Sifting REV WAR camp- Wax Seal, Buckles, and Silver

Patriot Relics

Silver Member
Feb 6, 2014
3,709
5,587
Lowcountry, South Carolina / Richmond, Virginia
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Detector(s) used
CTX-3030, Deus XP II
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Hey guys,

Just got back from an overseas mission and wanted to share a few more digs from the British camp. 2 weeks ago I linked up with DownNDirty for a bit of pit sifting at the 30th Regiment of Foot camp that produced my nicest pewter to date. Multiple outings with the DEUS/CTX/AT pro have cleared most targets, but iron is still masking a few relics. After swinging for a few hours I did manage a few small pieces of camp lead in 18Khz as well as curious carved lead round ball...looks like an acorn to me.

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Also did recover a partial musket sling buckle nearby as well as a large lead ingot

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As the XP grew quiet I joined Glenn for some serious sifting. Between the two of us, we cleared a ton of dirt. Every 3rd sift we would switch places, with the understanding that whatever relics appeared during your turn would be yours.

First out was another buckle- probably horse tack variety with a killer patina.

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Also recovered my favorite relic of the day- copper wax seal with a bit of silver wash still intact.

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It is common to find these without the stamp portion as many were destroyed after the death of the individual to prevent "assuming" the identity of that seal.

This curious piece of iron didn't look like much until after electrolysis-

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Suspect it is the counter-guard to a late 1600s/early 1700s short sword/dagger.

Also recovered this pottery shard that was turned into a game piece or pendant

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This small piece of pewter is a bit of a mystery- perhaps the remnants of a small ring

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Finally a pair of furniture tacks rounded out the non-ferrous recoveries

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Here's a group shot of the day's recoveries at the 30th camp

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Now fast forward to Sunday's low tide- given my 2 week hiatus I had to get a hunt in. My first target didn't disappoint. 1852 TRIME...number 3 for the year!

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She is ruff, but you should have seen it before 3 hours of careful cleaning lol

Also managed a small decorative tack/boss and a small ball button

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Here's the group shot from the short hunt

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As they say location, location, location- Sunday's site doesn't hold a candle to the Rev goodies, but hard to complain with silver in my pocket!

As always thanks for looking and good luck rounding out 2016!
 

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I get married and go on a honeymoon and you go off and dig this...classic! lol Good job man. We should probably get out there again soon. Also youre killing me with these Trime's gotta save one for me!
 

Very nice!! Gotta love trime, and I like the carved lead. Congrats

HH RN
 

Well that was definitely a fun sift and as usual we found a good variety of interesting relics there. I'm still intrigued with that carved lead object-I think your guess of it being a plumb bob is spot on. The dagger/sword counter-guard (?) turned out really nice. Time to find another Rev War camp ??? :find:
 

Great couple of hunts Jon :icon_thumleft: I wish that wax seal still had its stone (or stamp) in it. That's one relic that is really high on my wish list since it is such a personal item. That acorn shaped piece of lead is really awesome too. Nice job man and hope you can get out again soon.
 

I get married and go on a honeymoon and you go off and dig this...classic! lol Good job man. We should probably get out there again soon. Also youre killing me with these Trime's gotta save one for me!

3 in a year is nuts, I'm not going to lie I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't an elusive bust silver
 

Another great hunt, VMI! Still looking for my first trime. Noticing what looks like a bent base or pedestal on the lead "acorn", the first thing I thought of was a chess pawn or bishop.
 

Well that was definitely a fun sift and as usual we found a good variety of interesting relics there. I'm still intrigued with that carved lead object-I think your guess of it being a plumb bob is spot on. The dagger/sword counter-guard (?) turned out really nice. Time to find another Rev War camp ??? :find:

Back in the research for sure, suspect we may be able to follow the troop movements to some virgin dirt
 

Great hunt with a lot of cool finds, but what caught my attention was that pottery shard. That's a very early piece of tin-glazed earthenware that without a doubt dates to the 1600s. The design and pastel coloring is similar to my early 17th century Dutch delftware plate I dug and reconstructed 3-4 years ago. But it seems odd that there are no other finds from that period. Maybe since it was possibly as gaming piece, it was passed down from an earlier generation or two. Very intriguing recovery. Here's a pic of my plate for comparison. Coloring is a little different, but you can see what I'm talking about.

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Some great stuff buddy. That dagger guard is an awesome piece!!!! You boys certainly know your stuff
 

Killer finds VMI. I love that carved lead. Amazing details...... Wish i could help with an ID, but whatever its purpose, its a super-nice find.
I like the plumb-bob idea, but that thing looks small, and i might would want something a little heavier so it wouldnt blow in the wind.

Id be happy with a trime in any condition.

Hard to say about the sword hand-guard. Ive found a few fragments, and all were brass. The 2 upper grip pieces i have found did have a rectangular shaped hole.

Love the ring thing. My guess is, a ring. Looks similar to some brass trade rings that i have seen.
 

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Great hunt with a lot of cool finds, but what caught my attention was that pottery shard. That's a very early piece of tin-glazed earthenware that without a doubt dates to the 1600s. The design and pastel coloring is similar to my early 17th century Dutch delftware plate I dug and reconstructed 3-4 years ago. But it seems odd that there are no other finds from that period. Maybe since it was possibly as gaming piece, it was passed down from an earlier generation or two. Very intriguing recovery. Here's a pic of my plate for comparison. Coloring is a little different, but you can see what I'm talking about.

View attachment 1391098

Bill-
The site w wre t is the same one where I found the Bellarmine jug and several other relics. It was first occupied in the 1670s so it is very much a possibility.
 

Also, on the same day/same hole I found these two. The one on the left has a similar pattern; maybe they were part of a gaming piece set.20161213_224720 (2).jpg 20161213_224802 (2).jpg
 

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Great couple of hunts Jon :icon_thumleft: I wish that wax seal still had its stone (or stamp) in it. That's one relic that is really high on my wish list since it is such a personal item. That acorn shaped piece of lead is really awesome too. Nice job man and hope you can get out again soon.

Thanks Brad, the wax seal is certainly one of my favorite recoveries from the site, hopefully dig an intact one some day. Lead item is a head scratcher...
 

Great hunt with a lot of cool finds, but what caught my attention was that pottery shard. That's a very early piece of tin-glazed earthenware that without a doubt dates to the 1600s. The design and pastel coloring is similar to my early 17th century Dutch delftware plate I dug and reconstructed 3-4 years ago. But it seems odd that there are no other finds from that period. Maybe since it was possibly as gaming piece, it was passed down from an earlier generation or two. Very intriguing recovery. Here's a pic of my plate for comparison. Coloring is a little different, but you can see what I'm talking about.

View attachment 1391098

Thanks Bill, as always your ceramic expertise is greatly appreciated, had no idea that it was that early
 

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