Goood e-Trac, Goood e-Trac, Button Hoard!

[BioProfessor]

I have been looking for 19th century uniform buttons for a couple of years but just couldn't find them. And then there was yesterday!!!

Got permission to hunt a field just north of Guyton, GA. Sherman's army assembled about 6 miles north for his final assault of Savannah, GA. About 15,000 troops marched through Guyton over a 10 day period. Most of the area is closed to MDing by the State but there are still a few farm fields by the RR tracks that can be hunted. This field has probably been hunted by hundreds of people over the years. Didn't think there would be much there but I had no other place to go. Kinda glad I went.

This is NOT an ad for the e-Trac by holy crap. 3 hours in the field and I pulled 4 South Carolina Palmetto buttons (may be CW or may be 1870 Militia) and a Standing Liberty Quarter all at about 8-10". Now I'm all for depth and sensitivity but I dug about 40 targets in the field and only the aluminum slaw was 4" or less. This machine may kill me.

Daryl

 

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[NGE]

Nice button finds, but I have a question? Were the buttons originally painted or colored? Because I see green on the fronds and pinkisk background lines. Hope it's not corrosion I see........NGE

 

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[RELICDUDE07]

The pink is the copper,the buttons had a gold gild on them like most from this time period

 

[NGE]

Thanks, I thought so....NGE

 

[BioProfessor]

Yep, no corrosion. None of the dreaded green cancer.

Daryl

 

[seger98]

Wow, awesome finds on the buttons. Congratulations on the SLQ as well.


I think they are BANNER worthy!

 

[shaun7]

nice finds Daryl

 

[John (Ma)]

Outstanding finds!!! With all of that digging, bring plenty of snacks and water, because you are showing that it is all worth it!

 

[CRUSADER]

If we found those over here you would be lucky to get $3 for them all

Nice looking buttons, as you know I never sell stuff. But if I had several button the same I might keep the best & sell the lesser ones to help fund other collections. (especially at your US crazy prices, I would think I was robbing them)

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Those buttons are in awesome condition! Congrats and HH, Mike

 

[BuckleBoy]

I asked earlier, and I don't think you caught my question...

Are there any traces of gilding on those buttons?

 

[BioProfessor]

Hi Buckles,

Sorry I didn't catch the question. As far as I can tell at this point and comparing them with buttons I know to be guilted, I would have to say that there is no trace of guilting on them.

Daryl

 

[CAgem]

Ya done good, Daryl. I hope my new e-trac serves me as well as yours has.
Gail

 

[john37115]

This is all the info. I can find in my books on your buttons. I still don't know for sure if they are period or post.

 

[BioProfessor]

Everything matches with the button.

From the dates I can find for when they used that backmark, it says it is period.

THE HORSTMANN COMPANIES

W. H. HORSTMANN / PHILA. 1820-1850
W. H. HORSTMANN / NEW YORK 1820-1837
W. H. HORSTMANN & SONS 1843-1863
W. H. HORSTMANN & CO. / PHILA. 1864-1866
W. H. HORSTMANN & CO. / NEW YORK 1837-1847
HORSTMANN BROS & CO. / PHILA 1859-1863
HORSTMANN BROS & CO. / NEW YORK 1850-1852
HORSTMANN BROS & ALLIEN 1852-1877
HORSTMANN BROS & DRUCKER 1844-1850
HORSTMANN / PHILADELPHIA 1893-1935

http://pw1.netcom.com/~jimyce/bm.html

Daryl

 

[BioProfessor]

Seems to be a great deal of "information" out there. From the chart above your post, the dates are CW period for that particular backmark. Just hard to figure out. I think it may have something to do with whether they used "Bros" or "Brothers" and if the charts picked up on that.

Fun to figure out though.

Daryl

 

[kdismuke1]

dayrl congrats. glad you made the finds. i think i saw a post a while back where you haveing a hard time m/d in savannah. glad something good happen.

 

[BioProfessor]

Yeah I did. I moved to Guyton.

Daryl

 

[John987]

wOWW!! It looks like you hit a jackpot with those buttons.
CONGRATIONS!!
I may just put an e-Trac on my list of wanna haves...........
John from NY

 

[KILLER Tn]

Wonderful job .... very, very nice.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Everything matches with the button.

From the dates I can find for when they used that backmark, it says it is period.

THE HORSTMANN COMPANIES

W. H. HORSTMANN / PHILA. 1820-1850
W. H. HORSTMANN / NEW YORK 1820-1837
W. H. HORSTMANN & SONS 1843-1863
W. H. HORSTMANN & CO. / PHILA. 1864-1866
W. H. HORSTMANN & CO. / NEW YORK 1837-1847
HORSTMANN BROS & CO. / PHILA 1859-1863
HORSTMANN BROS & CO. / NEW YORK 1850-1852
HORSTMANN BROS & ALLIEN 1852-1877
HORSTMANN BROS & DRUCKER 1844-1850
HORSTMANN / PHILADELPHIA 1893-1935

http://pw1.netcom.com/~jimyce/bm.html

Daryl

For credibility, I would not base your evaluation of these finds on the website above, or perhaps any website for that matter... I cut and pasted what Tice's book says about your button in an earlier reply to this thread. The ID is correct--and the Albert's number was echoed again later in the thread, but I had already posted it in my earlier reply.

I do not see conflicting information here. What I do see indicates that this button was made from the Civil War years onward in time a bit--and as such it is a more common button from a collecting standpoint, and since this particular backmark is not Exclusive to the Civil War years, hence it is likely not as valuable of a find.

There are two reasons I can think of for not being able to find the exact button online anywhere for sale. The first is that the button is Super Rare (which as I said above I do not believe it to be--and even Tice says as much). The other, more likely possibility is that this button is common enough that it does not command a high enough premium to be a featured button on online sales lists, where other Confederate locals and buttons with a narrow Civil War years date range go for hundreds of dollars each. (Tice calls SC262's like yours "common buttons.")


I think these are a Stellar grouping of finds, regardless. To dig so many in one hunt is quite an experience--and one that is not duplicated often--or perhaps Ever. I had a similar experience with a grouping of Kentucky State Seal buttons I recovered recently. I considered them Top Notch finds, even though they turned out to be post-war in manufacture.



Best Wishes,



Buckles