Virginia Militia Button

[Neil in West Jersey]

I finally got out! The temps were in the 50's, but the ground was still solid in many spots. I had a real tough time excavating this Virginia Militia button due to the frozen ground. The hard ground contributed to the ding I made with my Lesch. This is the first time in more than 5 years that I damaged one of my digs. I think I will wait until the ground thaws a bit more before I go out again.

The back mark is Horstmann*Philadelphia. It is most likely post Civil War. Most of my finds at this site are circa 1890-1910.

It is an unusual find for New Jersey!

 

[GRAY GHOST]

wow, neil, she's a nice one for sure. it's too bad about the ding, but it happens to everybody. and your're right - it's an unusual find for nj. thanks, and hh!

 

[elvis earnhardt]

That's coool

 

[brnn53]

That's still a very nice button find!
Mike

 

[JMorgan]

Ding or not that's a very nice button!!

 

[ConfCav]

Did you find this near an old house site or historical area? If so it could be pre-CW and a relic of the conflict.

Horstmann also produced buttons for Southern states prior to the Civil War, so there's a good chance this could have been a battlefield pickup by a Union soldier as a war souvenir, and then lost after returning home. Relic hunters in my area will find an occasion Confederate item in the middle of a Union camp, and are generally considered to be battlefield souvenirs lost by the Union soldier while encamped. Here's an excellent reference link to a site by one of the first relic hunters in my area who now has his collection, personally dug and purchased, in a museum. http://relicman.com/

This site shows several variations of "Horstmann". Suggest you check out his collection as well as email him your pics for confirmation. I've used him on more than one occasion for clarification of relics. BTW, if anyone is ever in Winchester, VA I highly recommend stopping by to check out the museum. You'll be impressed with the displays of relics on display. Mr. Ridgeway and his father were some of the first relic hunters in this area and were fortunate to dig on several virgin sites before the popularity grew. I had the privilege of meeting both gentlemen years ago and was allowed to view their huge dug collection prior to creation of the museum; the stories they told were amazing of the things that used to be commonly found but now are getting scarce (10+ US plates in one day from a field hospital is just one of the stores that comes to mind). Apologies for the long post and going off-topic.

Congrats on your button and HH.

 

[Neil in West Jersey]

Did you find this near an old house site or historical area? If so it could be pre-CW and a relic of the conflict.

Horstmann also produced buttons for Southern states prior to the Civil War, so there's a good chance this could have been a battlefield pickup by a Union soldier as a war souvenir, and then lost after returning home. Relic hunters in my area will find an occasion Confederate item in the middle of a Union camp, and are generally considered to be battlefield souvenirs lost by the Union soldier while encamped. Here's an excellent reference link to a site by one of the first relic hunters in my area who now has his collection, personally dug and purchased, in a museum. http://relicman.com/

This site shows several variations of "Horstmann". Suggest you check out his collection as well as email him your pics for confirmation. I've used him on more than one occasion for clarification of relics. BTW, if anyone is ever in Winchester, VA I highly recommend stopping by to check out the museum. You'll be impressed with the displays of relics on display. Mr. Ridgeway and his father were some of the first relic hunters in this area and were fortunate to dig on several virgin sites before the popularity grew. I had the privilege of meeting both gentlemen years ago and was allowed to view their huge dug collection prior to creation of the museum; the stories they told were amazing of the things that used to be commonly found but now are getting scarce (10+ US plates in one day from a field hospital is just one of the stores that comes to mind). Apologies for the long post and going off-topic.

Congrats on your button and HH.

Thanks for the info, and no apologies necessary. Based on the Horstmann back mark, this dates after 1893, but before 1917 when the "Virginia Volunteers" became part of the VA National Guard. I will check with Relic Man to be sure. The site I was detecting has produced other buttons including the Navy button on my site, but all finds date from the 1890's to about 1910. It is located along what was once a major waterway, so what you said is possible. Perhaps a soldier returning home by boat.

Thanks for the post!