my first Eagle Breast Plate before and after electrolysis

[alderan33]

I found this awhile back near an old Fort. Needless to say, I almost peed my pants.

Pic 1: Right out of the ground.
Pic 2: After electrolysis
Pic 3: After cleaning

Thanks for looking. HH

 

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[CMDiamonddawg]

nice one these made shiney targets for sharpshooters and it wasn't long before the word was out to get rid of them 8)

 

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[kuger]

Incredibly rare to dig one in that shape!!I will say no more as Buckleboy and CC,have nailed it precisely

 

[Deftone]

what have they nailed?

 

[duggap]

Deftone, the object of the forum is to educate. Most of us were just trying to inform that the object is viewed better if left original. Do what you want with what you find. But it might not hurt you to listen a bit.

 

[kilmer]

Re: my first Eagle Breast Plate before and after electrolysis - Awesome Plate

You are right about dreaming of finding one of these. What a great relic. I saw one of these on a South Carolina hunt last year, sweet! Congrats!

Don
HH

 

[gtoast99]

Well said Buckleboy. He could still rebury it for a few months in his yard and get some patina back.

Absolutely. All is not lost by far. He could even have Roland or someone restore the patina on the piece.

So you find it irresponsible to remove the patina from a dug Civil War artifact because it damages the integrity of the piece as it was lost and subsequently found.

But you're okay with having a completely FAKE patina applied after the fact so that it *looks* better to you? Seems to me this is the flip side of the same coin, and just as damaging (if not more so) to the integrity of the piece.

 

[Born2Dtect]

Congratulations on the great find. Cleaning it is not the worst that can happen. Not finding it and having it lay in the ground and decay to nothing would be the worst.

I will just leave it at this, resist the urge to clean your finds until they are 100% ID'ed and you are well informed with methods of cleaning and preserving. There are many articles on cleaning finds, they don,t all agree, read as many as you can, test them and just do the best you can next time. That is all we can ask.

You did not ruin this find, only changed the $ value. I can live with that. But I have ruined finds by uniformed cleaning methods.

I like the idea of donating relics to local museums. They will welcome the find in any condition.

Ed D.

 

[SCdigger]

I cringed just reading your headline...congrats on the nice find anyway. As said already, you're not concerned with the lost value in the item, so enjoy it for years to come! Keep on diggin...

GT

 

[Deftone]

If you could see my collection.. this is where I stopped. Thx anyways.

 

[kuger]

If you could see my collection.. this is where I stopped. Thx anyways.

Your grandkids will thank you...........................

 

[highnam]

Interesting post. So much good information.

 

[Marc in VA]

Congrats on a beautiful plate fresh from the ground. They sure dont come out of the ground looking that good very often these days. With that being said I will now have to 100% agree with the general consensus that cleaning this already near perfect breast plate in the manner you did was not the way to go about it. Yes it looks great now. In fact it looks like an undug example but the "character" is now gone. I have never really understood the whole patina thing but that is just the way it is. A dug relic or coin is worth more historically and monatarilly with its original patina. Im not one to sell my relics or coins I dig so Im not going to go into the devaluing that cleaning does. From a historical point, your plate had more of a story to tell before the patina was removed....well maybe not considering the cleaned vs uncleaned war of words it has started here. Either way you look at your find, it is still a beautiful breastplate. At least now we all know what electrolysis will do to a plate.

Marc

 

[g-olden years]

Nice plate! I like it at all stages! As to the cleaning vs. not cleaning debate, as long as there's two or three people left on the planet, not likely to be resolved. I respect all these points of view. But from a philosophical point of view, consider this: each layer of the earth's surface holds the artifacts and detritus of the varied societies who were there at a given time, so in a sense each layer is sacred to that time; therefore, the most beautiful approach would be that none of us ever detect or dig anything, especially the tragic battlefields of humanity; most respectful to leave all of our predecessors' metallic creations in situ and go forward with our lives. That said, I'll continue to detect and to make decisions about cleaning as each piece emerges from the ground. Andi

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Next one you find, don't clean it other than to brush the dirt off. Leaving it in a dug condition with increase the value. Just like on the "Roadshow", taking off the patina decreases the value.

Thanks but I don't care about the monetary value. I will be donating everything I find to the museums in the areas the items were dug.

That's right! Some like shiny, and some don't. I think yours looks awesome

 

[Jeff(or)]

Terrific find!! Cleaned up great!! congrats!!!

 

[alderan33]

Yeah this is why I don't post any more...Condescending pricks like buckleboy. Save your snooty Holier-Than-Thou Sermon for sunday and someone who gives a sh*t about your opinion. "If you could see my collection" LMFAO

 

[BuckleBoy]

Yeah this is why I don't post any more...Condescending pricks like buckleboy. Save your snooty Holier-Than-Thou Sermon for sunday and someone who gives a sh*t about your opinion. "If you could see my collection" LMFAO

I didn't realize you wanted me to pat you on the back and make you a birthday cake to celebrate your awesome amazing incredible fantastic find.

 

[CC Hunter]

Many of us, with myself no exception, have learned the hard way when it comes to recovering, identifying, and preserving historical items. To have a dose of constructive criticism on occasion, has in fact helped me gain valuable knowledge. I would personally rather have an honest "kick in the butt", than false praise.

Reading through the many replies here, shows various thoughts and ideas. The fact that BuckleBoy took the time to politely detail a few valid points is by no means condescending.

Alas though, for some it may be as the ol' saying goes. The first word has momentarily escaped my mind, yet is a bit like this; "Something" is Bliss.

CC Hunter

 

[Digginbingo]

Awesome find. Its yours do whatever you want with it. Clean it, leave it, donate it, put it in your personal collection. Sell it at a garage sale. Bottom line... at least to me... You dug a part of
history that would never have been seen again if it wasnt for you. and that is frickin' awesome.
Thats the whole reason I started metal detecting, and the whole reason I will keep metal detecting.
Keep up the good work and congrats

 

[{Sentinel}]

Nice plate! I like it at all stages! As to the cleaning vs. not cleaning debate, as long as there's two or three people left on the planet, not likely to be resolved. I respect all these points of view. But from a philosophical point of view, consider this: each layer of the earth's surface holds the artifacts and detritus of the varied societies who were there at a given time, so in a sense each layer is sacred to that time; therefore, the most beautiful approach would be that none of us ever detect or dig anything, especially the tragic battlefields of humanity; most respectful to leave all of our predecessors' metallic creations in situ and go forward with our lives. That said, I'll continue to detect and to make decisions about cleaning as each piece emerges from the ground. Andi

I have to respectfully disagree with you. I've had an ancestor in every American War since the Revolution and have been a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and Sons of Confederate Veterans for many years and have gone around Virginia and the South promoting their memory and the memory of every other person's ancestor who contributed in the struggle to make America. I believe we have a responsibility to our forefathers to save & preserve our American historical artifacts and those pieces of our heritage that our ancestors and forefathers left to the pages of time. It is up to us to save these historical items for future generations to prove that our history WAS real and tangible. Every relic uncovered... is another piece of American heritage preserved.