After a long break, two big finds...

[Jason H.]

I've done very little digging in the last year and a half. On October 12, a digging buddy invited me to hunt a Union camp. For most of the time I concentrated on a large patch of iron, digging many large signals (see pic) that could be masking other signals or could themselves be worth finding. One of them did mask a Minie ball. Finally, not long before rain drove us off, I went outside the iron a bit and came upon a decent signal. Eleven inches down, I see green! I called my friend over and carefully dug out a nearly perfect US buckle. It's in the best condition of any plate I've dug by far.

On October 21, I went to an old site of mine that was a CS/US camp site and a home site. I was finding a few relics and a lot of trash. After digging several cans in a row, I got yet another "Buckle" signal on my MXT and began chopping through roots to get to it. It wasn't as deep as I thought, as my shovel had already found it. It was lying face down, and was clearly a tongue portion of a tongue and wreath buckle. Expecting a civilian buckle, I flipped it and saw "CS". Then I flipped. The shovel scraped the piece next to the "button," but fortunately the face was not touched. I've been back since, trying to find the wreath before making this post, but so far it's been elusive.

I included shots of all the targets dug on each trip to illustrate how much trash was dug to get to the find of the day. Both buckles were found near the end of each hunt. Thanks for looking!
-Jason

 

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[Tnmountains]

Great post and finds. Your persistence paid off big time. I would have to retire after a day like that! Glad you started masking the iron a wee bit!

 

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[I-DIG-IT]

Nice digs.

 

[Jason H.]

What great finds! I like how your photo spread has the trash along with the tongue. Shows all the hard work you went through to find a keeper. Looks like a lot of good iron there to clean up, no telling whats under all the rust.

Thanks! Yeah, there are some interesting pieces of iron in need of cleaning. I really need to put together an electrolysis set-up.

Maybe a Rebel and a Yankee occupied the same campsite and both lost their belts.

These were from two different sites, but a different US buckle was found a few years ago close to where the CS buckle pictured here was dug.

Wow those are both beautiful! Great finds and that lil ding is just your personal mark lol

Thank you! Yeah, I'm just glad it wasn't on the face where the CS is.

Awesome buckles. Just imagine if those relics could talk the stories they could tell us.... Keep searching for that wreath. Hope you can find it to have a perfect matching set .

Thanks, I'd love to know about the soldiers that dropped them. I've not given up on finding the wreath!

Awesome buckles Jason. Next hunt its my turn to dig a buckle.

Thanks Ron, you're due for a CS buckle!

Very nice Jason! You were definitely rewarded for digging all that trash.

Thanks Steve, sometimes it pays to dig targets that you "know" are trash!

 

[Jason H.]

I was impressed when I clicked thread, and instantly saw an oval buckle and CS officer's buckle on the screen! Either one of those items would be incredible, but both them is just plain amazing! Incredible piece of history, Most of us would only dream of finding that!

BANNER!

Also, Good luck on finding the wreath, It's possible. I was once on a hunt with family, and found one half of a two piece Victorian sash buckle, I was bummed I did not find the other half, so I showed my family the half. One Person said that it looks identical to the "What's It" they found. I grabbed the "What's It" and put the two pieces together, they made a heart.

These two pieces were found 100 feet apart!

View attachment 1075140View attachment 1075142

Thanks Coinman! That's a pretty cool story. I've heard of a buckle that was torn in two by the plow, which dragged one half of it about 50 yards. Your pieces look to be in excellent shape, so they were probably just dropped 100 feet apart for some reason. Neat relic!

 

[Jason H.]

Banner!

Thanks Mike!

 

[Jason H.]

Fantastic finds. No chance for a left coaster to find anything like those beauties without a major road trip.
Congrats.

Thank you! You never know, Confederate relics have been dug out your way, probably due to veterans relocating.

Banner from this CSA camp!

Thanks Doc!

Durn straight BANNER. The CS is enough, but add that early war puppy paw oval in such fantastic shape, and that right there is a FANTASTIC spot. I really respect all the back-breaking labor you went through to pull those fine buckles. You deserve them. I'm really jealous, but way to go!

I appreciate it, Parson! The trash-to-relic ratio was somewhat atypical, but the quality was ample compensation.

Nice stuff! Love the CS

Thanks!

Great post and finds. Your persistence paid off big time. I would have to retire after a day like that! Glad you started masking the iron a wee bit!

Thank you, and before these hunts I was "semi-retired" from detecting, but now I'm hooked again!

 

[etex]

Banner CS tongue, congrats

 

[CoilyGirl]

Maybe a Rebel and a Yankee occupied the same campsite and both lost their belts.

Great finds Jason,I nominated you for banner. Underminer, often if troops were in camp for long periods of time they could be used by both sides after being abandoned by one side or the other. Sometimes one side or the other would take over the others' camp,it's hard to say.

 

[Jason H.]

Banner CS tongue, congrats

Thanks etex!

Great finds Jason,I nominated you for banner. Underminer, often if troops were in camp for long periods of time they could be used by both sides after being abandoned by one side or the other. Sometimes one side or the other would take over the others' camp,it's hard to say.

Thank you, and you're right, that happened numerous times, including both of the sites at which I found these buckles.

 

[19cbb]

Banner!

 

[WheatWaffle]

Nice finds!

 

[collector01]

Congrats on two awesome buckles!! Looks like you deserved them both! HH!

 

[Mr Tuff]

great relics!! congrats..

 

[rodarian]

That all looks very familiar. Besides the buckles that is....heh. Great finds!

 

[Garrett424]

Stupendous finds. Looks like it was worth the hiatus.

Congrats.

 

[Jason H.]

Banner!

Thanks 19cbb!

 

[Jason H.]

Congrats on two awesome buckles!! Looks like you deserved them both! HH!

I appreciate it! I'm happy to dig a pile of junk for a buckle.

great relics!! congrats..

Thanks Mr. Tuff!

That all looks very familiar. Besides the buckles that is....heh. Great finds!

Thanks, yeah, the other stuff is much more familiar to me, too.

Stupendous finds. Looks like it was worth the hiatus.
Thank you, and it was!

Congrats.

Thanks!

 

[Showtime2385]

Oh Congrats!

 

[Jason H.]

Oh Congrats!

Ha, thanks! Cool Viper, BTW...

 

[etex]

Find that wreath, been looking for a year for one and no luck