Confederate Block I Button Amongst The Wheaties!

[Carolina Tom]

I went out this morning for a bit of metal detecting therapy. I stopped at a couple of the usual suspects, but didn’t get much.

I did get this, which I believe to be a US military insignia but I can’t find a match. Please let me know if you can ID it, it almost looks like an unicorn...



Second stop was some partially torn down apartments from the 1940s. A known spot, where a silver coin just might be found. The bulldozer man gave me the thumbs up, I donned my hi vis vest and off I went.

Always nice to spot a partially exposed marble in a bulldozer scrape.



Sure enough, third hole. 1935 Merc.



I was getting some clad and a few wheaties, and had high hopes of more silver coins or maybe a ring, then this happened...

The target sounded like a bottle cap, nothing special. I was trying to dig all the signals. One of the boys got a gold ring here 2 weeks ago and you just never know.

It took me a minute to get enough dirt off of it, then I realized it was a button.



A little more rubbing, and what do I see.



Holy smokes, it’s a Confederate block I button.

It’s a cast pewter Correction: Brass, not pewter drilled shank button. It would have been made in Dixie, out of whatever the gentlemen in gray could get their hands on.



Just a random spot, no CW activity near here, I am very thankful to have found it. Blind squirrels and acorns.

Here is a pic of all the stuff, plus a cap gun hammer.



Thanks for looking and good luck on your hunts!

 

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[smokeythecat]

Way to go! Any Confederate buttons or buckles are hard to get anymore.

 

[cannonball]

Nice Job on that button! I hope you conserve it before it disappears on you......

 

[smokeythecat]

Are you sure it's not brass? Pewter generally doesn't turn green.

 

[Noah_D]

Very nice! It's oddball finds like that keep the hobby interesting! You never know what's in the bottom of your next hole until you dig it...

 

[GaRebel1861]

Congratulations on the Confederate button! Hard to find those.

 

[Tnmountains]

Great hunt. Block 'I" are hard to find these days. Not sure on the horse emblem...seems to be US Calvary and (The sun in splendor is taken from the flag of South Dakota; )

 

[Digger RJ]

Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Carolina Tom]

Are you sure it's not brass? Pewter generally doesn't turn green.

It might be brass Smokey, you’d know better than I. The button has little bubbles (voids) on the shank and around the rim. When I cleaned it gently with a toothpick, it was a bit flaky.

I assumed it was “pot luck” metal, made of whatever low melting point metal would fit in the furnace!

 

[cmthunder]

Awesome Rebel relic congrats!

 

[JBnNC]

Very nice cast I, that had to be exciting for it to pop out on a random spot. Congrats!

 

[Trezurehunter]

Excellent finds Tom. I like that Block I, Merc, and military pin.

 

[nhbenz]

Nice finds! The Distinctive Unit Insignia appears to be from the 79th Field Artillery Regiment: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/79th_Field_Artillery_Regiment

 

[Carolina Tom]

Nice finds! The Distinctive Unit Insignia appears to be from the 79th Field Artillery Regiment: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/79th_Field_Artillery_Regiment
View attachment 1904365

Thank you sir. You still got it!

 

[BuckleBoy]

Killer button! I’ve seen cast confederate letter buttons be dug before but it took me almost 30 years to get my first one. It’s most certainly brass, not pewter.

 

[Bharpring]

Awesome button Tom! Congrats!

 

[treblehunter]

Congrats buddy, they are all cool finds! I know a few sites of mine I'd love to have a bulldozer to push around some dirt.

 

[Calabash Digger]

Very nice!

 

[SuperShaun]

Nice!!!

 

[cmthunder]

Great finding the button in an unexpected location. Makes it extra special!