FOUR Spanish Silvers, Pristine Seated, and Henry Clay Button

BuckleBoy

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Moonlight and Magnolias
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Fisher F75, Whites DualField PI, Fisher 1266-X and Tesoro Silver uMax
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Hello All,


Got out with Shangderthal for a three day dig. Work schedules had beaten us down until we just said screw it and took time off. Glad we did! Enjoy the video!



First off I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Shangison dug a Seated on a solo hunt right before our three day adventure. This Seated was shy and didn't hold still for its photo to be taken, and that's why it's blurry :D 1854-O Half Dime.

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My prelude to the three day dig was going out in the field (breaking my rule about bringing a backup detector always) and finding out that my F75 wouldn't ground balance and was going haywire! :BangHead: So that day I did nothing but eyeball, since I was too far away from home and didn't want it to be a wasted trip. Was upset that the detector broke--furious! The old Fisher 1266-X I own has never had a problem since it was purchased in 1991. This F75 hasn't lasted 5 years. >:( So I'm using my wife's detector right now and the F75 is at First TX and useless.

I did find a few things though--including this nice cobalt blue laudanum bottle and the neat red glass "paste jewel"

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Anyhow, back to our three day marathon dig... :)

Things started off slowly on day 1 with flat buttons, musketballs, and Shang got a nice intact jew's harp. :thumbsup: Eventually eyeballed a a "Russian Blue" trade bead--his first one ever.

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Then he dug an anchor button which is either an early Navy button or a Jacksonian Button. He also dug a nice decorative civilian "flower button."

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I was lucky enough to dig a couple of pocket watch winders. The spade shaped one appears to have a man's bust on it and two crossed flags on one side.

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I also dug this whatzit. It says E. COUDRAY A PARIS on both sides, and it appears to be something to do with an antebellum perfume bottle (lead seal of some sort--were perfume bottles sealed??).

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I also dug this interesting pewter piece that appears to be a bird's nest full of eggs. No clue what this is either! Help is appreciated!

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We dug a lot of targets on Day 1, but it was slow and gradual--button here, musketball there, brass or lead... When day 2 started it was my turn to find a trade bead. :headbang:

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Then out of the blue I dug a BEAUTIFUL 1840-O half dime!

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Would be super nice to find the rare variety of this year and mintmark sometime (1840-O w/drapery)--especially if it were in this condition!

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Then toward the end of the day, I dug a worn half real--1782!!

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I took no more than 15 steps--and lo and behold I dug another one, right in a pile of fire ants!! The second one was worn smooth, but colonial silver is colonial silver! (sorry, no photo of it in the dirt--the ants were all over me!)

Between picking up around 100 clay pipe stem fragments, I eyeballed my first Native American artifact ever found in Louisiana. (There isn't workable stone down here--just lots of silt and mud--so the native peoples must have traded for stone to make tools, and the stone must have come from a long distance away). This appears to be a hafted tool or point of some sort!

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Day 3 started well before dawn and by 5:45am we were in the field. I literally got out of the truck, turned on my detector, took three steps, and flopped out a Spanish Silver! :headbang: ANOTHER 1782!!

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That's a way to start a morning! As we say down here, anything else I could dig the whole day would be lagniappe!! :D

Things got pretty normal after that... flat button...musketball... the usual.

Then I dug a three piece button that I thought might be a Jacksonian button--BUT I strongly suspected it was a Henry Clay campaign button!

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My hunch was right! It was my SECOND Henry Clay button from the 1844 presidential election (dug my first one three years ago).

Then right at the closing bell, Shanguloid flopped out a Spanish silver of his own!! 1807 Half Real!

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Was quite a hunt--and the finds filled up nearly an entire case each!

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**MORE PHOTOS IN FIRST REPLY BELOW**
 

Last edited:
Upvote 43
Could be the wealth and affluence or the geographical isolation or some of both--do you live in an historically isolated area?


Now that you mention it, I do notice that you post more Spanish and Seated silver than coppers. I'm in the same situation with the lack of large coppers. I've only dug 6 in eight years, but have found many many silvers from the time period.
 

Thank you for the great information my friend!

Great finds !
Re: the blue bottle..
McCormick manufactured 2 versions of this bottle - the earlier version is a cork top (1890s - 1910) and the later version was a screw top (1910 - 1920s).
Don......
 

Thanks my friend! We are working on it but Spanish #100 will still be about a year away still--although one never knows!

cheers,

Buck
I wish I had that problem with coppers. Right now I average 20 large coppers (British and US) to 1 Spanish silver. Lol.

To Buck: very exciting hunt bruddah! All that Spanish is making my eyes burn. And a seated in that condition is one in a thousand! Also wonderful button, bottle and beads. Keep killing it and I hope you hit 100 Spanish soon bud

Steve
 

I greatly appreciate your thoughtful reply.

Every Good Wish,

BB

So cool to see what some dedicated folks can unearth in another part of the country. Fantastic finds and post, really appreciate the time you put into it.
 

Hello and thanks for the reply! There will be fields in MD with pipe stems to be found for sure. Keep hunting and you'll find them. If the ground is plowed you'll have better luck.

Best Wishes,

Buck

Great hunt as always. Your research sure pays off. I'm just amazed at the amount of pipe stems. Like the clay button and silver of course but can't believe you can just pick up a pipe bowl in a field. Some reason it's my favorite. Maybe because I never find them lol. Congrats on a good three days of great finds.
 

Nothing Better than a cold 6-pack waiting for the return home!

Cheers, ��

Buck

That was an epic hunt Buck! Based on your description of the weather, you certainly earned each of those amazing recoveries. Hope there was a cold beer waiting for you at the end of the day. Big congrats!
 

Could be the wealth and affluence or the geographical isolation or some of both--do you live in an historically isolated area?

I'm in Canada, north of North Dakota. Population was and still is very sparse. People around here in that era were generally not rich, although I have found a lot of silver. Canadian large cents were produced from 1858-1920, but I just don't find many. I find an even mix of US/Canadian coins except when it comes to the older 1 cent coins, they are almost always Indian Heads or old Wheaties.
 

Epic saves!!!
 

Congrats on another superb post and awesome set of finds.

You and Shangatron find the best stuff. Spanish, Henry Clay, seated and a hand full of marbles!

Best of luck to you both and thanks for giving me a glimpse into how the big league plays.
 

The arrowhead....that might be a spectacular find if it's in fact an arrowhead. I can't see any flaking in the image but it sure looks a lot like what's in the attached link? Scroll down to see image, material looks pretty much the same as well. 10,500 years old?!

Hardaway Blade Projectile Point
 

Gosh, you always seem to find the good stuff - good stories, great relics, and SUPER coinage! :icon_thumright:
 

Awesome hunt and finds. 90 degrees is a bit much for me. 70 and humid gives me a heatstroke so my season is usually done in April.

Unless it's a harvested peanut field we never see bare ground and I'm super jealous. I love to eyeball pipe stems and arrowheads but it's rare I get to do anything that.
 

Great couple days of hunting!! Three Spanish silvers and a half cent plus the littles, outstanding!!
 

Phenomenal hunt. So many beautiful coins, and that laudenum bottle is so cool! Congrats!
 

Congratualtions on the absolutely killer hunt! :notworthy:
 

I bought my 1266X in 1991 also... I bought a new coil for it a couple of years ago and I couldn't believe what a difference it made... It was so hot I had to learn how to use it all over again! I love it! I like your posts cause the photos are so clear.
 

Those are some awesome finds! BIG congratulations!
 

Great stuff guys. You boys never disappoint. Bummer about the machine. That really sucks. But trust me....First Texas will take great care of you and be quick. Tell Shangopotomus great job!!!!
 

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