Bahamas finds (what is it?)

[Offshore1]

So 3 years ago a friend of mine went detecting on a small island in the bahamas. I will post the finds here. ONE FIND we have not yet found any information about. It is the buckle belt with some sort of mystic engraving. It was buried 30cm deep next to a path that rumors says mr Coloumbus himself has taken many times.

does anyone here know what era it could come from? On the back there is small letters saying something like " true savor plate" or so. it's very hard to read.

when diving I found a wine bottle inside a small corall. very cool.


many thanks from Sweden.

 

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[CASPER-2]

buckle looks like Egyptian revival from possibly late 1800s

 

[Royn2751]

Please show us the back of the buckle.

 

[Trezurehunter]

Looks like some nice finds. I agree, we could use a picture of the back of the buckle.

 

[DCMatt]

Art Deco men's fashion belt buckle. 1920's - 1940's

They are often personalized with an initial in the blank space.

 

[Blak bart]

So 3 years ago a friend of mine went detecting on a small island in the bahamas. I will post the finds here. ONE FIND we have not yet found any information about. It is the buckle belt with some sort of mystic engraving. It was buried 30cm deep next to a path that rumors says mr Coloumbus himself has taken many times.

does anyone here know what era it could come from? On the back there is small letters saying something like " true savor plate" or so. it's very hard to read.

when diving I found a wine bottle inside a small corall. very cool.


many thanks from Sweden.

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Were you in san sal bahamas ? The ruins in pic 2 look like the ruins of watling castle. If so it was also used as a church in the 1930s-1950s. I'm probably wrong about which island your on but the ruins look eerily similar to watling castle. You mentioned columbus so I assumed san salvador....where he first landed. Your bottle find looks like a 3 piece mold black glass ales bottle...most likely english. Congrats on some great finds....I love that bottle !!

 

[Red-Coat]

Welcome to the forum.

What an interesting area to be able to hunt. The buckle is lovely, and I think you will find that it says “true silver plate” on the back.

From around the 1820s, commercial manufacturers were striving to improve their profits by switching to cheap substitutes for silver and silver plate (German silver, Alpacca etc), followed by the progressive introduction of EPNS from 1840 onwards. By about 1860 the market was flooded with these cheaper alternatives. Some quality manufacturers continued to use the traditional plating method and commonly used marks such as “true silver plate” on their goods to distance themselves from these cheap alternatives.

I would agree it’s in the territory of “Egyptian Revival”, which was popular throughout the 19th century, but continued into the 1920s. It’s very “Art Deco” in style, which I would think firmly places it in the 1920s.

 

[cudamark]

That one cent coin looks in remarkable shape for being over 200 years old. Great find!

 

[Offshore1]

BIG thanks for all the answers! I have been wondering about this buckle belt for a long time now. San salvador is correct in guessing! lovely island.

Quick question: where can I read up upon getting a permit for dragging a magnetizer behind a boat around in the bahamas. Is there any chance at all for 2 ordinary persons without a big budget to be granted such a thing or should I just forget it? would love to go diving again next holiday...

I have been told the bottle is a wine bottle from 1825-1850s... 3-piece mold. Attached is the pictures of the back of the buckle.

 

[Blak bart]

It is very difficult to obtain permits for magging offshore. Treasure hunters are lined up around the block with projects and the government will not budge with the permits....so right now all underwater projects are shut down. But as you know I'm sure.....there are some great opportunities on san sal for the average guy with a detector. I see you have at least one cave pic. There is a vast treasure in a certain cave on fortune hill....they dont call it fortune hill for nothing. There are many abandoned plantation homes there also. It truly is a treasure island. I have found coins here from the 1620s and I believe there are many great finds to be made here. I've been fishing over here since the 80s and over the years have made some great friends there. The permissions on private property are very productive here often with artifacts laying in plain view for hundreds of years !! Heres a little taste of some of the treasure stories on the island http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/w...but-gypsy-graves-handwriting.html#post6169319
I have also searched that same ruin and had better results at the water hole in back of the ruin. There are other outbuildings there with great potential. Some slave quarters there I never even new about until I found them on google earth !! Many fantastic ruins are hidden in the bush of this island. People came to this island since 1492 !! And it was a stop for water for just about every sailing ship since Columbus !! Congrats on your finds !! I too truly love this island....it is home away from home for me. Happy hunting !!

 

[Tuberale]

Thanks for sharing with us, Offshore1!

 

[Offshore1]

That's interesting! can you tell me more about your best finds on the island? I've been 5 times to the island but only once with the minelab. We tried the beaches also but too much junk for an amateur like me. We had a small DJI drone that could help us get directions to the ruins when we were lost in the jungle. Great Fun but got a little tired of spiders and mosquitos at the end of our 2-week trip..!