Amazing hunt today, and help needed on ID of a shield pin

[NJ Garrett]

Hi all!

As some of you know, my parents are in the process of selling a property in NJ that has been in our family since 1902. Prior to that, the house dates back to the 1700's when it was a tavern and possibly a general store in the 1800's. Upon hearing the news that they would be selling it, I decided to take up metal detecting, in an effort to recover as much history from the ground as possible before they sold it. It's been a heck of a journey for the last 9 months, and today I had the best day ever.

It was a balmy 70 degrees today in Jersey, so I decided to get in one last hunt in 2013. And what a day it was! I started strolling around the property, and picked up some modern coins, a few shotgun shells, and a tiny belt buckle. I also found a nice button with a white shiny portion. Not sure about the history of that one....

Then I started detectig close to the house, and found some doozies. First, I found an army man that is pure metal and several inches tall. When I cleaned him up, the paint was still mostly in tact. On his leg, it says Made in USA (don't see that every day) and the numbers 747. Anyone recognize this solider?

I found a 1936 Mercury dime. First one that I ever found on this property. It was amazing how small the radius is on dimes. I imagine if their buried more than 6 inches, you'll never find them.....

Then I had a very faint signal, 7 inches down. I dug deep, and uncovered an 1854 seated liberty quarter. The relief on this coin is gorgeous. It's in great shape! Finally, I had a weird signal, so I decided to go for it. I pulled up a very nice shield, which I suspect is old. It feels heavy... I took a could pictures of it. Does anyone have any idea on the background of this piece?

The wierdest thing was that I pulled the shield out, and my pinpointer was still going nuts, so I dug around, and POOF, another seated liberty quarter emerged. What?!?!?!!? This one was 1876. Not quite as good condition as the first one, but boy was I shocked. It was getting late, so I tidied up....however, I would like to return to that spot tomorrow. Maybe there's more?

Any information on the shield thing would be greatly appreciated!

Kevin

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[testing123]

Wow. Those finds are nice! The quarters look to be around vg8 to f12 or so. Rare to find one seated qtr let alone two. I believe the shield has to do with some kind of decorative piece on horses but others will chime in with what part of the equipment it was decorative on.

 

[NJ Garrett]

Thanks for the info on the quarters! These are the first two seated liberties that I have found, so I was very surprised. The 1854 is in better shape than the 1876, but both are beautiful coins.

I did some research and found that the solider is probably from the 1950's.

Still don't have any idea about the shield. I was hoping colonial military, but I can't find any reference. Hopefully someone will have encountered this artifact before!

 

[jewelerguy]

someone else here found an identical shield thing a short while back. don't remember who though. awesome seated coins!

 

[NJ Garrett]

I think that this might be the thread that you're referencing (did a little research based on your comment, thanks!): http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/w...ca-mexicana-mystery-items-found-cape-cod.html

My shield doesn't have any discernible pattern on it, which makes it more difficult to track down. It feels heavy based on it's size (not sure if that helps in terms of metal content). If I look at it through a magnifying glass, I feel like I see areas where the patina is removed...and the metal is bright gold. I doubt that it's Au, but it's an observation that might help someone ID this interesting artifact.

Thanks all!

 

[Subterranean]

Hi NJ Garrett, Your soldier is a Barclay Model 747 "Standing Firing Rifle" in their catalog, circa 1945-1955ish. They differ from earlier models basically using the same mold by having an integrated, non-removable WW2 pot helmet. (Pre-war had removable tin WW1 style helmets.) Your soldier in mint condition would go for $40-50 nowadays. All lead soldiers in combat poses or firing rifles seem to be more valued by collectors. Happy Hunting, Sub

 

[NJ Garrett]

Thanks Sub! That helps a lot! I'm glad that I managed to read the numbers off the figure correctly! I really appreciate your helping track down the specific details! Still stumped on this shield. I can't find anything about it on the internet....

 

[testing123]

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/352170-id-needed-brass-piece-attached-leather.html

heres something I found earlier this year. Not a shield like yours but the back attachment is similar.