Campus gives another old button and an ivory elephant

[tnt-hunter]

I went back to campus to continue the grid on the sports field digging all mid and high tones and anything that sounds promising. I spent 5 hours swingin the CZ21 on a cooler overcast day. I managed to find 43 coins with a face value of $3.27 (22 pennies and 17 of them were badly eaten zincs), a sinker, a key, 2 old copper rivets, a tie tack back, 2 modern copper clad bullets, an old button, a piece of jewelry, a small D buckel, some can slaw and another pile of can tabs.

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The button is a civilian button that is slightly mashed and the shank is bent, but in decent shape. I was able to get a nice backmark of R & W ROBINSON EXTRA RICH. My research says it was made between 1834 and 1848 so another oldie. I prefer military buttons , but I’ll take it.

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The piece of jewelry looked like a piece of modern junk with a plastic disk when I first dug it. Once I got it cleaned up and took a closer look I’m pretty sure it is actually ivory. You can see saw marks on the back and it is not evenly thick which tells me it is probably hand cut and carved. If it was plastic there wouldnt be any saw marks and the thickness would be uniform. The top part is missing and I think it was a pendant and the metal looks like pewter but it is not marked. So this was a nice piece before it spent time in the ground. The D buckle is probably from a harness. It could be civil war, but is most likely from the old farm.

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So another good hunt in the social distancing fresh air with a little gas money, a couple of neat old finds and more ground free from all those nasty old tabs and rotten zincs. Thanks for looking, stay safe and may your coil lead you to good things.

 

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[ArfieBoy]

Very nice finds! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Squirrel322]

That ivory elephant is outstanding!

One method to test if an item is genuine ivory, bone or antler is to touch it Somewhere discrete (Like on the back) with a hot pin. Imitation I terms will melt.

 

[Dirty Digger Doug]

Great finds. Love the elephant.

 

[ToddsPoint]

If you can see the Schreger lines on the back you can tell if it's from an African/Indian elephant or from an extinct mammoth. Mammoth ivory is legal federally and legal in most states. Elephant ivory is highly restricted and you have to prove where it came from before you can sell it. Here is a pic of the Schreger lines on both types of ivory. Gary

 

[Wildcat1750]

Great hunt and that does look like real ivory, at least from where I'm sitting!

 

[tnt-hunter]

That ivory elephant is outstanding!

One method to test if an item is genuine ivory, bone or antler is to touch it Somewhere discrete (Like on the back) with a hot pin. Imitation I terms will melt.

Thanks for the info. I gave it a try and unfortunately the pin went in so it is plastic. It’s a good fake, but fake non the less.

If you can see the Schreger lines on the back you can tell if it's from an African/Indian elephant or from an extinct mammoth. Mammoth ivory is legal federally and legal in most states. Elephant ivory is highly restricted and you have to prove where it came from before you can sell it. Here is a pic of the Schreger lines on both types of ivory. Gary


Good info Gary, but the test proved that the info is not needed this time.
View attachment 1874879

Great hunt and that does look like real ivory, at least from where I'm sitting!

Thanks to all, stay safe and keep swingin.