27 Star Eagle Tongue Buckle - Military or Civilian?

[Molewacker]

Posted yesterday in Today's finds - after Google search have a general idea what it is.

But also found discussions on Military vs Civilian issues.

Rinsed in river, dried, soft brush on remaining loose dirt, rubbed on side of nose to give a bit of shine.

I believe it is a cast piece, heavy in hand.

Am going to sell to pay hopefully for a sniper coil for my Ace 350, as I get into some tight/trashy places, and want to give a correct description.

Any help greatly appreciated!

 

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[tennessee digger]

1840's era militia buckle. Part of a 2 piece buckle. Great find, what do you want for it?

 

[Molewacker]

1840's era militia buckle. Part of a 2 piece buckle. Great find, what do you want for it?

Thanks for the comeback - going to go over to location again to see if I can find the other half before selling.

Can't price yet as I don't know how to grade the condition to compare to other items. And I don't want to break forum rules on sales as I am not a Charter member.

Just hoping I can get close to a smaller coil for trashy areas.

 

[huntsman53]

Nice find in nice condition and Congrats! You might want to search the area where it was found for it's counterpart. Below is a link that shows what the two piece buckle looks like but if it was an Officer's buckle, it would likely have been more elaborate. Just scroll down to the first buckle.

The Ridgeway Civil War Reference Archive Militia buckles & plates two part sash buckles


Frank

 

[sutphin]

Molewacker put that thing in a showcase and leave it alone nice buckle.vanzutphen

 

[Molewacker]

Molewacker put that thing in a showcase and leave it alone nice buckle.vanzutphen

Learned my lesson on cleaning/restoration a while back - not going into a acid dip!

 

[tennessee digger]

You should take sutphin's advice and leave it alone. It's a rare find, especially for your area, and should be the centerpiece of your collection.

 

[CoilyGirl]

That's a great dug buckle and I agree with the others,the patina on it right now is perfect.

 

[villagenut]

Keep it, save some money, buy the sniper coil....then you will have both. awesome find, you may regret getting rid of...jmo

 

[huntsman53]

Learned my lesson on cleaning/restoration a while back - not going into a acid dip!

A good soak in Mineral Oil will likely loosen some additional dirt which you can brush off lightly with a soft toothbrush. Once done, rinse with cold water, pat dry with a soft towel, then seal it away in some kind of container to protect it from any and all airborne or other contaminants and it should stay in great shape for many, many years. Just make sure that you don't wash off the Mineral Oil with soap as a light film of it on the buckle, will protect it from further degradation.


Frank

 

[Molewacker]

Thank you all for your info/comments!

Went back yesterday to find location, every whisper was dug but to no avail. Will go back next week after the rains come through, see if I can get that extra inch.

I'll hold onto the piece for a bit - the area found had been worked w/ equipment, so I'll work outward for a bit to see if I can locate the spread path - or it might be a orphan, but I know I gave it my all.

Quite a week for this 3 month rookie - my first silver was a Barber dime and then this buckle piece!

Beginners luck in fishing is totally true, whether you're trolling the river or the dirt!

HH everyone

 

[Dug]

Keep it, save some money, buy the sniper coil....then you will have both. awesome find, you may regret getting rid of...jmo

Agreed, it may not happen right away, but eventually you will experience seller's remorse after parting with it.