RelicHunter97
Hero Member
First of all.....WOW!
OKAY back on track! So a while ago, perhaps a week ago, I noticed that a field that has been very productive for us in the past had been plowed up and rained on. This field has given up many great finds, for me personally I have found an 1805 large cent, an 1820 capped bust dime (in amazing condition), my War of 1812 Massachusetts Artillery button, and my Washington inaugural button. I know of many other great finds that have come from here, but I don't want to take up the post with those finds :P
Fast forward to yesterday, I received a call from my cousin Norma, asking me if I wanted to come over, and later that night join them to an excursion to the woods. (Norma is a sasquatch enthusiast so we like to go out and try to gather evidence of its existence. We usually do this around a campfire, listening for howls, etc.) Anyways, I said yes, and I arrived at Bob and Norma's house around 3:15. It did not take long for me to mention the field which was in prime condition, even more so since it was raining. Since it was still early, Bob and I decided to go check it out. We got there a little after four. I was borrowing his MPx metal detector that his daughter bought him as a spare. It didn't perform well though, iron was reading like pull tabs and half dollars, and it was unusable. So he called be over after a little while and offered to share his XLT with me, he would do a row down the field, when we reached the end, I would take over. So he finished his row, and then it was my turn. I got about thirty feet into the row when I got a strong signal reading between 22 and 30 on the VDI. Since I had the detector, he dug it and pinpointed it. We could see it in the dirt, a little button. He then picked it up and gave it to me. I took it and wiped the dirt off, and I could not believe what I saw. "Are you kidding me?" I whispered to myself. My jaw was dropped down low, and Bob was like "What? What is it?" I said "Long Live the President..." It took me a minute to recuperate and get back to reality, but I was absolutely elated. At the time, I felt bad, because if Bob hadn't invited me over to use his machine, then that button would have been his. But those feelings would not last. "Okay. Now you go and find one," I told him. Who knew he could be so obedient?
We were three rows down the field (it was his turn then mine and now it was his turn again), and about twenty feet away from where I found my button, Bob got a signal. He pinpointed it with his detector, and said "One inch deep." "Not even!" I replied, as it was right on the surface: a button, shank side up. He reached down to pick it up, but I stopped him, asked if I could take a picture first. He said of course, and made a joke about it being another GW button. I took the photo below, and then picked it up. When I removed the dirt from the face, I couldn't help but laugh in amazement. "Long live the president!" I said, to his disbelief. I had to assure him that I was not kidding, and we were just both in shock and awe. Two rare buttons, two guys, one detector, one field, one day. Nothing could top that. (Well, perhaps a tree coin :P)
Okay! Thank you all for reading! Happy Hunting!
-Anthony
EDIT: My other finds for the day were three buttons, a parasol piece, a thimble, some pottery, and some whatzits.
Also, past auction sale prices for this particular button include $1,400 (in rough shape), $6,050 (in comparable condition), and $17,000 (very publicized auction, extremely fine condition). Though these are all from before 2006, so I do not know how the market has changed. I'm hoping I can get at least a few thousand for it! Cheers!
OKAY back on track! So a while ago, perhaps a week ago, I noticed that a field that has been very productive for us in the past had been plowed up and rained on. This field has given up many great finds, for me personally I have found an 1805 large cent, an 1820 capped bust dime (in amazing condition), my War of 1812 Massachusetts Artillery button, and my Washington inaugural button. I know of many other great finds that have come from here, but I don't want to take up the post with those finds :P
Fast forward to yesterday, I received a call from my cousin Norma, asking me if I wanted to come over, and later that night join them to an excursion to the woods. (Norma is a sasquatch enthusiast so we like to go out and try to gather evidence of its existence. We usually do this around a campfire, listening for howls, etc.) Anyways, I said yes, and I arrived at Bob and Norma's house around 3:15. It did not take long for me to mention the field which was in prime condition, even more so since it was raining. Since it was still early, Bob and I decided to go check it out. We got there a little after four. I was borrowing his MPx metal detector that his daughter bought him as a spare. It didn't perform well though, iron was reading like pull tabs and half dollars, and it was unusable. So he called be over after a little while and offered to share his XLT with me, he would do a row down the field, when we reached the end, I would take over. So he finished his row, and then it was my turn. I got about thirty feet into the row when I got a strong signal reading between 22 and 30 on the VDI. Since I had the detector, he dug it and pinpointed it. We could see it in the dirt, a little button. He then picked it up and gave it to me. I took it and wiped the dirt off, and I could not believe what I saw. "Are you kidding me?" I whispered to myself. My jaw was dropped down low, and Bob was like "What? What is it?" I said "Long Live the President..." It took me a minute to recuperate and get back to reality, but I was absolutely elated. At the time, I felt bad, because if Bob hadn't invited me over to use his machine, then that button would have been his. But those feelings would not last. "Okay. Now you go and find one," I told him. Who knew he could be so obedient?
We were three rows down the field (it was his turn then mine and now it was his turn again), and about twenty feet away from where I found my button, Bob got a signal. He pinpointed it with his detector, and said "One inch deep." "Not even!" I replied, as it was right on the surface: a button, shank side up. He reached down to pick it up, but I stopped him, asked if I could take a picture first. He said of course, and made a joke about it being another GW button. I took the photo below, and then picked it up. When I removed the dirt from the face, I couldn't help but laugh in amazement. "Long live the president!" I said, to his disbelief. I had to assure him that I was not kidding, and we were just both in shock and awe. Two rare buttons, two guys, one detector, one field, one day. Nothing could top that. (Well, perhaps a tree coin :P)
Okay! Thank you all for reading! Happy Hunting!
-Anthony
EDIT: My other finds for the day were three buttons, a parasol piece, a thimble, some pottery, and some whatzits.
Also, past auction sale prices for this particular button include $1,400 (in rough shape), $6,050 (in comparable condition), and $17,000 (very publicized auction, extremely fine condition). Though these are all from before 2006, so I do not know how the market has changed. I'm hoping I can get at least a few thousand for it! Cheers!
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Banner vote is in as well. It's hard to beat Washington Inaugural buttons in regards to finds of historical significance, as they have a direct connection with an important event in the nation's history. They are valuable finds also due to their scarcity or rarity, and they are highly sought after by collectors. I must admit that I have a considerable bias for George Washington Inaugurals that will become clearly understood within the next few days. 
