Watch Me Dig a Large Cent and Help Me ID an Unusual Button

[West Jersey Detecting]

I got out to detect with my friends Dale, Mark and Jim today. I was anxious to try out my new 10"x12" SEF "Butterfly" coil, so we attempted to hit a colonial site. We couldn't get to the site, so we headed back to check out another site. It was a bit of a hike back, and on the way back to the truck we were talking about the button to coin ratio. I said mine was roughly 10-15 old buttons for every old copper. We also spoke about what we would like to find, and I said I have not yet found a Braided Hair variety large cent. Well, wouldn't you know it, I found about a dozen buttons over the last few days, and wouldn't you know it, when we got to the next site, my first good signal was an 1846 Braided Hair Large Cent! When I got this sweet sound on my V3i, I knew it was something good, but I have been fooled by deep clad quarters before. Still, I thought it was a good opportunity to make my first YouTube video. I messed up the date of the coin on the captions, but I think it came out pretty good.

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The strange button posted was found yesterday at one of my favorite detecting spots, along with the watch winder. I Cannot make out what is on the button, but it looks like the date on the bottom is 1808. Any help with the ID on this one



All in all it has been a good couple of days detecting. It was bitter cold today, and it is supposed to get colder and windier over the next few days. This my be the last outing until 2011, but I am optimistic that it will warm up just a bit again soon.

 

[Justice70]

Nice vid. Neal and congrats on the first

 

[CRUSADER]

No date on the button, its a pattern civilian type. Hatchwork with 4 blobs forming a cross in each square.

Nice bunch of finds.

 

[spitfire55]

 

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

nice video and congrats on your 1st!

 

[baspinall]

Nice digs! Your last picture looks like a watch key.

Brian

 

[Steve in PA]

Nice digs Neil & nice video too! Congrats on the LC!

 

[Deno]

Neil, i enjoyed the video. You are right on the money with the
button to coin ratio, we have found it to be closer to 10 to 1.
If you're finding a lot of buttons you know the coins are coming.

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Nice digs! Your last picture looks like a watch key.

Brian

Hi Brian, it certainly is. I have found dozens of them in all shapes and sizes, but this is one of the more unusual ones.

 

[Iron Patch]

Looks like a good day out! Any day you find that type of stuff you have the chance at something great!

 

[bookfisher]

Hey Neil,

Great video. Nothing like seeing that big disc in the plug, and congrats on your first Braided Hair Large Cent.

 

[SouthJerseyJim]

Man Neil that guy video taping is a pro! Awesome finds yesterday my face is still wind burn. Today was even colder Maybe this weekend will be warmer.

 

[fir469]

Killer vid and find Neil... Sorry I couldn't make it guys, i was way too hungover to move let alone detect... Jim and I were talking about the braided's today and neither of us have found one either, I guess most went out west before the switch to small cents. You ain't done for the year yet, next weekend has me stoked!!

 

[civilman1]

Don't count on this being your last dig until next year....stranger thing's have happened in the mid-atlantic state's in the winter Congrat's on the LC and cool video!!

 

[Don in SJ]

Nice going Neil, like the watch key, I seem to find only plain ones, but my son has found a few neat ones, my turn is coming. Nothing like wind, cold temps and being out in the open, NOT. I went hunting in the woods this morning, it was nice and toasty amongst the briars, brambles.
I will post my meager finds tomorrow, no camera with me on this trip, but have some before and afters to show tomorrow. I do like seeing videos but they are a pain to do by yourself all the time, so I stopped doing them. Maybe for a special occasion coming up, like approaching X number of coppers or something...............
Oh, nice digging there where you were, I'm jealous, I spent my hunt with pruners in hand.......

Don

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Nice going Neil, like the watch key, I seem to find only plain ones, but my son has found a few neat ones, my turn is coming. Nothing like wind, cold temps and being out in the open, NOT. I went hunting in the woods this morning, it was nice and toasty amongst the briars, brambles.
I will post my meager finds tomorrow, no camera with me on this trip, but have some before and afters to show tomorrow. I do like seeing videos but they are a pain to do by yourself all the time, so I stopped doing them. Maybe for a special occasion coming up, like approaching X number of coppers or something...............
Oh, nice digging there where you were, I'm jealous, I spent my hunt with pruners in hand.......

Don

A simple solution to the video issue is a cheap tripod. Another solution is to have one person, such as your son shooting the vid, while the other digs, like we did yesterday.

I was just discussing the pruner idea with one of my buddies yesterday. I found a spot a while back that seems to be an old homestead, but the thorns are thick for 100 yards around it making it impenetrable. I am determined to get close to the site. I have been circling around it for more than 2 years and it is about time I go in for the kill.

Don't be jealous about the site we were detecting. It would have been a shorter trip for you than it was for us! I will also say that the wind picked up shortly after shooting the video and the temperature felt like it dropped about 20 degrees. I was thinking of moving to the nearby woods to detect under the cover of the trees just to protect me from those 30 MPH gusts!

 

[SouthJerseyJim]

Ya if it wasn't windy it would have been nicer. That ground is like butter to dig in and very sandy, I think thats why Don is jealous. This weekend isn't going to be much warmer so bundle up Neil! I have a feeling when we meet up your gonna be wearing something similiar to Ralphie's little brother in "A Christmas Story" getting ready for school after the snow.

 

[chark21798]

Great hunt neil wish we could have made it across water. Always next time That guy video tapein could have taped me diggin all my goodies, yea right. I have to blame it on my machine being cold, lol right. Had great time must do it again soon. HH Mark

 

[Elad]

Good video and pics, and great hunt. I wish the weather would warm up a little, we really need to get out there again.

I thought for sure I was going to have bad luck detecting that day, until I found that little lady sitting on the ground.

Jim, how did those buttons clean up? That gilded one was sweet!

 

[Brian(upstateNY-Central Fla.)]

Good finds and video Neil