Button age and a whats this

[fyrffytr1]

Button age and a what's this

I detected a site that dates back to the 1830's in the downtown Albany, Ga. area. I found a "pearl" button and what I think may be an earring. The button was laying on top of the ground and neraly blinded me. It was difficult to get a picture of it.
Can Y'all tell me about how old the button could be?
In addition to these pieces I also found a brown glass bottle stopper. a button hook and two more what's its that I may post in another thread. I think they are plumbing pieces.

 

[AKiwi]

Re: Button age and a what's this

That last item could be a Pull off an old roller/holland blind.
Good finds..... It's all in the hunt

 

[fyrffytr1]

Re: Button age and a what's this

I'm not familiar with that type of blind but it would have to be pretty small. This piece is about the size of a penny.

 

[vayank54]

Re: Button age and a what's this

Are you sure the button isn't horn. I've dug a few horn button like that in civil war camps. The piece on the top right looks like the top to a civil war artillery fuse.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Button age and a what's this

Are you sure the button isn't horn. I've dug a few horn button like that in civil war camps. The piece on the top right looks like the top to a civil war artillery fuse.

I was going to say that but Im not familiar first hand with CW fuses.



Maybe the button is Mother-of-Pearl or shell, post 1855. http://www.anthro.utah.edu/IMACs/475-Buttons.pdf

Because the inner layers of many types of shells are similar, it is difficult to classify
buttons according to the types of shells from which they were cut. In the factory,
shells are sorted by color, regardless of species. Fresh water shells are not as
iridescent or brilliant as deepwater species. In the United States, fresh water
shells are used for utilitarian buttons. It is difficult to date shell buttons with
certainty because of the long history of shell as a button material. All types of
holes, shanks, shapes, decorations and sizes are used for shell buttons
(Luscomb 1967:177-180). Smooth backs generally postdate 1900. Intricate
carved designs and cameos generally predate 1880. Commercially-made shell
buttons were introduced into the United States from France in 1855 (Fontana
and Greenleaf 1962:98).

 

[fyrffytr1]

Re: Button age and a what's this

These finds came from what would have been the area underneath the building. The building was demolished about three weeks ago and the dirt was spread out across the lot. There is a ton of old glass shards and iron. It is very difficult to detect in any mode other than the coin one on my DFX.
The button is very fragile and crumbles easily. It appears to be made of very thin layers, that is why I thought mother of pearl or something like that.
Here are a couple more shots of the "fuse". It has inner and outer threads. The brown stuff is not rust, just dirt. It has a 82-84 signal with one full bar in the graph.
It would be neat if it were a fuse but I am not getting my hopes up.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Button age and a what's this

Crumbling easy?
I'd say, mother of pearl.
Nice finds

 

[fyrffytr1]

Re: Button age and a what's this

How should I clean the "fuse" looking piece?

 

[Sky Pilot]

Re: Button age and a what's this

I'd bet the farm that the brass object is an artillery shell fuse.
Great finds!!!

Regards, SkyPilot

 

[vayank54]

Re: Button age and a what's this

I'm pretty sure it's part of a fuse and by the rust on the threads may have had part of the shell on it before it was moved. I don't think it will clean up much better but you might try soaking it in a 50/50 mix of water and lemon juice. Just keep an eye on it and don't leave it in to long

 

[fyrffytr1]

Re: Button age and a what's this

I didn't soak it. Just used a tooth brush (Hope my wife doesn't notice!) and some soapy water. It cleaned up a little but I don't want to remove the patina.

 

[vayank54]

Re: Button age and a what's this

Good job cleaning it. You probably won't get it to look any better. I'm almost certain it's part of an artillery fuse

 

[traderoftreasures]

Re: Button age and a what's this

Good job cleaning it. You probably won't get it to look any better. I'm almost certain it's part of an artillery fuse

maybe like
similar to this one

 

[traderoftreasures]

Re: Button age and a what's this

or just a threaded reducer...

 

[fyrffytr1]

Re: Button age and a what's this

As much as I would like for this to be a fuse I just am not sure. It has similarities to both fuse and reducer. I don't think it is steel. But, I am sure reducers were made out of other materials as well.
What would the tapered end fit into?