CW “U.S.” Bit Boss + More at new location!

[ModernMiner]

Well Folks, on Sunday I took a turn onto a country road not far from my house that I had never been on since we moved to the NC Mountains. I’m sure glad I did, because I drove past numerous old house that looked very promising. One in particular was a large 1800’s house sitting up on a hill with a beautiful view. I pulled in, spoke to the owner, and gained permission. We talked for about 30 minutes and he told me the history of the place which used to be a huge farm. The house was built in the 1860’s.

Today was my first attempt at the place. Armed with the mighty Tesoro Vaquero, my first two targets were a wheat penny and a square nail. Yahoo, this l@@ked promising!
I spent about three hours there today and only detected part of the front yard.

I was pleasantly surprised to dig a Civil War Union Cavalry “US” bit boss very close to the house. I couldn’t believe my eyes, and had to call my buddy Quindy to tell him what I had dug. I also told him about all the small horseshoes I was digging. Actually, I asked him if they were goat shoes, and he laughed telling me goats didn’t wear shoes. LOL. Boy did I feel stupid.

My finds today were:

*US Civil War bit boss

*Badge with “Parker / Davis” on it. Turns out Judge Alton Parker ran against Theodore Roosevelt in 1904, and lost of course. Millionaire Henry Davis from WV was his running mate.

*A nickel trifecta – 1884 “V” nickel, 1938 Buff nickel, and a 1960 Jefferson. The 4[SUP]th[/SUP] nickel was also a “V” nickel but it was too worn to get a date off of.

*Three wheat pennies – oldest one was 1911.

*Old oval brooch/pin/ or clip – Any ideas?

*Gold plated hair clip, button w/white ceramic (?) top, Hem weight.

*”Mail” / “RFD” (Mayberry ?) lock

*Old lighter – Any idea on the age?

*Lots of farm related iron relics – Any idea on the spike?

Well, that’s all Folks! Off to a pretty good start. No silver yet.
Thanks for l@@king,
MM

 

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[ModernMiner]

Extra nice haul D! Of course I love the Pit Boss, but my next fav is the Parker-Davis watch fob. I like the cigarette lighter too; 40s-50s? Those little shoes were on the Munchkins' horses when Dorothy was on her way to Oz. Breezie

Thanks for the lighter info and the Munchkin horse info. That was my second guess after goat shoes. LOL
Any idea on the oval brooch/ clip/ pin thingy?
Thanks,
Doug

 

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[ModernMiner]

Thanks for the compliments MM & OD but I'm certainly not a CW relic expert and don't profess to be. Cannonball Guy IS a CW artillery & relic expert & has helped me & many other Tnet members identify relics. Get back to that site TODAY MM before the poachers get there-LOL. When Dman & TENN JOSH finish their books on how to locate sites & how to i.d. relics, you guys can buy a copy-LOL. HH, Q.

Q-
Dman and josh's book should sell about as well as O.J.'s book did. Dollar General here we come!
Thanks again for your help over the years. It's tough teaching an Indiana Yankee I know.
-DUG-

 

[ModernMiner]

Silly man! Only sheep wear the little shoes! Looks like you have a promising site. That's the first bit boss I remember being posted here in the past year. Must be nice to have your own personal advisor ( Mr. Q ). I have had to wait till someone else finds stuff and posts the pic to ID my whatzits, lol. You should ask to join the trio. I already have the name picked out - Quindy's Quadruplets. I wish you much luck!

LMAO! Since Quindy actually fought in the CW he should know his relics well. Here's his phone # next time you have a question: 1-(800)-OLD-COOT.

I put my request in and sent my detecting resume' to Quindy to see if I could join the Tenn Trio. My only stipulation was that he rename the group "Yankee & Sons". I still haven't heard back from him yet. He must be too busy digging CW relics and helping Dman prep that moustache for his next video shoot.

As far as those "goat shoes", I'm going to try to save up a bunch of them and see if I can trade them in for one full-size shoe. Kind of like when you win stuffed animals at the fair.

You're a nut OD.
Thanks for the reply,
Quindy's thorn

 

[ModernMiner]

I must be holding my metal detector in the wrong hand or something! Been hunting for about 4 months now and have yet to find anything cool like a couple of those items. I especially liked the Parker-Davis badge. Good luck on your next visit to that house.

I see you are in Newton, NC. Is that the same as Newton Grove close to Bentonville? If so, I've detected in Newton Grove before. Lot's of relics to be had.
-MM-

 

[ModernMiner]

Now that site has a really good range of finds. The bit boss is nice. I have a rural free delivery lock just like that. Very nice MM. I thought goats wore shoes as well? Congrats on a great new site. The Parker/Davis badge is a cool relic as well. Good luck next time there. HH

Thanks Tn. I love the old house sites just for that reason. Great variety of relics. That RFD lock is in great shape. I tried one of the small keys I found on it and ended up snapping the key in half.
Maybe I can nail these goat shoes on my boots and use them as heel plates?
Have a great week,
Doug

 

[Steve in PA]

Congrats on the bit boss and the watch fob - both good finds!!

 

[Jpro]

Nice CW bit boss..plus a lot of other stuff you've dug..awesome.

 

[Thunderchild]

As usual, You are killing it with the Tesoro. Way to go!

 

[Thunderchild]

As usual Doug, You are killing it with the Tesoro. Love the bit boss.

 

[ModernMiner]

Congrats on the bit boss and the watch fob - both good finds!![/QUOTE

Thanks Steve. I was looking at that presidential FOB again today. Very unusual find for sure. I've never heard of either of those guys.
I really do learn more about history metal detecting then I ever did in school.
-Doug-

 

[ModernMiner]

As usual, You are killing it with the Tesoro. Way to go!

Thanks buddy. Nowhere near as good as you are doing back there in Raleigh.
Have you tried the Tesoro yet?
-Doug-

 

[ModernMiner]

Nice CW bit boss..plus a lot of other stuff you've dug..awesome.

Thanks JP. I just wish I could dig some CW relics in quantity like you.
HH,
Doug

 

[Valley Ranger]

Doug - great finds! I love those old RFD locks. They clean up very nice and I use one I dug as a paper weight. Here's something I pulled from an internet search about their history:

"Since it began as an experiment in 1896, Rural Free Delivery (RFD) Service enabled an increasing number of rural Americans to send and receive mail from their residences. To receive the service, a family’s mailbox had to be easily accessible, and on the road traveled by their carrier. Families whose homes were far away from their mailbox insured the security of their mail by attaching locks to the mailbox. Local postmasters allowed this practice, as long as carriers were provided with a key.
Manufacturers addressed this need by producing and selling specially labeled “RFD” mail locks. The official-looking locks were neither produced nor provided by the Post Office Department."

Source here.

 

[Valley Ranger]

Great finds Doug! I love those old RFD locks. They clean up great. I use one I dug as a paper weight. Here's a bit about their history:

"Since it began as an experiment in 1896, Rural Free Delivery (RFD) Service enabled an increasing number of rural Americans to send and receive mail from their residences. To receive the service, a family’s mailbox had to be easily accessible, and on the road traveled by their carrier. Families whose homes were far away from their mailbox insured the security of their mail by attaching locks to the mailbox. Local postmasters allowed this practice, as long as carriers were provided with a key.

Manufacturers addressed this need by producing and selling specially labeled “RFD” mail locks. The official-looking locks were neither produced nor provided by the Post Office Department."

Source here.

 

[Old Dude]

Doug - great finds! I love those old RFD locks. They clean up very nice and I use one I dug as a paper weight. Here's something I pulled from an internet search about their history:

"Since it began as an experiment in 1896, Rural Free Delivery (RFD) Service enabled an increasing number of rural Americans to send and receive mail from their residences. To receive the service, a family’s mailbox had to be easily accessible, and on the road traveled by their carrier. Families whose homes were far away from their mailbox insured the security of their mail by attaching locks to the mailbox. Local postmasters allowed this practice, as long as carriers were provided with a key.
Manufacturers addressed this need by producing and selling specially labeled “RFD” mail locks. The official-looking locks were neither produced nor provided by the Post Office Department."

Source here.

Your post makes me think of one of my favorite Chevy Chase movies - Funny Farm, and the maniacal sounding postman that would go blowing by Chevy's mailbox, lol. Thanks for the history. Good post.

 

[ModernMiner]

Doug - great finds! I love those old RFD locks. They clean up very nice and I use one I dug as a paper weight. Here's something I pulled from an internet search about their history: "Since it began as an experiment in 1896, Rural Free Delivery (RFD) Service enabled an increasing number of rural Americans to send and receive mail from their residences. To receive the service, a family’s mailbox had to be easily accessible, and on the road traveled by their carrier. Families whose homes were far away from their mailbox insured the security of their mail by attaching locks to the mailbox. Local postmasters allowed this practice, as long as carriers were provided with a key. Manufacturers addressed this need by producing and selling specially labeled “RFD” mail locks. The official-looking locks were neither produced nor provided by the Post Office Department." Source here.

Great info. Thanks for posting that Stoney. I'm going to print out a copy of that and put it with the lock.
We learn so much here on Tnet.
Have a great week,
Doug

 

[ModernMiner]

Your post makes me think of one of my favorite Chevy Chase movies - Funny Farm, and the maniacal sounding postman that would go blowing by Chevy's mailbox, lol. Thanks for the history. Good post.

LOL. Classic movie!

 

[johnnyblaze]

That Bit Boss is a sweet find man

I like the badge thingy also..

Blaze

 

[Ihatepoisonivy]

Very Cool! What's the address? Lol

 

[Texas Kid]

It just floors me to see the amount of CW artifacts that are reported found on this web site!! It would be wonderful if they could all be shown under one roof! That's one show I wouldn't miss! Congratulations on your finds! They are nothing less than awesome! The Kid