Two 1700's Shoe Buckles in one hole. Must be a story here. Lost shoes next to a pond?

[Cape Hunter]

Last Thursday I posted a early one fang shoe buckle which I found right next to a Cape Cod pond. The small beach spot is the only level access to the pond as the rest of the shores are quite steep. The access is also along the side of a very old wooded trail. I was thinking about the first buckle found and odd that it is in such great working shape. Was it on a lost shoe or even better a pair of shoes? Well today I went back to the same spot this morning. I planned to search for another possible buckle. Well stupid me, I started by running my detector over the recently covered hole. Bingo 93 signal! Why did I not check again the first time! I usually do. But never believed I would find multiple buckles in the same hole, and each different. The second found buckle is a later date 2 fang. But still sized right for a pair of boots or shoes. Seems pretty possible these were on a pair of shoes left next to the pond. Was someone bathing or swimming and decided to be cover up their shoes next to the trail? In all this time a passerby's certainly might have spotted them. Did someone drowned? Even worse, was there a body there! Buckles were pretty dang deep. Interested in hearing anyone's thoughts. Thanks, Bill

 

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[E-Trac-Ohio]

Great finds and a real mystery for sure !

 

[Almy]

The leather in shoes, especially the soles, is very durable in the soil and old shoes often had copper nails in their soles. If the buckles were on shoes left there, I would expect there to be some remnant of the shoe leather and/or the nails. But maybe all shoes were not that durable. Anyway, interesting to speculate.

Those old buckles are always nice to find. They are from an early part of our British colonial history.

 

[lenmac65]

Two buckles in one hole …. Crazy! I have had the good fortune of finding five or six buckles over the last several years. I sure hope I double checked the holes😀. Congrats!

 

[pepperj]

Nice going on getting the other buckle.
Certainly in real nice condition.

 

[Cape Hunter]

The leather in shoes, especially the soles, is very durable in the soil and old shoes often had copper nails in their soles. If the buckles were on shoes left there, I would expect there to be some remnant of the shoe leather and/or the nails. But maybe all shoes were not that durable. Anyway, interesting to speculate.

Those old buckles are always nice to find. They are from an early part of our British colonial history.

Yes, I was hoping there might be some shoe remains. The soles could be just a couple of inches deeper. There is a ton of big and small roots making it really hard to get your hand in the hole. I almost gave up on the first buckle thinking I am never going to reach it. It's next to a huge dead tree. Probably alive when the buckles were left there. There is a lot of lower numbered targets around the spot which could be copper tacks or something else of interest. But there is heavy poison ivy just a couple of feet away. I will need to make the hole much larger in the fall when the ivy dies back.

 

[Blackfoot58]

Very nice finds! They don’t appear to be an identical set. Maybe some stock from an old cobbler?

 

[Gare]

Was there TWO shoes ALSO in that same hole ? LOL J/K

 

[Cape Hunter]

Very nice finds! They don’t appear to be an identical set. Maybe some stock from an old cobbler?

Buckles were found in Harwich. The town was very poor during the 1700-1800's. I come across very few decent coins and most are counterfeit. Almost zero silver. Forget Gold. Not surprised that they used two different buckles. It's what they could find. Rudyard Kipling wrote Harwich, Cape Cod was home to gypsies who begged all travelers. Much of the land was still owned by Native Americans.

 

[Blackfoot58]

Buckles were found in Harwich. The town was very poor during the 1700-1800's. I come across very few decent coins and most are counterfeit. Almost zero silver. Forget Gold. Not surprised that they used two different buckles. It's what they could find. Rudyard Kipling wrote Harwich, Cape Cod was home to gypsies who begged all travelers. Much of the land was still owned by Native Americans.

Interesting history.

 

[oldmxrat]

Very cool finds, and pretty interesting scenario, congrats!

 

[Mr. Digger]

Huge congrats fellow Mass hunter! I consider one of my greatest finds of all time to be a double complete Colonial shoe buckle spill. They weren't in the same hole, but were right next to each other. Interestingly, also not the same size. Love finding shoe buckles!

 

[Cape Hunter]

Huge congrats fellow Mass hunter! I consider one of my greatest finds of all time to be a double complete Colonial shoe buckle spill. They weren't in the same hole, but were right next to each other. Interestingly, also not the same size. Love finding shoe buckles!

Thanks Digger! I too get all excited finding a buckle, especially intact. Happy Hunting.

 

[Calabash Digger]

Last Thursday I posted a early one fang shoe buckle which I found right next to a Cape Cod pond. The small beach spot is the only level access to the pond as the rest of the shores are quite steep. The access is also along the side of a very old wooded trail. I was thinking about the first buckle found and odd that it is in such great working shape. Was it on a lost shoe or even better a pair of shoes? Well today I went back to the same spot this morning. I planned to search for another possible buckle. Well stupid me, I started by running my detector over the recently covered hole. Bingo 93 signal! Why did I not check again the first time! I usually do. But never believed I would find multiple buckles in the same hole, and each different. The second found buckle is a later date 2 fang. But still sized right for a pair of boots or shoes. Seems pretty possible these were on a pair of shoes left next to the pond. Was someone bathing or swimming and decided to be cover up their shoes next to the trail? In all this time a passerby's certainly might have spotted them. Did someone drowned? Even worse, was there a body there! Buckles were pretty dang deep. Interested in hearing anyone's thoughts. Thanks, Bill

Very nice!