Confederate Block I, Schenkl Fuse and a Bunch of Other Stuff!!!

[mudduck]

Potential High Dome Confederate Block I, Schenkl Fuse and a Bunch of Other Stuff!!!

I know this is "Today's Finds," however a lot of times I get home and it is too late and I am too tired to post and then it is back to work.

I wanted to share some things from my past several hunts, including my most recent hunt where I found my first "Block I" and the base plate of a canister shot. Thought for sure that base plate was a buckle or breast plate. That sucker was DEEP.

I am hunting near Richmond, VA.

Earlier I found a Virginia Militia button. Cleaned it up the best I could, that things was brittle.

I found a 12 pounder with small grape shot dimples inside which was cool.

Found a Schenkl Fuse about 3 inches deep in great condition. Not too far away I found the nose of a shell.

It has been a great spring/summer. I did not include all the frags, bullets and misc items (underwear button, etc) I found.

Looking forward to things cooling off and hitting it hard.

Happy hunting!

 

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[danimal03]

real nice finds! I have been hunting CW sites for a couple years and have found 2 x breastplates in CS sites. But for whatever reason I have never found a CS button. That block I is real unusual. it looks like it might be a "high dome" variety which are exceedingly rare. but even if it is not, it is a scarce variant.

I hunted near Richmond a month ago and found 7 x minie balls and an eagle cuff and I thought I was doing well. you smoked me by miles. Congratulations on some real nice stuff.... nice buttons....

 

[danimal03]

actually if that block I is a "high dome" variant it I would nominate it banner though I do not think folks on t-net would understand how exceedingly rare a "high dome" block I is. I am pretty sure it is though but I can be mistaken. If memory serves me correctly they are attributed to being made in New Orleans. I specialize in CS buttons but I have never owned or even handled a "high dome" block letter button before. Huge congrats regardless....

 

[mirage83]

Really nice collection of finds you have there. Keep it up.

 

[mudduck]

danimal01 - that is funny you should say that. the guy i was hunting with (who has hunted for 40+ years) said it looked rare. another person who looked at it said it was a "high dome" block i. i had no idea what that meant at the time. i will try to get some better pics.

 

[danimal03]

I am almost certain it is a "high dome" infantry. the more common "high dome" is artillery. the infantry buttons are exceedingly rare. I have not seen one dug in over 7 years and I can't even remember that last one I saw. Regular block "I's" are rare, but this variant is exceedingly rare. I hate to discuss value, but to put it into context so most viewers can understand, this is easily a $500 button if not more. I have not seen one sold in a real, real, long time so it could be worth more. it is tough to put a value on it. but in rarity and historical terms it is huge. Someone dug a CS Marine button on another forum recently which is exceedingly rare. but honestly I have seen a couple dug in the last 7 years. Your "high dome" block I is the first I have seen on forums in at least 7 years. there may have been another but if there was I missed the post. May not be as significant as a CS Marine, but maybe just as rare, or rarer even.

The block letter I's usually fall within a few variations. this one is outside the normal variation and the back is unusual. I don't have my button books in front of me but it is not a 'normal' back.

it is safe to say it is a "high dome" infantry button. HUGE congratulations. Even without it the rest of the finds are awesome. these finds would make my year! or even two or three.....

 

[danimal03]

p.s., I went ahead and nominated it for the banner. I doubt it will make it as most just will not get the rarity and value. However this deserves a 'banner' nomination in rarity, history, and value .....

 

[Ahab8]

That's a great button. Interested to know if it is the rare variety

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Your photo shows something VERY unusual about the 12-Pounder caliber Canister-ammo baseplate you dug.

For anybody here who doesn't already know, a cannon's Canister-ammo is like a shotgun's buckshot ammo, containing dozens of balls. The purpose of the Canister's baseplate (a 1/4"-thick iron disc) is to ensure that all of the dozens of balls get pushed out of the cannon's barrel when the Canister is fired at the enemy.

The fired Canister-ammo baseplate you found shows six "dimples" evenly spaced around one dimple in the baseplate's center. The baseplate was not manufactured with dimples in it. The "dimpling" was caused by firing two Canisters out of the cannon at the same time... which is called double-loading or "double-shotted" firing. That was very dangerous thing to do. Firing two Canisters at once (instead of the usual one-at-a-time) doubled the firing-stress on the cannon's barrel, which could cause the cannon to itself to explode and kill its crewmen. So, double-loading/double-shotting was only done when massed enemy troops had succeeded in getting close enough to overrun the cannon's location. In other words, "double-shotted" Canister firing was only done in extremely desperate circumstances. Thus, your "double-shotted" Canister baseplate is a very rare civil war artillery relic.

Also for anybody here who doesn't already know:
Canister ammo gets it name from the thin tinned-iron can (a "canister") which held the dozens of antipersonnel balls. The photos below show an intact non-excavated round of Canister ammo, and another one whose seam has split open, showing the balls inside (with the thick iron baseplate at the top of the photo). Another photo shows a Canister baseplate that got "dimpled" by being double-shotted, along with the 1.47"-diameter iron balls from the Canister, and its thinner iron top-plate.

 

[mudduck]

Your photo shows something VERY unusual about the 12-Pounder caliber Canister-ammo baseplate you dug.

For anybody here who doesn't already know, a cannon's Canister-ammo is like a shotgun's buckshot ammo, containing dozens of balls. The purpose of the Canister's baseplate (a 1/4" thich iron disc) is to ensure that all of the dozens of balls get pushed out of the cannon's barrel when the Canister is fired at the enemy.

The fired Canister-ammo baseplate you found shows six "dimples" evenly spaced around one dimple in the baseplate's center. The baseplate was not manufactured with dimples in it. The "dimpling" was caused by firing two Canisters out of the cannon at the same time... which is called double-loading or "double-shotted" firing. That was very dangerous thing to do. Firing two Canisters at once (instead of the usual one-at-a-time) doubled the firing-stress on the cannon's barrel, which could cause the cannon to itself to explode and kill its crewmen. So, double-loading/double-shotting was only done when massed enemy troops had succeeded in getting close enough to overrun the cannon's location. In other words, "double-shotted" Canister firing was only done in extremely desperate circumstances. Thus, your "double-shotted" Canister baseplate is a very rare civil war artillery relic.

Also for anybody here who doesn't already know:
Canister ammo gets it name from the thin tinned-iron can (a "canister") which held the dozens of antipersonnel balls. The photos below show an intact non-excavated round of civil war Canister ammo, and another one whose seam has split open, showing the balls inside (with the thick iron baseplate at the top of the photo). Another photo shows a Canister baseplate that got "dimpled" by being double-shotted, along with the 1.47"-diameter iron balls from the Canister, and its thinner iron top-plate.

WOW! That is great information and it matches perfectly with where I am hunting. This area saw heavy action.

 

[Valley Ranger]

Nice variety! Gotta love that AT Pro. Best machine for the money IMHO.

 

[CASPER-2]

 

[HomeGuardDan]

WTG man! Congrats on many firsts and hope you find plenty more

 

[parsonwalker]

Mudduck, you continue to be the LUCKIEST "recent-convert" to relic hunting I have ever seen. When I walked over that Block I, it was so you wouldn't get discouraged. Yeah. Like THAT would ever happen. You rock man. I learned new stuff from our hunt. Never heard of "dimpling" or a high-domed Block I. Save me that go-pro footage for the next vid . . .

 

[CoilyGirl]

Wow,congrats,very nice finds! That Schenkel fuse sure is a pretty green and fits perfectly in the nose of that shell.

 

[CSA2K]

Score!

 

[Davers]

AWESOME Finds Indeed.

Davers