Buttons, Casings and Drops (not Civ.)

Mike (CA) · Mar 16, 2019

Hunted a spot I had been told had had a homestead in the area somewhere, (supposedly). Didn’t find anything on any maps. I had scouted it a bit last year, but didn’t find anything indicating anything at all. Hiked all over for a few days scouting and came across some sign so started hunting. Hunted this spot pretty hard for three days and here is what I brought home with me. I was extremely excited to find the Eagle Buttons. The three NY manufactured buttons were in a straight line with two feet separating each. The Philadelphia (I assume) manufactured button was about fifteen or twenty feet from the others.

They, along with the Levi Strauss & Co button are my first significant button finds. I believe they are general service buttons as the shields have verticals bars/lines on them. The eagles are clasping arrows which I believe signifies war time. All this I have gleaned from hours of YT videos and podcasts. I have not done proper research on them yet. Please do let me know if I am incorrect.
I know nothing of the shells and drops yet.

I assume the rings and other iron bits are horse and wagon related (guides, etc). The flat iron with two holes and a bent end does look like the iron piece that would be at either end of a wagon steering piece (don’t know the name). More research to be done.

After a while I stopped digging the nails, there were just too many and I tried to start to cherry pick as I really wanted to find a coin.

Had a fantastic time and it was my first big hunt at an old spot that someone didn’t take me to. Felt great.

I know these finds probably aren’t amazing to the vets, but this was an amazing spot, hunt and adventure for me! I look forward to many more

All the best and TY for looking.

-n00b mike

Cleaned up buttons pics and then the wrap up photo from each of the three days:

zeemang · Mar 16, 2019

Awesome site you are on based on the finds, great hunt!

Usa · Mar 16, 2019

Nice finds. Keep at it.

TrashMasterCCS · Mar 16, 2019

Has to be a coin there and wreath buckles

Deus Rules!!

Lawnwalker15 · Mar 17, 2019

You've made some cool saves at that site....there's gotta be more there! Good Luck

jack&jill · Mar 17, 2019

Some nice history there. Looks like you dug a Button party. Trapper

Saoirse · Mar 17, 2019

Great spot, nice finds and must be more!

Mike (CA) · Mar 17, 2019

Thanks all!

I am still super excited about these hunts and spot.

Ice Scratcher · Mar 17, 2019

I like the hoof pick made from a horseshoe..

<°)))>{

Mike (CA) · Mar 17, 2019

Buttons, Shells and Drops

Ice Scratcher said:
I like the hoof pick made from a horseshoe..

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Is that what that is? I found three of them. I just thought they were broken/worn shoes. I just went back and looked at my other pics and one looks broken and the other may have been made into a pick, but not as defined as the one in the original post.

Thanks for the feedback/comment!

Here are all three:

MTJosh · Mar 18, 2019

Great finds
Those shoes turned into hoof picks are fun. I found one similar before. Some if the shorter nails could be from horseshoes too. Great pieces of history

pan4au · Mar 18, 2019

Love that Brass.. Congrats on the finds

Mike (CA) · Mar 23, 2019

Thank you both!

MTJosh said:
Great finds

Those shoes turned into hoof picks are fun. I found one similar before. Some if the shorter nails could be from horseshoes too. Great pieces of history

Yeah, that’s what I’ve thought as well. The more oval shanked nails are shoe nails I believe. I’m super excited for the hoof picks which I didn’t know they were. Very exciting to find something repurposed into a tool.

StratTone · Mar 29, 2019

Awesome finds!! I'd love to have a place like that to hunt. No doubt there is more there.

Tom_in_CA · Mar 29, 2019

Age indicators like those eagle buttons indicate that there could be a nice seated coin lurking there somewhere. Good to hear a CA report !

Mike (CA) · Mar 31, 2019

StratTone said:
Awesome finds!! I'd love to have a place like that to hunt. No doubt there is more there.

For sure, I feel suuuuper lucky to have found a spot like this. I’ve been actively searching for and researching trying to find a spot heavily for the last year and a half and I can’t tell you how many leads end in nothing hunt-able. Just keep searching, stay positive, and you shall find. Best of luck!

Tom_in_CA said:
Age indicators like those eagle buttons indicate that there could be a nice seated coin lurking there somewhere. Good to hear a CA report !

I surely hope so! If I find it I’ll share it

. 20% right?

Thanks guys and all the best in your hunts

Longhair · Mar 31, 2019

I'd need a better look at them to be sure, but those shoes don't exactly look like they were made into hoof picks. Normally the nails wouldn't be left in a hoof pick, but they would be in shoes that were lost or deliberately pulled and discarded.

Those look to be well worn Ox shoes. The fuller is too close to the edge of the shoe with the nail holes punched too fine for horse or mule shoes, but would be consistent with shoes made for a creature that has thinner hoof walls like an Ox.

Mike (CA) · Apr 1, 2019

Longhair said:
I'd need a better look at them to be sure, but those shoes don't exactly look like they were made into hoof picks. Normally the nails wouldn't be left in a hoof pick, but they would be in shoes that were lost or deliberately pulled and discarded.

Those look to be well worn Ox shoes. The fuller is too close to the edge of the shoe with the nail holes punched too fine for horse or mule shoes, but would be consistent with shoes made for a creature that has thinner hoof walls like an Ox.

Thanks for that great insight Longhair. I appreciate it greatly.

All the best and HH.

Longhair · Apr 1, 2019

Thing is, they're not quite right for Ox shoes either, which is why I said that I'd have to have a better look at 'em. The shape isn't quite what I'm used to seeing for Ox shoes.

The other possibility is that they are Mule shoes that were worn through at the toe. The general shape suggests they would fit a Mule's foot, but the fine punched nail holes in the first two pics (in the post with all three) is more like what we see with Ox shoes rather than Mule shoes.

VA-REB · Apr 1, 2019

Looks like a very good site. Eagle buttons would be post civil war. 1877-1948 for the Allen buttons. 1873-1904 on the Wilson button

Buttons, Casings and Drops (not Civ.)

Mike (CA)

zeemang

Usa

Elite Member

TrashMasterCCS

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Lawnwalker15

Senior Member

jack&jill

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Saoirse

Mike (CA)

Ice Scratcher

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Mike (CA)

MTJosh

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pan4au

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Mike (CA)

StratTone

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Tom_in_CA

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Mike (CA)

Longhair

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Mike (CA)

Longhair

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VA-REB

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