Bent But Still Civil War

Fullstock · Oct 3, 2016

My digging buddy and I got out for a couple hours this evening and worked a field at a new permission spot. The area was heavily traveled by troops during the war, but we weren't having any luck until I moved close to an old road bed. After digging assorted trash for 15 minutes or so, I got a good deep brass reading. About 10" down, out pops a slightly bend but intact box plate. I haven't dug a plate in a while, it felt good to break my dry spell.

relic nut · Oct 3, 2016

Congrats on the plate. Love the dirty picture! It's a great feeling to roll that history out of the ground. Sounds like it will be a great place.

HH RN

against the wind · Oct 3, 2016

That is a sweet plate.
Show us a picture of it once it is cleaned up.
Congrats

Scrappy · Oct 3, 2016

Very very nice find! I found a box plate a few years ago and I about fell over.

How does the back look with the bend? Is there still lead?

Steve

Fullstock · Oct 3, 2016

Pretty much all of the lead is still in it, which is nice. When I ran water over it, the plate is very green, I might put it in olive oil for a while to tone that down.

DigIron2 · Oct 3, 2016

Bent or not Its a nice looking plate. I mean its been through a war alone

Very nice..congrats.

Diggin Dude · Oct 3, 2016

Really sweet plate! I bet it was exciting when you saw the US under the dirt! Congrats and HH

Professor of Engineering · Oct 3, 2016

Great looking plate, congratulations! :occasion14:

Fullstock · Oct 4, 2016

As requested, here are a couple more pictures showing front and back after washing the dirt off.

Aquila · Oct 4, 2016

cool find

Tommy G · Oct 4, 2016

Amazing what you can find sometimes hunting the "beaten path". Congrats!

Davers · Oct 4, 2016

Fullstock said:
My digging buddy and I got out for a couple hours this evening and worked a field at a new permission spot. The area was heavily traveled by troops during the war, but we weren't having any luck until I moved close to an old road bed. After digging assorted trash for 15 minutes or so, I got a good deep brass reading. About 10" down, out pops a slightly bend but intact box plate. I haven't dug a plate in a while, it felt good to break my dry spell.

View attachment 1366256

SWEET!
I swear those things are getting harder & harder to find.

Also yours is in way better shape than my last Box plate (Mine was bent in half & holed through the middle with (a spike?) it still has the hooks tho , you just have to look real close lol)

civil_war22 · Oct 4, 2016

I've only found a half of a US box plate and the lead backing. Mine looked chopped up by something

Davers · Oct 4, 2016

Just wondering , you said " a-while" since your last plate" how many have you Dug

I know some old Timers that have dug 70+ But they have been hunting since the early 70's.

Would love to have hunted back then.

Davers · Oct 4, 2016

civil_war22 said:
I've only found a half of a US box plate and the lead backing. Mine looked chopped up by something

& like me , ill bet your glad to have found it . As "it is what it is".

civil_war22 · Oct 4, 2016

Davers said:
& like me , ill bet your glad to have found it . As "it is what it is".

Yea I felt fortunate to even find that. I had a half to a CS tongue and wreath that was my prior TN days and ex wife got that one

trapperart · Oct 4, 2016

Great find congrats

Fullstock · Oct 4, 2016

Davers said:
Just wondering , you said " a-while" since your last plate" how many have you Dug

I know some old Timers that have dug 70+ But they have been hunting since the early 70's.

Would love to have hunted back then.

I started digging in the mid 1970's and dug hard for about ten years Davers. I hit a lot of incredible, untouched camps and dug a lot of relics, including plates. Went through a divorce and had to sell my collection in 1985, but at last count, I had dug close to 100 plates by 1985. I started up again about 7 years ago, and since then I've only dug 2 box plates (including this one) and a breast plate, with the last previous plate being found about three years ago. Relic hunting definitely isn't what it used to be...... And yes, I guess I'm one of the old timers.

Fullstock · Oct 4, 2016

Fullstock said:
I started digging in the mid 1970's and dug hard for about ten years Davers. I hit a lot of incredible, untouched camps and dug a lot of relics, including plates. Went through a divorce and had to sell my collection in 1985, but at last count, I had dug close to 100 plates by 1985. I started up again about 7 years ago, and since then I've only dug 2 box plates (including this one) and a breast plate, with the last previous plate being found about three years ago. Relic hunting definitely isn't what it used to be...... And yes, I guess I'm one of the old timers.

And to further prove how old I am, I forgot to mention the Confederate wreath I found several months back, so that would be 3 1/2 plates. LOL!

Davers · Oct 5, 2016

civil_war22 said:
Yea I felt fortunate to even find that. I had a half to a CS tongue and wreath that was my prior TN days and ex wife got that one

Right now I'm thinking of one of my Favorite Movies 'Say Anything' 1980's " ^I%C^E's Man ^I%C^E's"

CS Huh Hope u get another ASAP, They are everywhere u know ......'For Sale'!!!