artifact storage

[Ground-Fisher]

I have buttons, buckles and stuff just lying around with no organization. I haven't even looked at half of the stuff, don't know whats worth what. How should I store the items? Plastic storage containers? How do I find out whats worth what? Are there collectors for buttons and buckles that I could send photos?

 

[ironsight]

Thats a good question. I'm not really a collector just hate to throw anything out. OK, i'm a pack rat!
I think some of the stuff i keep is just junk with no value other than me finding it. Its all cleaned and stored away in shoe boxes by year.
One of these days i'm going to separate the wheat from the chaff. About all i'll keep are medals, some buttons, coins, jewelry, etc. I just might make some kind of display with all the medals found over the years and i got a lot of them just sitting in shoe boxes.

When i find something that i think might be of historical signifigance, i run it by my County's Historical Society. Already donated some items to them.
While digging for coins a couple weeks ago, i dug up what i think are a bunch of Indian flint tools. Gonna also run them by the Historical Society. I have no desire to keep such historical artifacts if others can enjoy them for the historical signifigance.

Now what to do with the thousands of toasted zincolns found over the years.

 

[hunter_46356]

Ironsight, I remember reading a story about a couple of guys that use to rebury trap tags with a stamped note on them. Trap tags were small pieces of soft metal usually alum that were normally stamped with the trap owners name and sometimes address. I'm sure some here have found them. You could order them by the hundreds with anything you wanted stamped into the metal. These guys tags said something like "Too Late So-n-So's already been here" They would dig a find and leave a tag for the next guy. I read this story before I took up metal detecting ...maybe wouldn't be so funny now ..but gives me an idea of what you can do with all those Zincolns. It be like reseeding for the future enthusiast. Someday that may be all that's left to find.

 

[ironsight]

.......but gives me an idea of what you can do with all those Zincolns. It be like reseeding for the future enthusiast. Someday that may be all that's left to find.......

Been thinking about this for a while but haven't acted on it yet. I'm gonna leave the toasted un-spendable zinclolns in the hole.
As far as the one's i already have, better yet, why stop at seeding just one toasted zincoln per hole? Yeah thats the ticket, a toasted zincoln coin spill!
It'd be just my luck while detecting the same ground the next season, i'd dig up my own zincoln coin spills!

 

[hunter_46356]

LOL..... but only you'd know where and how deep you left the booty. A Zincoln wouldn't leave your mark where a tag with a cleaver note would. How bout when you see one posted in the "Finds Forum"??? At around $3.00 + shipping for 25 write your own zinc tag with copper wire tie (Holy Cow zinc and copper wonder how that rings up) I could see this reserved for those occasions when you hunt in far away places, not your regular stops. I can see a collection starting here.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/25-Zinc-Write-Your-Own-Trap-Tags-Traps-Trapping-Garden-Trot-Lines-Raccoon-Fox-/181299430287?_trksid=p2054897.l5658

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Howdy Ground-Fisher---

It looks like you have some work ahead of you - but it's the FUN kind of work. The first thing is to know what you have. A trip to Barns & Noble or Hastings would be a good start. They have reference books for just about every collectible. If they don't have it they can order it for you. For coins, a copy of the "Red Book by R.S. Yeoman", for military buttons and historical buttons,"Record of American Uniform and Historical Buttons by Alphaeus H. Albert", for military buckles/plates, "Plates and Buckles of the American Military 1795-1874 by Sydney C. Kerksis" . Once you have identified an item , you can usually get an idea of its value on e-bay. If you have trouble identifying an item, post a good picture of it on the "Whatzit" forum here on Findmall. There are some very knowledgeable people that visit that forum and there is a good chance that someone can help you. For additional information, there are websites dedicated to specific collectibles ; marbles, military wings & badges etc. If you plan to sell, aside from e-bay, garage sale, flea-market and gun shows are good venues. Also, attractively packaging your finds can increase the cash return.

I like ironsights idea about donating historical items! It's cool to visit the museum and see your name beneath the item!

Best of luck and...

Happy Hunting!
Blind Squirrel

 

[Bearharold]

most of my buttons and junkier things I keep I store in plastic jars , could use the plastic dividers if you want to spend money on them . I have a box looks like a treasure chest and I divide my coins , tokens and things of that sorts into plastic peanut butter jars and they will sit right down in it and one old butter container fits in the middle it has junk rings mostly in it .My scales will lay right on top of that and my red book on top of it all so most everything is stored in one treasure box . Except for larger items . Smaller miscellaneous junk items go in a big mayo jar in a file cabinet . I label all the jar lids so I know whats kept in them . One of these days maybe this winter I will get around to stripping the outside and refinishing the treasure box . Its covered with a paper covering now and is starting to discolor badly .

 

[Bearharold]

Here's the way I store the junkier stuff all this stuff fits in a large mayo jar like this .I can't help you on pricing your items maybe check e-bay to see what items like yours are selling for .If you know what your item is can search on the internet for collectibles of that type and they can show groups sometimes that you can e-mail about your items. Al this stuff pictured fits in this one jar for storage and its cheap . lol