Items from small area. Large 1 piece Artillery button

steelheadwill · Jul 8, 2011

Hi Everyone

I started my hunt at a site where I had previously seen lots of flintstones
(not Fred & Wilma), hoping for flakes or points.
Found neither, but did toss a very 'Hot' rock in with the stones I gathered.
Next I headed to the cove, and concentrated on a small area next to the ballast pile.
I dug out every peep, pop, and null from the Safari.
covered about 400 square feet in 4 hours.
Crude lead anchor pendant, 2nd found in vicinity. http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,343333.0.html
What I believe is a pewter Earhorn, eh, what did he say ??
Large Eagle Artillery button, 23 MM.
Tiny brass plate, 11 X 20MM '50' in oval, crossed sabers, bust, and axe in beam... :help:

nice little perfume bottle with string around neck.
old brass cufflink with wedge shank,
heavy silver cufflink,
3 lead seals.
5 pewter buttons.
another light colored, low tone coin, same reading and appearance as yesterdays,
worn thin IH's (solved).
After rinsing my hot rock, it appears to be a bead with a gold vein :hello2:

Best Hunt in a long Time, love this treasure hunting stuff :wink:

Great Digs to You All :thumbsup:

JW15 · Jul 9, 2011

Re: Items from small area. Unknown 1812 Artillery button

Nice group of finds there Steel! :thumbsup:

ivan salis · Jul 9, 2011

Re: Items from small area. Unknown 1812 Artillery button

note "broad arrows" were often used on british navy items --its a mark meaning english "govt property" :wink:

steelheadwill · Jul 9, 2011

Re: Items from small area. Unknown 1812 Artillery button

ivan salis said:
note "broad arrows" were often used on british navy items --its a mark meaning english "govt property"

As in the marks place on 'Kings trees', the best pines for Navy ships masts,
One of the reasons for our Independence War.
on closer inspection, the mark on the teapot is more just a triangle pointing back towards the pot than an arrow.
since i have you on the subject,
Neither does my long ago purchased 'British Rev War Cannonball' show an arrow.
It weighs 20 lb, my research finds no 20 lb balls.
Did British Rev War era 'ships of the line' use 20 pounders,
or have I been 'Had' :icon_scratch:

ivan salis · Jul 9, 2011

Re: Items from small area. Unknown 1812 Artillery button

common ones were 6 , 12 , 24 and 32 lbers -- depending upon the size and type of vessel --20 lb would be a odd sized one -- but might have came from a british captured "foreign" ship * :dontknow:

steelheadwill · Jul 9, 2011

Re: Items from small area. Unknown 1812 Artillery button

ivan salis said:
common ones were 6 , 12 , 24 and 32 lbers -- depending upon the size and type of vessel --20 lb would be a odd sized one -- but might have came from a british captured "foreign" ship *

Thanks Ivan,
I had only recently weighed it (on a baby scale), when I saw a post on a ball with 'The Arrow' and examined mine for one.
Best to you

timekiller · Jul 9, 2011

Re: Items from small area. Unknown 1812 Artillery button

steelheadwill said:
Again, Thanks All !
Pete, That Leigh site was the one I was looking for
I was browseing Ridgeways Archives, more CW items.
Need to bookmark my sites more clearly...
Now that I had some clues to read the backmark, it's the AY51b a little further down, Same face, with 'Treble Gilt*Standard Color' backmark
Appreciate the time spent on this, this is my first example of this Artillery button
I have the same thoughts about that anchors history..
From prior posts i assumed all six sided pieces were cufflinks, good to know they are sometimes buttons.
Ivan,
I never would have recognised the Lincoln bust without the railsplitter clue.
this is the first CW era find from this site, everything else has been 1800-1840.

I did some tone comparisons on the stone bead, it reads and sounds closest to a
2-1/2 dollar US gold coin, ( I compared a variety of small nuggets, a $5 gold piece,
and some brass bits.) both yeild a fairly loud signal, and a reading in high 20s on the Safaris' numeric scale.
Apparently there is more metal in this bead than what is visible.
I am posting the Lincoln item on whatsit, and the bead on native artifacts to see if I can get input from others who may not be 'Todays Finds' readers.
thanks again, and best wishes

If your Happy I'm Happy.

About your bead item,Indians did not care for gold was thought of as bad.Copper was the metal they liked & used. :thumbsup:

Is it really a stone

It looks like lead from the pic. :icon_scratch:

Might be somekind of fishing lure like a jig head with the hook & eyelet gone. :icon_scratch:

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/433677500/15g_jig_head_with_deer_feather.html

ANTIQUARIAN · Jul 9, 2011

Re: Items from small area. Unknown 1812 Artillery button

ivan salis said:
"pre civil to civil war item-- wiskerless young abe lincoln the "rail splitter" -thus the axe in wood - due to the crossed sabers ( much like a "x" mark vote) -I'd say a military unit that supports lincoln * --50th illinois maybe (lincoln was from illinois ) 50 (th) most likely a military unit number --like the 50th (whatever unit from whatever state ) --clearly a union item (lincoln supporter)

yep abe lincoln "the rail splitter" --supporter trinket all the way * --50th ( artillery ? button being artillery / infantry / calvary) --from where ever. --clearly pre civil war to civil war era item * along with pre civil war era cannon eagle button -- i'd say --if they are from the same wreck -- that the vessel wrecked just prior to or during the early stages of the civil war most likely."

Amazing call on this piece Ivan!
Your analogy completely blew me away man!

Dave

ivan salis · Jul 10, 2011

some folks think I'm fairly good at this stuff. :help:

-

at times I wonder how I keep all the mumbo jumbo info I got crammed into my skull in it without it busting at the seams. -- I read way way too many books while I was a merchant seaman *-- for 27 years --I adveraged 8 months a year at sea from 1980 to 2007 when I retired ( basically 18 years at sea actual day by day time wize during that time - i spent a adverage of 4 hours a night most every night reading (often times I read at the rate of a book every night or if a large or complex book it might take 2 nights time)--not junk or trash but good books on history and other factual subjects of interest to me -- lets see 4 hours per night say 6 days a week thats 1 full day per week --or 52 days per year x 18 years = 936 days of study on many various subjects --at 30 days per month thats about 31 months or about 2 1/2 years of reading .

I've always been blessed / cursed? with a non stop thirst for knowledge from childhood --how many 8 year olds do you know that as for a set of encylopedias for their birthday present?-- i used to sit and "read' the encylopedia set from A to Z over and over --mom would make me go outside to play at times * saying your getting pale from lack of sunlight. -- I do love the outdoors as well --a good book to me is like a bit of treasure in its self.

I unlike many so called "smart" people - understand that being smart is a gift from god , and as such I should help others with my "gift" of a good mind and knowledge * -=- funny thing often when "helping" others out -- i learn a little something new in the exchange--not always but fairly often

steelheadwill · Jul 10, 2011

Re: Items from small area. Unknown 1812 Artillery button

romeo-1 said:
Man...every time you post I get the itch to hit a new shoreline...it's raining today but tomorrow...stay tuned!

Looking Forward romeo,
Love the Coast, no roots

steelheadwill · Jul 10, 2011

Re: Items from small area. Unknown 1812 Artillery button

Timekiller said:
steelheadwill said:

Again, Thanks All !
Pete, That Leigh site was the one I was looking for
I was browseing Ridgeways Archives, more CW items.
Need to bookmark my sites more clearly...
Now that I had some clues to read the backmark, it's the AY51b a little further down, Same face, with 'Treble Gilt*Standard Color' backmark
Appreciate the time spent on this, this is my first example of this Artillery button
I have the same thoughts about that anchors history..
From prior posts i assumed all six sided pieces were cufflinks, good to know they are sometimes buttons.
Ivan,
I never would have recognised the Lincoln bust without the railsplitter clue.
this is the first CW era find from this site, everything else has been 1800-1840.

I did some tone comparisons on the stone bead, it reads and sounds closest to a
2-1/2 dollar US gold coin, ( I compared a variety of small nuggets, a $5 gold piece,
and some brass bits.) both yeild a fairly loud signal, and a reading in high 20s on the Safaris' numeric scale.
Apparently there is more metal in this bead than what is visible.
I am posting the Lincoln item on whatsit, and the bead on native artifacts to see if I can get input from others who may not be 'Todays Finds' readers.
thanks again, and best wishes

Click to expand...

If your Happy I'm Happy.
About your bead item,Indians did not care for gold was thought of as bad.Copper was the metal they liked & used. Is it really a stone It looks like lead from the pic. Might be somekind of fishing lure like a jig head with the hook & eyelet gone.
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/433677500/15g_jig_head_with_deer_feather.html

Hi Pete,
Great info on Native Americans not caring for gold :wink:

Does look like lead..
too light though, & wrong reading and tone.
It weighs 3.6 grams & a slightly larger musketball is 22.3.
the sink sprayer cleared out the hole, if it had a rusted out hook, I think the remains would be a lot harder to dislodge.
I started thinking the 'gold' might be pyrite, but read that vlf detectors don't react to it.
bfo's do...
Wish I knew a geologist.
No replies yet on the Native artifacts post.
I am very intrigued by this piece, Dave has said trade bead, which I would readily accept if it didn't have such a strong metallic reading.
I will certainly return to the site where I found it to look for other items..
Best Digs :thumbsup:

Herbie.

Steve in PA · Jul 10, 2011

Interesting assortment of finds there Herbie. Nice artillery, too bad the salt water hurt it. The octagonal cufflink with the drilled eye shank is early, probably 1740 - 1760.

johnnyblaze · Jul 10, 2011

Nice finds there Herbie :icon_thumleft:

We are lucky enough to live in New England where the detecting is killer :headbang:

I have not been getting out lately do to the heat but soon...

We should organize a hunt and everyone local enough on here should go... :coffee2:

Blaze...

steelheadwill · Jul 11, 2011

johnnyblaze said:
Nice finds there Herbie

We are lucky enough to live in New England where the detecting is killer

I have not been getting out lately do to the heat but soon...

We should organize a hunt and everyone local enough on here should go...

Blaze...

Thanks Steve, Happy when I find those shanks, I think I only found 2 intact so far.
At least the button and backmark are identifiable..
The poor condition is the price I pay for hunting this site.
I don't get items like this anywhere else :wink:

Blaze, I'm up for that..
I think there's a forum for organizing local hunts, I'll look into it shortly.. HH :thumbsup:

HEAVYMETALNUT · Jul 11, 2011

very cool stuff man! some unique too!

allen · Jul 11, 2011

good going on all of those neat relics !!

Wallhangers · Jul 11, 2011

You nailed some good ones there. So glad I decided to leave you some targets around the ballast pile :laughing7:

. I passed on quite a few signals around there looking for the clear ones. I think you could spend a lot of time right there, moving one rock at a time, and kill it. You already have found so much just in that one spot. Hunting there one day was just a big tease. I am so jealous that you get to hunt there anytime you want. I meant to ask you if you spent much time in the yards between the seawall and up towards that tavern/store area. It's not going to be the same hunting around here now but I'll do what I can $:-\$ . Keep finding the good stuff!

steelheadwill · Jul 12, 2011

Wallhangers said:
You nailed some good ones there. So glad I decided to leave you some targets around the ballast pile . I passed on quite a few signals around there looking for the clear ones. I think you could spend a lot of time right there, moving one rock at a time, and kill it. You already have found so much just in that one spot. Hunting there one day was just a big tease. I am so jealous that you get to hunt there anytime you want. I meant to ask you if you spent much time in the yards between the seawall and up towards that tavern/store area. It's not going to be the same hunting around here now but I'll do what I can $:-\$ . Keep finding the good stuff!

Thanks Wallhangers, allen & Heavymetalnut,
The people in the area are Really Nice, and have all invited me to search on their property, that's one reason I have been going to the iron areas near my house to hone my skills, the areas away from the shoreline are just Packed with ferrous.
That's what happens when people live there for 400 years.
that house tearout I showed you had pottery fragments in the walls of the cellar going down 4 feet

I'll be getting my Etrac soon & plan on starting on those yards.
thanks for looking & HH to ya all

High Plains Digger · Jul 12, 2011

You may know a geologist, or at least a person that played one on TV. What you should know is that pyrite is very brittle and is hard to shape. And super easy to chip and break. As a kid I was always frustrated trying to break a pyrite crystal out of it's granite home. I have purchased some faceted pyrite. Gorgeous stuff, but sent many pieces back because of tiny chips on the face and edges. Some were "gaps" in the crystal, while others were chips. I guess what I am saying is, pyrite is hard to shape, not durable, and in fact, may rust and decompose. Marcasite and other "forms" of pyrite have been known to rot down to a pile of crumbs while releasing sulphuric acid fumes and ruining other minerals in the cabinet. If you have a streak plate or the unglazed back of a bath tile, I think it leaves a black streak, but look that one up.