Complete Colonial Shoe Buckle, Springfield 1810 Bayonet, 1819 LC and more...

OutdoorAdv

Bronze Member
Apr 16, 2013
2,457
3,350
East Coast - USA
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus,
GPX 4500,
Equinox 800,
AT Max
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
*UPDATE*: Its a modified Springfield Pattern 1810 Bayonet. Modified for use during the War of 1812!! Lots more information in post #37 on page 3.
Here are some quick links to the comments in this thread with the bayonet information:
Bayonet Post Electrolysis Pictures
Bayonet Identification Email


This was my first trip with my new XP Deus. I spent 9 hours in the field today, getting to know the machine by digging everything, including the signals I knew were big iron. (Picture of all the iron at the bottom, was 40+ lbs) Anyway, in the midst of digging all the big iron, I hit the jackpot with a beautiful bayonet. It was a signal I know I listened to many times on my V3i, then on my T2 and today I dug it in the process of learning my XP Deus. I still have no idea what style bayonet is it, however it does not match any in my CW Crouch book. (Based on its size I feel like it might be older than CW)

After the bayonet I went to another part of the field and dug something that has been a huge goal of mine... a COMPLETE Colonial Shoe Buckle. When you guys post complete shoe buckles I drool over them... for some reason I think they are one of the coolest colonial relics. I always dig the frames, pieces of frames, chapes or tongues... but never thought I'd hold a complete one. The frame is cracked, but its all together and a find I will never forget. Later in the day I hit another large shoe buckle frame. I am still learning to pinpoint with the Deus and was very happy I didn't nick either of those buckles.

A Crusty LC (I believe its 1819) showed up, as well as a 1880 IHP. 4 more pocket knives today, that brings my total to 14 pocket knives from this site total.

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The complete buckle is one of my all time favorite relics.

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This button is huge. Its one piece cast brass and I put it with the LC for size comparison. It has a wheat ears on the border and sun or flower in the middle with what looks to me like a "8" in the very center. When I saw how big it was and that there was a design, the first thing I thought was "GW"! ha

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Cow #7's tag blew my headphones off... I saw the edge of a thick brass piece in the hole and I had a mild heart attack. I thought I might have a brass buckle, but instead I got a worn through cow tag.

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This is a cool piece of brass with some hand engraved initials... Not sure what it went to, but someone punched "L.W" into it. My guess is that it was part of a knife handle.

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Here are the bayonet measurements. I would really like to ID it. Its in electrolysis now and I think it will come out looking great. There is minimal pitting on it and I am hoping there are some markings I will be able to see once its preserved. Any ideas on what kind it is?

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Here is the iron... I'm exhausted from digging and carrying all that home. Digging this iron gave me a good feel for the Deus and I can now tell what a piece of big iron sounds like when it rings in as a high tone... although, after the bayonet, I might just keep digging it all anyway.
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Upvote 28
That bayonet is just a stellar recovery. And fantastic work with the electrolysis, too.

Cheers,

Buck

Thanks Buck! I could tell when I dug it that it was going to turn out well!

I stuck it in the ground for a quick dirty photo too. Notice the brick fragment on it... I have a feeling this might be in the older part of the trash pit I've been trying to locate.

1810 bayonet.jpg


Thank you Casper! I'm pretty excited about the ID. Its really awesome to me to think that this was probably used in the War of 1812.
 

Thanks Dan! I couldn't have asked for a better condition bayonet. Have you noticed good results on yours with electrolysis? I dug a sickle that had minimal corrosion too and I was wondering if it was a higher carbon content in iron blades or something.
Alot of electrolysis success depends on the material and just as much the soil conditions (high salt content vs low mineral OR wet conditions vs dry OR exposed vs non-exposed) All of these play a role. You have to develop a keen eye for what to look for (pits vs flaking OR soft vs brittle) and when to stop (burns vs flaking OR deterioration vs clustering). All comes with experience. I always recommend practice on like items from the same sites to see how they respond. If I have a good item to treat, I try and practice on a similar item from the same site and/or conditions.
 

Hi Brad,

I have not been on the site for a few weeks for a couple of reasons but wanted to offer my congratulations on such an exceptional find, restoration, and ID. I really enjoyed reading the story and seeing the photographs of your find before and after its restoration as well as the letter IDing it. Great job! I feel this is definitely a Banner worthy find and am going to nominate it for Banner after I post this. :thumbsup:
 

Hi Brad,

I have not been on the site for a few weeks for a couple of reasons but wanted to offer my congratulations on such an exceptional find, restoration, and ID. I really enjoyed reading the story and seeing the photographs of your find before and after its restoration as well as the letter IDing it. Great job! I feel this is definitely a Banner worthy find and am going to nominate it for Banner after I post this. :thumbsup:

Thank you for the vote Erik!

The history attached to it is fascinating and I'm really glad you read through everything. I know this post has been a bit of an evolution of the find.

Welcome Back! Great to see you online.
 

I believe this to be a BANNER worthy find, especially now that you have the ID down. Great hunt, great post, thanks for sharing!
 

That was awesome the guy from worldbayonets took take the time to provide you with all those details. Now you have a wonderful and very accurate provenance for that amazing artifact. Did you look for the letter or number that he thought might be stamped on the inside of the socket? Hopefully you can find one. You should print his letter out in color along with images of the bayonet and frame it for hanging in your relic room. I know you're itching to get back to that site so that new Deus can pull out more incredible finds. Good luck!
 

That was awesome the guy from worldbayonets took take the time to provide you with all those details. Now you have a wonderful and very accurate provenance for that amazing artifact. Did you look for the letter or number that he thought might be stamped on the inside of the socket? Hopefully you can find one. You should print his letter out in color along with images of the bayonet and frame it for hanging in your relic room. I know you're itching to get back to that site so that new Deus can pull out more incredible finds. Good luck!

Thanks a ton Bill!

He gave me more information that I ever expected. He started that site in 2006 as a hobby and its turned into one of the webs best bayonet sites.

Yup.. mine has the matched numbers. They're stamped on the outside of the socket at the end of the groove. My guess is after the fitted one, they stamped it while it was on the musket and the bayonet stud was in the slot. So easy to stamp both next to each other.

It was in my post electrolysis pictures, but there was a ton of them, so here it is separate. Its stamped clearly with a "17" and maybe more after that, but its too pitted. Now I need to go dig up the matching flintlock!

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Really nice recoveries. Bayonet is a stellar find. Looking forward to seeing it post electrolysis. Congrats on the shoe buckle as well, always been one of my favorite things to dig.
-Evan
 

Really nice recoveries. Bayonet is a stellar find. Looking forward to seeing it post electrolysis. Congrats on the shoe buckle as well, always been one of my favorite things to dig.
-Evan

Thank you Evan! Its actually done and came out fantastic. You can even see the number stamps on it. Its on page 2, post #27... but here is a link to it directly Post Electrolysis Bayonet Pictures

There's a lot in this thread and I don't blame people for reading all of them. I am going to update the first post with a link to the "Post Electrolysis" post and the Email from workdbayonets post within this thread. Those are really the important ones anyway.

Thank you again Evan,
Brad
 

Man oh man Brad,
That is great news!
Being that old in that condition is remarkable. Iam sure glad YOU found it and gave it the care and love it deserves.
I really like how passionate you are about this hobby and the relics. Couldn't have happen to a nicer guy. Just to let you know I did vote banner on this one.
Condition, rare, and the care you gave it.
Congrats again.
George
 

Man oh man Brad,
That is great news!
Being that old in that condition is remarkable. Iam sure glad YOU found it and gave it the care and love it deserves.
I really like how passionate you are about this hobby and the relics. Couldn't have happen to a nicer guy. Just to let you know I did vote banner on this one.
Condition, rare, and the care you gave it.
Congrats again.
George

Thank you George, that means a lot man. I cant wait to get back out there this weekend.
 

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