WOW! Front yard spur find. CW era??

[Flathead25]

I live in downtown Richmond, VA.....enough said. I've found a few goodies in the yard over the past year. I got an old horse shoe a week ago. So, last night I got the "itch" and went out in the front yard around 11 pm. First hit was loud and deep. I didn't have a flashlight, so I popped the clump of metal and dirt in my pocket and kept going. I got a few coins and decided to call it quits. I couldn't

View attachment 849742













believe it when I knocked the dirt off of first hit in the sink. A spur!! It didn't have CS markings and it looked like it had been repaired. I've checked the internet and can't seem to ID it. Does anyone have any guess on whether or not its military or civilian? Thanks for looking.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Treasure of Victoria Peak - Grab it through Amazon!

[Eagledigs]

Found half a spur just like yours in a well known Civil War site here in Mississippi..On private land of course..

 

[wvwildman]

could be civil war might be a toy

 

[Flathead25]

A toy?.... Could you elaborate?

 

[parsonwalker]

I don't think it's a toy at all. Remember, a LOT of confederates used some or all of their own items due to lack of supply in the south. Unless somebody can positevly ID it may forever be one of those "maybe" relics. But a cool find whichever.

 

[vpnavy]

 

[Mekong Mike]

Confederates used any equipment that was servicable. Richmond was a huge battleground all the way to petersburg, so yes, most likely genuine civil war era spur.

Great find !

 

[ynpto804]

100% a confederate spur. The city is a cool place to dig. Ive dug all kinds of cool relics all over Richmond and you just never know what your gonna find. Nice spur.

 

[Flathead25]

Thanks everyone for the input! I'm still shocked I found it 10 ft from my front door. My favorite part about the spur is that someone took the time to repair or have it repaired. Must have been hard to find or afford a new set of brass back then in ol' Richmond. I hope the wife won't mind the yard looking like a moonscape for a few weeks.....

 

[John_Deere]

I wish my yard had cool stuff like this...

Regardless, sweet find! Congrats, and HH!

 

[wkrp43]

Nice...congrats

 

[Guest 1551]

Sometimes the best artifacts are in are own yards! I love my yard too! Great find!

 

[PikesPeakCharlie]

And in your own yard !,,just doesnt get any better !!

 

[BuckleBoy]

Nice spur, but no way to tell whether it is confederate or not. I have all the spur books and resources currently in print, and there is no way to know. Just CW era, not Confederate.

 

[ynpto804]

Nice spur, but no way to tell whether it is confederate or not. I have all the spur books and resources currently in print, and there is no way to know. Just CW era, not Confederate.

If there is now way to tell how do you know it's not??

 

[ynpto804]

Take it up to Ran Hundley at Sgt Rikers in Ashland. He will be able to tell you. And you might even make American digger magazine who knows!

 

[Flathead25]

I'll definitely give Ran a look. Thanks for the info. I can't seem to id it and you guys have piqued my interest!

BuckleBoy. Could you tell me what books you're referencing? I need to start building up my library. Not just spurs, but any "go to" CW relic books would be appreciated. Thanks again for all the help!

 

[BuckleBoy]

If there is now way to tell how do you know it's not??

We as a general rule do NOT advertise relics as confederate, yankee, or civil war, unless we are almost positive they were so. With spurs, suspender clips, harmonica reeds, horse tack (unless marked) and so many more items, they could be civilian or military. No way to tell. So we don't go around the forum calling it what it most likely isn't. Helps to keep the amount of misinformation to a minimum. Those who collect, know that it only took one mention in a resource of a certain relic being a "Civil War blanket roll buckle," and then the correction of that false info could never ever be made. Even years and years after it was obvious that the relic was NOT civil war, we still see them being advertised as such for sale online every week:

Rare Vintage Antique CIVIL WAR Relic Confederate Brass Blanket Roll Heart Buckle | eBay

This one sold for $45 when it came up for sale (probably only worth a buck or two)...but one recently sold online for $300. (Hate to be the sucker who bought that.)

See what I mean?

 

[BuckleBoy]

I'll definitely give Ran a look. Thanks for the info. I can't seem to id it and you guys have piqued my interest!

BuckleBoy. Could you tell me what books you're referencing? I need to start building up my library. Not just spurs, but any "go to" CW relic books would be appreciated. Thanks again for all the help!

There are several:

Historic American Spurs - An Identification & Price Guide - A study of all types: Western, US Military, Confederate, Civilian, Patents, Racing.: Howard Crouch: 9780961358136: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon.com: The American military spur (9780963120878): R. Stephen Dorsey: Books

and

Horse Equipment of the Civil War Era: Howard R. Crouch: 9780967073163: Amazon.com: Books

 

[Flathead25]

BuckleBoy. Thanks for the info. I actually picked up a copy of the Crouch book, "Historic American Spurs". Pretty sure I got a match. I took a few more detailed pics to help better id. Let me know what you think.