1854-O with arrows Seated Quarter
1852 silver three cent piece
1831 and 1837 Capped Bust Half Dimes
1834 Capped Bust Dime
1840 No Drapery, 1841-O, two 1857-O’s, 1858-O, 1860-O and one dateless Half Dime
1841-O, 1851, 1873, 1883 and two 1887 Seated Dimes
1899-O Barber Quarter
1889-O and 1903-O Barber Dimes
Two double barrel shotguns
1944-P and 1943-P war nickels
Two powder flask panels
Complete antebellum brass stirrup
Two Chinese cash coins
1860s Italian 10 Centisimi
1919 French 10 Centimes
Minieballs, Beefaloes, V and Shield Nickels, and some GawGag
Looking forward to 2023!! I can't wait to share with you what I've already dug--We're already on the board in a HUGE way!
Cheers,
Buck
Attachments
Last edited:
