The Confederate Tongue and Wreath Buckle, now cleaned and presentable

[smokeythecat]

This is the second thread. A couple of you asked to see it cleaned up. So I cleaned it as much as I'm going to. It has a nice, medium brown patina on it. The ground up there is very kind to both the coins and relics. It was found on high ground, and was almost sitting on some fractured rocks. The bedrock is very close to the surface up there. Well, here it is. I certainly don't want to overdo it and wreck the patina. It is not actually shiny, that's an optical illusion due to the lighting. I have found CW brass/bronze relics that were so shiny they look (almost) like they were dropped yesterday, some so bad I can't figure out what they are, and more commonly patinas in brown, darker brown, several shades of green, and black. I suppose it all depends on what they were lost with. I also used a camera with a much greater resolution to it, so every scratch, casting flaw, etc. should be visible. It is an exact match to the one I previously mentioned in the first thread. If I never dig anything good again, I've had a GREAT run.

 

[jimzz977]

Man that freaking cool, congrats!!!. I found my first and prombly last US waist belt buckle last nov,

 

[smokeythecat]

ijimzz977, don't count on not getting another. Two of my good plates were found in known camps. Three were found next to old roads. One was found at Folly Beach, Sc in the Atlantic Ocean at low tide. It was 6" down. A screamer signal. There are still a lot out there. Just think out of the box to find some more. Case in point, I found four Confederate school buttons, St. Timothy's Hall last year, two in one area, two 100 miles + away. I had never even heard of them before I dug them. You just never know. The BEST three were at friends houses in three states ( I live close to the PA state line.)

 

[Darby]

Super great find, big congrats!!! That is definitely tops on my wish list... if I ever get back to diggin! Huge congrats again! And an obvious banner find, good on you!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Beautiful restoration!

 

[relic nut]

It looks great!
That's truly a diggers dream. Congratulations on the banner

You should try to find the sword hook, it may be near by. Mine was three feet from the tounge.

 

[smokeythecat]

Relic nut, I have never found one of those. Yesterday I got the screw that holds the rear sight on a 1864 Springfield rifle. I had to almost laugh as I bought one of these non dug for an 1864 Springfield I had purchased that the screw had been missing on. Screw was $125.00.

 

[Lord Verdigris]

Thats sweet. Congrats! [emoji2]

 

[Triple555nickel]

Great job restoring that rare piece of history! I can only hope and keep trying...

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

Congrats on your banner find! Great job cleaning it up, not to much, not to little. Really cool find!!

 

[against the wind]

That is one pretty piece of history. Something most of us can only dream about. You did a nice job restoring it to it's former glory.
Congrats on your banner.
Well deserved.

 

[winslow]

Wow. That cleaned up really, really nice. Super!

 

[Aureus]

Amazing! Banner well earned !

 

[Calabash Digger]

that's nice!

 

[Trezurehunter]

What a beautiful piece Smokey. That thing looked presentable to me, right out of the dirt !! Thanks for the updated picture.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Good job on bringing out the highlights. Ready for a shadow box or museum type display.

 

[Worm-Slicer]

Wow, that looks nice. Sure makes me want to get out soon. Since October been out just once and on one organized hunt. I have some killer potential sites to check out soon as the weather allows for it and I'm hoping something as good as this pops out.

 

[snaps]

Wonderful buckle. I found a tongue, and searched in vain for the wreath, wait,I should of been looking in the field, not in vain! Nice going!

 

[Carolina Tom]

Great job cleaning that up.

It really is an outstanding piece of Southern history. As stated earlier, congrats on the well deserved banner.

Best of luck to you. We can hardly wait to see your next killer find.

Stay warm!

 

[jewelerguy]

WOW. Just WOW