Draped bust, unusual buttons and more

trapperart · Jul 2, 2017

Back at it this morning, told my wife last night I had to go to get my dirt therapy this morning. Couple cool buttons, I've never found one that looks like a ball button, but has a drilled shank. The other cast and drilled one, I thought was a tombac, but may be something else. Draped bust was a nice surprise and let down at the same time. I was hoping for some old silver, maybe next time. The little buckle is the smallest cast one I've ever dug. All and all it was a good couple hours. Good luck to all. Art

Kurios1 · Jul 2, 2017

One of your therapy sessions would have me smiling for a week. I love buttons and buckles and you have some really cool and unique ones there. Sorry no fix for your silver addiction. That penny would be like GOLD to me. Funny how a few hundred miles in the USA changes our perspectives on recoveries so dramatically. Good day sir.

relic nut · Jul 2, 2017

Nice hunt! Those buttons are cool finds. Glad you got out.

HH, RN

pa-dirt_nc-sand · Jul 2, 2017

Nice therapeutic session. Cool LC and other goodies!

pepperj · Jul 2, 2017

Good therapy session should last for a day or so.

Now I'm thinking the wives should know by now when we are in need of therapy instead of us having to tell them.

CRUSADER · Jul 2, 2017

17th C Button

dirtlooter · Jul 2, 2017

pretty sweet finds, congrats

darktower007 · Jul 2, 2017

Great finds!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A2coins · Jul 2, 2017

I need to get a Therapist who can go seed wherever my next hunt is . I like it Good job!!Art

against the wind · Jul 2, 2017

Excellent hunt,, I won't be able to get any
"Dirt Therapy " until Thursday.
Congrats on all your finds.

Agent Green · Jul 2, 2017

Sweet finds, love the draped bust! :icon_thumright:

trapperart · Jul 3, 2017

Does anyone know if this is a button and age. It's not heavy so it's not a bell clapper. Never seen one like it.

bonepicker · Jul 3, 2017

trapperart said:
Does anyone know if this is a button and age. It's not heavy so it's not a bell clapper. Never seen one like it.

Both of those buttons look very old to me. I was going to guess early 18th century, but Cru might be right, it could be a little earlier. The shank design suggests its old..
I am curious what others say. I did a little digging online and found a similar example.

Diminutive, hollow, two-piece, seam-soldered conical cuff buttons like those shown at left have been recovered from 1733 Fleet wreck sites. Each of the two elements comprising the button's body was cast separately, finished along its joining edges, and then the two parts were sweat solder joined. The examples at left illustrate three varieties of these small buttons.

trapperart · Jul 3, 2017

bonepicker said:
Both of those buttons look very old to me. I was going to guess early 18th century, but Cru might be right, it could be a little earlier. The shank design suggests its old..
I am curious what others say. I did a little digging online and found a similar example.

Diminutive, hollow, two-piece, seam-soldered conical cuff buttons like those shown at left have been recovered from 1733 Fleet wreck sites. Each of the two elements comprising the button's body was cast separately, finished along its joining edges, and then the two parts were sweat solder joined. The examples at left illustrate three varieties of these small buttons.

See the difference in the shanks, that's what I've never seen in a ball button. Thanks for your input.

CRUSADER · Jul 3, 2017

bonepicker said:
Both of those buttons look very old to me. I was going to guess early 18th century, but Cru might be right, it could be a little earlier. The shank design suggests its old..
I am curious what others say. I did a little digging online and found a similar example.

Diminutive, hollow, two-piece, seam-soldered conical cuff buttons like those shown at left have been recovered from 1733 Fleet wreck sites. Each of the two elements comprising the button's body was cast separately, finished along its joining edges, and then the two parts were sweat solder joined. The examples at left illustrate three varieties of these small buttons.

Nope that one is 18th C, I was talking about the one that looks filed down with a drilled shank.

trapperart · Jul 3, 2017

CRUSADER said:
Nope that one is 18th C, I was talking about the one that looks filed down with a drilled shank.

Thanks Crusader, I thought you were referring to the cast one with file marks.

CRUSADER · Jul 3, 2017

trapperart said:
See the difference in the shanks, that's what I've never seen in a ball button. Thanks for your input.

These are not technically ball buttons. Your lucky to get it complete, normally you only get the bases or the tops. Sometimes the bases are a different metal type to the tops.

Scrappy · Jul 3, 2017

CRUSADER said:
These are not technically ball buttons. Your lucky to get it complete, normally you only get the bases or the tops. Sometimes the bases are a different metal type to the tops.

Yes fragile and tough to find complete! I found an early type of this button with a brass base and pewter top. My buddy Ahab8 crushed it right in from of me. He says it was by accident.

Art - killer find with the early button. I have only bottoms and a Frankenstein one glued together after being crushed. Lol