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:csflag: :csflag: Went foraging yesterday...... :csflag:

V

Vernon in Virginia~Formerly Alaska

New member
Hit a couple of old chimney sites yesterday, this is the first one. The landowner had shown me this a few days ago, so went back yesterday to detect it a bit. The good thing is its old, at least to the early 1800's I'm guessing. The bad thing is the area around it has been dozed into piles about ten years ago. It has also grown up with saplings and briars. I will take the chainsaw with me next time, and clear it out a little. I also have plans of sifting the floor to see what goodies I can glean.

[attachment 54600 5a.jpg]


[attachment 54601 1a.jpg]

Dug some big iron and an ax head, threw those in a pile until I was ready to leave. Kicking brush piles and stepping on briars to bend them over, my first good find was this Civil War compass top... dozers are not nice to these.

[attachment 54602 2a.jpg]

Next interesting find was this whole harmonica reed bar, my first whole one.

[attachment 54603 3a.jpg]

Going back into the woods a little ways, I found this 20" cast iron pot, a dozer had pushed it back here. I think I'm going to return and get it; if the landowner doesn't want it, I'll have it tack- welded back together and use it as a flower pot... you won't find this in Wal Mart.

[attachment 54604 4a.jpg]

Got a good response and dug this copper buckle. I tried to find the other curly q things in the hole, but they weren't there.

[attachment 54605 6a.jpg]

Just a couple feet from the outside of the chimney, I found this interesting item. Couldn't tell what it was, but the attachments were interesting. It took a good scrubbing at home to clear up the mystery.

:usaflag: I stopped at another chimney site on the way home, I found something very interesting; but since I'm out of picture space here, you'll have to click on my post below this one (in this same post) titled " :usaflag: :usaflag: More foraging... WHO'S YOUR DADDY NOW!" Check it out. :thumbup:
 
Hit another chimney site on the way home; had never found much there before of any significance, but today, SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE! Got a deep reading I thought was big iron, like an ax head, but when I turned the shovel load of dirt over, here's what's looking at me, exactly as it came out of the hole.

[attachment 54622 plate1.jpg]

OH BABY, COME TO PAPA! Now I'll tell you right now, I don't do any chicken dances, but before I touched this belt plate, I said a prayer of thanks go God, because I've been praying for one all spring, and He gave me a real beauty.

[attachment 54623 plate2a.jpg]

After I said a prayer, I then picked it up and took a picture of it. This is it out of the ground after 145 years.

[attachment 54624 plate2.jpg]

It is in excellent shape, there's not a scratch or dent on it. I'm just not sure yet exactly what it is, as I cannot find it in my relic book, or after several hours of searching on the internet. So I believe it is a rare one, and at this time my guess is its a Massachussetts Volunteer Militia plate. I have several emails out to "experts" in this field, but its a weekend, and I probably won't hear anything until Monday.

[attachment 54625 plate3.jpg]

[attachment 54626 digs.jpg]

So here's a shot of some of the finds from yesterday; of course the belt plate is icing on the cake. My first plate, but hopefully not my last. The secret to relic hunting is location, location, location... dead luck and a prayer. Thanks for looking, high fives all around.

Vernon
 
http://pages.gunsightantiques.com/cgi-bin/google.fcgi?itemKey=1922847153&store=%2Fstores%2Fgunsight&catId=civilwarera&itemNo=2537
 
DO NOT attempt to clean the MVM plate any more than with a light soft bristle tooth brush or you will lessen it's value. That my friend is a [size=large]HUGE[/size] find. Outstanding, well dug. Couldn't happen to anyone (other than me)more appreciative than you I'm certain.
 
I looked in my American Military Belt Plates book (pg 510 - 511). It references two Mass Vol Mil plates but neither are the one you have. So maybe ya' got a nice rare buckle too boot! Way to go Vern. That is SWEET!!!!

What about Mississippi???

Here are the two plates I found reference to.

[attachment 54646 hpim06802.jpg]
[attachment 54647 hpim06812.jpg]
 
n/t
 
Coming up with good things so often that I expect that you will not come up with any crummy things--I feel that you will only get things out of the ground that are as good a quality as your Daughters Art Works!!!! GREAT FIND--You are going to run WHITES to the poor house paying all of those certificate's to YOU--
 
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