Unreal! Found a Civil War hat number in my flower bed today

[smokeythecat]

Three hunts today, one was "eyes only" on a river bank, then went to site #2 and got some really big East Coast gold! Then came back home and started detecting with my buddy in the lawn. We found a 1950's trash burn pit (like, come on already, who did this?) and dug 1 whole clear glass bottle. Not special, but the FRONT LAWN, hello! We rescued all the aluminum bits in the world and some VERY OLD pull tabs, Found an 8 foot long iron chain, it's still buried. Very old but didn't want to rip the place apart. Also found a very old sinker, with the eye integrally cast into the triangular body. (ok, 35 miles from the bay, whazzup?), toys, Zincolns, Jeffersons, etc. I had found some big brass over near where the well is (pieces of kerosene lamps, a harmonica reed, etc.), so went over there and got a decent sort of signal in one of our already dug holes. My lawn is a trash pit! Dug the sort of iffy signal anyway and out pops a Civil War kepi number! I mean, get real, this never happens. My place used to be a pasture since the 1790's, but still. I think I'm in the twilight zone. Supposedly this was a semi strategic, but local, area of resources the Yanks were protecting, but a CW hat number? What's the chance of that? I'l have my bud comment on his (I suppose) better find.

He did get his first ever American Indian artifacts near the river. He will also post on that.

View attachment IMG_0438.jpg

The number is bent, in two places, but I don't care! I never found one before and never bought one either. This is a "first".

The biggest piece of gold is a 1/4" NUGGET. It has a HOLE in the center! Gives it extra character! Very coarse gold! Who would have thought!

 

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[cheffer]

That is too cool...do you mind if I ask whereabouts on the East Coast? I've always wanted to try panning. And congrats on a first! Looks like you're #1

 

[smokeythecat]

Near the Maryland Pennsylvania Line.

 

[Mzjavert]

Congratulations on those fine keepers.

 

[RVRoamer74]

Really a cool save, and doing it at your own place ...dang, that is too Cool, plus the Gold...you really got it going on....good post !!!

 

[smokeythecat]

And I had a small road trip on top of it!

 

[MrBlueSkyNM]

That gold sure is purty!

 

[dfallis1]

That kepi hat number is a great find. Here are the photos Smokey was talking about. These are my first indian artifacts found while eye ballin the eroded river banks. Also another first is my 1837 Cap Bust dime. The obverse has full liberty in good shape. The funny thing is this was found in one of our already dug plugs. Cant stress the importance of rechecking your plugs. There is soo much trash on top the good stuff, its a process on this site. I included a pic where the indian artifacts came from, you can see how the water has eroded the root bed under this HUGE tree.

 

[trapperart]

Congrats

 

[scruggs]

Looking good!

 

[CoilyGirl]

What a great find smokey!

 

[smokeythecat]

It was a cool weekend for sure. The two flakes are the real deal and the larger brown rock was worked then abandoned. It's from a very old and well known occupied site, but no one ever gets it all. We forgot to mention out of one hole we got a big iron thing, a horseshoe, several stainless steel hose clamps, a nickel and the hat badge/number. The area was dug up once, and the old stuff got thrown on top with the new stuff. Who would have thought! The dime is in pretty good shape. The silver coins here generally come out of the ground here looking very nice. Only found a few with a black patina or anything like that.

 

[smokeythecat]

Trapperart, you are right growing old is not for sissies. A symptom of growing old is bending over to pick up something in the lawn and falling flat on your face. Now, I would NEVER admit to doing that, like on Sunday

 

[sutphin]

DARES GOLD IN DAT PANZ> NEET...

 

[Diggin Dude]

That's too cool!! Gold baby!! I wonder if one of the new higher frequency coils XP came out with for the Deus would pick those small nuggets up, they are supposed to.

WTG! Congrats and HH

 

[Trezurehunter]

Congrats on some great finds Smokey. I like that number 1, and the Indian Artifacts.

 

[smokeythecat]

I have been known to "cheat". "Cheating" in this sense of the word means get the right tools for the right job. So if you want to get black sand out of hundreds of pounds of dirt, how to do it? Easy! I went to the big box hardware store Friday and bought a Kobalt cement mixer. Yes, you heard right. Saturday it rained, so I went out in the rain and assembled the beast. Today my bud comes over and detected awhile. I went back to where I found the "1" and found two CW kepi or cuff buttons late Saturday. Place is TRASHY! Then it rained again. So today we went back to the same area, dug a few keepers, found three broken storage vessels, blue spongewear, blue decorated stoneware and early 19th century redware. Now where is the REST of the pieces? BIG holes! Broke out the cement mixer and put 10 gallons of lawn dirt through it. Got about 4 pounds of black sands. In the black sands were some rutile and ilmenite crystals, magnetite crystals, hematite, two old lead buckshot, tiny ones, 1 Lincoln Cent, 1 white quartz arrowhead, 2 broken arrowhead/worked flakes and some tiny gold. Not big gold, tiny gold. Maybe next time with the gold but it is fun getting totally muddy! Cement mixers make for great mudpies. Haven't taken any pics yet. Had to have a happy nap.