Half Cent, Keg Spigot, REALLY COOL Suspender Buckle, and a Little Head

[Steve in PA]

I got out yesterday for about 3 hours in what may be my last hunt for a while. I'm getting hand surgery on July 18th for carpal tunnel and some other issues, so I may be on the shelf until September. Anyway yesterday found me at one of my old stand by sites that I have hunted for years, but I can always find something here. First thing I got was the little doll head. I was digging a signal when I saw a little round white thing in the dirt. Thinking it was a piece of lead, I picked it up and saw it was a doll head. I moved into a new area that I haven't hit too hard in the past and got 3 buttons, a keg spigot which probably dates to the 1840s, a nickel plated suspender buckle, and an 182(8 or 9) half cent. The half cent, unfortunately, was in some harsh ground as you can see, and will be a real challenge to clean without losing the detail. But my favorite find was my last target - a suspender buckle in perfect condition with a running Buffalo. This buckle would probably date to the 1850s or 60s - just about the time the buffalos were being slaughtered by the millions out west.

 

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[Evolution]

Looks like a classic head.. Great find! I like the suspender buckles as well!

 

[joeyfresh]

Nice finds Steve. I hope your surgery is successful and you have a speedy recovery!

 

[granthansen]

Congrats on the great finds. I wish you a speedy recovery!

 

[Greylock]

That's a nice group of finds. I thought I found a keg spigot today but wasn't sure until I seen your post.

 

[VOL1266-X]

Very nice finds Steve. Now is the time to have CTS surgery so you can get back into action for fall relic hunting season my friend. Like that suspender buckle. It's easy to overdo too quickly after CTS surgery and prolong recovery. I'm not a doctor but I did eat dinner at Buckleboy's house-LOL. HH, Q.

 

[pepperj]

Nice hunt, liking the suspender buckles.
Good luck on the surgery, been there done that for the carpal Tunnel along with another 20 surgeries on the hands, digging in the dirt is still some of the best therapy I've done with the paws.

 

[Walk the dog]

Nice finds!

 

[vpnavy]

Nice finds and get well soon Steve.

 

[g-olden years]

Groovy group of finds, congrats! Take it easy after your surgery so you can fully enjoy getting back to detecting when ready. The buffalo on your suspender clip is very naturalistic, well done. I'm glad buffalo have been reintroduced by some native people and by some ranchers also. When my kids were young, we visited a small buffalo herd in upstate New York that had free run of big space there. A huge mother buffalo watched carefully from a distance as my two very young children reached through the fence to pat and feel the fur of her baby buffalo who had approached us. This wasn't a commercial place, but rather a rarely-visited university enterprise, so the buffalo were used to their quiet surroundings and accepted us well. Long before I had kids, I visited a preserve south of Oklahoma City with a larger herd of buffalo who stampeded past the four of us visitors! It was amazing, indescribable. We were standing very close to one of the few trees in the large preserve as they thundered by very close to us. Andi

 

[BuckleBoy]

Some beautiful finds. That Bison suspender buckle would be great in anyone's collection. You know, I really miss digging the wild variety of them that I dug in Kentucky and Indiana. I seldom find suspender buckles down here, and when I do they are the simple, wire ones. I think that during the Civil War and later, when they were becoming very popular in the North, folks had to make do here, due to the economic collapse. Either way, I certainly miss them. They were some of my favorite finds.



Regards,

Buck

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Glad you can still get out this time of year Steve, and making some nice finds is certainly a bonus. Good luck with your surgery, and I hope the cause wasn't detecting related. But you should be good to go for the fall when it really counts. Take care ..... Bill

 

[relicmeister]

Nice finds, all of them. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

[Steve in PA]

Thanks EVERYONE for for the well wishes for my surgery. I know it's fairly routine, but there are some risks, including a 1 in 500 chance of infection.

Buckleboy - You have quite a collection. I don't have quite that many, but I have some pretty neat ones including one with flags, one with stars, another with pinapples. I guess you could say the golden age of suspender buckles was from about 1850 to 1870. I understand Quindy's buddy Donnie Vaughn has quite a collection of suspender buckles. I saw a picture of them years ago. I am gaining more of an appreciation for them after spending the last 20 years hunting mainly colonial sites. Most of the ones I've found were recovered in the last 3-4 years.

Quindy - You know how we relic hunters think. Any elective surgery is going to be scheduled during the dead of winter or the middle of summer!

Bill D. - Unfortunately I think metal detecting has a lot to do with my carpal tunnel. Most of my Painful episodes ocurr after a long digging session. I have had several episodes at DIV, those 10 hour days really make it flair up. Ask Evan about me at the last DIV. I was in so much pain when we were out to dinner Saturday night, he had to cut my food and tie my shoe. I'm sick of it.

G-olden Years - cool buffalo story. I like the fact that this buckle dates from the period that there were still wild herds running.

 

[artyfacts]

Steve as always nice finds. Glad the bison suspender buckle is in great shape it is really sweet and that's no bull... Stinks that you have to hang up your dirt rod. Better fishing is coming your way. Have a quick recovery... Art

 

[mangum]

Awesome finds! I LOVE the suspender clip! Very unique...

 

[wheatfinder13]

When did suspenders fall out of fashion? 1950s?

 

[rastinirv]

Wow, the bison piece is spectacular. Good luck with the surgery! I may be getting a CTS procedure down the road myself...

 

[troy5rings]

Great finds Steve! Very interesting. Good luck with your surgery.

 

[Steve in PA]

When did suspenders fall out of fashion? 1950s?

Wheatfinder, suspenders are still in fashion today, but fancy suspender buckles, also known as clips, such as the ones in my picture and Buckleboy's reply above, were popular from the 1840s to the turn of the century. They frequently turn up on mid 19th century sites.