Please help id and age

[Primerfinder]

I am brand new and as green as they come. I have a total of 2 hours of hunting under my belt, so please forgive the ignorance. I have bought some property 2 miles from Colonel Nisbet's still partially standing home. I have bought the land where I believe that he trained his soldiers (info from reading books and locals). I believe I have found an old horse bridal buckle and an old rasp or file. My question is, is this what I have and how do I tell if they are old and not just form the 1970's or something? Thanks for any info.

 

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[DCMatt]

It is difficult to accurately date common objects like tools and buckles.

But if I HAD to guess, I'd say your items are closer to 1960 than 1860.

Keep digging!

 

[Primerfinder]

It is difficult to accurately date common objects like tools and buckles.

But if I HAD to guess, I'd say your items are closer to 1960 than 1860.

Keep digging!

Thank you sir, but can you tell me a little bit about why its 1960's instead of 1860's? These are the details that I'm trying to learn. Thanks.

 

[DCMatt]

Thank you sir, but can you tell me a little bit about why its 1960's instead of 1860's? These are the details that I'm trying to learn. Thanks.

What!?!? And give away my trade secrets?!?!? Shirley, you jest!

Sorry. I couldn't resist yanking your chain just a little...

It's hard to list specifics on some ID's. I'm just guessing about that your items are not 100+ years old. But I've been digging and ID'ing relics for over a decade and you begin to develop an eye for things. If you pay enough attention, you begin to see patterns and similarities to conditions of metals and blah, blah, blah. What I'm trying to say is identifying this stuff is often more of an art than a science.

In the case of your relics posted on this thread it was mostly the amount of rust on the tongue of the brass buckle. Iron bits that size are often (not always) gone after 100+ years in the ground. Of course, there are all kinds of variables that can impact the oxidation, but you begin to 'get a feel' for those things with more experience. Am I always right? Hell no! If you go back and read some of my posts you'll see some pretty hair-brained claims made by me. But as I've gained more experience I've gotten better at figuring things out.

Bottom line - Many of those details you are trying to learn will only come through experience. So hang in there, keep digging, and keep posting here.

 

[Tpmetal]

see I'm thinking more late 1800's to very early 1900's based on what I find in my neck of the woods.

 

[jewelerguy]

It is difficult to accurately date common objects like tools and buckles.

as matt said, items like you pictured are somewhat difficult to date. That can be based on several reasons.... the style and/or construction of them has changed little if any over the last 150 years. The deterioration of iron objects depends a lot on soil conditions as well as length of time buried. For example, your file would rust away faster in a place that sees frequent rainfall than in a place where it is always very dry (such as Las Vegas). I would suggest returning to the spot and continue searching. Hopefully you'll turn up some items that are more easy to attribute a date to, such as bottles, coins, tokens, etc. Then you will be able to date most of your finds collectively as a group to cross reference with the history of the area

 

[Primerfinder]

What!?!? And give away my trade secrets?!?!? Shirley, you jest!

Sorry. I couldn't resist yanking your chain just a little...

It's hard to list specifics on some ID's. I'm just guessing about that your items are not 100+ years old. But I've been digging and ID'ing relics for over a decade and you begin to develop an eye for things. If you pay enough attention, you begin to see patterns and similarities to conditions of metals and blah, blah, blah. What I'm trying to say is identifying this stuff is often more of an art than a science.

In the case of your relics posted on this thread it was mostly the amount of rust on the tongue of the brass buckle. Iron bits that size are often (not always) gone after 100+ years in the ground. Of course, there are all kinds of variables that can impact the oxidation, but you begin to 'get a feel' for those things with more experience. Am I always right? Hell no! If you go back and read some of my posts you'll see some pretty hair-brained claims made by me. But as I've gained more experience I've gotten better at figuring things out.

Bottom line - Many of those details you are trying to learn will only come through experience. So hang in there, keep digging, and keep posting here.

Thanks again for the reply. I totally understand what you are saying. I only ask because I have found some pics online of the rasp/file and looks identical to mine and they are saying it is late 1800's. But then I think, well wouldn't one from 1970 look like that too? Very confusing. I figured it was old, as it was about 8" down. Thanks again...good stuff.

 

[Primerfinder]

as matt said, items like you pictured are somewhat difficult to date. That can be based on several reasons.... the style and/or construction of them has changed little if any over the last 150 years. The deterioration of iron objects depends a lot on soil conditions as well as length of time buried. For example, your file would rust away faster in a place that sees frequent rainfall than in a place where it is always very dry (such as Las Vegas). I would suggest returning to the spot and continue searching. Hopefully you'll turn up some items that are more easy to attribute a date to, such as bottles, coins, tokens, etc. Then you will be able to date most of your finds collectively as a group to cross reference with the history of the area

Thanks for the ideas..makes sense. When you say soil conditions factor in, what do different soil types do? I'm in an area heavy with clay. I also noticed that when I first hunted this property, I had to adjust the sensitivity on my machine, as it would beep continuously for no reason. Is this due to soil conditions?

 

[DCMatt]

I have found some pics online of the rasp/file and looks identical to mine and they are saying it is late 1800's.

Most of the "regular posters" on this forum have learned a hard lesson about what other people post about their relics. It isn't always what someone says it is... Even us...

I figured it was old, as it was about 8' down.

Don't even get me started on "it must be old because it was deep"... There are lots of factors and variables in the depth of a relic. Deep doesn't always mean old nor does shallow mean 'not old'.

It is confusing. That's why we post here. There is a lot of years of experience and many varied knowledge bases on this forum. ID's are often a team effort. And ,IMO, there isn't another forum on the internet that does what we do as well as we do it.

 

[Primerfinder]

Most of the "regular posters" on this forum have learned a hard lesson about what other people post about their relics. It isn't always what someone says it is... Even us...



Don't even get me started on "it must be old because it was deep"... There are lots of factors and variables in the depth of a relic. Deep doesn't always mean old nor does shallow mean 'not old'.

It is confusing. That's why we post here. There is a lot of years of experience and many varied knowledge bases on this forum. ID's are often a team effort. And ,IMO, there isn't another forum on the internet that does what we do as well as we do it.

Good to know, thanks again bud. Ive been looking over the forms and cant seem to find what im looking for. I am looking for an area where people post about what sounds you should dig, what setting to adjust and just basic technique stuff in general. I am looking at stuff on Youtube, but figured I could have a Q and A somewhere on here. Is there a place for that here?

 

[HuntinDog]

Go to the Garrett forum here... Garrett
The sub forums are new and don't have many posts yet, but if you scroll down or search you may find your answers.

And WELCOME from California.

 

[Tpmetal]

See i find stuff like this where I hunt, I know there were no people there beyond about 1930 at the absolute latest. I can date mine with in 30 or so years most times, but not knowing the history of your location, I can only guess.

 

[sutphin]

NICE FINDS

 

[lookingharder]

Keep hunting your land. Sometimes the first things you find are the newest but by hunting it and finding more items, you will be able to get a better understanding of the age of your finds. Have you done any research on the history of your land? Knowing what was on the land and how far back will give you a great start on dating the items you find.

 

[highnam]

Just a thought about the file...I have found at least a dozen of them in a 1912 logging camp...most of them are not heavily rusted like yours, some could even be used again. I know soil conditions vary, but this area gets plenty of rain.
I think your file is more modern because the amount of iron that promotes more rust. I think more cheaper iron was being used during the start of the wars, my guess on the file would be 1930-60's. I commend your resolve in figuring out the date range. I admire the people who have share their experience on this forum. Looking forward to seeing more of your finds.

 

[Primerfinder]

Just a thought about the file...I have found at least a dozen of them in a 1912 logging camp...most of them are not heavily rusted like yours, some could even be used again. I know soil conditions vary, but this area gets plenty of rain.
I think your file is more modern because the amount of iron that promotes more rust. I think more cheaper iron was being used during the start of the wars, my guess on the file would be 1930-60's. I commend your resolve in figuring out the date range. I admire the people who have share their experience on this forum. Looking forward to seeing more of your finds.

Thanks for the info! The land is heavy in clay, so the water does not move through it very fast. I don't know if this would add to the heavy rust or not. I appreciate the comments, seems I learn something new every time I login!

 

[Primerfinder]

Keep hunting your land. Sometimes the first things you find are the newest but by hunting it and finding more items, you will be able to get a better understanding of the age of your finds. Have you done any research on the history of your land? Knowing what was on the land and how far back will give you a great start on dating the items you find.

Thanks for tips! I have done some research and have talked to neighbors and locals. The area I am in is rich in Civil War history. I am near where the Union soldiers went up lookout mountain to fight the Battle of Chickamauga. I even have a history plaque or what ever you call those things just right down the road, as it talks about Colonel Nisbet and his farm and army that he created. He supposedly trained them at an old general store that used to be on the corner of my property. So naturally, everything I find I think its something from Nesbit or another soldier! lol