New digger!

[LByles]

Good morning all and early Merry Christmas! My husband and I recently started digging and yesterday we found something interesting. We have no clue what it is and I was wonder if any of y’all could help out. It registered as silver/copper on the detector and is solid. Any ideas? Found in the same field as a Civil War artillery shell and an 1820-1830’s great coat button. Lots of history in this area and known path during the Civil War. But also in the oldest town of Louisiana, so no telling what all came through this field.

 

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[DizzyDigger]

No idea what it is, but welcome to the site!

 

[LByles]

So we’ve done a “silver test”....apparently it’s solid silver if that helps to figure out what it may be.

 

[BLK HOLE]

Welcome to T-Net from Northern Virginia

 

[DeepseekerADS]

So we’ve done a “silver test”....apparently it’s solid silver if that helps to figure out what it may be.

Acid test? I don't mean to be a "downer", but silver usually comes out a very pretty white in color. I've seen "tarnished" as well.

 

[Jason in Enid]

ITs not silver. Your detector has no idea what metal composition is under the coil, and I can guarantee you from looking at it that its not silver, and it likely brass.

 

[LByles]

Ice and magnet test is what we’ve tried. Ice melts crazy fast and magnet does not stick. We used a strong one used for magnet fishing. We cleaned it with Dr. Pepper last night (all we had on hand lol) and it cleaned it up better than with just soap and water. Still has some mud and dirt stuck to it. It weighs 6.7 oz. Someone mentioned to my husband about it being a French 10 decimal clock face? Can’t see it being a pocket watch though bc it’s too heavy to carry in a pocket.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Ice and magnet test is what we’ve tried. Ice melts crazy fast and magnet does not stick. We used a strong one used for magnet fishing. We cleaned it with Dr. Pepper last night (all we had on hand lol) and it cleaned it up better than with just soap and water. It weighs 6.7 oz. Someone mentioned to my husband about it being a French 10 decimal clock face? Can’t see it being a pocket watch though bc it’s too heavy to carry in a pocket.

the "ice test" is a completely false myth. If you want to know what metal it is, you need an XRF scanner. An acceptable alternative is an acid test.

 

[firemanphob]

Welcome from Indiana

 

[LByles]

What type of acid? Like I said, we are totally new to this lol This was only our second trip out.

 

[Jason in Enid]

What type of acid? Like I said, we are totally new to this lol This was only our second trip out.

You need to go the "big auction site that cant be named here" and search for gold and silver acids test kits.


Everyone has to start somewhere, so don t be afraid to ask questions! With time you will learn to spot what most metals are straight from the ground. Silver often looks exactly like silver, unless the ground its been in is frequently wet. In that case they often look dark black, and occasionally as a chalky grey.
Copper typically gets crusty green.
Brass typically brownish, maybe a hint of green.
Bronze typically turns very deep green or bluish green (often refered to as verdigris)
Aluminum/tin/zinc all tend to look like dull silver but with varying amounts of pockmark corrosion. Zinc suffers the worst, aluminum usually fairs the best.
Gold never tarnishes, whether in dirt, water or even saltwater. However, impurities mixed in with gold CAN corrode, so low karat gold may look like a junk item. This is where cleaning an a good test kit come in really handy.

 

[Rookster]

Looks like a register or control for a natural gas line.

 

[Rookster]

Welcome to Tnet

 

[LByles]

You need to go the "big auction site that cant be named here" and search for gold and silver acids test kits.


Everyone has to start somewhere, so don t be afraid to ask questions! With time you will learn to spot what most metals are straight from the ground. Silver often looks exactly like silver, unless the ground its been in is frequently wet. In that case they often look dark black, and occasionally as a chalky grey.
Copper typically gets crusty green.
Brass typically brownish, maybe a hint of green.
Bronze typically turns very deep green or bluish green (often refered to as verdigris)
Aluminum/tin/zinc all tend to look like dull silver but with varying amounts of pockmark corrosion. Zinc suffers the worst, aluminum usually fairs the best.
Gold never tarnishes, whether in dirt, water or even saltwater. However, impurities mixed in with gold CAN corrode, so low karat gold may look like a junk item. This is where cleaning an a good test kit come in really handy.

Thanks! My hubby is taking it to a guy he knows at the pawn shop to see if he can tell us anything. It was found in a plowed cotton field, so it’s been run over several times I’m sure as well as kept wet between all the rain we get and the irrigation used in that field. It didn’t have any green tints or rust to it. The button I found was funky looking, so I know it’s made of something different. Also cleaned up different in the Dr. Pepper. I love the mystery behind all of this stuff but hate it at the same time, not knowing what it is or where it came from lol

 

[Jason in Enid]

Thats a nice button! I'm no expert, but I'm sure someone will be along to give you an ID on it. Id recommend caution when cleaning things! Soda clean items because they are acidic but that could ruin very valuable relics. Specific cleaning techniques is a deep subject and is as much art as science. For now, Id say not to clean anything with more than soap and water and a lite brushing, at least until you get an ID and possible rarity and value before moving on to harsher methods.

 

[angelito1]

Welcome to T-net. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

[cudamark]

Good morning all and early Merry Christmas! My husband and I recently started digging and yesterday we found something interesting. We have no clue what it is and I was wonder if any of y’all could help out. It registered as silver/copper on the detector and is solid. Any ideas? Found in the same field as a Civil War artillery shell and an 1820-1830’s great coat button. Lots of history in this area and known path during the Civil War. But also in the oldest town of Louisiana, so no telling what all came through this field.

Looks a bit like a scale weight to me.

 

[LByles]

Thought the same too, but the numbers 0-9 around it threw me off. Also, we have confirmed with the pawn shop that it's not silver (good eye guys!). The mystery continues....

 

[vpnavy]

1st - I noticed this was your very first post - so, Welcome Aboard LByles! Take a look at Forum: Louisiana for information (i.e., clubs, etc.) directly related to your state.

2nd - You might consider posting your pictures on WHAT IS IT? for more exposure. OR, PM me if you would like me to move this thread over to WHAT IS IT?.

 

[vpnavy]

...PM me if you would like me to move this thread over to WHAT IS IT?.

I moved ya from METAL DETECTING over to WHAT IS IT? for more exposure.