My first sword and three Barbers!!Updated with pics of markings. I.D. help?

[bootstrap vinn]

Did an old park last weekend with my dad,my uncle and my brother.We did pretty good with a total of six silver dimes,4 V nickles and numerous indian head pennies and one wheat,I think. We went back today,minus my uncle who was sick but we took my brothers friend Dan32981 who is,by the way, now my friend too.Got to the park fairly early and started hunting. Running low discriminate so as not to pass up any gold or other ferrous metal relics,I dug a nail and then a couple bullet shells, then bang a sweet signal came eminating from my trusty little 1225X. Dug a plug and flopped it over,checked the hole,nothing there.Checked the plug,there it is a 1901 Barber dime in sweet shape. Re-checked the plug and hole,all clear. Then I noticed some dirt that had came off the plug as I flopped it out. Ran my coil over it and bang, a 1905 Barber dime! Two silver dimes in the same hole,Gotta love it! In the mean time little bro's diggin' IHP's and V nickles then Bang,he snags a gold ring with initials on it!
Around 11:00 I got a big overload signal by what appears to be an old cellar hole and almost didn't go for it because it was so close to the foundation but I could feel my coil bouncing up off from something hard under the pine needles and leaves.I reached down, cleared the leave and needles and saw part of something that appeard to be brass.I grabbed it and tried to pull it striaght up but I could feel it was bound by roots over the top of it. So I pulled it it straight back horizontally with the ground and it came out like a sword coming out of a scabbard. Guess what it was a sword!!! My first ever!!! Dan, who was about 50 feet away, saw me pull it out and said he saw my do a little happy dance.I don't recall it but I would say I probably did because I was totally thrilled with this find!!! When I showed it to my dad he recognized the broken end and said I dug this and left it because I only saw the broken blade end and thought it was just junk. Thanks dad!!!
We went to lunch and came back and I bet I wasn't at it 20 minutes and I got a sweet little signal on the slope going down to the river,dug a plug, flipped it, and out fell a 1912 barber dime in sweet shape,YEE HA what a day!!!
Thanks for reading and if anyone could help me with an I.D. on the sword it would be much appreciated. Good luck to all,
Bootstrap

 

[Mainedigger]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!! I.D. help anyone?

P.s. I'm gonna catch you on the silver
little bro'
Thanks again, Bootstrap

Let him get ahead of ya a bit on the silver..no biggie...you got that sweet Calif. gold coin and that is gonna be REAL tough to top..... Glad to see ya out now that things are soft enough to dig!!!

I'll get a gold one this year. Watch out big bro!! LOL

Hope ya find more than one!!!

 

[donny nj]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!! I.D. help anyone?

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bootstrap vinn]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!!

Thanks guys and gals,worked a double yesterday so I haven't had time to get back to this till now.As always it's good to hear from my fellow Mainers, Maine Digger,a man with a pretty spectacular civil war era banner find himself.I gotta get out to the islands and hunt with ya soon man! Marchas45, thanks and it's good to hear from you.Ever done the old spiritualists camp in Northport? Dan, you were right on about the banner and I'm glad you were there! Fr3nchy, I'm just ribbin' ya on the silver, I'm glad your doing so good and it gives me something to shoot for.Buckleboy,thanks for the tips and being the pro I know you are I value your opinion.Playah,I meant to email ya to let you know but you found it first.This is one of the last things I would expect to find in Maine but like I always say "Ya nevah know what your gonna pull out the ground." HH to all!!!
Bootstrap

 

[1liquigirl]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!! I.D. help anyone?

Bootstrap, Congrats! I live in PA and have yet to find a ring, I'd be lucky to find a sword in my lifetime. There was a guy here in Clearfield, PA that found an old sword which made the banner, a few months ago. The sword point was sticking out of the ground and the handle end was stuck in the tree that was growing around it. Pretty intriguing, did you see that? To think that could have been someone's place of death, if the coins and sword were pretty close in general area. You got a great site to stick with. Good luck and I'm pretty sure there is more to come from that sweet spot. ~Michelle

 

[crazyjarhead]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!!

Nice find indeed You don't find one of those everyday. Those barbers are primo too

 

[macfleetwood]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!!

Great Barber Dimes..Could Almost Pass For "Mint"..

I Can't Believe The Sword!!

I Notified The Antique Weapons Dealer To Have A Look..Maybe He Can Shed Some Light!

Here A Few Finds I Made With My Tesoro Lobo S/T

Mans Wedding Band 14 K W/5 Diamond Chips Jax. Fla Beach

Ladies Wedding Band 14K W/9 Diamond Chips..White & Yellow Gold..Inscribed With My Birthdate!
Talking About Fate!! Wonder What The Odds Of That Are?? Jax. Fla. Beach

1856 Half-Dime..My 1st In 25 Years Of Hunting..About Worn Out But Details Are Viseable Front
And Back..Smaller Than Reg. Dime & Much Thinner!

 

[creeper71]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!! I.D. help anyone?

To answer your cleaning question...

If it were me, I'd take a dremel tool with a steel brush attachment (not a brass brush), and carefully remove the rust from the blade--being Super careful not to scratch the brass in any way. Then once the rust is removed, look for markings, cover with a very thin--Very Thin--layer of crisco and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 300 degrees or so.


Best Wishes,



Buckles

what the heck you doing buckles? seasoning a cast iron fryin pan?..lol just kidding

 

[searcher221]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!!

those are some great finds.

 

[romeo-1]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!!

Banner Bump!

 

[bootstrap vinn]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!!

Great Barber Dimes..Could Almost Pass For "Mint"..

I Can't Believe The Sword!!

I Notified The Antique Weapons Dealer To Have A Look..Maybe He Can Shed Some Light!

Here A Few Finds I Made With My Tesoro Lobo S/T

Mans Wedding Band 14 K W/5 Diamond Chips Jax. Fla Beach

Ladies Wedding Band 14K W/9 Diamond Chips..White & Yellow Gold..Inscribed With My Birthdate!
Talking About Fate!! Wonder What The Odds Of That Are?? Jax. Fla. Beach

1856 Half-Dime..My 1st In 25 Years Of Hunting..About Worn Out But Details Are Viseable Front
And Back..Smaller Than Reg. Dime & Much Thinner!

Thanks Mac and everyone else, and sorry I haven't replied for awhile.Working six days a week and trying to get an old farmhouse ready to move into hasn't left much time for anything else but the good news is that this is a 19th century farmhouse so theres probably some goodies there when I get the chance to comb it.
Found some markings on the sabre but don't know what they mean.I'm including some pics and hopefully someone will know. The first one is a big 43 across the knuckle guard. The second is U.S. and the initials appear to be JM.The third is what appears to be a small #15 on one of the brass loops. I haven't been able to get anything off the other side of the top of the blade.It's too pitted and corroded.I haven't cleaned it any more than just the top of the blade and enough light brushing to expose the 43 on it.
Well thanks again everyone and any help with these markings would be much appreciated. Good luck to all!
Bootstrap

 

[kdismuke1]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!!

nice barbers. and a super sword. you had a fine hunt. cograts.

 

[Mainedigger]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!! Updated with pics of markings.I.D. help

Working six days a week and trying to get an old farmhouse ready to move into hasn't left much time for anything else but the good news is that this is a 19th century farmhouse so theres probably some goodies there when I get the chance to comb it.

Bootstrap

I could always come up and comb it for ya, after all it would keep ya from having to stop working on the house....
I'm real curious as to what anyone comes up with for the symbols and numbers on that sword...I know nothing about them so can;t help ya there. Don;t burn yourself out working on the house...give yourself at least an hour or so a night to get out and move your coil over some of that real estate around it!!!

 

[Roger Mn.]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!!

Congratulations on the sword and the 3 Barbers.

 

[bootstrap vinn]

Re: My first sword and three Barbers!!! Updated with pics of markings.I.D. help

Working six days a week and trying to get an old farmhouse ready to move into hasn't left much time for anything else but the good news is that this is a 19th century farmhouse so theres probably some goodies there when I get the chance to comb it.

Bootstrap

I could always come up and comb it for ya, after all it would keep ya from having to stop working on the house....
I'm real curious as to what anyone comes up with for the symbols and numbers on that sword...I know nothing about them so can;t help ya there. Don;t burn yourself out working on the house...give yourself at least an hour or so a night to get out and move your coil over some of that real estate around it!!!

Thanks Kyle and Roger,I was happy with the two dimes in one hole.I don't think I've ever found a better one than that 1905.Hey Mainedigger, I think I'll have to keep the old farm for myself and it's gonna have to sit on the back burner for awhile till I get more time and feel out the landlord too.We WILL get together on a hunt sometime though.
So does anyone know what these marks mean?Any military weaponry experts out there?Your help would be greatly appreciated!
Bootstrap

 

[Tnmountains]

pretty sure this is your sword.

Model 1860 Cavalry Sword - Maker marked & dated, Emerson & Silver Trenton, N.J. & US C.E.W. 1865, 35" blade shows age & use with a couple fine nicks, good leather grip & wire, only showing honest age & use, missing approximate 1 inch wire, hard to notice & appears fixed & tucked in leather grip, leather washer intact. Brass guard with a nice dark patina, pommel is inspected with J.M. Scabbard with small dents & light rust, drag is inspected with J.M. just the same as the pommel cap. - Item - SW-25-654

you will find it on this page the J.M (inspector marks) on the pommel and drag as it would have been on the scabbord. Look at what you have left and see what you think. I am pretty sure though..

http://www.civilwarantiqueshop.com/swords.htm Item-sw-25-654

Nice relic from a valiant time.

TnMountains

 

[bootstrap vinn]

Thanks for the reply and link TNmountains.I'm really curious as to what the #43 stands for as this does not seem to be a typical marking on these sabers.I'm hoping it can help trace the sword back to a particular soldier or regiment.
Thanks again, Bootstrap

 

[Mainedigger]

Vinn...here is a link that may help you with further i.d. and info on the sword...they ahve a contact link on the page as well ...

http://www.mainecav.org/

 

[Hardrock]

NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats on a great relic. BANNER Hardrock

 

[michigan michael]

Awesome hunt!

 

[ivan salis]

check the end of the cap of the sword --as well as the other side of the blade for more markings ---- the US --JM -- are civil war era type inspector marks ---(there might be a date on it as well) that would lock it in 100% --- like I said back in post # 25 --it apperas to me to be a 1860 model "light" cavalry sword (saber) of the civil war era --- with the markings you've shown its clear it was made by the outfit of Emerson & Silver of Trenton NJ -- which made swords for the union during the civil war --the JM inspector markings are of the civil war time frame ---congrats on a great find -- a union civil war era cavalry sword.

being you found it in maine --I would look towards --cavalry unions from maine during the civil war ( like the 1st maine cavalry) --check their "rosters" ---- and then cross check it with known local folks of the civil war era who lived on or near where it was found --( use old land deeds / cencus rolls) ---by comparing the rolls of the maine cavalry soilders with that of the locals --a "match" could be made . if your lucky.--- to link the sword with the outfit and soilder who used it would make it "historically complete". as well as adding to its fiscal value.