MonkeyBoy
Bronze Member
MonkeyBoy Jr's 1st CW Cartridge Box Plate! *UPDATE on name on back*
MonkeyBoy Jr and I went out digging this afternoon.. We had been there about 1/2 hour when I hear him calling me that he needed help digging a hole. Sooo, I work my way back up to where he was, about 125 feet away or so. He has a pretty good hole going but hit a large rock. I hit the hole and it gave off a pretty good signal so we lifted up the rock and hit it again.. BAM!! The depth was showing 0 on my DFX so I dug out a little more and there was the back of a plate in the bottom of the hole! We did a few high fives and ran to get the real camera.. shot the pics.. and then he carefully wiggled it up and out of the hole... grinning from ear to ear!! So he got his first Civil War plate at 11 years old!!! He was using his Prizm IV with the 950 coil and the plate was about 7" or 8" deep!! The plate is a stamped Boyds out of Boston with what appears to be two inspection stamps and a different name stamped in to it.. either a Sutler or maybe a soldiers name.. I'll have to figure out what it says.
I added one final picture.. the plate cleaned and waxed... looks great!!!
**UPDATE** I did a little research this morning and found this:
"In a letter written in late 1863 from W.H. Wilkinson, of Springfield Massachusetts to General Ramsay, Chief of Ordnance. Wilkinson asked if plates had to be marked with the makers and inspector's names. The General replied that it was not required. However plates marked with both Wilkinson's and the inspector's name (T.J. Shepard) are found in collections today. Also the marking of the plates may have been to the discretion of the governments inspector at the contractors place of work, once more T.J. Shepard's name is seen on two plates made by Boyd & Sons of Boston in Plates and buckles of the American military 1795 - 1874 by Sydney C. Kerksis."
Looks like that is what we have, the name stamped on the back is the inspector "T.J. Shepard" By far the best cartridge box plate in the household collection!!!
MonkeyBoy Jr and I went out digging this afternoon.. We had been there about 1/2 hour when I hear him calling me that he needed help digging a hole. Sooo, I work my way back up to where he was, about 125 feet away or so. He has a pretty good hole going but hit a large rock. I hit the hole and it gave off a pretty good signal so we lifted up the rock and hit it again.. BAM!! The depth was showing 0 on my DFX so I dug out a little more and there was the back of a plate in the bottom of the hole! We did a few high fives and ran to get the real camera.. shot the pics.. and then he carefully wiggled it up and out of the hole... grinning from ear to ear!! So he got his first Civil War plate at 11 years old!!! He was using his Prizm IV with the 950 coil and the plate was about 7" or 8" deep!! The plate is a stamped Boyds out of Boston with what appears to be two inspection stamps and a different name stamped in to it.. either a Sutler or maybe a soldiers name.. I'll have to figure out what it says.
I added one final picture.. the plate cleaned and waxed... looks great!!!
**UPDATE** I did a little research this morning and found this:
"In a letter written in late 1863 from W.H. Wilkinson, of Springfield Massachusetts to General Ramsay, Chief of Ordnance. Wilkinson asked if plates had to be marked with the makers and inspector's names. The General replied that it was not required. However plates marked with both Wilkinson's and the inspector's name (T.J. Shepard) are found in collections today. Also the marking of the plates may have been to the discretion of the governments inspector at the contractors place of work, once more T.J. Shepard's name is seen on two plates made by Boyd & Sons of Boston in Plates and buckles of the American military 1795 - 1874 by Sydney C. Kerksis."
Looks like that is what we have, the name stamped on the back is the inspector "T.J. Shepard" By far the best cartridge box plate in the household collection!!!
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