A little Hoard of Big Brass ship spikes

[MaineRelic]

I was in the woods this morning on a good sized flat bench up above the high tide mark of the river ! They used to build Schooners at this site along the river back in it's heyday .This is a new site for me and the weather was Gorgeous and I was excited to Hunt ! 4 hrs later I was beat with not to much to show ! I did find the 5 big brass rosehead ship spikes .All five from the same hole ! The curious thing is that they were all standing vertical with there heads up in a very tight bunch about 5 inches down to the top of them.These suckers are a 7 inch long 1/2 inch square cut brass rosehead ship spike ! I am trying to date them but I think it might be difficult Since you can still buy reproductions of them for ship restoration. I also got the Ring Hardware ! I am trying to Identify this as period marine hardware ! I also found 2 cuff bottons, 1 flat button . and the beat up Eagle ! I wish the eagle was in one piece ! I don;t come across civil war eagle bottons very often here in Maine this was only my 3rd in three years ! Two musketballs and a couple of do dads . No decent coins today ! MaineRelic.

 

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[umrgolf]

Shame about the button MR, looks like a union staff officer button what in the world were those spikes doing in the ground that way. Still a solid hunt

 

[SkyPirate]

Very cool stuff! keep searching that area!

 

[Deepdiger60]

Good finds now i know what i found a month ago i had no idea what a ships brass spike was Thanks all i have to do is find it in my iron bucket Good hunt Dd60

 

[MaineRelic]

Let me get this right ? I am a paying member of this site ! Yes I Paid my hard earned cold hard cash to post my finds on here ! It costs me money in order to share with you fellow T-NETTERS what I found while I was out metal detecting ! Presumably T-net is supposed to make at least a small profit ( through Advertisement ) on what we pay to give them , our posts. which is what everyone is coming online to look at ! Guess what I don't mind paying ! I have Gladly paid my membership to t-net for 3 years now !! which is As long as I have been metal detecting ! I know why T-net is failing though !! I made A post tonight ! From a new site to me ! It was a shipbuilding site from the mid 19th century as I stated in my post I found a good stash of 1800.s Big ship spikes on that site . Great shipbuilding relics from a shipbuilding site ! How any responces do you suppose I received out of 179 views of the post so far ? 1 , yes. one responce out of 179 hits ! let me repeat it one ! I could do better on the cold streets of New York City at 5:30 AM in the morning selling Gideon Bibles to Jews than 1 response out of a 179 contacts here on T-net . MaineRelic

 

[kuger]

Great finds Sir!I think your site is a little older than you think.I find those brass ship spikes in 1850 sites,every so often,as they were salvaged from abandoned Clipper ships because them being of brass held up much better and did not rust.

Maybe I am crazy but I think, your Eagle disc is I beleive the center disc of a Tongue and wreath buckle that pre dates the Civil war,1853-1858 ish.It was made of stamped brass and was that style Eagle came in a "one piece",tongue,and the three piece wher the center disc was actually soldered onto the "T",bar,it is rare to find them in tact as the solder was a real weak point.It may be a button too but I cant get a size comparison from the pic.

 

[fathead]

Let me get this right ? I am a paying member of this site ! Yes I Paid my hard earned cold hard cash to post my finds on here ! It costs me money in order to share with you fellow T-NETTERS what I found while I was out metal detecting ! Presumably T-net is supposed to make at least a small profit ( through Advertisement ) on what we pay to give them , our posts. which is what everyone is coming on line to look at ! Guess what I don't mind paying ! I have Glad paid my membership to tenet for 3 years now !! which is As long as I have been metal detecting ! I know why T-net is failng though !! I made a post tonight ! From a new site to me ! It was a shipbuiding site from the mid 19th century as I statd in my post I found a good stash of 1800.s BIg ship spikes on that site . Great shipbuilding relics from a shipbuilding site ! How any responces do you suppose I recieved out of 179 views of the post so far ? 1 , yes. one responce out of 179 hits ! let me repeat it one ! I could do better on the cold streets of New York City at 5:30 AM in the morning selling Giedion Bibles to Jews than 1 response out of a 179 contacts here on T-net . MaineRelic

I'm confused. Are you upset with me? T-Net? Or some other site?

As for replies to your post. It is very cool to find those things based on your own effort and research, but they aren't that exciting compared to a lot of other things that are posted. You post awesome stuff all of the time which is why we all love to check out your posts, but I don't think we should be faulted for not jumping up and down over this particular set of relics.

How many posts do you read, that you don't comment on? I know I read 40-50 a night and comment on about 3-5.

I know that this reply is not what you were looking for, and I'm sure it will irritate some people but I just don't understand your frustration at this particular set of circumstances.

-Fathead

 

[kuger]

Wow!I didnt even see your frustration post when I posted mine.......funny I was getting ticked that you never have replied to my response Really makes a guy wonder why he is wasting his time.....I am a Charter member too

 

[MaineRelic]

Let me get this right ? I am a paying member of this site ! Yes I Paid my hard earned cold hard cash to post my finds on here ! It costs me money in order to share with you fellow T-NETTERS what I found while I was out metal detecting ! Presumably T-net is supposed to make at least a small profit ( through Advertisement ) on what we pay to give them , our posts. which is what everyone is coming on line to look at ! Guess what I don't mind paying ! I have Glad paid my membership to T-net for 3 years now !! which is As long as I have been metal detecting ! I know why T-net is failing though !! I made a post tonight ! From a new site to me ! It was a shipbuilding site from the mid 19th century as I stated in my post I found a good stash of 1800.s Big ship spikes on that site . Great shipbuilding relics from a shipbuilding site ! How any responces do you suppose I received out of 179 views of the post so far ? 1 , yes. one responce out of 179 hits ! let me repeat it one ! I could do better on the cold streets of New York City at 5:30 AM in the morning selling Gideon Bibles to Jew's than 1 response out of a 179 contacts here on T-net . MaineRelic

I'm confused. Are you upset with me? T-Net? Or some other site?

As for replies to your post. It is very cool to find those things based on your own effort and research, but they aren't that exciting compared to a lot of other things that are posted. You post awesome stuff all of the time which is why we all love to check out your posts, but I don't think we should be faulted for not jumping up and down over this particular set of relics.

How many posts do you read, that you don't comment on? I know I read 40-50 a night and comment on about 3-5.

I know that this reply is not what you were looking for, and I'm sure it will irritate some people but I just don't understand your frustration at this particular set of circumstances.

-Fathead

Hello fathead, I was trying to point out that a lack of responces to posts can be discouraging to people who post on the premiere metal detecting site ( T-Net ). I realize this post was not very exiting. and the finds lack luster, Yet over 400 people have viewed this crappy little post, which is a testament to this site Yet less than 1 % comment on the post, which is probably about average ! I would guess I respond to about 10% of the posts I read on here as well ! So if I look at 400 posts I might comment 40 times . I usually post every hunt that I make here on T-net, good finds or bad . I never get frustrated with my finds or the lack of them. I always enjoy my time in the field. I also felt that posting was a good way to support this site, great finds or not. My frustration is not with the other frequent supporters of this site who are always very supportive and helpful . The sites plea for $$ this week and the post practically condemning members of not being supportive of the site if they did not make a donation added to my frustration. MaineRelic

 

[CMDiamonddawg]

Hey MaineRelic ,I like your finds ,have a place similar to yours that the locals call ,a scuttle basin " old ships where sunk here " !! I have found bent bronze and brass spikes on Jersey beaches ,but they are always bent from the torque of the timbers beings smashed on sand bars . Very nice finds and you are in some great hunting ground ! Keep it goin' and don't get frustrated about responses , I agree , it does happen , and gets U wondering , esp. when you put in the time and effort to post . Nothing worse than 50 hits and one reply Have fun ,MR .. it's all good 8)

 

[sscindercoop]

Cool

 

[tigerbeetle]

Rants aside, those brass spikes are sweet -- at that size. I find loads of smaller ones. Why they were driven into the ground like that is anyone's guess. Truth be told, it could have simply been a bout of boredom by the builders -- who then forgot them. By the by, it is not because they were driven into wood, which then rotted away. The wood used for boats had a huge life expectancy, even when buried. Plus, brass (for some electrolytic reason) prevents wood from decaying as quickly.

I should note that so-called "hard metal" was damn near as valuable as coinage back in the day. Those spikes may have been intended for a secondary use (reshaping), possibly military.

You are right that they are still made nowadays, HOWEVER (!), the corrosional scars and related patina that comes from over a hundred years of being buried is totally impossible to mimic. Wash them a bit in soap and water. That's it. Display as a framed wall hanging, with nicely hand-printed (India ink) placard explaining where they were found, along with any background information.

 

[jimbob450]

Real neat find. I like Tigerbeattles idea but i would make a shadowbox
with a clipper ship or old schooner in the background. Good Job. Jimbob

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Excellent finds friend.

 

[DMN]

Those spikes are something else! I love them...just not gonna marry 'em.
How cool is it? Any guess on the age?

 

[NHBandit]

Cool stuff. I always look forward to seeing what you've found since you're kinda local and it makes me wish I had more time to get out and dig more often. Not really sure what you're upset about though with the response you've recieved. Great finds of really rare or valuable stuff naturally gets more replies than ordinary stuff (not that the brass spikes are ordinary). I see some guys here who throw their 2 cents worth onto damn near every single post that's made just to get their post count up. I'm sure you know the type.. Maybe some of those guys could start stalking your posts ? Personally I usually only comment if I can add something to the mix. Like a "what's it" post where I may have an idea of what the object it. Anyway I am truly jealous of the cool stuff you keep turning up. The button if it turns out to be Civil War vintage is a rare find in this part of the country for sure. I have a couple Civil War era 3 ring bullets I found at a park in Warner NH but after doing some research I discovered that it had been a muster field in the mid 1800s. Keep up the good work.

 

[kuger]

Cool stuff. I always look forward to seeing what you've found since you're kinda local and it makes me wish I had more time to get out and dig more often. Not really sure what you're upset about though with the response you've recieved. Great finds of really rare or valuable stuff naturally gets more replies than ordinary stuff (not that the brass spikes are ordinary). I see some guys here who throw their 2 cents worth onto damn near every single post that's made just to get their post count up. I'm sure you know the type.. Maybe some of those guys could start stalking your posts ? Personally I usually only comment if I can add something to the mix. Like a "what's it" post where I may have an idea of what the object it. Anyway I am truly jealous of the cool stuff you keep turning up. The button if it turns out to be Civil War vintage is a rare find in this part of the country for sure. I have a couple Civil War era 3 ring bullets I found at a park in Warner NH but after doing some research I discovered that it had been a muster field in the mid 1800s. Keep up the good work.

I dont care anymore but,if you read the replies.....it isnt a button at all and it Pre Dates the C.W.

Its not about me though,nice words

 

[ivan salis]

heck do not feel bad -- UNDER THE "GEORGIA" STATE link feb 1, 2009 --- i gave folks info on how to find and print out 2 maps that show the peak areas to gold pan in georgia * according to 2 very old differant state gold survey maps** -- these are "zoomible" so you can close down and see the exact spots --to see if the area is a "known" gold area -- lots and lots of "lookers" who gladly sucked out the info --before my first --thank you post .--- I'm talking FREE GOLD HUNTING INFO / AND HOW TO MAKE CUSTOM MAPS FOR "FREE" -- HIGHLY VALUIBLE INFO WHICH IS WORTH BIG $$$--AND FOLKS WOULD NOT EVEN SAY "THANKS"---my first "thank you" -- was posted march 21st 2009 -- 49 days and 142 "lookers / takers" later on. --currently 777 "lookers" and only 19 thank yous * a rate of 41 lookers / takers per "thank you" and this for knowledge than can make them cold hard cash --given to them for free.
oh by the way nice ships spikes *

 

[dfx willy]

ships spikes!!! very cool! i feel like a dummy i found some not long ago on a shoreline and thought railroad spikes. i like the idea of ships spikes better. keep up the great hunts. willy

 

[Brian(upstateNY-Central Fla.)]

Sweet finds