2 more Phoenix buttons

Tom_in_CA · Feb 20, 2021

Got 2 more Phoenix buttons yesterday. Brian ("cal cobra") and I got out to one of our "backpocket sites" . This site has given up reales, early seateds, and 2 gold coins over the years. It is now super pounded and stingy. But we went to ply our luck yet again , looking for more stragglers

Here's a small #30, and a large # 27. Also a pix of the other age indicators I got. Eg.: Green blacksmithed copper slag, etc...

Hopefully Brian will chime in with his finds. How many phoenix buttons did you get Brian ? :hornetsnest:

We love finding these. They've sort of become a "sport unto themselves", and value has become secondary these days (it's SO niche, that not many ever get bought and sold these days). Here's info. about these buttons for anyone who's curious.:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_buttons

https://www.jstor.org/stable/25616604?seq=1

Soil Surgeon · Feb 20, 2021

Congrats on the Phoenix buttons Tom . Do you have all the ones you have found in a display case ? That would be something to see . Looking forward to seeing what The Cobra struck (pun intended ) . I'm sure he found some cool goodies as well . Great photos and how deep was the pen , that soldier must have been pretty ticked off when he lost that ! :yes:

Tom_in_CA · Feb 20, 2021

Soil Surgeon said:
... Do you have all the ones you have found in a display case ? ...

Soil Surgeon, thanx for coming along on our hunt !

I have found probably 150 to 200 of these buttons over the decades. I sold a bunch back-in-the-day when they were fetching $100 to $300 each. But I guess I (and a few buddies I alerted the great prices) must have glutted the market for the few niche buyers. Who have apparently now filled out their bingo cards. So it's harder to sell them these days :laughing:

All my remaining buttons are in site-specific trays. And since I've found these at a multitude of sites, then they're in various multiple trays in my cabinets. One particular site (not the one we were at yesterday), as given up something like 75 buttons alone. So that tray has a lot of PB's in it. Other trays have 2 or 3 here, 7 or 8 there, etc.... And then I have a shadow box for targets which never developed a site-specific tray. That box has 15 or 20 "loose" PBs.

caprock · Feb 20, 2021

Love the Phoenix buttons!
Just curious, since you have hunted this place a bunch in the past, and there are still quite a few mid-high conductors around. Are you slowing down in trashy areas or digging deeper targets with weaker signals. I love the sport of returning to a pounded site and squeezing out a few more keepers.

Tom_in_CA · Feb 20, 2021

caprock said:
.....
Just curious, since you have hunted this place a bunch in the past, and there are still quite a few mid-high conductors around. Are you slowing down in trashy areas or digging deeper targets with weaker signals.....

No, there are not "quite a few conductors" still around. (Unless we go up close to some modern aspects of the site, and wish to be bombarded with modern junk.)

We are employing EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK to eek out more conductors. Slowing down, chasing whispers, etc....

I did try, for awhile yesterday, torturing myself closer to some modern portion zones of the site. And did manage a lantern part by doing that. But alas, other than that, tortured with modern targets.

caprock · Feb 20, 2021

thank you
long period of occupation, those lantern parts look to be some 40
years younger than your buttons

Ron 71 · Feb 20, 2021

Those are some great looking buttons, Congrats on a nice hunt!

Estima8tor · Feb 20, 2021

Those are really cool. The history behind them is very interesting also - I love reading about things like that.

zeemang · Feb 20, 2021

Nice! Interesting read on how they hit california too, thanks for including that link!

Jeff (or) · Feb 20, 2021

Tom, those buttons are terrific finds, a big congrats! when you hunt good areas like that and the finds are getting few and far between, you have to inventive on new ways to hunt it. thank you for sharing.

Jeff

LuckyMonterey · Feb 20, 2021

Great to see some good old phoenix buttons Tom! Hope to get out for some oldies soon myself!

Jamflicker · Feb 21, 2021

Those are awesome buttons. It would be fun to find on someday. Congrats!

kingman mikey · Feb 21, 2021

Nice going, Tom. :shock:

GroundSweeper · Feb 21, 2021

Super cool buttons Tom!

CarsonChris · Feb 21, 2021

Those things are amazing!

Muskrat · Feb 21, 2021

Awesome. Some day I'll find me one of those before you get em all!

Tom_in_CA · Feb 21, 2021

Muskrat said:
Awesome. Some day I'll find me one of those before you get em all!

LuckyMonterey said:
Great to see some good old phoenix buttons Tom! Hope to get out for some oldies soon myself!

Trust me Muskrat & Lucky : If it wasn't for my prior knowledge of the locations for these "last remaining footholds" of these wickedly early targets, then I too would be needing to content myself with other frontiers. I pity the poor fellow in this area, who picks up the same "sorry-sad-old-history books" that we picked up 30 to 40 yrs. ago. And rushes out to the same spots we did, 30 to 40 yrs. ago. :roll:

But the beach erosion potential, is perpetually renewing. Unfortunately good episodes are few and far between for that. Doh !

Ron 71 said:
Those are some great looking buttons, Congrats on a nice hunt!

Jeff (or) said:
Tom, those buttons are terrific finds, a big congrats!

CarsonChris said:
Those things are amazing!

GroundSweeper said:
Super cool buttons Tom!

kingman mikey said:
Nice going, Tom.

Jamflicker said:
Those are awesome buttons. It would be fun to find on someday. Congrats!

Jam, Mike, ground-sweep, Chris, Jeff, & Ron : Thanx for helping us relish our finds !

zeemang said:
Nice! Interesting read on how they hit california too, thanks for including that link!

Estima8tor said:
Those are really cool. The history behind them is very interesting also - I love reading about things like that.

caprock said:
thank you
long period of occupation, those lantern parts look to be some 40
years younger than your buttons

Zeeman, Estima8tor, and caprock : Glad you enjoyed the provenance of the historical citation write-ups. Love to have that mental date-history running through our minds !

Diggum · Feb 21, 2021

Congratulations on a couple more keepers, Tom!

markinswpa · Feb 22, 2021

Congrats on the buttons Tom. You're the only guy that I've seen post those. Whats the chance of me digging one of those here in the east, maybe one in the same hole with an LC? Huh ? Good luck, Mark

KOB · Feb 22, 2021

Fascinating story and history of these buttons. But rare and worth $ ? Idk about that. What I find interesting is you kinda mock a newbie from going out there and hunting an area you've hunted 40 years ago. At the same time , you yourself go back out and still find buttons ! Ok...you want to protect your turf. I get it. But how are you still finding things that has admittedly been pounded by you and your buddies ? My guess is another detector. Did you finally break down and get a Nox ? From more added experience ? Inquiring minds want to know....

2 more Phoenix buttons

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