🥇 BANNER HOW did this survive 150 years in a Virginia Trench??!?

parsonwalker

parsonwalker

Bronze Member
Feb 16, 2013
1,491
2,856
Virginia
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Modified GI Mine Detector (In the 60s)
Metrotech (In the 70s)
Tesoro Tejon (Now!)
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Thought these were all disolved to dust by now, but popped this one out of a Virginia Trench today Three ringer with full, intact pigskin powder bag. Still full of powder. Clean sand must've helped.

IMG_4140.JPGIMG_4141.JPG

Then a couple of feet away, I pull out a Maryland Cross Kepi pin! Digging buddy told me these were pretty rare. I can't find a dug one on the web. Anybody know just HOW rare? And were these worn by Union Maryland, or Confederate Maryland or both? Solder points for two attachment pins are present on the back.

IMG_4148.JPGIMG_4147.JPG

10 or 12 bullets and a couple more bullets-in-wood rounded out the day.

IMG_4144.JPGIMG_4145.JPGIMG_4146.jpg

I haven't posted in WEEKS because I wasn't finding anything worth sharing. But I'm stinkin' HAPPY today!
 

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Fantastic find. Congratulations on the banner. Question, What will you do to the cartridge to keep it from decaying now that it's in an environment where oxygen can get to it? It sure would be a shame to loose it now.
 

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amazing finds great to find stuff from our countrys history and in such great shape congrats on banner
 

BosnMate said:
Fantastic find. Congratulations on the banner. Question, What will you do to the cartridge to keep it from decaying now that it's in an environment where oxygen can get to it? It sure would be a shame to loose it now.
Click to expand...

A great question Bosn! My dad found one in the 1960s. He did NOTHING to it. It was already torn, where mine is intact. It is SUPER-fragile, but it has survived 50 years in the "air." I considered a leather preservative, since it's pigskin, I believe. But wasn't sure what preservative might do to it . . . plus afraid I'd break it rubbing the neatsfoot oil (or whatever) in. I opted to dip the casing only (Not the lead) in polyurethane. Both are pictured below. Untreated one is lighter in color. I'll let you know how it holds up in 15 or 20 years!

IMG_4292.JPGIMG_4293.JPG
 

Quite an accomplishment finding complete rounds of ammo like that and recovering them undamaged as you did!Kudos to ya and HH....
 

That is most unusual! Congratulations on a great hunt and find and for making the BANNER! :thumbsup:

:)
Breezie
 

HomeGuardDan said:
still surprised the pin did not receive Banner - it is a rare find, 10Xs more than the bullet. I see bullets with the powder/skin dug about once or twice a year, which is rare. I have only see one of those dug pins ever - until now.
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The pin did receive Banner. It's up there with this post. If this post made banner first, then I'm sure the mods were reluctant to put a second banner up just because the OP decided to list items separately.

Yes, the pin is the find of a lifetime.
 

parsonwalker said:
A great question Bosn! My dad found one in the 1960s. He did NOTHING to it. It was already torn, where mine is intact. It is SUPER-fragile, but it has survived 50 years in the "air." I considered a leather preservative, since it's pigskin, I believe. But wasn't sure what preservative might do to it . . . plus afraid I'd break it rubbing the neatsfoot oil (or whatever) in. I opted to dip the casing only (Not the lead) in polyurethane. Both are pictured below. Untreated one is lighter in color. I'll let you know how it holds up in 15 or 20 years!

View attachment 986157View attachment 986158
Click to expand...

My mentor has dug a precious few of those in Virginia since the late 60s when he started digging. He coated them with epoxy and they have held up fine for three decades. I think you're on the right track.
 

Great Find. Donate to a museum.


View attachment 980840View attachment 980841

Then a couple of feet away, I pull out a Maryland Cross Kepi pin! Digging buddy told me these were pretty rare. I can't find a dug one on the web. Anybody know just HOW rare? And were these worn by Union Maryland, or Confederate Maryland or both? Solder points for two attachment pins are present on the back.

View attachment 980842View attachment 980843

10 or 12 bullets and a couple more bullets-in-wood rounded out the day.

View attachment 980844View attachment 980845View attachment 980846

I haven't posted in WEEKS because I wasn't finding anything worth sharing. But I'm stinkin' HAPPY today![/QUOTE]
 

Just a suggestion, but find or have built a small airtight box of some kind for it, with perhaps a lexan pane so you can see in it, and fill the box with nitrogen gas. It's inert, and will prevent or at least limit any further deterioration.
 

mirage83 said:
Just a suggestion, but find or have built a small airtight box of some kind for it, with perhaps a lexan pane so you can see in it, and fill the box with nitrogen gas. It's inert, and will prevent or at least limit any further deterioration.
Click to expand...

Holy cow!
 

Hey, given how likely it is that you (or anyone else for that matter) will ever find another example like yours, you gotta take care of it. Exposure to oxygen and all the pollens and bacteria it can carry around are the biggest threats to your find, and with a nitrogen enclosure you wouldn't have to use epoxy or anything else to coat it with to protect it.

If you'd like I'd be more than happy to take care of it for you. :laughing7:
 

mirage83 said:
Hey, given how likely it is that you (or anyone else for that matter) will ever find another example like yours, you gotta take care of it. Exposure to oxygen and all the pollens and bacteria it can carry around are the biggest threats to your find, and with a nitrogen enclosure you wouldn't have to use epoxy or anything else to coat it with to protect it.

If you'd like I'd be more than happy to take care of it for you. :laughing7:
Click to expand...

Mirage - thank you for your generous offer. You are TOO KIND!!
 

Confederate Maryland Cross pin is an awesome find. Any museum would love to have that.
 

nice find
 

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