🥇 BANNER First Ever Washington Inaugural Button

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,803
41,061
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I went everywhere and dug everywhere over the weekend. First couple spots produced a wad of colonial items. I still have to get pics of those.

The last spot of the day yesterday was an unknown in the woods. Besides getting a tick, the area is rich in history along a major river. I had fond a place to access the river (it was kinda creepy back there), and dug the usual garbage and some nice 18th and 19th century buttons. I did not find any musket balls but believe I found an old homestead.

I had not intended on staying long due to the trash. I had used my Cibola. It hadn't been out playing much lately. I got a huge dig me I'm trash signal and out popped this large dandy button with a shank. I never remember to bring a camera with me, basically I don't want to ruin a $400 camera, so no in situ pics, basically I never get around to that and flip the thing over and see something on it, but it's caked in wet mud.

It gets thrown in the pouch and this morning I dig it and the other stuff out. And fall over when the mud starts coming off!

It's a George Washington Inaugural button, and if I wanted to dig one, this is the one I would have preferred to dig!

It's the "GW with linked states". Used for the 1789 inauguration, it is/was about the last thing on my bucket list! All the detail and the shank are there. The soil is very, very mild there.

Yowsers! I'll have to clean up the other stuff later tonight, one button has an anchor and eagle on it.

Wish I could call in mentally ill and go back today, but have to calm down and go to work. I'll try some renaissance wax on it to see if the detail can me made more visible, but it's all there!

View attachment IMG_1001.jpg IMG_1002.JPG

Can you spell "excited"?

Here it is cleaned a little more with some wax. View attachment IMG_1003.jpg I need to take better pics when I'm no so hyped!
 

Last edited:
Upvote 118
Coilygirl that doesn’t work on poisonous snakes which are abundant there. I must have been an idiot to go!

I'd go , it's called Relic fever, & I got it Bad ; LOL

Better than Whiskey but the wife still complains.
 

I'd go , it's called Relic fever, & I got it Bad ; LOL
Better than Whiskey but the wife still complains.

I'm going to just say that I completely agree with you. After all these years, this hobby is an escape from everything I've ever seen.
 

Snakes...never had them never will. Place is a wild place and looking back I am surprised I didn’t runinto any nastier.
 

What a awesome, unique button. Love the states, banner all the way
 

CONGRATS!!!! It is a significant find (as you well know).

Welcome to the club!!!
 

WOW WOW WOW!!!

BIG CONGRATS and yes I agree, that chain style is the best design IMO, although I'd be honored to dig any of them, but it's a statistical impossibility on the west coast.
 

Thank you all. The only way you'd find one on the west coast, is if a collector lost one. I never even knew what they were until about 10 years ago.
 

Fantastic, rare find. Congrats! A GW is still on my list and ranks right up there with my other bucket lister - Vermont Copper. I can imagine how you must be itching to get back there!

John
 

BVT Digger, itching may be the word, maybe "dying" also. Place is really rough. I got turned around once and it was so thick for a second I thought I was lost. Fortunately, I turned my brain back on. The oncoming rain probably saved me from the monsters in that wilderness. I just HAD to get out and dig! The digging bug does hit hard.
 

Last edited:
The last 18 months have been the best digging in my entire life! Thank you.
 

I am so happy for you Smokey. That GW button is the holy grail for many. I'm glad to see you can get so stoked even after all your amazing finds. Enjoy the elation, it's what keeps us digging.
 

Thanks Loco. What you don't hear about are the times I go out and find two Zincolns and a piece of aluminum or two. Or like today, off to work soon, no digging. It may not stop raining all year at the looks of it! I'm still sitting here staring at the button! Looks like several different GW buttons have been found this year. I have stuff from the last two weeks still sitting in containers waiting to be cleaned and put away, all of it is colonial. It was a good year (2018) for colonial and Civil War. I haven't been to any parks or beaches yet, except for one excursion to the ocean when I got the 8 reale! Targets were few and far between down there. I have a Baltimore County permit but decided against Baltimore City this year. Cecil and Harford counties do not allow digging in their parks.
 

Thank you all. The only way you'd find one on the west coast, is if a collector lost one. I never even knew what they were until about 10 years ago.

Me either , actually until I joined T-net .

Love the design as well , if I was to pick one that style would likely be the one.
Guess ill vote banner in a min, thought it would be there already.
 

Fantastic, rare find. Congrats! A GW is still on my list and ranks right up there with my other bucket lister - Vermont Copper. I can imagine how you must be itching to get back there!

John

A bit off topic, but it's funny you posted from Vermont , I just yesterday looked into flying into Burlington & renting a Car for 2 days / nights , not even to detect but to see the beautiful Country Side & Mainly to Star Gaze , I want to see the Milky Way , I have only seen it once in 1998 Summer between Pigeon Forge TN & Cherokee NC.

Or I could rent a boat & travel to the Mid Atlantic Ocean but then I'd likely be Fish food & that's more expensive.

GL Finding your Vermont Copper & GWI Button.
 

Banner vote in.
 

What a great button Smokey, that kind of history gets me excited....even if I didn't find it. Congrats on your first GW!--JB
 

Holy Bucket Listers Batman! Congrats on such an awesome find! :headbang:
 

And again, thank you. There was a lot of trash nearby and iron to boot. The signal came in clear and strong. The soil there is quite sandy, and it was up on a little ridge, so the corrosion isn't horrible. I originally went back there looking for Indian artifacts. I found some there once upon a time ago.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top