SC REV WAR, 1812 Artillery, & GOLD/SILVER

Patriot Relics

Silver Member
Feb 6, 2014
3,709
5,615
Lowcountry, South Carolina / Richmond, Virginia
🥇 Banner finds
5
Detector(s) used
CTX-3030, Deus XP II
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Hey guys,

Definitely had one of those hunts to remember today. Over the last 2 days I have been hitting my coastal colonial sites hard before the colder weather makes water recoveries to unbearable to pursue. Needless to say today was just ridiculous. I headed out on the yak to hunt along a settlement listed on an British 1780 siege map hoping there may have been a continental military presence.

yak.jpg

Upon reaching the bank I began swinging, trying to isolate the more productive areas to focus in on with the CTX. My first tone rang in as a low 12-10...not uncommon for pewters so I dug the plug and looked down at an circular piece of metal. Thinking it had to be aluminum, I reached down and realized...I was holding a 1930s 14K gold diamond engagement ring! As my first target no less.

ring.jpg

After meticulously griding the area I also recovered a stunning oak tree pendent- 925 sterling. Not sure of the age, but certainly has a Charleston feel to it. Anyone recognize the hallmark?

ring and silver.jpghallmark.jpg

A bit further up the coast I managed to find the remnants of an old brick lay. I then proceeded to grid the entire area producing a variety of flat buttons- tomac, pewter, and copper- ranging from the late 18th century to the early 19th. The age of the relics produced by this site was certainly a promising sign.

buttons 1.jpgbuttons 2.jpg

As the targets started to dry up I headed back to a site that has produced a few War of 1812 buttons and pewters. Among the digs were a few round balls and 3 interesting buttons. The first dug pewter had it cast shank intact (fairly rare) however much to my disappointment was smooth on the front. My second dig would have made my month...a small copper War of 1812 Artillery CORPS cuff...my 2nd this year!

pewter back.jpg1812 Art.jpg

The best dig came late as they usually do. After recovering another low pewter tone, I was bummed to see the shank of another cast pewter had broken off however did notice a raised script on the front. Stoked that I may have another regimental pewter, I wrapped it in a paper towel and headed home. After a bit of careful cleaning it appears to be a partial South Carolina 3rd Regiment cuff (19mm). The top of the pewter has a raised, Arabic 3 with the lower section slightly diminished. Here's a few pictures next to Troiani's example-

3rd front.jpg3rd painted.jpg3rd back.jpg3rd book.jpg

Here are the pewters pictured together with a curious dual hooked item?

pewters front.jpgpewter backs.jpg

Days like this certainly make the long hours of digging fishing weighs and aluminum worth it :laughing7: thanks for looking!

totals.jpg
 

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Upvote 29
Wow what a spread! I always enjoy seeing the old buttons that have so much history. And hey, who doesn't love a gold ring with a diamond haha! Good job, you have cool spots to hunt.
 

Wow what a spread! I always enjoy seeing the old buttons that have so much history. And hey, who doesn't love a gold ring with a diamond haha! Good job, you have cool spots to hunt.

Thanks J, hoping to get a few more opinions on the SC 3rd pewter, if it's legit would certainly my best dig this year.
 

That's a very special button you found. The rest of the buttons are great and why not throw a nice ring in? Awesome
 

Way to go Jon! Another great hunt. Always enjoy your posts and seeing the amazing amount of history y'all dig! Love finding old buttons especially military and y'all sure dig a lot of them! Congrats on another great bunch of finds!
 

That's a very special button you found. The rest of the buttons are great and why not throw a nice ring in? Awesome

Thanks Steve, it's much more crude than the British examples I've dug. Hoping IP will chime in to verify it but it looks correct
 

Congrats on the stunning buttons! Extremely well done.

Psst: I'm a bit simple, so I am really into that old gold ring and silver pendant... shiny things, ya know?

Best of luck to you!
 

Way to go Jon! Another great hunt. Always enjoy your posts and seeing the amazing amount of history y'all dig! Love finding old buttons especially military and y'all sure dig a lot of them! Congrats on another great bunch of finds!

Thanks Darby, the 1812 artillery has been heavily eroded but there's just enough for an ID.
 

Congrats on the stunning buttons! Extremely well done.

Psst: I'm a bit simple, so I am really into that old gold ring and silver pendant... shiny things, ya know?

Best of luck to you!

Thanks Tom and yes, shiny things every now and then help buy new equipment :laughing7: The silver pendant has a hallmark of an intertwined Sc...still trying to pin it down
 

Fantastic saves Jon!
The 3rd reg button looks right.
Hope someone can confirm it.
And the rest of the hunt wasn't to shabby either..
You definitely put your time in for that one..
Congrats
 

Amazing wonderful hunt! Congrats!

aj
 

Well earned collection of early relics and jewelry. Looks like you might have a pistol butt cap to the right of the bottle neck in your last picture.
 

Fantastic saves Jon!
The 3rd reg button looks right.
Hope someone can confirm it.
And the rest of the hunt wasn't to shabby either..
You definitely put your time in for that one..
Congrats

Thanks George I'll take pewter military relics over gold jewelry any day
 

Well earned collection of early relics and jewelry. Looks like you might have a pistol butt cap to the right of the bottle neck in your last picture.

Think you may be right, the metal is quite thin but it certainly has the correct shape.
 

Great finds buddy. You're killing it this year. Looking forward to seeing some of your year-in-review photos.
 

A really productive salvage. You hit some excellent targets. You started the hunt with gold and silver,, and may have also come away with a rare button.
A SUPER day of recoveries.
 

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Really great saves. I'm glad that one can still find these in SC!
 

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