Found a rare Civil War artillery shell today! UPDATE Cleaned

[James from TN]

I had planned on going back to where I found the spur last week and dig out the hut site but had a chance to go back to an area we have found some rare shells in the past so figured the hut site could wait another day. We have hunted this friends land for 20+ years and I can't believe my luck today. 15 Minutes into the hunt I get a deep iron signal and start to dig what I thought would be a deep fragment. The deeper I dug the better it sounds and at around 24 inches I see signs of iron in the hole. At this point I am thinking I had a 6 lb. cannonball and called my brother over so we could both see the first artillery projectile we have dug in years. After digging around trying to get it loose I see the white from the sabot and knew what I had found. I pulled it from the hole and we where both in shock since we have been over this exact spot at least 10 times in the past with different machines. I guess the extra moisture in the ground and hunting in boost mode allowed it to sound of on my machine. This thing was around 30 inches deep and is the deepest shell we have dug out of this spot. It is a 2.9 inch Baby Britten shot and is the first Britten shot we have dug. Any of these shells are rare as hens teeth but the bolt is even more rare. It is something we have always wanted to find and today was the day. I am including pictures right after I removed it from the hole and after a quick wash off with the rest of my finds. Thanks for looking and good luck if you get out. James

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[tennessee digger]

Re: Found a rare Civil War artillery shell today!

That is one-heck-of-a find James!!!! Me likes. Tennessee digger

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[rob.s]

Re: Found a rare Civil War artillery shell today!

Congrats on a awesome find

 

[metalev4]

Re: Found a rare Civil War artillery shell today!

Thats a nice shell, congrats on a rare one.
-Evan

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Found a rare Civil War artillery shell today!

Now if you are a CW nut like me and my buddies are, that is a BANNER find! Beautiful Baby Britten James. Congrats on that rare recovery

 

[James from TN]

First I want to thank everyone for their comments, questions and information on my shell I found last weekend. In my original post I indicated it was a bolt but after a bit of cleaning I found that it is actually a shell. I finally finished cleaning and coating the shell today, although the polyurethane is still a little wet, and thought you guys may want to see the end results. I think it turned out nice although I have seen some that my brother dug that were a little nicer. This will be the center piece of my collection and unless something tragic happens will remain in my collection for the rest of my life. I left the rust in the cavity and fuse hole since I was unsure how I could remove it. I didn't want to damage it. I am also adding a picture of the set up I used to clean the shell in case anyone wanted to see it. Thanks for looking and good luck and be safe if you get out this weekend. Also I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas. James

 

[21stTNCav]

Just friggin incredible!! WTG!! Yeah, that is a banner alright!!

 

[Hutch911]

That is one sweet shell!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Relichunter1]

Incredible find, congrats on this rare shell... . Its going to look great as a display.

 

[VOL1266-X]

James, again congrats on a very rare BANNER worthy reecovery AND an excellent job of preserving it. I am formally nomonating it for BANNER. I have never known of anyone who dug one of those. WTG, Quindy.

 

[Gunrunner61]

Man! thats GREAT!!!

 

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

WHOA! never seen one of these before.incredible find and even more incredible perservation! looks great!

 

[peanut]

This should have made Banner!!!!

 

[Tnmountains]

I am just seeing this fantastic find. The rain this summer has made for some deep finds. You did a great job in cleaning it. That is a sure enough banner find. Thank you for taking the time to share and follow up after cleaning. Congratulations.
HH
TnMtns

 

[VOL1266-X]

That's a great job James. Congrats again on a RARE discovery and good luck hunting this Fall. HH, Quindy.

 

[Gunrunner61]

Congrats!....What an Awesome find.........................HH

 

[oldsalty19]