Incredible 1550 - 1650 Vesica Rosette Buckle! Seal Matrix Etc.

[gwdigger]

Went hunting with the wife on the opposite end of a 1679 land patent where I'd recently dug the cut Pine tree Shilling. Not necessarily expecting much as the place is absolutely loaded with can slaw, I was knocked off my feet by my very 1st find. Retrieving the 85 Deus signal from some serious depth out pops this magnificent Vesica buckle. Whitehead #418 but this one blows the specimen in that book away. Never found even a piece of one of these before. I really am stunned by the way she cleaned up. I mean, dayum! I'm stoked. lol. My wife dug a seal matrix which shows "25". Quite a fantastic item itself. We also dug a small fist full of buttons, a few buckle pieces and I got a really old 17th century leather ornamental. Clearly this place can pop up something special so we'll work it more thoroughly this winter. Its a mucky mess right now with all the rain we've had. But easy digging. I also found a King William III halfpenny (SPENT!) & a couple indians, wheats and a buffalo nickel. Not bad digging these later era finds in between the really old stuff!

 

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[CRUSADER]

The Deus eats buckles, they just blast at any depth.

Real nice one, I like these whole, as the plough destroys so many. Nice to add a new type to any collection, even better when its in good nick.

 

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[Z.K.]

Well, I've learned a lot in the last 6 months since "waking up" to this hobby and the European settlement history our efforts can unearth east of the Appalachins (after a 4 month initial effort at detecting two years ago, trying to dig 20th century silver in playgrounds; how totally lacking imagination!).

So now that I know how little I know, it is posts like these that do a wonderful job of continuing that education. I've got Whitehead's book (that my kids tease me about reading) and can now really soak up the context and incredible nature of this find.

Deep congratulations to you for the knowledge, research, and persistence that are behind the finding of this buckle and the beautiful restoration. It is rare and exquisite. Thank you for sharing it!

PS-I'm still in love with pre 1800s coins, but I imagine once I find a Vermont copper and a couple of colonial silvers I'll be ready to even more fully appreciate relics such as these...such is my evolution as a detectorist

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Yes, I've seen your boxes of finds and remember there was more than one of these. I've spent a lot of time looking at the Whitehead book so I knew exactly what it was when dug. Do you think the seal matrix is 17th century? The reason I ask is when permission was granted by the farmer he claimed someone researching area history came up years before convinced the counties 1st courthouse briefly stood on this hill in the late 17th century. The matrix looks to be of a clerical nature and a courthouse could be a place for a set of various numbered seals. Its made of the same whitish metal that the buckle and ornamental are made from. It only looks dark and yellowish due to being wet and held under an old 60 watt bulb for the photos.

Gary - I did a little checking around, and initially was thinking the oval seals were earlier but I did see that their use extended well into the 1700s although not nearly as common. Based on that, and the style of the numbers I would have to guess that its probably not 17th century but I can't be 100% sure. Very cool find regardless, and maybe if someone can figure out the significance of the "25" that may solve the dating mystery as well as its possible ties to the early courthouse.

 

[DownNDirty]

Congratulations-those are some very special old finds!

 

[joeyfresh]

Great finds Gary especially the buckle and seal matrix. I've found a few examples of those buckles and they all match up exactly as if they came from the same mold. Maybe I'll see if Bill can bring one of his next time he and I meet up to see if his matches up exactly as well......lol we can really go down the path of nerd-land quickly around here!

 

[Steve in PA]

That buckle is bomb! The seal matrix ain't too shabby either. Heck of a hunt you two had.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Great finds Gary especially the buckle and seal matrix. I've found a few examples of those buckles and they all match up exactly as if they came from the same mold. Maybe I'll see if Bill can bring one of his next time he and I meet up to see if his matches up exactly as well......lol we can really go down the path of nerd-land quickly around here!

I've been checking out the few I've been able to locate this morning, and what stands out is that the detail isn't nearly as crisp on any of mine as compared to Gary's. Almost looks like mine were worn a bit as a coin would. I haven't compared mine to see how they match up against each other, but I wouldn't be surprised if they all came from the same mold as many were found in close proximity to each other and were likely purchased from the same source. I'd be surprised if ours matched up Joey, but we can compare at the next nerd convention.

 

[Westfront]

That's a very nice buckle you got! I like these decorated buckles a lot. Not easy to find them complete and in that condition!

 

[Garrett424]

Beautiful.

 

[gwdigger]

ok, watch this geek find his beloved buckle. lol

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Nice that you captured that moment on video. I guess the "G" in your username now stands for GEEK ... haha. BTW - I can't believe the farmer lets you dig in the wheat. We've had a ton of sites eliminated this season due to all the wheat that's been planted this fall. Must be nice ....

 

[gwdigger]

Nice that you captured that moment on video. I guess the "G" in your username now stands for GEEK ... haha. BTW - I can't believe the farmer lets you dig in the wheat. We've had a ton of sites eliminated this season due to all the wheat that's been planted this fall. Must be nice ....

I hear you. I've asked the guy several times and he just doesnt care. He let us hunt the Mass site AFTER he planted corn last season. No joke. Just said "keep the digging within the 30" rows". We take some care to be sure the plug gets put back and the wheat is left with as little damage as possible. The good news is that unless I really looked for them, I could not tell where we had dug holes 4 or 5 weeks earlier. We'll let the site heal up for a month before we go back. A couple rains and a month ought to erase most signs of us being here.

Just learned this would have been the 2nd courthouse site, if in fact it did stand here. So that puts it from roughly 1695 to 1742. That might help with the seal matrix idea?

 

[CRUSADER]

I hear you. I've asked the guy several times and he just doesnt care. He let us hunt the Mass site AFTER he planted corn last season. No joke. Just said "keep the digging within the 30" rows". We take some care to be sure the plug gets put back and the wheat is left with as little damage as possible. The good news is that unless I really looked for them, I could not tell where we had dug holes 4 or 5 weeks earlier. We'll let the site heal up for a month before we go back. A couple rains and a month ought to erase most signs of us being here.

Just learned this would have been the 2nd courthouse site, if in fact it did stand here. So that puts it from roughly 1695 to 1742. That might help with the seal matrix idea?

The number 2 on the seal looks 18th C.

 

[gwdigger]

The number 2 on the seal looks 18th C.

Thanks Cru. We'll try to come up with more proof this was the courthouse.

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

I assure you I like the buckle.
I also think it's not so much little interest as it is a very busy time of year for most "normal" people. "Timing is everything".

Metal detecting is a hobby for many, and then there are some (like me, you, CRU, and maybe 100 others of the 100,000 members) where it is more of a "way of life".

PS I'd love to dig up one of those, or similar someday.

Good Luck Out There.
I'll be watching, as my season is pretty much over for awhile.

 

[Blueblood]

Nice Finds!

 

[46Wheat]

Man what a buckle . That is beautiful

 

[gwdigger]

Well, the 25 engraved item is not a wax seal. I tried making an imprint into clay and there is not enough relief to qualify it as a seal. I think its an ink stamp. Which to me makes it even more likely to be of a clerical nature. While I was investigating 18th century ink kits I saw they included a tiny "pounce pot" for the ink sanding process. That got me thinking more about an item I found at this spot on an earlier hunt (my wifes 1st in 20 years) early in the 2014/2015 season. It's silver and perforated. No markings. I thought it was a silver salt shaker. Now, not sure. This place is infested with can slaw but now I plan to dig every beep - for which there are hundreds - to see what other 17th/ 18th century items await discovery. I just plotted the site on google earth and it is creekside - nearly perfectly centered between the 3 major colonial towns of the the 1640s - 1660s near the area.

 

[Iron Patch]

Fantastic buckle. It's one of those things I wonder if we'll ever see here, a buckle that early.

 

[CRUSADER]

Well, the 25 engraved item is not a wax seal. I tried making an imprint into clay and there is not enough relief to qualify it as a seal. I think its an ink stamp. Which to me makes it even more likely to be of a clerical nature. While I was investigating 18th century ink kits I saw they included a tiny "pounce pot" for the ink sanding process. That got me thinking more about an item I found at this spot on an earlier hunt (my wifes 1st in 20 years) early in the 2014/2015 season. It's silver and perforated. No markings. I thought it was a silver salt shaker. Now, not sure. This place is infested with can slaw but now I plan to dig every beep - for which there are hundreds - to see what other 17th/ 18th century items await discovery. I just plotted the site on google earth and it is creekside - nearly perfectly centered between the 3 major colonial towns of the the 1640s - 1660s near the area.

I know I would.