Second water hunt yeilds more colonial silver and other goodies not often dug!

[HomeGuardDan]

Last weekend I got out in the water for the first time and dug the 1838 seated dime and yesterday I scooped up two 1600's Spanish cobs. This time my buddy Beau and I met up to check a site further up the creek from where I was last weekend. We only had a half day but it sure was fun and I can't wait to get back. Perhaps next weekend for my third trip I will dig three silvers ha ha.

Anyways - we were looking for a civil war camp but I also knew there was an early colonial site along this stretch and that was where we began. Funny enough, the first two targets between the two of us were civil war bullets (we each dug one) and then nothing else for a while except colonial.

I ended the day with 16 buttons and many of them quite rare for most colonial relic hunters...the two piece soldered button. Typically we will dig the dished back and once in a blue moon it will still have the pewter face attached to it. Well due to the clay we were digging in, many of these are near perfect - total I dug 4 of these with all being intact.

I also dug some pretty early pewter buttons (check out the shank on this one, holy cow!). I actually dug very few 1800s buttons, but the Civil War eagle is a beauty and I only wish the Civil War kepi number (6 or 9) was in equally as good of shape. It is now in three pieces as I did not realize what it was until after breaking away some of the crust. One other cool civil war find was the intact solder from a ration can, the tin can itself has rotted away while the solder is in incredible shape still.

Obviously the best of all were the two colonial silvers, both are cobs with one being cut. This now makes three good silver coins in two trips and also puts me on the board for the season with two colonial silvers already!

The rest of the day was fun digging plenty of targets, including lead, brass tacks, sinkers, modern stuff, part of a colonial women's spur, and even a late 1800's "Massage Cream" jar! I wish it were full as I needed it today!.

HH

Dan

 

[david680]

Excellent hunt! Great finds. Love the little bottle find!

 

[beez0404]

As usual wonderful finds. So one silver the first trip, two the second, you might be right and will find three on your third trip in the water. Good luck!

 

[Argentium]

The golden eagle button is a real sparkler ! Nice .

 

[ATpro5]

Dang!! That's the kind of hunt people dream about! I love that cast pewter button. With that big shank, I say its a very early one.

 

[jewelerguy]

fantastic finds!

 

[vpnavy]

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Great hunt Dan - sorry I didn't go now .... haha. Those are a bunch of interesting and unique buttons, and that gilted eagle coat is killer. I have one of those early pewter buttons with the huge stand-up shank. You don't see those too often. Nice going on the silver. They should clean up nicely with a little electrolysis. Are you sure that 2nd one is a cob? You must be able to see some detail that doesn't show up in your pic.

 

[joeyfresh]

Outstanding day Dan! That soldered button is nice and the eagle button is breath taking for it being excavated. Congrats on the silver too!

What do you use to dig the relics? Are you just using a shovel? Also, how deep is the water and more importantly, how deep is the mud? Are you sinking up to your knees?

 

[HomeGuardDan]

Dang!! That's the kind of hunt people dream about! I love that cast pewter button. With that big shank, I say its a very early one.

Thanks man - yea those style buttons are fairly early and very cool to find. i am treating it now to stabilize it the best I can as out of all the pewter buttons that one looks the most suspect to fall apart.

 

[HomeGuardDan]

Great hunt Dan - sorry I didn't go now .... haha. Those are a bunch of interesting and unique buttons, and that gilted eagle coat is killer. I have one of those early pewter buttons with the huge stand-up shank. You don't see those too often. Nice going on the silver. They should clean up nicely with a little electrolysis. Are you sure that 2nd one is a cob? You must be able to see some detail that doesn't show up in your pic.

Thanks man - it looks to have a little detail left, that with the unconventional shape for a cut and with it being found 3' from the other cob I lean to it. The cross is either that, or the cross to a pistareen, though the cut would not match up for it...very worn and smooth.

Just goes to show that there is silver in the water as well as all the other creepy crawlies...btw my hand it still swollen from what ever bit me.

 

[AQUA]

You guys are amazing..who needs the fields when you can jump in the water to get that stuff !!!!

Your surrounded by treasures ...love the buttons..very nice !!

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Great day Dan.

I am confused...I thought you were "on the board" long ago.

2 cobs in a day don't happen often, must have been fun.

I got a couple of those big loop pewters last year.

 

[HomeGuardDan]

You guys are amazing..who needs the fields when you can jump in the water to get that stuff !!!!

Your surrounded by treasures ...love the buttons..very nice !!

Thanks man - there is history all around but serious research and "know how" is always the biggest contributor. You've not been doing too bad yourself.

Best

Dan

 

[HomeGuardDan]

Great day Dan.

I am confused...I thought you were "on the board" long ago.

2 cobs in a day don't happen often, must have been fun.

I got a couple of those big loop pewters last year.

Bill counts by season (Fall-Spring) so for us to stay on the same page, I start counting from the beginning of the summer season (water) through fall and winter. We are odd - I know ha

 

[mangum]

Great finds Dan! You guys kill it in the water up there. In ready to take my AT on its first water voyage!

 

[HomeGuardDan]

Great finds Dan! You guys kill it in the water up there. In ready to take my AT on its first water voyage!

Thanks man...how do you know I was not further south bwa ha ha.

 

[Zodiacdiverdave]

That's a nice bunch of early buttons Dan, and the cobs are very nice. Congrats.
I hope that wasn't a Recluse spider that bit you, they can leave a very nasty wound. Brown recluse spider - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ZDD

 

[HomeGuardDan]

That's a nice bunch of early buttons Dan, and the cobs are very nice. Congrats.
I hope that wasn't a Recluse spider that bit you, they can leave a very nasty wound. Brown recluse spider - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ZDD

Thanks man - it was not and I am glad. my father was bitten by one years ago when I was just a boy...i know what he went through. honestly, i believe it was from a deer fly that probably hit the right spot or infected...it is 80% better today and not as sore...I know some folks have this occur from black flies and deer flies...i remember getting bitten on the hand early on, and did some research, but I did have a bunch of run ins with spiders throughout the day...either way it was just swollen and sore, not skin damage or anything...weird. I was ready to go to the Dr. today if it was not better. part of the issue with water hunting in the south...lots of creepy crawlies to get ya

 

[Zodiacdiverdave]

That's good news, you guys down in the south have all sorts of things to deal with , snakes, mean spiders, gaters, sharks in the ocean but the biggest menice of all are the ticks. Those are one thing I don't like and the damn things are up here as well.
ZDD