Sundays Pre-Civil war relic hunt +button and relic id help too...

Gonehunting

Bronze Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
1,027
Reaction score
206
Golden Thread
0
Location
Oklahoma
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
CURRENTLY USING: Minelab Go-Find 60, Nokta Fors CoRe, Macro Racer, Whites MXT All Pro, Fisher F19, Garrett AT Gold, Minelab CTX3030, XP Deus.
USED: Garrett ATX, Garrett AT Pro, Minelab E-Trac, Minelab
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Sunday's Pre-Civil war relic hunt +button and relic id help too...

I can't quit going out to this river crossing that continues to produce Dragoon buttons.. Sunday was different. I did find a Dragoon cuff button and a Great Coat button.
9J1aY.jpg

6uRxv.jpg



Then the really odd and old finds started showing up. Everyone of these were in about a 5 yard square.. Most were at the 5-6in range in hard red clay..
First was this smash lead that was originally rolled up. I almost put it in my junk pouch, when I remembered a smashed lead ball that I had found. Someone had carved a fish out of it and cut little scales on it..So I unrolled this find and this is what it looks like.. Now I have looked at this thing with a loop, in a blowed up picture and it looks like an Eagle's head. Where the hole is, is about where his eye would be...Just wondering if anyone else has seen anything remotely close to this...
TxW75.jpg

I have it posted again in the last photo to give a general reference size to it.


It was at about 6 inches and below it about another two was this broken pewter spoon.
NpgqL.jpg

Next to this hole was another piece of smashed lead the looks to have a pattern on it.
Hblx7.jpg

The back also has a pattern of some sort..It looks deliberate, not chance. Almost like words, maybe a seal?...
o2j79.jpg



My next couple finds are buttons.
One is this 14mm size 1 piece button. It still has some of the gilt left on it although it doesn't look gold more like silver. I have found one of these before but donated it to a local museum. This one has a silver type color on the back also. No Backmark that I can see.
The button doesn't match up to anything in Albert's book, except old Infantry regiment buttons from 1815-1821. Although none are an exact match. The leg looks different, the Eagle's head is the major difference.. None seem to look anything close to it.. Hoping someone reading this knows about this button.
h8L1q.jpg

You can't tell in the photo but where the red is its shiny underneath.. I started cleaning it under water with a brush and noticed it was coming off so I stopped.


The next was this U.S William Pinchin Button. 1827.
ahseO.jpg



Backmark W.P. Phila
1Vcp3.jpg



I find shirt buttons all the time but this one is total different. About 14mm front looks plain.
gfKDh.jpg



Back has some sort of backmark but is really deteriorated.
Ys4AC.jpg



Also was this 12mm flat button. I have found two of these in the last 2 days. It has a hump in the middle and the shank on the back is larger than normal. I think it is pewter...It has mold marks on the back.
0OfNA.jpg

hRpBO.jpg





MrzFA.jpg

Here are all the finds from that hunt. I appreciate the views and if anyone can help me id some of these I would appreciate it..
Evan
Gonehunting for History
 

Upvote 3
Great saves - thanks for posting.
 

Awesome! Great collection!
 

Nice finds there nieghbor, cudos on fighting the heat. That small eagle button looks like a forage cap strap button
 

I couldnt/wouldnt stop hunting that spot either!!
 

Nice hunt and military relics :headbang: Were some of those near the river crossing ??? very corroded :icon_scratch: hmmmm, more than most posted Okey buttons .. your Dragoon , Eagle button is a great dig .... those are a rare find in New Jersey


CMDdawg
:cool:
 

Nice hunt and military relics :headbang: Were some of those near the river crossing ??? very corroded :icon_scratch: hmmmm, more than most posted Okey buttons .. your Dragoon , Eagle button is a great dig .... those are a rare find in New Jersey


CMDdawg
:cool:
the river is 60 yards from these finds.. the red clay is really tough here in Ok.. there are some spots where the sand is really deep and the buttons look great.. but if there are in this clay they look bad..Dragoon's first official duty was in Oklahoma and they used this crossing. during the Dodge-Leavenworth expedition.. then they built a fort about 16 miles from here...
 

A killer days hunt, and amazing finds................HH
 

Great finds my friend and my hat is off to you hunting in the heat. WOW
 

great hunt and pictures. Thank you for sharing with us. Looks to be a very nice site.
HH
TnMtns
 

I have found smashed lead balls that have imprints of coins on them several times. I think they were used as poker chips. If you want to remove the white crusty on that lead to see the design better CLR works but will make it look new and people will have to take your word that its from what ever period it is from. Very nice stuff
 

First off, Great finds! Second, you should read my thread in the "Cleaning and Preservation" section about Cleaning Buttons. Don't ever toothbrush a gilded button. There are lots of tips in my post there on how to clean and preserve your button finds (a similar article by me was published in W&E Treasures Magazine a year or so ago).

Best Wishes,

Buckles
 

looks as if it could have been the lead out of a eagle breastplate??
Not for sure though. Great outing though!
 

Great hunt and great saves!! I have only dug one Dragoon Eagle button here in Tennessee. HH, Quindy.
 

thanks everyone for the replies especially on the cleaning. I strongly believe these were the very first commissioned dragoon troops(not to be confused with light dragoon troops from an earlier period) that were in the Leavenworth-Dodge Expedition in 1832/1833. companies A through H. I wrote a piece about these finds on my website but I am in the middle of a move and won't have the internet/computer until we find a house so I can't post a link. But thanks again for the replies!!!!

Sent by Gonehunting for History's Android.......
 

My daughter and I found something similar to your flattened piece of lead. Any ideas? Here is ours.md2-2.webp
 

First off. What is the history of the area that you found it?. To be honest we still don't know what the smaller piece I have is. I have had several say a seal of some sort, another says part of a flint holder like the the larger piece in the post. maybe someone. else reading this may know...
My daughter and I found something similar to your flattened piece of lead. Any ideas? Here is ours.View attachment 674619
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom