paleomaxx
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- Aug 14, 2016
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If only this button could talk! A Revolutionary War button of any type has been on my bucket list, but given that landlocked would be a polite term for where I am, I didn't think for one moment that it would be navy!
I hit a few new sites deep in the woods this weekend, but this was found in the roadbed between two cellar holes. It may not have any particular link to the people who lived in those houses since this was a fairly well traveled road in the late 1700's. It was a really crummy signal too that I was sure would be an iron carriage bolt or something and naturally it was in a nest of roots. Imagine my surprise when I saw this:
The anchor was clearly visible right out of the ground and even the chain links were defined.
Unfortunately the patina is very unstable on copper/brass relics from this area so I kept it moist and did my best at home to save it. I really didn't want to lose all the detail and I knew if I tried to clean the patina away it would be gone. Even the slight drying on the trip home started it flaking and I ended up painting it with dilute elmer's glue like I would a pewter button.
Not perfect, but at least it's stable now and enough detail was preserved that I could do some research. I'm fairly sure it's either a BNC.l or BNC.m which would put it in the 1774-1787 date range. I guess in later years they were used for other officer positions, but I don't know how likely it would be that an RN surgeon, purser or warrant officer were wandering around the hills of eastern New York. Then again I don't know what a British captain would be doing here either.
My theory is that it's from a continental navy officer who settled up here, but it would be difficult to prove. For now it's just an awesome recovery that I couldn't be happier with!
I also had another great late 18th century first from this area; I finally found a "Tallio" cufflink!
Not a ton of detail, but I'm so happy to have recovered one. There's actually a very active hunt club in the area and I had the strange fortune to be detecting a cellar hole in the middle of one of their hunts (they don't kill, they just track and release). I hear the hounds in the distance and of a sudden I'm surrounded by two dozen dogs all running and making their characteristic barking howl. They barely paid me any notice and a few seconds later the chaser's came through on horseback and in their full dress asking if I'd seen a coyote run through. I had not, but they told me if I did to shout "Tally-Ho" and then they galloped off leaving me to wonder if I was going to feel silly yelling tally-ho into the empty woods.
Certainly one of my oddest detecting experiences, but here's a piece that shows they've been doing the same thing in these woods for well over 200 years!
Back to this weekend; I did recover a good variety of other relics.
The heel plate is my first complete one and I was surprised by how small it was. Also I think it's zinc and not brass which is strange and there's a ton of leather still attached to the iron nails which were also preserved. Very odd, but a cool find. The watch movement has "Union Watch Co." in nice script letters and the porcelain doorknob is beautiful. I've found a few broken ones of the same marbled style, but this is the first complete one!
And lest you think the navy button was the only button; I had a good variety turn up over the hunt:
The fancy button I actually posted on the "What Is It" forum because it had a very usual back mark. TheCannonBallGuy correctly identified it as Hayden & Grilley which was a short-lived partnership between two button manufacturers in Waterbury CT. Bramblefind also found some non-dug examples online. It's a beautiful design and wonderfully preserved; definitely one of my favorite Golden Age button finds!
Finally I have a mystery piece that has me intrigued. At first I thought it was just a mangled strip of brass, but once I cleaned it I noticed the pattern:
One side has an eagle with the arrows and olive branch in its talons, and the other side is an anchor. It seems like it's a navy piece and the style has me thinking 1830's to 1850's. I suspect it's broken off a larger object, but maybe part of a placard or nameplate.
Oddly no coins this weekend, but I'm more than happy with the results. The navy button is right up there with my GW for best finds of the year. I'm still going to be looking for a pewter USA button, but for now I have a major bucket-lister crossed off!
I hit a few new sites deep in the woods this weekend, but this was found in the roadbed between two cellar holes. It may not have any particular link to the people who lived in those houses since this was a fairly well traveled road in the late 1700's. It was a really crummy signal too that I was sure would be an iron carriage bolt or something and naturally it was in a nest of roots. Imagine my surprise when I saw this:
The anchor was clearly visible right out of the ground and even the chain links were defined.
Unfortunately the patina is very unstable on copper/brass relics from this area so I kept it moist and did my best at home to save it. I really didn't want to lose all the detail and I knew if I tried to clean the patina away it would be gone. Even the slight drying on the trip home started it flaking and I ended up painting it with dilute elmer's glue like I would a pewter button.
Not perfect, but at least it's stable now and enough detail was preserved that I could do some research. I'm fairly sure it's either a BNC.l or BNC.m which would put it in the 1774-1787 date range. I guess in later years they were used for other officer positions, but I don't know how likely it would be that an RN surgeon, purser or warrant officer were wandering around the hills of eastern New York. Then again I don't know what a British captain would be doing here either.
My theory is that it's from a continental navy officer who settled up here, but it would be difficult to prove. For now it's just an awesome recovery that I couldn't be happier with!I also had another great late 18th century first from this area; I finally found a "Tallio" cufflink!
Not a ton of detail, but I'm so happy to have recovered one. There's actually a very active hunt club in the area and I had the strange fortune to be detecting a cellar hole in the middle of one of their hunts (they don't kill, they just track and release). I hear the hounds in the distance and of a sudden I'm surrounded by two dozen dogs all running and making their characteristic barking howl. They barely paid me any notice and a few seconds later the chaser's came through on horseback and in their full dress asking if I'd seen a coyote run through. I had not, but they told me if I did to shout "Tally-Ho" and then they galloped off leaving me to wonder if I was going to feel silly yelling tally-ho into the empty woods.
Certainly one of my oddest detecting experiences, but here's a piece that shows they've been doing the same thing in these woods for well over 200 years!
Back to this weekend; I did recover a good variety of other relics.
The heel plate is my first complete one and I was surprised by how small it was. Also I think it's zinc and not brass which is strange and there's a ton of leather still attached to the iron nails which were also preserved. Very odd, but a cool find. The watch movement has "Union Watch Co." in nice script letters and the porcelain doorknob is beautiful. I've found a few broken ones of the same marbled style, but this is the first complete one!
And lest you think the navy button was the only button; I had a good variety turn up over the hunt:
The fancy button I actually posted on the "What Is It" forum because it had a very usual back mark. TheCannonBallGuy correctly identified it as Hayden & Grilley which was a short-lived partnership between two button manufacturers in Waterbury CT. Bramblefind also found some non-dug examples online. It's a beautiful design and wonderfully preserved; definitely one of my favorite Golden Age button finds!
Finally I have a mystery piece that has me intrigued. At first I thought it was just a mangled strip of brass, but once I cleaned it I noticed the pattern:
One side has an eagle with the arrows and olive branch in its talons, and the other side is an anchor. It seems like it's a navy piece and the style has me thinking 1830's to 1850's. I suspect it's broken off a larger object, but maybe part of a placard or nameplate.
Oddly no coins this weekend, but I'm more than happy with the results. The navy button is right up there with my GW for best finds of the year. I'm still going to be looking for a pewter USA button, but for now I have a major bucket-lister crossed off!
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