RED LETTER DAY: FOUND TWO PLATES

[SPWalker]

I had an opportunity to get out with two friends and get a daylong hunt in last Sunday a week ago. We headed out to a place that was so called hunted out and managed to pull some great finds from the site. We found a few Civil War era bullets and some buttons but as the day drew into the noon hour I started to dig signals that were at best faint. The move paid off and I hit my first breast plate in 10 years of hunting. I walked over to one of my friends to show what I found. We stood 5 feet from were I had dug the plate and as we talked for a short while. I pointed out the glass on the ground and noted that all the glass was from the 1860’s, then I spotted a round disk on the side of a sand hill a few feet away among the glass shards. I walked over and picked it up and it tuned our to be a second breast plate. It was in great shape with the exception of the iron pins in the back had long sense been rusted away. No skill it that one, just luck. I also came out with three coins and several bullets, one US Union button, and a one-piece button that looks 1830-Mexican.

Plate 1- found on top of the ground (cleaned)
Plate 2 - as dug.


Thanks for reading keep on digging.

Stephen P. Walker
Mc Allen, Texas




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[Gypsy Heart]

That is fantastic to find two in one day ....many congratulations on those and the rest of your finds. For some reason I cant see the pic.

 

[River Rat]

I can't open the file to see the pic either. But, congrats on these incredible finds.

RR

 

[SPWalker]

Photos

 

[texan connection]

You found these in Texas??

 

[SPWalker]

It was in Mexico. South of the Rio Grande Valley.

Plate 1- found on top of the ground (cleaned)
Plate 2 - as dug.

Mexican Button (one piece not shown)
US eagle button (flat and not shown)

1770-1820s 1/2 Mexican real (small silver as shown)
Modern Mexican coin 50 pesos not shown.
Unknown coin. Copper not shown.
Broken coin fragment with no markings not shown.

Bullets (Union and maybe Confederate) Comments on I.D.ing?

 

[texan connection]

well the only confederate fighting I know of that took place in texas was in Galveston Navy only, and a land battle on the coast deep south texas, is that where you were

 

[kg6yll]

Great post. Great finds.

 

[SPWalker]

Mc Allen is in deep South Texas. The confederates had some camp sites on the South side of the river. Zachary Taylor was also in the area during the Mexican American War in 1846.

SW

 

[texan connection]

Very cool!! I read some of your last post and see where your at now, I would think the confederates would have slipped past the border during the war.
I'v read of many from my area that fled to mexico after the war in fear of jail, and would think they may have discarded some great relics back then. It sounds like a great site

 

[SPWalker]

Local history also give us some information that a few confederates fought with Maximillion in the later part of the CW.

My apologies to all for the lame photos.

 

[tymcmurray]

Great hunt and great finds.
Good research too. That's what
make treasure hunting worthwhile.

 

[ModernMiner]

Sweet digs. Congrats to you!!!
-MM-

 

[tnfishdaddy]

Awesome. I am still waiting on my first.

 

[SPWalker]

Can any one ID some of the bullets. I was hopping that some were confederate.

SW

 

[SgtSki in MI]

You eyeballed a PLATE

Wow, that is amazing!!! Sure beats any eyeball finds that I've made.

Congrats and HH,
SgtSki

 

[SPWalker]

SgtSki:

Yes it was the best thing to date I have eyeballed and I have been with it for ten years now. When you get back state side and if you can ever get to Texas, give me a call. You will be my guest to hit some border sites, first class.

Thank you for your service to our country.

Stephen P. Walker
Mc Allen, Texas

 

[BuckleBoy]

With a clearer photo of the bullets, either I or some other members here would be glad to give you some help with the bullets. All I can say right now is that the one on the top right looks like an Enfield.


EXCELLENT POST!


Regards,

Buckleboy

 

[SPWalker]

Buckle boy:

I am with out a digital camera today but will post some photos of the bullets found at the site tomarrow.

Thanks for the help

SPW

 

[axxeman]

I only got one button out that trip. Oh well, I think I'll just keep diggin faster next time and maybe a few Dos XX might help.