New Spot Yields Tons of Colonial Relics and Coins Including a Nova Constellatio!!!

paleomaxx

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Aug 14, 2016
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New Treasurenet, so let's try out a new post for my new site! I'm actually in the middle of researching this spot since it's a bit of a mystery. For starters I never expected to find a colonial foundation here that hadn't been detected before. This area has a bunch of resident detectorists and they've clean swept the sites around here to the point that I'm lucky to find a button or two! It's along an old road and not right beside it, but not particularly far away from the road. It wasn't on any of the county maps, but based on the relics it looks like it was abandoned in the 1820's so that's not a surprise. What is surprising is the sheer number of relics that I've found so far! The buttons alone are incredible:

DSC09816.JPG


Lots of tombacs, dandies (no GWI yet, but every time I'm hoping!), and fancy flat buttons. Only very simple backmarks so the buttons seem to date to the beginning of the 1820's. There's one very interesting pewter button that seems to have writing around the edge. I've done my best to bring out the letters with an Andre's brush, but the lettering was very flat to begin with so the relief wasn't high to start with.

DSC09820.JPG


I'm hoping someone here recognizes it, because it seems to have two words and I swear the second one is "Liberty" which makes me particularly excited that it's a Rev War period political or military button. I can't find a match so it could just be optimism, but I'm really hoping someone can chime in with the ID.

There were some very cool relics along with the buttons including an absolutely stellar Georgian shoe buckle:

Shoe Buckle.jpg


Also recovered were some fragments of a few other ornate ones and another intact tiny shoe/boot buckle:

DSC09825.JPG


The one on the bottom left appears to be a fancy halter buckle, but what's odd is the material isn't brass. It almost looks like fire-scortched silver, but it rang up pretty low for that so maybe a billon alloy or a tombac of some type.

The recovered coins, on average, were pretty great!

DSC09832.JPG


1807 Draped Bust large cent, followed by an 1804 Draped Bust half cent:

Half Cent.jpg


Also, very interestingly, I found another pewter large cent, but this time it's an 1827 Matron Head:

Pewter LC.jpg


I'm beginning to suspect that these were used as game chips of some sort since I've found at least four so far in very different areas and with different dates. Best of the large cents is perhaps this 1808 classic head large cent which is special, not only because it's in good shape, but because when I examined it under the light the reverse revealed a massive die crack!

DSC09838.JPG

DSC09840.JPG


Turns out that it's a known die crack variety, Sheldon S-277. You can see the triangular crack on the left going from the edge up to the top through the "S" and then another running through the "O" in One. With that many cracks I bet when the die finally failed it just shattered. I found a photo of a pristine example online too:

Sheldon 277.jpg


Pretty rare finding a classic head that has the date legible, let alone in good enough condition to identify a variety, so I'm very pleased with this one! Only one colonial copper appeared, but it's a fantastic one so no complaints from me! :hello2:

Nova Constellatio.jpg


Looks like 1783 Crosby-2B and not at all bad shape either! I'm hunting around for some more colonial coppers or even a colonial silver, but none so far! There are some other cool relics that I found scattered about including an intact iron padlock:

Iron Padlock.jpg


Given what else I have recovered I have to imagine that it's at least 1820's and maybe even late 18th century! There's also a nice, and intact, pocket knife:

DSC09831.JPG


Also in the extremely cool and unusual category are a couple of thimbles. Well, one thimble in particular because as I was cleaning it out I noticed that there was a clump of something inside. I fished it out with a toothpick expecting a root ball, and instead I found some perfectly preserved linen from 200 years ago!

DSC09829.JPG


Someone must have been trying to pad the tip of their finger and the copper salts from the brass kept it from decaying for all these years in the soil. Talk about a neat find!

Besides that, lots of iron bits, and a few non-ferrous odds and ends. I'll of course be going back to look for any missed targets. I also suspect that this section of road is hiding some other old homesteads so fingers crossed I'll have some more cool finds to post. In the meantime, I love having full-sized images on the posts again so I'll try and get some more good field photos to include!

DSC09844.JPG
 

Upvote 23

ANTIQUARIAN

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Apr 24, 2010
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Upper Canada 🇨🇦
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I always enjoy reading your posts and seeing your finds my friend. I felt like I was right there with you as you found everything. The oval shoe buckle and the 1808 LC with the die crack are incredible finds too! :thumbsup:

Best of luck on your return trip in search other foundations.
Dave
 

Florida Finder

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Dec 17, 2020
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New Treasurenet, so let's try out a new post for my new site! I'm actually in the middle of researching this spot since it's a bit of a mystery. For starters I never expected to find a colonial foundation here that hadn't been detected before. This area has a bunch of resident detectorists and they've clean swept the sites around here to the point that I'm lucky to find a button or two! It's along an old road and not right beside it, but not particularly far away from the road. It wasn't on any of the county maps, but based on the relics it looks like it was abandoned in the 1820's so that's not a surprise. What is surprising is the sheer number of relics that I've found so far! The buttons alone are incredible:

View attachment 1982573

Lots of tombacs, dandies (no GWI yet, but every time I'm hoping!), and fancy flat buttons. Only very simple backmarks so the buttons seem to date to the beginning of the 1820's. There's one very interesting pewter button that seems to have writing around the edge. I've done my best to bring out the letters with an Andre's brush, but the lettering was very flat to begin with so the relief wasn't high to start with.

View attachment 1982574

I'm hoping someone here recognizes it, because it seems to have two words and I swear the second one is "Liberty" which makes me particularly excited that it's a Rev War period political or military button. I can't find a match so it could just be optimism, but I'm really hoping someone can chime in with the ID.

There were some very cool relics along with the buttons including an absolutely stellar Georgian shoe buckle:

View attachment 1982575

Also recovered were some fragments of a few other ornate ones and another intact tiny shoe/boot buckle:

View attachment 1982576

The one on the bottom left appears to be a fancy halter buckle, but what's odd is the material isn't brass. It almost looks like fire-scortched silver, but it rang up pretty low for that so maybe a billon alloy or a tombac of some type.

The recovered coins, on average, were pretty great!

View attachment 1982577

1807 Draped Bust large cent, followed by an 1804 Draped Bust half cent:

View attachment 1982578

Also, very interestingly, I found another pewter large cent, but this time it's an 1827 Matron Head:

View attachment 1982579

I'm beginning to suspect that these were used as game chips of some sort since I've found at least four so far in very different areas and with different dates. Best of the large cents is perhaps this 1808 classic head large cent which is special, not only because it's in good shape, but because when I examined it under the light the reverse revealed a massive die crack!

View attachment 1982580
View attachment 1982581

Turns out that it's a known die crack variety, Sheldon S-277. You can see the triangular crack on the left going from the edge up to the top through the "S" and then another running through the "O" in One. With that many cracks I bet when the die finally failed it just shattered. I found a photo of a pristine example online too:

View attachment 1982582

Pretty rare finding a classic head that has the date legible, let alone in good enough condition to identify a variety, so I'm very pleased with this one! Only one colonial copper appeared, but it's a fantastic one so no complaints from me! :hello2:

View attachment 1982583

Looks like 1783 Crosby-2B and not at all bad shape either! I'm hunting around for some more colonial coppers or even a colonial silver, but none so far! There are some other cool relics that I found scattered about including an intact iron padlock:

View attachment 1982584

Given what else I have recovered I have to imagine that it's at least 1820's and maybe even late 18th century! There's also a nice, and intact, pocket knife:

View attachment 1982585

Also in the extremely cool and unusual category are a couple of thimbles. Well, one thimble in particular because as I was cleaning it out I noticed that there was a clump of something inside. I fished it out with a toothpick expecting a root ball, and instead I found some perfectly preserved linen from 200 years ago!

View attachment 1982586

Someone must have been trying to pad the tip of their finger and the copper salts from the brass kept it from decaying for all these years in the soil. Talk about a neat find!

Besides that, lots of iron bits, and a few non-ferrous odds and ends. I'll of course be going back to look for any missed targets. I also suspect that this section of road is hiding some other old homesteads so fingers crossed I'll have some more cool finds to post. In the meantime, I love having full-sized images on the posts again so I'll try and get some more good field photos to include!

View attachment 1982587
That’s an awesome dig with some fantastic artifacts! Keep your posts coming!
 

Jeff H

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May 5, 2008
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YOW! That is great site there Paleo. A ton of nice finds. I love that half cent and that 1808 Classic Head. Nice ornate shoe buckle frame, plenty of buttons. I think I can see "LIB" on that button.
 

Digger RJ

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New Treasurenet, so let's try out a new post for my new site! I'm actually in the middle of researching this spot since it's a bit of a mystery. For starters I never expected to find a colonial foundation here that hadn't been detected before. This area has a bunch of resident detectorists and they've clean swept the sites around here to the point that I'm lucky to find a button or two! It's along an old road and not right beside it, but not particularly far away from the road. It wasn't on any of the county maps, but based on the relics it looks like it was abandoned in the 1820's so that's not a surprise. What is surprising is the sheer number of relics that I've found so far! The buttons alone are incredible:

View attachment 1982573

Lots of tombacs, dandies (no GWI yet, but every time I'm hoping!), and fancy flat buttons. Only very simple backmarks so the buttons seem to date to the beginning of the 1820's. There's one very interesting pewter button that seems to have writing around the edge. I've done my best to bring out the letters with an Andre's brush, but the lettering was very flat to begin with so the relief wasn't high to start with.

View attachment 1982574

I'm hoping someone here recognizes it, because it seems to have two words and I swear the second one is "Liberty" which makes me particularly excited that it's a Rev War period political or military button. I can't find a match so it could just be optimism, but I'm really hoping someone can chime in with the ID.

There were some very cool relics along with the buttons including an absolutely stellar Georgian shoe buckle:

View attachment 1982575

Also recovered were some fragments of a few other ornate ones and another intact tiny shoe/boot buckle:

View attachment 1982576

The one on the bottom left appears to be a fancy halter buckle, but what's odd is the material isn't brass. It almost looks like fire-scortched silver, but it rang up pretty low for that so maybe a billon alloy or a tombac of some type.

The recovered coins, on average, were pretty great!

View attachment 1982577

1807 Draped Bust large cent, followed by an 1804 Draped Bust half cent:

View attachment 1982578

Also, very interestingly, I found another pewter large cent, but this time it's an 1827 Matron Head:

View attachment 1982579

I'm beginning to suspect that these were used as game chips of some sort since I've found at least four so far in very different areas and with different dates. Best of the large cents is perhaps this 1808 classic head large cent which is special, not only because it's in good shape, but because when I examined it under the light the reverse revealed a massive die crack!

View attachment 1982580
View attachment 1982581

Turns out that it's a known die crack variety, Sheldon S-277. You can see the triangular crack on the left going from the edge up to the top through the "S" and then another running through the "O" in One. With that many cracks I bet when the die finally failed it just shattered. I found a photo of a pristine example online too:

View attachment 1982582

Pretty rare finding a classic head that has the date legible, let alone in good enough condition to identify a variety, so I'm very pleased with this one! Only one colonial copper appeared, but it's a fantastic one so no complaints from me! :hello2:

View attachment 1982583

Looks like 1783 Crosby-2B and not at all bad shape either! I'm hunting around for some more colonial coppers or even a colonial silver, but none so far! There are some other cool relics that I found scattered about including an intact iron padlock:

View attachment 1982584

Given what else I have recovered I have to imagine that it's at least 1820's and maybe even late 18th century! There's also a nice, and intact, pocket knife:

View attachment 1982585

Also in the extremely cool and unusual category are a couple of thimbles. Well, one thimble in particular because as I was cleaning it out I noticed that there was a clump of something inside. I fished it out with a toothpick expecting a root ball, and instead I found some perfectly preserved linen from 200 years ago!

View attachment 1982586

Someone must have been trying to pad the tip of their finger and the copper salts from the brass kept it from decaying for all these years in the soil. Talk about a neat find!

Besides that, lots of iron bits, and a few non-ferrous odds and ends. I'll of course be going back to look for any missed targets. I also suspect that this section of road is hiding some other old homesteads so fingers crossed I'll have some more cool finds to post. In the meantime, I love having full-sized images on the posts again so I'll try and get some more good field photos to include!

View attachment 1982587
Very Nice!!!! Congrats!!!
 

relicmeister

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Awesome Paleonaxx
Gives me goosebumps when I see pics from a virgin site. Just curious- how large a physical area where artifacts were found? My best site yielded like 100 prime finds but only over about area of a small front yard.
 

Steve in PA

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How exciting to find a virgin site from that era. Especially when there is so much in the ground. The last three sites I have found from that period have been sparsely populated with buttons and coins. I have, however found that small buckle you have pictured. I think it is a knee/breeches buckle.
LittleBuckle1.jpg.jpg
 

rhedden

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Mar 23, 2003
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I'm seriously impressed that you found a virgin cellar hole like that in upstate NY. I've been looking for about 4 years here east of Albany, and I haven't found one that wasn't scrubbed clean. Congrats on the awesome haul!
 

OP
OP
P

paleomaxx

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Awesome Paleonaxx
Gives me goosebumps when I see pics from a virgin site. Just curious- how large a physical area where artifacts were found? My best site yielded like 100 prime finds but only over about area of a small front yard.

If it's an early site and especially if it wasn't occupied for long the finds tend to be pretty concentrated in a relatively small area. I grid everything for 100' in every direction on a site like this but 90% of the finds are in the first 25 feet. And even in that 25', there will be highly productive areas and low producing areas. This site has been particularly productive overall, but some of my other untouched 18th century sites have yielded less than 2 dozen relics.
 

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