Seated Silver, Civil War relics, and a SIX POUNDER

[BuckleBoy]

Hello All,

Went out last week for a Thanksgiving marathon with Shangalang and Diggergirl (my wife). Her and I got to spend Thanksgiving together camping out at the dig site, and Shangalang came to visit and dig with us some. Along with lots of great finds for all of of us, little did I know that I'd leave the field with a Six Pound Turkey--and no, I'm not talking about the bird! Became swamped with work so I didn't get this posted until now. Glad to have everything cleaned and the cannonball in the tank

Here's the video:




The finds are too numerous to recount in a written form, so please watch the video I'll just show some photos from the field:

1848-O Seated Half Dime (beaten to death she's pretty to me)



The center of a 3-piece button which (strangely enough) DiggerGirl found the rim of on a previous hunt. I think I'm gonna have it restored for her if possible. It's a University of the South (Sewanee) button! The center of it has a handshake and reads "Ecce Quam Bonum" in Latin. (Non-dug example pictured as well):



A Civil War rivet from a Sword Belt rig:



A silver Catholic medallion sticking out of the dirt:



An Eagle "I" cuff button and a New York cuff button:



Numerous old beads (Rosary, Mardi Gras, or Trade--but probably the first 2 options coming from this field). I got this nice big cobalt blue:



An apothecary weight or coin weight:



Diggergirl got a nice Spanish-style spur rowel and a Civil War era "pocket Saint" made out of lead that I'm pretty jealous of:



I dug five old nickels, and for once all of them had dates 1870 Shield, 1916-D Buffalo, and 1901, 1904, and 1906 V Nickels.



Numerous marbles, flat buttons, jeans buttons, glass buttons, baby doll legs and arms, some spur pieces and other interesting bits were dug.

I dug linked 1944 Philippine Occupation silver coins. We have found 3 others of these coins in this field and thought that they were perhaps souvenirs brought home from WWII--or buttons on a garment that was tossed out. This pair confirms that they were in fact a bracelet.



And of course--my Six Pound baby which I flipped out of a deeep hole:



Here are some of DG and my finds. Missing are the iron finds, including the shell fragments I dug (which I think are Schenkl, but electrolysis will confirm).



I did have one wardrobe malfunction, which is par for the course for me. Luckily this time it was only a boot lace and not the butt of my pants.






Best Wishes and Happy Hunting,





The CaneField Bandits

 

[BuckleBoy]

A typical BuckleBoy post with a little bit of everything. Congrats on another stellar hunt. And that is an apothecary weight .....

Ahh, I suspected so with the strange marking (drams?). Anyhow, I wanted to tell you that I finished reading your book. Really a great book!

Cheers,

Buck

 

[Davers]

One of the best videos I have seen on Tnet BB. Congrats on everything. The University of the South is still in Monteagle, TN & was started in 1857 by Gen. Leonardus Polk. I don't know anyone who has ever dug one here-much less in LA. WTG & what's the silver count? Record in 2017? HH, Q.

I agree very nice button , I like all the relics.

Good Old Minister L.Polk was killed just 7 or so miles from my House.
At Pine Mt, GA.

A good Man & His Men Loved Him.

 

[Davers]

thanks so much for your kind reply! I'm thinking we may shun the families and do this every year!

I can not think of a better way to spend the holiday (at-least every-other Year) , Every year if it were up to me.

 

[Davers]

Ahh, I suspected so with the strange marking (drams?). Anyhow, I wanted to tell you that I finished reading your book. Really a great book!

Cheers,

Buck

I hear the Book may become a must have for Colonial + some Civil War Relics.
&
Over Half Gone already.

 

[parsonwalker]

Man, what a great hunt! Lots of good stuff to talk about, but that six pounder is uncommon and what a sweet dude to roll up outta the ground!

 

[BuckleBoy]

Man, what a great hunt! Lots of good stuff to talk about, but that six pounder is uncommon and what a sweet dude to roll up outta the ground!

This was my first complete ball! I’m still just over the moon to have dug one!

 

[parsonwalker]

This was my first complete ball! I’m still just over the moon to have dug one!

Oh HECK yeah! I've only dug two complete in my life. A six pounder from the Gaines Mill Battlefield, and a 12 pounder from 7 days. Only found the 6 because I chose to descend into the nastiest spot I could find. There was a buttplate in the same hole. Gotta tell you the 12 pound story: In a swampy area, screaming signal in a place that's been beat to death. Just 10" down is a beautiful 12 pounder. I can't understand how this is still THERE. Lay my Tejon aside to retrieve it, and I get ANOTHER screamer. I think, "Holy cow, ANOTHER one!?" In order to dig THAT signal, I lay the machine clear and my headphones nearly blow off. A THIRD giant signal. My heart is racing and I'm thinking, "This place is LOUSY with cannonballs!!" Turns out, the other signals (there were about 5) were big pieces of galvanized pipe. I figure, every other relic hunter hit a piece of pipe FIRST and ignored the one that was a cannonball. I was just the first dumb, lucky guy that hit the ball first, before the pipe. Had I dug ONE piece of pipe, I wouldn't have bothered with the other signals. Not anymore . . . Good job on the 6!

 

[parsonwalker]

here's the 12, in situ . . . and with happy hunter.

 

[BuckleBoy]

View attachment 1526002

here's the 12, in situ . . . and with happy hunter.

View attachment 1526004

Wow, that’s totally amazing!! I love the photos and yes you’re right, you were probably not the first to find the pipes but were lucky to realize that there was a cannonball hiding between pieces of metal pipe. Funny how that works out sometimes. I think a lot about the fact that they were sites that I gave up on when I was younger because I didn’t make that first good find swiftly. Now I tend to take a longer view of everything and have much better results. I always wonder what I would’ve found years ago if I’d kept at it long enough to understand the site more.

 

[parsonwalker]

Wow, that’s totally amazing!! I love the photos and yes you’re right, you were probably not the first to find the pipes but were lucky to realize that there was a cannonball hiding between pieces of metal pipe. Funny how that works out sometimes. I think a lot about the fact that they were sites that I gave up on when I was younger because I didn’t make that first good find swiftly. Now I tend to take a longer view of everything and have much better results. I always wonder what I would’ve found years ago if I’d kept at it long enough to understand the site more.

Amen on the "Years ago." In 1969, (Surplus mine detector days) I had permission from most of the farmers in Cold Harbor. But I was more interested in jeeps and girls. (sigh) Now I'm picking at the bits and pieces that the hunters in the 70s and 80s missed, and most of the farms are either sub-divided and developed, or owned by CW Trust, or just simply off limits. He who said this, said it best: "If we kicked the person in the seat of the pants who caused most our trouble . . . we wouldn't be able to sit down for a week."