Options
Found time to get out, new camera, and a few fun finds...
Riccar
Posts: 789
With a new baby in the house, the perfect time to get out now is when the kids are sleeping. So, nap time can potentially become detecting time!
I've been itching to get out and finally decided I'd try to figure out the new portable camera that has been just collecting dust for the last couple months. After this first outing with it, I can see how it adds to the "post enjoyment" by capturing more for the memory bank. But, camera time cuts into detecting time... kind of a tough trade-off. I'll see how things go.
The place that I hit is not super old, but it's old enough for CA standards. It's a site of an old home that is looooong gone, but the trees are a fun sight. The Oak tree behind the Palm tree is so big that I could probably only wrap my arms about half way around the trunk. It turned out to be a fun site but it lived up to the home site expectations... LOTS of trash. (dozens of ring pull tabs, iron, caps, and other metal trash)
Here's a fun shot of the two old trees:
I began by working my way between these two trees and was digging ring tabs galore. So I started working around the oak tree... the dropped leaves from prior years made me realize that I'd need to go super deep in order to get an oldie, plus, the grass is pretty tall and I was only using about a 6" coil (works good snooping around the grass). So, I started working just beyond where the leaves would have piled up over the years, and ... success! First decent target was a 1918-S wheat back:
You can see that I was just beyond the reach of the old oak tree's branches in this picture. (can see the hole at my feet, barely see the cent, and the trunk of the tree in the background)
Little did I know, just to the left of this spot, about 20 feet, I would hit a button bonanza! But the next decent target was another coin...
I hit another coin signal that was solid and right between a zinc and copper cent. I dug down and pulled out a coin that was bigger than a cent. (I was thinking it might be a token)
Wiping this coin off a little, I could first see an eagle on it and later discovered it was modern... a 1969 copper 5-centavo:
Well, those finds and pics came from the first "nap time" outing last weekend. So, fast forward to today... I decided to hit the spot where those 2 coins came out again on the way home from work today. Turns out that I got out early and it was still "nap time" ... *ahem*... "detecting time"!
I didn't bring the camera out this time but my first fun target was an older military button and it appeared to be a sharp looking gilt button. I've previously dug the WWII general service buttons, and this one looks older. After researching the back marking, I found that the manufacturer was in existence from the 1870's through the 1940's. Do any of you that own the button books have more details on this one? (LM, Phut, IHM??? you guys seem to successfully ID the older buttons.) Back mark = Henry V. Allien & Co. NY
Edited to add: informed that this button is an "1884 general service button referred to as a chicken or turkey neck eagle button"
I ended up digging a button bonanza in this little area. It made me wonder if a child from around 100 years ago had collected and played with buttons he received from his father and/or other relatives. I've heard how children didn't have "spare change" the way kids do today, so that could make sense that a child would be playing with his collection out in the yard under the oak tree while Mom was watching him from inside. (fun how you get to guess about these sorts of things while detecting) Also, if these are as old as I'm guessing, this child would have been about the age of my grandfather or even older. (interesting to think of how our grandparents saw tighter finances and frugality)
Again, any ideas on the identity of this button? It appears to have two dragons on it with a shield in the center. If it had a back marking, it deteriorated long ago.
I ended up digging a few buttons (one was not even worth of posting as it kind of "flaked away" during cleaning. Here are the most interesting finds from this site over the last two outings:
The torn up token is a Union Pacific "lucky" token. I've found a couple of those before (1930's-ish hand-outs at the local Fairs) so I was able to identify it after cleaning, but out in the field, I first thought it was just some sort of cap or trash. Also pictured is a 4-H pin that showed up (probably the most recent find).
Not the most spectacular finds but definitely fun for me... since beggars can't be choosers and I'll take whatever time I can get to swing the coil now. (wonder if there's silver out there but I figure this probably was a poor farmer's home site and most likely "spare" coins did not exist there)
Thanks for going along for the ride, and appreciate any button info you guys can provide!
HH, Rick
I've been itching to get out and finally decided I'd try to figure out the new portable camera that has been just collecting dust for the last couple months. After this first outing with it, I can see how it adds to the "post enjoyment" by capturing more for the memory bank. But, camera time cuts into detecting time... kind of a tough trade-off. I'll see how things go.
The place that I hit is not super old, but it's old enough for CA standards. It's a site of an old home that is looooong gone, but the trees are a fun sight. The Oak tree behind the Palm tree is so big that I could probably only wrap my arms about half way around the trunk. It turned out to be a fun site but it lived up to the home site expectations... LOTS of trash. (dozens of ring pull tabs, iron, caps, and other metal trash)
Here's a fun shot of the two old trees:
I began by working my way between these two trees and was digging ring tabs galore. So I started working around the oak tree... the dropped leaves from prior years made me realize that I'd need to go super deep in order to get an oldie, plus, the grass is pretty tall and I was only using about a 6" coil (works good snooping around the grass). So, I started working just beyond where the leaves would have piled up over the years, and ... success! First decent target was a 1918-S wheat back:
You can see that I was just beyond the reach of the old oak tree's branches in this picture. (can see the hole at my feet, barely see the cent, and the trunk of the tree in the background)
Little did I know, just to the left of this spot, about 20 feet, I would hit a button bonanza! But the next decent target was another coin...
I hit another coin signal that was solid and right between a zinc and copper cent. I dug down and pulled out a coin that was bigger than a cent. (I was thinking it might be a token)
Wiping this coin off a little, I could first see an eagle on it and later discovered it was modern... a 1969 copper 5-centavo:
Well, those finds and pics came from the first "nap time" outing last weekend. So, fast forward to today... I decided to hit the spot where those 2 coins came out again on the way home from work today. Turns out that I got out early and it was still "nap time" ... *ahem*... "detecting time"!
I didn't bring the camera out this time but my first fun target was an older military button and it appeared to be a sharp looking gilt button. I've previously dug the WWII general service buttons, and this one looks older. After researching the back marking, I found that the manufacturer was in existence from the 1870's through the 1940's. Do any of you that own the button books have more details on this one? (LM, Phut, IHM??? you guys seem to successfully ID the older buttons.) Back mark = Henry V. Allien & Co. NY
Edited to add: informed that this button is an "1884 general service button referred to as a chicken or turkey neck eagle button"
I ended up digging a button bonanza in this little area. It made me wonder if a child from around 100 years ago had collected and played with buttons he received from his father and/or other relatives. I've heard how children didn't have "spare change" the way kids do today, so that could make sense that a child would be playing with his collection out in the yard under the oak tree while Mom was watching him from inside. (fun how you get to guess about these sorts of things while detecting) Also, if these are as old as I'm guessing, this child would have been about the age of my grandfather or even older. (interesting to think of how our grandparents saw tighter finances and frugality)
Again, any ideas on the identity of this button? It appears to have two dragons on it with a shield in the center. If it had a back marking, it deteriorated long ago.
I ended up digging a few buttons (one was not even worth of posting as it kind of "flaked away" during cleaning. Here are the most interesting finds from this site over the last two outings:
The torn up token is a Union Pacific "lucky" token. I've found a couple of those before (1930's-ish hand-outs at the local Fairs) so I was able to identify it after cleaning, but out in the field, I first thought it was just some sort of cap or trash. Also pictured is a 4-H pin that showed up (probably the most recent find).
Not the most spectacular finds but definitely fun for me... since beggars can't be choosers and I'll take whatever time I can get to swing the coil now. (wonder if there's silver out there but I figure this probably was a poor farmer's home site and most likely "spare" coins did not exist there)
Thanks for going along for the ride, and appreciate any button info you guys can provide!
HH, Rick
0
Comments
Link to some Indian Wars button on Ebay
Sure have been some nice buttons found around here recently.
Congrats!
Thanks IHM!
Those are some cool pictures and appear to be identical to mine. (makes these an even more interesting and fun find for me - thanks again)
Thanks GR!
That's for sure. It's too funny how I was actually thinking about IHM's "R" button from last month when I pulled these and thought it'd be tough for him to beat these... I get home and he has "D" + "A" buttons posted!!!
Can you read the ribbon on the two dragon button?
Sweet finds Rick
Those are sweet buttons, to have so much of the gilt intact. Too bad the unknown one doesn't have the backmark- that would help.
Yeah, the new baby in the house has just required me to get a little more creative so I can get out again...
Hey Tim, the ribbon does actually say something on it... with the magnifying glass I could barely see what looks like "U.S." on both sides (one under each dragon), and then some other _ _ _ but couldn't tell what that was.
And Rob, yeah, I was actually surprised that the 2 had so much gilt left on them. The one identical 1884 Gen. Svce. button is so dark and that's actually how I'd expect to find these... guess it depends on a bunch of things: type of soil around it, iron close by, face up vs. down maybe??? (new sigline pic where you work? cool pic)
By the way, do you guys have button books? And do they get sorted by the back-markings?
Thanks again and hh,
Rick
<< <i>new sigline pic where you work? >>
Yes. The reopening of the now-completely-rebuilt Cloister hotel.
<< <i>By the way, do you guys have button books? And do they get sorted by the back-markings? >>
Yes, and no. I have the Albert button book (specifically, a reprint of the Record of American Uniform and Historical Buttons, Bicentennial Edition, by the late Alphaeus H. Albert.) The Albert book is arranged not by backmarks, but rather by branch of service such as Artillery, Engineers, etc. It also covers the Post Office Department and some other nonmilitary organizations' uniform buttons, somewhat. The backmark information is in the appendix- it merely is a list of companies and the dates they were in operation. Though it's now thirty years old and there are more recent works, the Albert book is the "button bible" and worth having- reprints are about forty bucks. Worth it, in my opinion.
W&ET's BookMart has the Albert.
Albert book
I also recommend a button book by somebody named Tice- a friend of mine had it and I borrowed it once and liked it. I don't see it in the BookMart, though, nor do I remember the exact title.
Looks like I'll be added a couple books to my library...
(sounds like those would be just fun to browse too)
Those are some very nice buttons indeed - the gilt ones look very nice.
That's a wild design on the Mexican 5 centavo by the way!
Well done with finding some detecting timeslots during nap time.
I wish I could do the same, but the problem is that for me "nap time" means that it's me who's napping
-Z
Nice finds as always. I hope to get in a lunch hunt with you sometime soon. I'm picking up a Fisher CZ-70 detector so maybe we could meet up one day for a lunch hunt. Oh, I think I know which site that is you hit. Down the street from your work isn't it? Thats all I'll ask..lol. I just mention it because I think I have hit that site before with no luck as of yet. Still swinging the XLT arent you?
Northern California
Minelab Sovereign GT with 180 meter and Sunray probe.
Let me know how you like the CZ and hopefully we could get out for a lunch hunt... you getting headphones this time? (I highly recommend it)
Yeah if thats the same site I am thinking I only hunted it a couple of times. There is an old driveway which leads to the foundation of an old home in the back if I remember right. I hunted along there but it was awhile ago when I had far less experience. But hey it looks like you found something so there's gotta be more.
I'll be getting my detector next week sometime. I'll keep in touch.
Northern California
Minelab Sovereign GT with 180 meter and Sunray probe.
(guess I shouldn't be posting pics of this spot- whoops