A BUCKLE AND A PUZZLE

[EasternShoreMetal]

Greetings to ALL !
Its' been a long time since my last post. That doesn't mean I haven't keep up with you all, because I used to check every time I worked.
(I had spare time at work, cause I was a FF Paramedic) I recently retired, "Yay" so now I have more time to get back out there.
Anyway, nice to be back in the thick of it.
With that said, I just returned from Rhode Island, and I had a day to search a promising yard.
I found this nice buckle:


I figure it's probably around the War of 1812.. ?
The Civil war era ones have different belt attachment setups, the early ones seem to have this one slot and one tongue conf.
Of course any advice is always welcome.

Next, I NEED your expert advice.
The first hit I dug on the property yielded this sweet, if somewhat toasted mystery object.
Take a look at the plain find, best lighting to reveal faint details as I could manage: It is a copper colored dark green patina overall, it looks washed out here because of the strong lighting.



I found this coin/token in the first hole I dug.
As you look closely, you may see my puzzle.
At first it seems like a normal Early American Eagle on one side and a faint head, facing left on the other.

You may see my concerns already. I could not find anything like it in the Red Book.
Look at these details next.



in Box one, a semi-circle of beads
Box two, a clear letter N, other letters not ledgible
Box three, clear letters XI or IX, depending on direction, and a possible letter C
you can also see more beads, making me think they encircle the coin..?
Box four, looks to me like the eagle is facing right, judging by the neck lines.

In the head side, there are more beads in Box 1 and I drew a faint white line where there is a slight detail you cannot see in this photo
that I can see by manipulating the lighting.

Whew, what do you think? I value all your input and expertise and experience to help me figure this out.
The beads are not a common coin detail, but often show up on tokens, but most tokens do not have a head and eagle configuration either.
It IS possible that it is not a head at all. So let me confuse you more, it just looks like one. It is approx. the size, wt. and thickness of a large cent.
I am obviously stumped.
Thanks in advance and HH folks!

 

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[A2coins]

That Buckle is Freakin sweet and congrats on retiring and Thanks for your service doing that job!!!! I was thinking King James coin but I really am no expert or even close to one but that looks really awesome and both display worthy. Im going to watch to see what it is.. Well done Tommy

 

[Aureus]

Your coin is a Dix Centimes Napoleon III of France. Second Empire.


1852-1870

 

[DiggerKid2003]

I believe the buckle might be Indian wars but I'm not totally sure. Amazing day.

 

[EasternShoreMetal]

Your coin is a Dix Centimes Napoleon III of France. Second Empire.
View attachment 1701368

1852-1870

Oh My Gosh! Man you are fast! That has got to be it! beads and all. Wow, thanks Aureus, you know how you sweat it when you can't figure something out, I like tokens too, but I'm very pleased it's a coin. That's just plain cool. I appreciate your help. What a great resource TN has been. Hope you next find is a lulu.
Thanks again, Chris

 

[EasternShoreMetal]

That Buckle is Freakin sweet and congrats on retiring and Thanks for your service doing that job!!!! I was thinking King James coin but I really am no expert or even close to one but that looks really awesome and both display worthy. Im going to watch to see what it is.. Well done Tommy

Hey Tommy thanks, I couldn't believe the shape it was in when it came out, and to have the tongue was an extra treat. I appreciate your sentiments as well, good to be back.
HH!

 

[Aureus]

Oh My Gosh! Man you are fast! That has got to be it! beads and all. Wow, thanks Aureus, you know how you sweat it when you can't figure something out, I like tokens too, but I'm very pleased it's a coin. That's just plain cool. I appreciate your help. What a great resource TN has been. Hope you next find is a lulu.
Thanks again, Chris

No problem. I have found a few of them so knew right away what it was. That buckle is amazing by the way. Congratulations!

 

[EasternShoreMetal]

I believe the buckle might be Indian wars but I'm not totally sure. Amazing day.

I agree with you about the Indian wars date, its a possibility I considered as well. The style has been around for so long, early 1800's to CW, so its the little details that tell the story. Thanks for your rapid response! HH

 

[DigginNorthernVa]

Very nice! The sword belt plate looks CW to me. Small hook on the back and cast wreath. Way to Go!

 

[EasternShoreMetal]

Very nice! The sword belt plate looks CW to me. Small hook on the back and cast wreath. Way to Go!

Thanks, DNV. It's my first like it, so I am totally open to the dating, the plate seems to fit every left faced eagle design down thru time. The single slot on the left I thought seemed to date it early as well as the single tongue, but if you are finding them in CW, that's cool too. I'm mainly tickled with its condition. It's just a good thing I dig large holes around my hits so as not to scratch em. LOL

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Awesome belt buckle and very cool old copper!

 

[Steve in PA]

Beautiful buckle! It's a variant of the Model 1851 waist belt buckle and it's Civil War era.

 

[Digger RJ]

Awesome!!! Congrats!!!

 

[EasternShoreMetal]

Awesome belt buckle and very cool old copper!

Thanks for looking and the kind words Prof!

Beautiful buckle! It's a variant of the Model 1851 waist belt buckle and it's Civil War era.

.
CW seems to be winning the date guestimation. I don't find many CW artifacts on the Maryland penninsula, so I appreciate you all who know. It was face down in the wet dirt, but as soon as I saw the curve I was pretty sure what it was. Adrenaline rush. I think there is more CW artifacts where I was in R.I. they sent a few units down south. Thanks for the response! HH

Awesome!!! Congrats!!!

Thanks Digger! You're next.. HH

 

[Trezurehunter]

Glad you had both your items ID'd, and congrats on a couple of outstanding finds, especially that buckle. That would look great in anyone's collection.

 

[xcopperstax]

Very nice buckle and cool mystery solved coin! Congrats!

 

[EasternShoreMetal]

Glad you had both your items ID'd, and congrats on a couple of outstanding finds, especially that buckle. That would look great in anyone's collection.

Very nice buckle and cool mystery solved coin! Congrats!

Thanks guys;
I had a good day.. and TNet has always been a GREAT resource for information. When all else fails, this place usually has someone who has seen what you have found before. Still, knowing that, I was amazed at how fast I got a positive ID on that coin. Even with as few details as it showed, BOOM!, answer in minutes. Great place. Happy Hunting and thanks for the encouragement.

 

[Inspector]

Awesome hunt, beautiful buckle & nice old coin, congrats on the saves

 

[rickb2202]

I would be staring at that buckle for a long time!!! Nice finds

 

[EasternShoreMetal]

Awesome hunt, beautiful buckle & nice old coin, congrats on the saves

Thanks Inspector. Good to get your input again.

I would be staring at that buckle for a long time!!! Nice finds

Thanks Rich. You know, when I find something I really like, I don't catalogue it and put it away right off. I hold it a lot. I look at the details, and rub my fingers across the dust and metal to get a feel for its history. So, I agree with you. It's been buried for to long to get shelved right away. Even display isn't the same as just holding them.
(Sounds kinda kinky, but it's not, lol)