THREE Seated Silvers and a PELICAN!

BuckleBoy

Gold Member
Jun 12, 2006
18,132
9,700
Moonlight and Magnolias
🥇 Banner finds
4
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, Whites DualField PI, Fisher 1266-X and Tesoro Silver uMax
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hello All,

Went out with Shanegalang and Diggergirl to dig some holes today and had a great day. Here is the video:



When we first got there, Shang came up to me with a solid silver spoon in his hand. The maker of the spoon was M. Scooler from New Orleans (late 1800s). Then on the very first row he eyeballed an 1855-O Seated Half Dime! Things were certainly looking up for Shang. Then next thing I know he's got a .44 cal conical pistol bullet. DG and I had some catching up to do! Before we could even wrap our brains around how much ole Shangalangalangalang was killing us, he was yelling "Hi Ho!" and we knew that he had yet another piece of SILVER! This time it was an 1839-O Seated Half Dime! For a while we were just treading water, then he comes running with a plantation token. :BangHead:

OK, so I saw a ray of sunshine with a couple of flat buttons and a powder flask top. Then I eyeballed a trade bead and dug a toe tap. DG got a couple tiny ball buttons. She was lucky enough to get a GS staff officer's button the previous dig (when Shang dug the coveted KMI button!). I haven't posted the GS button yet, so here it is. A nice 3 piece with a trace of gilding around the rim.

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At any rate, Shang eventually decided he'd found enough and headed home, so DG and I decided to detect a little longer then hit the road ourselves. I was some distance from the truck when I saw DG head that way, and I knew that she was pretty much done for the day. I headed toward the vehicle and got a nice hit right on the top of a row. Out flopped a two-piece button. Knowing that these are most often military I bend down and saw that it had a perfect shank on the back.

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I rolled the cameras. When I got the button in my hand, I could tell that I was staring at a Civil War Louisiana Pelican! :headbang: Then I decided to head for the truck and was just walking trailing my detector, not even swinging the coil and got a decent signal. Sounded like a pack rivet. I dug and out popped our Third Seated for the day--an 1858-O Half Dime! 8-)

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I turned my detector off and walked to the vehicle and drove home.

Here are the finds photos. First off, Shang's pocketful of New Orleans Silver, plantation token, and pistol bullet:

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Here are DiggerGirl's finds. Three two-piece button button backs but no complete button on this hunt. Backmarks: one says "superior quality" and two say "Scovill Waterbury."

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And my finds. I need a little assistance narrowing down the variety of the Pelican button. Blank back, rope border, lined background.

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Best Wishes,

Buck, DG, Shang-o-lang
 

Upvote 44
A fine hunt! Thanks for sharing, always nice to see early silver and CW finds.
 

Man what nice finds.That button is killer,great shape too.As far as buttons go I think that is one that should be up top.
 

well we did tape a quarter to the bottom of the coil. :D was the only way either of us would find something when she was along.

The pelican total is 5 for me and 1 for DiggerGirl since 2012. Any idea on the variety of this one? I don't see one with a rope border and a blank back. ???
I think Bill (Nova Treasure) is in the ball park. I don't have Tice's book. It's certainly not a run of the mill specimen. HH, Q.
 

That is an awesome button and congrats on the seated coins. I also enjoyed the video.
 

Another great button and a triple on the silver, well done once again.
 

man 3 seated silver in one hunt is fantastic, id be lying if I said I wasn't super jealous!, great hunt as always guys!!!
 

What a great post. I like the way you do your video of the find then a still shot of it cleaned. That is a lot of work. You guys and gal found the silver again. Do you find many of the trade items or do you think the bead was associated with a rosary . Anyways good fun and thanks for sharing with us.
HH
 

Very Nice finds and Excellent Recovery on the Button. here is some info from one very similar.

Louisiana button, state seal pelican facing left on a lined field with rope border, blank back,
Button depicts the state seal of Louisiana, a pelican feeding her young, intended for troops from Louisiana units. Backmark: blank back, with a well around the shank, small size only, maker not known, ca 1860's, (BlankNorth16, small). Two part convex button,
Ref: Albert LA7, Tice LA223As1.5.

You found it! GREAT work, Nova--and many thanks for the ID of the variety. This is my first pelican of that type. All the others we've dug were "blockade runner" pelicans made overseas. :)
 

You three killed it out there Will. :occasion14: Awesome buttons, and a lot of sweet old silver!!!
It amazes me what you guys find right on top of the ground too. :thumbsup:
Congrats Buddy,
Doug
P.S. TESORO rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One doesn't need a detector if they know which acre of ground to walk on...but a detector sure helps!

That's the great thing about plowed fields--the water runs off and takes the dirt with it, leaving all sorts of things right on top.
 

Wow Buck - CS button and multiple silver - what a day for you guys!!

You didn't have such a bad day yourself! For the tie on Banner Finds--with the fantastic sword hilt!
 

Incredible! Loved the video and your post is well done. Keep em coming!! I commented on your video as RelicMedic. Everyone should subscribe to you and Shane. Good stuff!
 

What is on the other side of that token??
John in the Great 208

I'd love to say, but the token is a little too "close to home" in terms of the area where it was found. It is an uncommon one, and we promised it to the property owner of the plantation the token is from (he gave us permission to hunt his plantation too--and although we haven't done much exploring for sites there yet, I think it's important that we give this find to him, since he has been so kind to us).
 

A fine hunt! Thanks for sharing, always nice to see early silver and CW finds.

Thanks metalev! GREAT to hear from you, my friend.
 

Man what nice finds.That button is killer,great shape too.As far as buttons go I think that is one that should be up top.

Thanks for the vote. I'm very pleased with this one. Toothpick and dry toothbrush. It was very crusty when dug. Judging from the number of button backs and fragments dug, I'm surprised this one escaped with only one plow ding.

-Buck
 

I think Bill (Nova Treasure) is in the ball park. I don't have Tice's book. It's certainly not a run of the mill specimen. HH, Q.

Interesting that it says that the small sized ones are the only ones known. This not a small sized button--it is a coat sized one button. Was interesting when I started looking, trying to find one with a well around the shank, rope border, and lined field. I know there are lots of variants, but I'd never seen this variant before...
 

That is an awesome button and congrats on the seated coins. I also enjoyed the video.

If we can make a video where one of us doesn't drop the "F bomb" then I'll be really happy. :D
 

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