W&E Treasures - BEST FINDS

W FIND COINS • GOLD • JEWELRY • RELICS & MORE WITH A METAL DETECTOR &

E T R E A S U R E S

Volume 50 APRIL 2016

SILVER & GOLD MINI-CACHE Value: $7,350+

TRADE ERA SILVER ARMBAND Value: $3,500

CAST “C S” BELT PLATE Value: $2,800

UNLISTED WASHINGTON INAUGURAL BUTTON Value: Unpublished

MA S SA C H U S E T T S 6 T H R E G I M E NT B U T T O N Value: $1,000+

CIVIL WAR NEW JERSEY STAFF BUTTONS Value: $4,000+

“C S” TONGUE & WREATH BELT PLATE Value: $3,500+

CELLAR HOLE JEWELRY CACHE Value: $2,000

1 8 0 6 C A PP E D B U S T $ 5 H A L F E A G L E Value: $5,500+

J. HALL WALKER & WALTON TOKEN and PLANTER'S BANK COUNTERMARK

U.S. $5.50 Canada $5.50 04

Value: Undetermined

ANNUAL “BEST FINDS” ISSUE 1 7 9 3 CH A I N C E N T Value: Undetermined

0

71486 02818

5

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

GOLD COINS • ARTIFACTS • JEWELRY • TOKENS • RINGS • BUTTONS • MORE!

Volume 50

Number 4

ROSEMARY B. ANDERSON Managing Editor JERRY BASS Technical Editor STEVE ANDERSON Advertising/Marketing LOGAN ANDERSON Production Assistant H.S. BURDETTE Publisher In Memoriam

From The Editor April 2016

TY BROOK ED FEDORY DAVID FINNERN AMY MARUSO BEN MYERS MARK PARKER JOHN A. PUNOLA WILLIAM W. PURKEY GARY B. SPECK DICK STOUT Contributing Editors

WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES (USPS 970-240, ISSN 0890-0876) is published monthly by People’s Publishing Company, Inc., 475 Gate Five Rd, Sausalito, CA 94965. Phone (415) 339-0124. PERIODICALS postage paid at Sausalito, CA and at additional mailing offices. Printed in U.S.A. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: Western & Eastern Treasures, P.O. Box 18902, Anaheim, CA 92817.

Subscription price is $37.00 (U.S. funds only) per year U.S. (12 issues). Canada $54.00, International $60.00. Allow 6-8 weeks to receive your first issue. For service on your subscription, including change of address, write to W&ET, P.O. Box 18902, Anaheim, CA 92817. Please enclose your address label from a recent issue if available.

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Direct all advertising, manuscripts, and general information to: P.O. Box 37, Sausalito, CA 94965-0037. All rights reserved on entire contents; nothing may be reprinted in whole or part without the expressed written permission of the publisher. All contents copyrighted 2016.

This publication is purchased with the understanding that information presented is from many sources for which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to accuracy, originality or completeness. The publisher also reserves the right to decline advertising or suspend any advertisements.

Unsolicited manuscripts and photos must be accompanied by return postage. Reasonable care will be exercised, but we assume no responsibility for damage or loss of these materials. The forwarding of material is a guarantee that material is original and not an infringement on the rights of others. The author, in submitting material to People’s Publishing Company, Inc., signifies by this act agreement with the above terms.

www.wetreasures.com

One of our Best Finds entrants is William Freeman, seen here with his silver & gold mini-cache. Read the details on page 28.

ANNUAL BEST FINDS, 2015 EDITION!

After being a part of the Western & Eastern Treasures staff for nearly 40 of its 50 years, I realize only too well that you would all rather be reading the intriguing details and checking out the amazing photos of this Best Finds issue! Well, once again, you’re in for a treat. I may have said this more than a few times about the Best Finds edition; however, this truly is an exceptional year of entries. And I’d like to offer a tremendous thank you to everyone who participated and submitted an entry. There is so much variety in the treasures found last year that the deliberations to determine which finds would make the final cut took a correspondingly longer amount of

time than in years past.

So for all the attention to detail, and the necessary volume of hours it took to complete the task of presenting the Best Finds in the most accurate, as well as graphically pleasing manner, I also want to express my appreciation to the entire staff. Our Technical Editor, Jerry Bass, led the team with his expertise and never ending energy. And although I know he wouldn’t even want to be mentioned, much less praised publicly, it’s worth risking his wrath to go ahead and give Jerry an extra special thank you for what I’m sure he would say was just another day’s work.

I’m keeping this short on purpose so that you can immediately turn to page 6 for the Best Finds of 2015; but, in closing, I’d like to share a quote— one, by the way, that Jerry discovered on a recently issued U.S. mint commemorative medal. We both thought it was a fitting way to describe how all of us here at W&ET feel... not only about this special Best Finds edition, but every issue we publish:

“It is our privilege to pass on to the coming centuries treasures of the past.”

— Dwight D. Eisenhower

Happy Hunting,

Rosemary Anderson

FEATURES

6 Annual Best Finds, 2015 Edition

6

Turn the page and begin your journey!

14 Digging Into The Past

It’s a double celebration for “Ghost Town USA”!

By Gary B. Speck

37 The End Of The 30-Year Drought

8

He’d waited three decades for a ring like this one.

Now, suddenly, he’d found two!

By Jolene E. Cormier

40 The Collector’s Cache

More than 40 coins... a dozen of them silver... and only one American among them.

By Harry Eichman

45 When Lightning Strikes— Thrice!

These are the kinds of finds that few of us have ever seen, even in print or online.

By William Plummer

50 Found! Civil War New Jersey Staff Buttons

22

32

“Amazingly, research has enabled me to identify the soldier who wore them!”

By Grant Hansen

DEPARTMENTS

09 Ask Mark Parker 14 Ghost Town USA

19 Club News & Views 44 Calendar Of Events

34

2 015 Be st F i nds

As we look back on Western & Eastern Treasures’ half century in the hobby and industry— and look forward to all the hopeful years ahead— this special issue ensures that we don’t overlook your own extraordinary successes in the last year alone. Perhaps the best thing about Best Finds is that it underscores what’s being, and can be, achieved right now. For as much as we all enjoy reminiscing about the good old days, the truth is that in so many ways today’s technologies, opportunities, and treasure hunting triumphs vastly surpass those of the past. How can we be so sure? We were there... and 50 years later we’re still here, more excited and prouder than ever to share your good times and great finds!

Join us now in honoring...

The Best Finds of 2015!

Gold Coin Club

Glenn Skinner

Coin: U. S. 1806 Capped Bust, Right $5 Half Eagle Grade: Unc. Details; Rim Damage Value: $5,500+

William Freeman

Coin: U. S. 1812 Capped Bust, Left $5 Half Eagle Grade: XF+ Value: $7,000+

Glenn Skinner

Coin: U. S. 1853 Liberty Head $2-1/2 Quarter Eagle Grade: XF-AU Details; Scratches Value: $350

Editor’s Note: Pricing and grading are highly subjective, and the estimates appearing here in Best Finds are derived from a variety of sources, including documents of authentication and appraisal submitted with readers’ entries, and the opinions of specialists consulted by Western & Eastern Treasures. In cases of significantly differing valuations or opinions, those published represent the most conservative received. Alternatively, and for a variety of reasons, an item’s value may be represented as “Unpublished” or “Undetermined.” Stated amounts or grades are not official appraisals or guarantees of value, and the Best Finds contributors, editor, and publisher will not be responsible for readers’ decisions or transactions.

6 APRIL 2016

Bill Bice

Coin: 1807 Spanish 8 Escudos Grade: VF-XF Value: $1,595

Coin: 1793 Spanish 2 Escudos Grade: VF-XF Value: $395

Ron Swenson

Coin: 1835 U. S. Classic Head, No Motto $5 Half Eagle Grade: XF-AU Details; Scratches Value: $750

George Savino

Don Mituzas

Coin: 1871 British Half Sovereign Grade: VF+ Value: $300

Coin: 1880 U. S. Liberty Head $5 Half Eagle Grade: VF-XF Value: $450

Michael J. Martin

Coin: 1882 British Half Sovereign Grade: VF/XF; Rim Damage Value: $200 WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 7

Mark Jenkins

Coin: 1856 French 10 Francs; Love Token Obverse Grade: F/VF Value: $200+

RingMasters Robert L. Kappenberg Man’s 14K White Gold & Diamond Ring 1.45 Carats, Total Value: $2,775

Joanie Caldas

Man’s 14K White & Yellow Gold, Ruby & Diamond Ring 0.84 Carat Rubies & 0.07 Carat Diamonds, Total Value: $1,575

Barry Cormier

18K White & Yellow Gold & Diamond Ring 0.25 Carat Solitaire Value: $1,400 Note: A related article by Barry’s daughter, Jolene Cormier, begins on page 37 of this issue.)

Louis Dudeck

Man’s 10K Yellow Gold Marine Corps Ring Value: $1,500 Returned to owner when found.

Note: A related article will appear in the 2016 Silver & Gold annual.

8 APRIL 2016

“Best Finds” Continues On Page 22.

Q

&

A

ASK MARK PARKER

THE SOONER THE BETTER

Q. I found this 1'' brass token at a site in central Oklahoma.

One side reads, “L. A. WATTS &

CO. – LAMBDIN, O. TERR.”; the other, “GOOD FOR 10¢ IN TRADE.” Can you tell me some-

thing about its history and value?

Gary Holder Prague, OK

A. If you’re into Sooner State exonumia, it doesn’t get much better than a super-scarce token from a tiny, long-gone Oklahoma Territory town... and that’s exactly what you’ve found! Tucked away in the southeast corner of Lincoln County, a couple of miles or so from there in Prague, Lambdin

was founded in 1892. At one time its prospects seemed bright, with the Ft. Smith & Western Railroad planning to build a coaling station and perhaps other facilities there.

Unfortunately, as a result of local landowners’ greed, that deal fell through, and Prague was the winner instead. I’m not sure how long Lambdin lingered, but I found reports of a power line being run there sometime around 1927. By the late 1940s, though, the Oklahoma hamlet had disappeared. Likely never home to hundreds, it nevertheless boasted a post office, hotel, general store, and saloon— and that brings us to the issuer of your find. L. A. Watts seems to have been quite the local entrepreneur at the turn of the last century, earning mentions in newspapers and directories as everything from a blacksmith to a builder of area homes. However, I suspect that the token is related to another of his ventures announced in The Publicist, a newspaper in nearby Chandler, O.T., in 1901: “L. A. Watts and L. C. Thurman will open a saloon at Lambdin.”

A year later the same publication reported that, “L. A. Watts has renewed his saloon license.”

As far as I can determine, only two varieties of trade tokens from Lambdin have been cataloged, both issued by Watts— one denominated 5¢, and the other 10¢. In the past, each has been valued at $400 or more, and at the very least the bidding for yours should begin no lower.

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To get more information on products & services advertised in this issue, complete the form below, checking all of the advertisers from which you want more information. Info will be sent to you directly from the advertiser FR EE, without obligation!

 Clevenger’s (pg 17)  Depth Master (pgs 41, 43)  Detector Pro (pg 47)  Fisher (pg 23)  Garrett (pgs 30-31, 64)  Gold Digger Met Det (pg 49)  Kellyco (pg 25)  Outdoor Outfitters (pg 15)  Simmons Scientific (pg 28)  Teknetics (pg 55)  Tesoro (pg 51)  White’s Electronics (pgs 2-3)

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WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 9

TREASURE HUNTER’S CODE OF ETHICS

As part of our commitment to recreational metal detecting, we at Western & Eastern Treasures encourage responsible conduct and strict compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations and restrictions, as well as unconditional respect for the rights and property of others, and for those held in common by us all.

Even though these values and standards may not be explicitly stated in every article, they are an integral part of our philosophy, efforts, and goals. We take pride in the hobby and industry we serve, and ask you to join us in observing and promoting the following Code Of Ethics.

Beyond that? Well, if you can get a couple of collectors with deep pockets competing for it, who knows!

MAN OF THE YEAR?

I WILL respect private property and do no treasure hunting without the owner’s permission.

I WILL fill all excavations.

I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural resources, wildlife, and private property.

I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesy at all times.

I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only.

I WILL leave gates as found.

I WILL remove and properly dispose of any trash that I find.

I WILL NOT litter.

I WILL NOT destroy property, buildings, or what is left of ghost towns and deserted structures.

I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, or equipment.

Western & Eastern Treasures magazine endorses the Treasure Hunter’s Code Of Ethics.

The sport of metal detecting has a national organization in place to preserve and protect the rights of detectorists. The national organization is the Federation of Metal Detector & Archeological Clubs. For more information, contact:

FMDAC

Frank Colletti, National Secretary 1439 Stephen Marc Ln East Meadow, NY 11554 (516) 481-9244 www.fmdac.com

NOTICE: Western & Eastern Treasures is a magazine of national and international distribution. There may be products discussed or featured for which use may be restricted, prohibited or subject to special permit requirements in your state/country.

Readers should consult their local authorities and municipal codes in their areas. People’s Publishing Company, Inc. assumes no liability for information shared in editorial or advertising content.

The Publisher shall be rendered harmless from and against any claims or suits for liable, violation or right of privacy, plagiarism, copyright infringement, improper use of the mails or violation of criminal codes based on the subject matter of editorial and advertisement content. The Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising deemed questionable or in bad taste and assumes no liability for omitting advertising for any reason.

All data in this publication, technical or otherwise, is based upon the personal experience of individuals using specific tools, equipment and components under particular conditions and circumstances, some of which may not be reported in the article or advertisement and which Western & Eastern Treasures has not otherwise verified.

Readers of advertisements are encouraged to examine and operate equipment at an authorized dealer and/or manufacturer, when practical and possible, prior to purchasing. Should any reader have a problem with products or services ordered through our advertisers, contact our advertising department and/or your local postal inspector.

10 APRIL 2016

Q. While hunting in a southern California canyon, I dug this calendar medal or token under a century-old Canary palm, but my efforts to research it have come to a dead end. I cannot identify the individuals shown on it, and while I would guess Ulysses S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt, it seems that a lot of these calendar medals are from England.

Whatever its age and origin, and whoever the men may be, I consider this one of my top finds and would welcome more information about it.

David Vilett San Diego, CA

A. This political perpetual

calendar is from the 1884 campaign of Republican presidential candidate James G. Blaine (the fellow you thought might be Grant) and his mightily mustachioed vice presidential running mate, John Logan. Three varieties are known— a brass one with the patent inscription “PAT. ALL’D” (yours), and both brass and nickel versions identical except for a slight difference in the inscription: “PAT.ALLD .”

All were holed and came with a small suspension ring attached.

There were three corresponding medals of the same style for Blaine’s opponent, with Democrat Grover Cleveland’s portrait on one side, and that of his running mate, Thomas A. Hendricks, on the other. As with most such collectibles, grading and pricing are highly subjective. The downside is that Blaine— he lost the election, by the way— is not as avidly collected as some political figures.

That said, I’ve seen a really choice Blaine calendar medal fetch nearly $175, while others in Fine condition have sold for around $50. The Cleveland ones command similar prices.

One more thing: if the rotating inner disc, designed to align days of the week with dates of the month, seems to be stuck... don’t try to move it! It might easily separate from the medal, and that kind of damage would be disastrous in terms of desirability or value.

TOKENS - MEDALS

CASH for your finds! Chauffeur’s badges, “good for” tokens, dog tags, tokens, medals, fobs, pins, badges, etc. Ship for top offer. Send SASE with brief list for “FREE Buying Guide”.

Rich Hartzog - World Exonumia POB 4143BOW Rockford IL 61110

GOIN’ OVER TO GROVER

another example for comparison:

same name. At the bottom of the stud, the bowl is described as a “Dem. Tureen.” The nondug stud shown here brought $93. Obviously, yours would fall far short of that amount, but it’s still uncommon in any condition.

HOMETOWN HERO Q. Mark, I came up with this unusual little item while detecting around some piles of fill dirt at an area in Niagara Falls, New York. It’s hard to see some of the lettering in the photo, but it reads, “TARIFF REFORM. NO FORCE BILL. C & S.” There’s also something in smaller print at the bottom, but it’s no longer legible. What’s the story behind it?

(Image courtesy of Old Politicals Auctions— www.oldpoliticals.com)

A. Well, Grover Cleveland seems to be getting his fair share of ink in this issue! What you’ve got is a political lapel stud from his 1892 presidential campaign. Enameled and silvered brass, it depicts a red, white & blue banded bowl from which is projecting part of a hat with the letters HAR, a reference to Cleveland’s Republican opponent, then President Benjamin Harrison. (Cleveland won that election, too.) More in a moment about the campaign issues on it, but first here’s

“Tariff Reform” refers to Democrats’ opposition to the Tariff Act of 1890, which raised the average duty on imports to almost 50%, with the intention of protecting domestic industries from foreign competition.

This aggressive policy became a major point of contention between its Republican advocates and Democrat critics. “No Force Bill,” a popular demand among Democrats, refers to the Federal Elections Bill of 1890 (known to its opponents as the Force Bill), which would have authorized federal courts to appoint supervisors of certain elections, supposedly to prevent abuse and fraud. Specifically, it was intended to ensure that African-Americans, predominantly Republicans at that time, could vote in the South.

Democrats saw this as a threat to states’ rights and their political strength in that region. “C & S” stands for Cleveland & Stevenson. His running mate was Adlai Stevenson, grandfather of the 1950s Democrat presidential candidate of the

Civil War, before & after.

“BUYING Revolutionary War and Indian Trade items, and Washington buttons.”

James Hughey Tonawanda, NY

MILITARY BUTTONS 94-pg. list, over 4,600 buttons for $10.

Bob Edmondson

Dept.WE - 221 Eagle Chase Cir., Dillard, GA 30537

George Weller Juno • American Soldier 11311 S. Indian River Dr. • Fort Pierce, FL 34982 (770) 329-4985 • Email: GWJuno@AOL.com

Q. Can you identify this badge or medal found at a torn-down, turn-of-the-century house lot in Cleburne, Texas?

It reads, “Chadwick Day. 1899.

Morgantown, WV. Presentation of Sword to Capt. F. E. Chadwick, Oct. 10.” There are also some markings on the back, but they’re unclear due to corrosion. On one of eagle’s wings there is a loop where something was attached.

Shawn Kelly Burleson, TX

A. Your find is the main portion of a souvenir badge from Chadwick Day, an event held on October 10, 1899 in Morgantown, West Virginia, to honor their native son, Capt.

French Ensor Chadwick, commander of the flagship USS New York in the Spanish-American War. The badge’s eagle & shield WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 11

design was a popular stock/generic pattern of the Schwaab Stamp & Seal Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whose mark appears on the reverse.

Missing is the badge’s “SOUVENIR” hanger bar, which looked like this:

sports fans, “Foot Ball To-Day”!

Chadwick later rose to the rank of rear admiral and became a noted historian as well, authoring a number of books, the best known being The Causes of the Civil War. If it were complete and problem-free, your badge would likely retail for $75 or more, depending on condition and collector interest.

IT'S UP TO YOU!

Readers can now have their first & last name and city/state location included with questions appearing in the column. If you would like for yours to be published, please state this in your letter or e-mail.

Otherwise, questions will be published anonymously. Publication of questions cannot be guaranteed, but all will be personally answered.

NO STRINGS ATTACHED

(Image courtesy of Joe Drazan, Bygone Walla Walla — wallwalladrazanphotos.blogspot.com)

Attended by some 25,000 admirers and well-wishers— “people from every corner of West Virginia, and all of them wearing Chadwick buttons and Chadwick badges,” one newspaper reported— the event was highlighted by speeches from a number of visiting dignitaries, including Gov. George W. Atkinson, who presented Chadwick with a jeweled sword valued at $1,000 (equivalent to about $30,000 today). Rear Admiral William T. Sampson of the U.S. Navy was also on hand.

Banners along the route of the “Grand Parade” invited visitors to enjoy other attractions of the day: “James W. Goodrich’s One Ring Show, Museum of Wonders, Trained Animal Exhibition, and Royal Hippodrome,” and for all the

12 APRIL 2016

Oscoda, MI 48750

Q. A couple of years ago you identified a “stud chape” shoe buckle that I’d found. Recently, I found another one at almost the same spot, near an old stone wall here in Massachusetts.

They don’t match, although I guess they could have been worn as a pair by some frugal Colonial. This one is marked “RWH.” Can you identify the maker and tell me the value of the buckle?

A. No... and yes. Stud chape buckles date from about the mid 1600s to the early 1700s, and as far as I can tell, the identity of “RWH” is lost to the mists of time. The buckle is apparently of British origin, as I found several listings (all unattributed,

alas) in U.K. antiquities sources for that identical mark— the initials RWH in a rectangular cartouche, with a zigzag or sawtooth border. Although it’s possible that we could someday confidently put a name to those initials, the plain truth is that there were just a lot of buckle makers back then. In fact, by the 1790s, as shoestrings were fast becoming the favored means of fastening footwear, there reportedly were no fewer than 20,000 worried workers in the buckle trade in Birmingham, England alone. It’s too bad that it’s not a mate to the other buckle you found, but a single marked stud chape as nice as this one can go for $50-75.

KEEPING THE FAITH

Ask Mark Now!

Drawings, rubbings, and photocopies may be submitted with descriptions; however, make sure they’re clear, sharp, and actual size or larger.

•Sharp photos are needed! Send one front & one back of each item to be identified. Entire item must be visible on a plain, solid background.

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•Limit: Three items per week. No phone calls or faxes!

BY E-MAIL: AskMark@wetreasures.com Subject: Briefly describe the item in as few words as possible. For example, “Railroad Tag” or “Civil War Token.”

BY MAIL: Mark Parker, c/o W&E Treasures, P.O. Box 37, Sausalito, CA 94965-0037. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Allow at least two weeks for a reply.

NOTICE!

Q. The obverse of this thick and heavy, 2-3/4'' bronze medal has the bust portrait of a man, with the inscription “FAITH IN MAN AND HIS WORKS” and, in smaller script beneath, “Avard Fairbanks Sc 1929.” On the reverse is a standing figure with a columned building in the background, encircled by “THE

UNITED STATES NATIONAL BANK. PORTLAND, OREGON.”

Beneath the building is the text, “A Power Like That of a Mighty Genii Who Stands Ready to Build Industries and Temples at the Call of Man’s Will.” (Note: I am not sure about the word Genii.) What can you tell me about it?

David Fruhling Gold Hill, OR

A. Ironically, the bank issued the medal as an expression of optimism and economic confidence... right at the dawn of the Great Depression. Your reading of Genii is correct. It’s the plu-

Pricing is subjective, and the estimates provided in this column, and in all related correspondence, are derived from a variety of sources. They are not official appraisals or guarantees of value, and the author, editor, and publisher will not be responsible for readers’ decisions or transactions.

People’s Publishing Company, Inc. reserves the right, without obligation and at our discretion, to provide information, recommendations, and referrals to persons whose finds appear in Western & Eastern Treasures or Silver & Gold.

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ral of genius and also of genie.

Why it was used instead of the singular form, which seems more appropriate, I can’t say.

The designer of the medal, Avard T. Fairbanks, was a well known sculptor who had gained acclaim even as a boy. In addi-

tion to his numerous major works of sculpture, he is also remembered as the creator of the original, iconic Dodge Ram emblem. While the medal often sells for $35-50, on occasion at auction it has realized $100 or more.  WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 13

GHOST TOWN USA When Western Treasures (now W&ET) first came out in 1966, Gary was a 15-year-old high school sophomore. This photo was scanned from his high school yearbook.

This depiction of the Llano del Rio area was the first map in “Ghost Town USA.”

Digging Into The Past

By Gary B. Speck April 2016 is a special zine’s upcoming golden annivermonth for “Ghost Town USA,” a sary year celebration. Sadly, I month of double celebration! don’t... but this column will April is the month this column make up for that lack of a photobegan, and as we celebrate our graphic record. When Western 32nd birthday, it falls during Treasures first hit the newsWestern & Eastern Treasures’ stands, I was a typical 15-yearGolden Anniversary year. What old sophomore in a southern better way to celebrate then, than California high school. I was by doing what we treasure way more interested in fishing, hunters like to do best— digging beachcombing, and girls than ghost towns and photography, into the past!

Toward the end of 2015, although I did have a little 126 Kodak Instamatic camera.

Rosemary Anderson asked if I However, photo processing costs had any vintage photos of me hanging out in ghost towns back were limited to what my allowance and neighborhood in 1966, for use in the maga14 APRIL 2016

lawnmowing “business” budget could support, so I was really judicious about what I took pictures of.

In the pivotal summer of 1968, I got hooked on reading a treasure hunting magazine my dad subscribed to— Western Treasures. We hit the road for a two-week roadtrip, and the fire was lit. Western Treasures was a toddler, I was a teenager, and my girlfriend still had her maiden name.

This month my former girlfriend is now my wife of 43 years, Western Treasures is a seasoned veteran called Western & Eastern Treasures, and I am a Medicare-aged “recycled” teenager.

Throughout the decades some things change, yet remain the same— seasoned, but the same.

This month, we celebrate the changes and the sameness.

Beginning in 1968, my passion for digging into the past lives of ghost towns has resulted in an avid desire to share their stories and my adventures. Thanks to some advice that my high school literature teacher gave me— or maybe in spite of it— I began to write.

Western & Eastern Treasures was 18 years, 4 months old when my third published article hit print. Today, the magazine is 50 years, 4

months old, and 32 years and 384 columns after it first appeared that article has resurfaced in honor of “Ghost Town USA”’s birthday and Western & Eastern Treasures’ golden anniversary!

Thank you, Rosemary and Steve, for allowing me to dig into the past and share my ghost town passion with our readers!

Welcome to the past— welcome to the present!

“Ghost Town USA”’s initial showing is reproduced in its entirety from the April 1984 issue of Western & Eastern Treasures. Enjoy!

* * * Introduction To The Series Across this great country of ours are the ruins of countless thousands of places where people formerly lived. These old towns or villages are today known as “ghost towns.” Of course, when most people think of a ghost town, they conjure up thoughts of long-abandoned streets lined with windrows of sagebrush, sagging storefronts, and a “boothill.” This image of a ghost town is not entirely correct.

What, then, is a ghost town?

There are many definitions, but the one I prefer is, “A place that at one time had a center of population, but today is no more than a shadow of its former self.

The site may be totally abandoned, or contain a small resident population, but still be very much reduced from the ‘boom days.’”

These shadow towns have had their roots in many endeavors. The most famous “ghosts” such as Bodie, Rhyolite and Virginia City trace their roots back to mining. Others were founded by farmers, construction crews, railroads, or loggers.

Pilasters and two fireplaces are all that remains of the Llano Hotel.

WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 15

Ghost towns occur in all 50 states, and this series will try to explore some of the more unique and unusual of these towns, these relics of the boom days long since passed. These shadowy historic haunts will once again come alive for all TH’ers to explore, in this series... Ghost

Town USA. Happy hunting!

* * *

In September 1975, I drove past some rock ruins straddling California State Highway 138, in the desert region of northern Los Angeles County, about 20 miles east of Palmdale. I was very intrigued by the beautiful ruins, but was unable to stop and explore them.

However, I did make a quick stop in the nearby town of Pearblossom for some much-needed gasoline.

I asked the attendant about the ruins down the road.

“Oh, that’s just In 1975, “pre-author” Gary Speck was caught typthe old site of the ing captions for photos from his and his wife Julie’s colony of Llano del latest ghost town jaunt.

Rio,” he said as I paid for my gas. Since then, I have visited the site several times, and each time have come away with a feeling of awe at the raw courage those hardy pioneers had to have to farm that part of the desert in the days before piped-in water.

Today the old site is marked by the picturesque ruins of the hotel fireplaces and columns on the north side of the highway, while a large concrete silo and rock-walled milking shed stand at attention on the opposite side of the road.

For nearly half a mile, from the silo to the remains of a large building north of the In this 1995 tripod and timer version of a “selfie,” hotel site, lie dozens of foundations, concrete Gary revisits Llano del Rio. 16 APRIL 2016

In early 1976, Gary introduced his oldest son (now 40) to the joys of ghost town exploring.

slabs and rock walls.

With a little imagination, one can envision the activity that once took place at the colony site. Life at Llano del Rio was not easy!

Our story begins in the year 1914, when the Mescal Water &

Limekiln is located several miles south of the colony site, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. This kiln is quite possibly where the lime came from for construction of the rock & concrete buildings at the colony.

CLEVENGER Detector Sales 8206 North Oak

KANSAS CITY Ruins of a large rock-walled building to the north of the Llano Hotel. In the foreground are the remains of a fountain.

Land Company sold their holdings to Job Harriman, a practicing socialist and secular Utopian.

He had been searching for a site in southern California where he and other socialists could set up a cooperative colony. The Mescal properties were perfect, so he purchased them.

In December 1914, a business meeting was held in the assembly hall at the future colony site. The Llano del Rio Company was formed, and Job Harriman was elected president of the new cooperative. The name Llano del Rio originated from the name of a small stream that flowed through the colony, the Rio del Llano. It flowed out of the towering San Gabriel Mountains just to the south of the site.

In January 1915, a post office was established, and advertising lured many prospective colonists to the desert community. Upon arriving, the new colonists were first housed in tents, until more adequate housing could be found.

Soon a large wood frame hotel was finished. Supported by large native rock columns, it sported two enormous fireplaces at each end of the main assembly room.

The hotel became the focal point of colonial life. The main room was set up so that members could sit and chat with friends, or lounge in front of a nice warm

fire. The hotel’s living quarters were used to house bachelors, as well as newly arrived colonists.

Each colonist, upon entering the colony, was required to purchase 2,000 shares of stock at $1 per share. They could either pay the full amount, or put down $500 and pay off the rest over a six-month period.

Everyone was paid wages of $4 a day, but they were issued credits rather than cash. These credits, known as “dobey money,” were used to trade for goods in the cooperative’s store.

The settlers cleared off desert plants and scraped up tons of rocks to make room to plant crops. Water was brought in via rock-lined irrigation ditches, and many different crops were raised. Pears proved to be a failure, but they successfully raised alfalfa and vegetables. They had over 2,000 acres planted.

Unfortunately for the colony, the initial bounty did not stand the test of time. This was due to the harsh climate, and very uncertain water supplies. Even with this adversity, the colonists managed to raise 90% of what they needed.

Scattered among the 900 residents of Llano del Rio were representatives of many crafts and trades. Some of these included artists, tanners, and lime kiln operators. It is reported that over 60 different occupations were present and operating. On what

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scale is not mentioned. colony of Newllano continIn 1917, the school sysued to survive. The former tem was an immense source colony at Llano del Rio of pride for the colonists. became just another in the One hundred and twentygrowing rank of ghost five students attended one towns that mark the counof three schools.

A try. Today Llano del Rio Montessori program was still greets tourists and initiated for the kinderghost town chasers as they garten-aged students. This make their way along State type of schooling is based Highway 138, twenty miles on the premise that students east of Palmdale. A halflearn better by using sense mile east of the site, a small training and individual freecomplex of buildings sits at dom to study at their own the intersection of the state pace. highway and Avenue 175.

When the children This complex is the modern reached primary school age, “town” of Llano. they were enrolled in the What treasures lie buried Llano elementary school in the dusty earth around and studied a state-mandatthe unique rock pilasters is ed curriculum. unknown, but someday we The cover of the April 1984 issue of Western & The high school aged might know. In October students were enrolled in a Eastern Treasures proudly announced, “Ghost 1983, a large “For Sale” trade school, where the girls Town USA - A New Series of Articles.” sign stands in front of the part of the colony. learned homemaking, and the old hotel, beckoning for a new He managed to secure title boys learned trades and farming owner. My only thoughts are, I to an abandoned town near procedures. Adults were able to hope the new owner appreciates Leesville, Louisiana. He then further their education by studythe unique spot this old colony christened the new site ing in a well-stocked library, or played in the state’s history.

Newllano, and returned to taking night classes that were Llano del Rio is not a typical California with the news. As a offered. ghost town. It was a major result, many of the colonists In addition to the schools, political/philosophical colony packed up and moved to the new Llano had a lot of active clubs that ran counter to the popular colony halfway across the counfor people to join. Interested policies of its day. Yet it surtry. colonists could join anything vived hardships, including monHarriman fought in the from a mandolin club to a gun etary and political opposition, courts to prove that his desert club. for over 20 years (both colony was still financially As time went on and the colonies).

The picturesque viable, but due to fiscal mismanpopulation increased, problems remains still stand in tribute to agement the court ruled against began to surface in the utopian one man and his dream of peace him and issued a close-down existence. First and foremost and unity. Job Harriman may order in 1918. This sealed the was the need for a more reliable have been a dreamer, but the fate of the colony. Only about water supply. Due to the searuins of his dream are very real.

100 of the colonists made the sonal nature of the main creek, a Llano del Rio is today a picdam was built on the Rio del turesque grey ghost basking in forced move, with the rest disLlano to impound its variable the warm rays of California’s persing to other areas. water. Wells were also drilled, The Newllano colony in desert sun.  but none of these remedied the Louisiana operated for many GARY SPECK is proud to have water problem. years, until it was placed in been a contributor to Western & Other problems that plagued receivership in 1935.

Eastern Treasures magazine for the colony were monetary and Job Harriman fought the Los 35 of its 50 years. His “Ghost political. As a result, Job Angeles court edict until his Town USA” column began 32 Harriman began to search for death in 1925. His dream of years ago this month. another site in which to move rebirth died with him, but the 18 APRIL 2016

North Carolina, is now seven years old and still growing.

Among the reasons for its growth are the active contributions of its members. One such member is Robert Underwood.

A member of the club since 2011, Robert is a serious student of local North Carolina history and an active hunter of artifacts.

He is a native of Rockingham County, North Carolina and presently resides in Stoneville.

Robert is an honors graduate of North Carolina State University, where he majored in marine science. He is now retired from the City of Eden, North Carolina’s Water Resources Division.

Under Robert’s leadership club members have surveyed and searched several historic sites while working with professional archaeologists. Robert has led the club on many exciting adventures. Because he is well known in the area and trust-

ed by landowners and professional archaeologists alike, Robert has enabled the club to search for long-lost artifacts in locations usually off-limits to hunting. He is also an active volunteer with the Museum & Archives of Rockingham County and has set up a beautiful display of his finds at the museum.

Over the years Robert has hunted with both Nautilus and Garrett AT-Pro detectors in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. He takes great pride in recovering and preserving artifacts for public display before time and development take their toll on them. His favorite hunting grounds are in the last frontier of unspoiled homesites, and he once received the owner’s permission to detect at the boyhood home of Francis Marion, the famous Swamp Fox of Civil War history.

On a personal note, Robert and I have been friends for over four years. He is tremendously supportive of fellow club members and is always volunteering to serve. Any club would be fortunate to have Robert as a member.

Club vice president Bill Mathews and member Tim McNiff of the Midwest Coinshooters & Historical Club recently presented a program on metal detecting to students at St. Theodore’s Parish School in Flint Hill, Missouri.

Robert Underwood, a member of the Old North State Detectorists in Greensboro, North Carolina, has gained the group opportunities to search historic sites in cooperation with archaeologists.

CLUB NEWS & VIEWS

By William W. Purkey

Not long ago I received an email stating that a hardworking president of a local club had resigned due to lack of support from members. He said that he had many members who joined to promote their business or to enjoy the hunts, but very few attended meetings regularly or volunteered to provide the occasional help necessary to maintain a successful club. As a result, he finally reached the breaking point and resigned both as president and member. This is sad news. It is vital that each of us contributes to our club’s success. This means attending meeting regularly, actively serving on club committees, supporting your club officers, and taking an active role in maintaining and building a good club.

In The Spotlight My club, the Old North State Detectorists in Greensboro,

WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 19

Fascinated by the presentation of the Midwest Coinshooters & Historical Club, eager youngsters later enjoyed some hands-on detecting instruction... and kept what they found!

This impressive artifacts display in the Museum & Archives of Rockingham County, North Carolina is another of Robert Underwood’s outstanding efforts on behalf of our hobby.

Featured Finds Although I have found too few, my favorite coin to uncover and collect is the Walking Liberty half dollar. Considered by many to be the most beautiful coin ever minted in the United States, it was designed by Adolph A. Weinman, who came to this country from Germany.

When the coin first appeared in 1916, there was concern that it

As a reward for their detecting presentation, club representatives were later allowed to search the historic schoolgrounds.

20 APRIL 2016

did not look like any previous American coin. However, it soon was recognized for its beauty. Today, Walking Liberty half dollars continue to be unearthed, and a number of them have recently been reported among the many lucky finds of club members.

Northwest Treasure Hunters Club Rathdrum, Idaho The Pull Tab Rob Deland, 1936-S Walking Liberty half dollar; Larry Hioger, air cadets’ hat badge; Eric Payne, 14K St. Christopher medal; Eric Berman, $11 in cash.

Michigan Treasure Hunters Livonia, Michigan The Prober Ross Soderert, 1918 Walking Liberty half dollar; Kris Seaburg, 1899 Barber quarter; Tim Bird, Detroit to Mackinaw baggage tag; Jack Lewis, 14K gold & diamond ring.

Indian Territory Treasure Hunting Club Tulsa, Oklahoma Treasure News Wally Dick 1944 Walking Liberty half dollar; J.M.

Freeman, 1853 Seated Liberty dime; John Hamilton, 1914-D Barber dime.

Cascade Treasure Club Auburn, Washington Foiled Again Joe Sacco, 1878 Seated Liberty dime; Ron Aldridge, 1871 Seated Liberty half dollar; Jon Gentry, 1951 10K class ring (I hope Jon can track down its owner.); Rick Razor, brass ship’s plate.

Olympic Peninsula Treasure Hunters Silverdale, Washington Treasure Tales Bugsy Cannon, 1832 Capped Bust and 1852 Seated Liberty half dimes; Warren Hooper, baby ring; Lee Speed, consolation prize.

Arizona Treasures Unlimited, Inc. Tempe, Arizona Treasure Trails Norm Collins, British pound sterling; John Amato, 1924 Mercury dime; Bill Kiser, 1875 Seated Liberty dime; Dennis Martin, Jack Daniels bottle.

Puget Sound Treasure Hunters Club

Tacoma, Washington Digging Washington Mark Kulseth, 1903-S Barber quarter; Kevin Japhet, silver & turquoise ring; Tim Conner, 1919 Russian coin; Jim Ratcliff, Jr., 1956 Wheat cent.

Nuggets Those who enjoy our hobby come up with some creative ideas on how to clean artifacts.

Lori Fealey is an active member of the EARTH club of Rome, New York. (EARTH stands for Electronic Archaeological Recovery Treasure Hunters... quite a mouthful!) Lori suggests using a “sink snake” for cleaning old bottles. These snakes are available at hardware stores and online.

Allen C. Holden, newsletter editor of the Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club, Kalamazoo, Michigan, taught me something about antique shotgun shell casings. Some of the earlier ones were all brass. Later, parts of the shotgun shells were partly paper and them much later, plastic. The bottom part of the modern shell is brass or, more recently, steel.

The early all-brass shells can be cleaned up beautifully and make great conversation pieces.

Thanks, Allen! (I hope I got this shell information right.)

Odds & Ends Roger Horrom, president of the Midwest Coinshooters & Historical Club, St. Louis, Missouri, volunteered to present a program on metal detecting to sixth and seventh grade classes at St. Theodore’s Parish School in Flint Hill. The presentations were given by Roger, Horrom, club vice president, Bill Matthews, and member Tim McNiff. Roger, Bill, and Tim set up displays featuring various metal detectors, cases of finds,

and examples of the recovery tools and other items they use when out detecting. They also displayed copies of treasure hunting books and magazines.

Toward the end of each class, Roger, Bill, and Tim took the class outside to a grassy area.

Tim organized the 25 or so students into two-person teams, with one given a detector to find the target while the other was given a pinpointer and served as the “pointer person” once the target had been detected.

Students kept the planted coins that they found, and it was an enjoyable and educational experience for all.

In return for their service, Roger, Bill, and Tim were granted permission to search the area around St. Theodore’s Parish.

Roger reported that they had good hunting, although he suspected that the area had been searched earlier.

Congratulations to Roger,Bill, and Tim for their community service. Their fine work makes everyone in our hobby look good.

Duncan Bell, a member of the Northwest Treasure Hunters Club in Rathdrum, Idaho, came up with a clever technique for a fun hunt. Duncan had everyone draw cards to form teams of two.

One person had to wear the headphones, and one had to swing the detector. All the targets were tokens, but only certain colors were good for silver.

Thanks, Duncan, for sharing this fresh approach to keeping things interesting.

In Memoriam It is with sadness that the Empire State Metal Detector Association, Albany, New York, announces the death of Michael Haley. Michael was a loyal member and supporter of our

hobby.

The South Jersey Metal Detecting Club, Haddon Heights, New Jersey, regrets to announce the passing of member Bud Houck. Bud was a longtime member and great supporter of the club. He will be deeply missed.

With sadness, the Electronic Archaeological Recovery Treasure Hunters (EARTH) of Rome, New York reports the loss of Dan Venti. Dan was an active member of the club.

The Kalamazoo Antique Bottle Club, Kalamazoo, Michigan, deeply regrets to announce the passing of member Judy Jesiek. An active club member, Judy was known as “The Cookie Lady” because she brought delicious cookies to club meetings.

Until next time, don’t forget to fill those holes! The hobby you save may be your own.

Happy hunting!

And remember... please send me your newsletters!  Please send club newsletters directly to William Purkey, via 1st Class mail if possible: William W. Purkey 1031 Prestwick Court Clemmons, NC 27012 Email:wwpurkey@aol.com

WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 21

Michael J. Martin

“Best Finds” Continued From Page 8.

1724 Gold Mourning Ring Black enameled skull on band. Engraved inside: “D. W. ob: 7. Dec. 1724 at 84.”

Value: Unpublished Note: Michael is also a 2015 Gold Coin Club honoree.

J. HALL WALKER & WALTON TOKEN and PLANTER’S BANK COUNTERMARK Value: Undetermined William Plummer

Whatever your definition of impossible may be, you can bet that William Plummer won’t buy into it. After he dug an uncommon and coveted Planter’s Bank countermarked bit a couple of years ago, the odds that he’d repeat that feat seemed longer than those of hitting the lottery and being hit by lightning. Undaunted, he did it anyway— and he did more. As you can see, not only did he indeed score a second Planter’s Bank bit in 2015, but he also unearthed a Hard Times token so rare that reportedly only a couple of this particular variety have come up for auction in the past century!

In 1834, J. Hall Walker & Walton issued big trade pieces declaring themselves, “Importers of and Dealers in Hardware and Ship Chandlery, No. 17 New Levee New Orleans” and offering Crescent City customers merchandise as diverse as “Fine Cutlery, Guns, Pistols, Iron, Nails & Castings, Burr Blocks, Millstones &c.” Although the full legends are no longer legible on the one that William found, you can view a really splendid specimen at the following link from MANTIS - The American Numismatic Society Collection Database: http://numismatics.org/collection/1891.3.1 Obviously, exonumia of this rarity can only be valued by prices paid, hence our designation of “Undetermined” for these. What we can tell you is that Planter’s Bank pieces have brought $5,000 or more, depending on variety and condition. As for the J. Hall Walker & Walton tokens, an example exhibiting considerable wear went for more than $8,000 eight years ago. We’ll let your guesstimation take MAIL ORDER DETECTORS over from there. If you’re a ARE EXPENSIVE! “We meet people every day who bought regular reader of W&ET— their mail order detector over a year and you should be!— ago, and still don’t understand how to use it!” Who knows what priceless tarWilliam’s also well known to gets they’ve missed... you as one of our fine freePaying a little more to a local dealer is a real lance contributors. So, when bargain. In Michigan, your local dealer is: we asked for a story featuring Pro/Stock Detectors Since these phenomenal finds, he (269) 685-1776 1968! came through with “When Plainwell, MI •Between Grandrapids & Kalamazoo• Lightning Strikes— Thrice!” www.prostockdetectors.com You’ll find it on page 45.

22 APRIL 2016

SILVER & GOLD MINI-CACHE Value: $7,350+ William Freeman

What better way to ring in the new year than by digging up some really old silver and gold! That’s exactly what William Freeman did, when he and a few friends got together last January 1 for a hunt at a c. 1770s homestead. While most of us were sleeping in, having second thoughts about our new year’s resolutions, or OD’ing on football, hot wings, and nachos, William was working his way toward a treasure hunting payday that would top an estimated seven grand! There were only half a dozen coins in the mini-cache he found, but they’re the kind of coins that detecting dreams and lifelong wish lists are made of... Spanish silver 2 reales, most from the 1700s... a big Capped Bust quarter struck back in 1819... and best of all, an unbelievably beautiful 1812 Capped Bust $5 Half Eagle welcoming him to W&ET’s Gold Coin Club! Beyond that? Well, let’s just say that there was quite a bit of blank space left on the entry form he sent in, but it’s easy enough to read between those lines, and the finds speak for themselves!

SPANISH SILVER & GOLD Value: $2,250+ Bill Bice

24 APRIL 2016

Thanks to the Internet, today detectorists are able to interact and network as never before.

For Bill Bice, joining an online forum led to a dream come true, when a fellow member invited him to join in the search at a Colonial site in Florida. Some years ago, archaeologists had recovered over 66,000 artifacts

WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 25

nearby, many of which are now on display in a local maritime museum. However, recent hunts had made it clear that there was still ground around well worth working, as buttons, musketballs, and even a coin or two had cropped up. Now it was Bill’s turn, and before long he began getting some good hits, too. A number of trips added 18th century British buttons, an early 1800s U.S. Light Artillery button, some musketballs, and a 1731 8 reales cob to his collection. Then came his first gold coin, a little 1783 half escudo.

However, the last hunt was also the best. Bill came away that day with two Spanish silver coins— a 1783 real and a 1786 2 reales; and two pieces of gold— a 1793 2 escudos and an 1807 8 escudos. (Gold Coin Club? Oh, yeah!) In all, they’d likely retail around $2,250, but as Bill points out, there’s more than monetary value involved. “This is great history that could have been lost forever, but now these coins have been found for folks to see and learn about.” Right you are, Bill... and that’s what really makes them treasure!

Anonymity’s always an option when entering Best Finds, and D. W.’s identity is GOLD CROSS & firmly kept in confidence. We’re just glad that he doesn’t keep all of his discoveries a TOBAGO MOCO Value: Undetermined secret, too, because the guy comes up with some amazing stuff! In fact, you might “D. W.” recall seeing those same initials with his Gold Coin Club double entry a couple of years ago. Otherwise, for the most part he maintains a low profile and high success rate, and these two prizes from 2015 are compelling proof of his treasure hunting prowess. Both were found at undisclosed former fort sites in the Caribbean— and yes, D. W. stresses, he had full authorization to explore those locations. The gold cross, a breathtaking beauty measuring 2-1/4'' x 3-1/2'', remains under research but is obviously valuable, whatever its provenance proves to be. As for that little crenellated piece of silver, barely bigger than a shirt button, it’s a c. 1798 moco (1-1/2 bits) from British Colonial Tobago (now part of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago). Bearing a radiant script T for Tobago, the tiny countermark coin was plugged out of the center of a Spanish 8 reales. What’s it worth? That check remains to be written, but in recent years other examples have sold for $2,000-3,000+. So, once again, D. W... well done!

Every region TRADE ERA SILVER offers its own relic hunting opportuniARMBAND ties: Colonial and Revolutionary War Value: $3,500+ sites in the Guy Durand Northeast... Civil War camps and battlefields down South... far-flung forts and forgotten mines ’way out West. For Guy Durand, it’s artifacts of the Fur Trade Era that beckon him down the backroads and into the deep woods of Quebec, and he’s surely found his share. Last year alone he recovered a nice Trade ring, a brooch touchmarked by legendary silversmith Robert Cruickshank (c.1775-1809), and the Trade Era trophy relic shown here— a silver armband emblazoned with a highly stylized, bird-flanked crown! In the 18th and early 19th centuries, both government agents and fur traders awarded silver gorgets and armbands to Native American chieftains and other tribal leaders. Some of these gifts bore actual European arms such as those of Spain, France, or Great Britain; and, in later years, American Federal eagles. Others featured fanciful “royal” devices &/or depictions of birds, beaver, and other animals. When found, the designs on Guy’s armband were masked by a thick, black 26 APRIL 2016

patina. The choice must have been a hard one, but in the end he decided to clean it, bringing all the engraver’s hidden handiwork gleaming back to life.

Taking into account its historical significance and unique motif, and after careful study of the “before & after” photos, a professional appraiser of Trade Era silver suggested a retail value of $3,500+. Wherever your own relic haunts happen to be, we think you’ll agree that this is one Best Find!

Many fields of collecting have been impacted by UNLISTED WASHINGTON metal detecting, and perINAUGURAL BUTTON haps none more dramatiValue: Unpublished cally than Washington Tim Myers Inaugural buttons. In some cases, the number of recoveries has all but rewritten rarity ratings. On the other hand, both growth of the hobby and advances in technology have raised the tantalizing possibility that entirely new varieties might yet appear. For Tim Myers, last year that possibility became a reality! So, what exactly did he find? “It’s a new WI 14 variety. Classified as R-7, ‘1-2 known specimens,’ in fact it’s the only one known!” And where and how did he find it? “It was at an old homestead site, half a mile back in the woods... basically just a pile of rocks that had a cabin on it. I was detecting with my buddy Angelo, and we found six large cents, ranging from a partial date in the 1700s, up to 1818; eight half dollar-sized buttons, a few cast pewter buttons, a batwing buckle, and some tiny buckles and brooches. The Washington Inaugural button was about ten yards away from the foundation rocks.” It was unmistakably similar to the type cataloged in Albert’s button book as WI 14 - “Colonial with Eagle and Star”— but just as unmistakably not identical to it. A leading authority in the field soon confirmed this assessment and also expressed an interest in buying his find. Pricing any rarity can be tricky. Pricing a unique item takes things into totally uncharted territory. Let’s just say that in this case, “Unpublished” is code for thousands!

MASSACHUSETTS 6TH REGIMENT BUTTON

Metal detectors don’t just look down into the ground... they peer back through the centuries, spying out things from a proud past... things with stories to tell. Relic hunters aren’t just “dirt fishers,” either...

Value: $1,000+ they’re time Gary Harrington travelers.

Gary Harrington had those distant days in view when he set to work, searching around a 1776 farmhouse in southern Vermont. The Green Mountain Boys had been there once upon a time, and not far away was the place that Ethan and Ira Allen called home. Where there are expected to be old things underfoot,

WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 27

though, there are still plenty of surprises. The one awaiting Gary this time was a Massachusetts 6th Regiment button, dating from the reorganization of the Continental Army in 1781. That’s when the state’s regimental quota was cut from 15 to ten, and the official number of a regiment was raised to 717 officers and men. Lt. Col. Calvin Smith headed the 6th then, later to be succeeded by Col. Benjamin Tupper in 1783. The regiment’s story from the time it was raised on April 23, 1775 until it was disbanded on November 3, 1783 would fill these and many more pages. Some of our hobby’s greatest adventures only begin when a coin or relic comes to light. The real rewards come when we take up the challenge of finding out about those finds. No, it’s not “just a button.” Not just a fistful of fast cash, either. Call it trite if you like, but when Gary picked it up that day, he was truly holding a lot of history in his hand.

“My brother-in-law and I were detecting in BRITISH 31st REGIMENT Berkshire County, GRENADIER’S BOX Massachusetts, at a PLATE site we’d actually found by accident,” Value: Unpublished says Todd Sherman.

Todd Sherman Considering what happened next, we’d like to be a bit more accident-prone, too! “I’d always dreamed of making a find like this, but honestly never thought I would,” he confides, and that skepticism was well founded. Nobody else had ever found one either. “As far as I know, not even a photo of another one has turned up, so evidently it’s the only known British 31st Regiment grenadier’s box plate.” And no wonder. It was rare right from the day it was made. “Grenadiers were the elite.

Only 38 men out of a 380-man British Revolutionary War regiment would have had a ‘flaming grenade’ plate like this one.” And the story behind it?

The 31st came to America in 1765 and were briefly stationed in the Pensacola, Florida area before being sent to the island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, to protect British sugar plantations threatened by Carib natives.

Although successful in quelling the uprising, they suffered heavy losses due to disease and eventually were transferred back to North America, where they remained from 1776 to 1787, serving in Canada. Companies of the 31st helped maintain defenses at Quebec during the Revolutionary War, and some of their troops also served in combat operations under General Burgoyne, being among those who surrendered at Saratoga, New York on October 17, 1776. Finally, after more than a decade of further service in Canada, the regiment returned to England. Todd has no doubt about how the

28 APRIL 2016

relic fits into that history: “This plate is definitely tied to the surrender at Saratoga.” Although missing the openwork GR cypher or monogram from its center, it boasts a pleasing patina, the flame and 31 are crisply detailed, and all three mounting lugs are intact on the back. Ultimately, Todd decided to accept a private collector’s offer for his find; and although he chose not to disclose the amount, you can be sure that it reflects the plate’s great history and rarity.

COLONIAL COINS & RELICS

When you live in America’s oldest city— well, the oldest continuously Value: Unpublished occupied European Keith Woodward site in the continental U.S. anyway— you’re off to a pretty good start as a treasure hunter. St. Augustine, Florida was founded by the Spanish in 1565... and hunted hard by Keith Woodward in 2015! “I love that old dirt!” he says. “I’m finding relics from the 1500s on up to the Civil War period... Spanish silver...

Revolutionary War buttons and buckles... pieces of swords, scabbards, and firearms... personal items like religious medallions and thimbles.

Digging down layer after layer is like turning back pages in time!” Keith literally overwhelmed us with photos of his recoveries, but we think these few will give you a fair hint of what he’s been finding. Have a look at that handful of coins!

And how about a stack of Spanish silver, including 1/2, 1, and 4 reales, forever fused together by fire? Or a trio of British 60th Regiment buttons from the Revolutionary War? Again, these are only a small sampling of Keith’s keepers from the past year alone. We also recall even more Spanish cobs and a jaw-dropping 1783 Georgius Triumpho token that he showed us the year before. Yeah, Keith loves living in St. Augustine, all right... but he seems to be making a second home for himself here in Best Finds!

The entry began casually enough: “In August of 2015, I was metal detecting at a construction site in central Virginia and finding a bunch of 1793 CHAIN cool coins and relics: an Indian Head cent, three large cents, a Seated CENT Liberty dime, Minie balls, pistol bullets, a scabbard tip...” Then Thomas Value: Undetermined Garnett began to up the ante: “Even an 1851 belt plate and a cast ‘CSA’ button.” Finally, there it was: “And a Chain cent.” He didn’t even add Thomas Garnett an exclamation point... but we will! America’s first large cent, and the first circulating coin issued by the fledgling U. S. Mint, the rather crudely rendered Chain cent immediately met with firm disapproval. It was struck for less than two weeks— March 1-12, 1793— before the Mint’s meager supply of planchets ran out, and when production resumed there was a “new and improved,” wreathreverse cent design. Some numismatists have suggested that out of a total mintage of 36,103, the surviving Chain cent population probably amounts to no more than 5-6%. But rarity is only part of the problem. Many of the coins were struck from impure, low-grade copper, making them especially vulnerable to corrosion. As a result, collectors can’t afford to be too finicky unless they’re content to live without one. Assuming there’s no major damage (bent, holed, etc.), a Chain cent with a

WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 29

full chain and most or all of the legend United States of America (or Ameri.) still discernible has got to be at least About Good or Good. Thomas’s coin is one of the full America varieties. Unfortunately, we can’t be more specific since he didn’t include an obverse close-up of the coin, but if its condition compares to that of the reverse, then it’s a hands-down, thousands find! (As this issue goes to press, an About Good Chain cent is valued at $5,000.) To those grading zealots who endlessly, ominously opine about “environmental damage,” oblivious to the coin’s extreme rarity in any condition, we say, “Okay, how soon do you think you can get out there with a detector and dig up a better one?” We’re waiting!

CIVIL WAR NEW JERSEY STAFF BUTTONS

When you get to page 50 of this issue, you’ll see Grant Hansen’s fine feature article, “Found! Civil Value: $4,000+ War New Jersey Grant Hansen Staff Buttons.”

And if you think the title says it all, think again!

Reading Grant’s words, you’ll sense his understandable excitement and pride about the recovery of those seven rare buttons. You’ll also realize the rewards that can come from developing a genuine friendship with property owners who share your fascination with what happened on their land long ago.

Most of all, you’ll appreciate his perspective about the privilege and responsibility that come with the acquisition, research, and care of such relics. “I even know the name of the man who wore them!” he told us. “While these are by far my most valuable finds, I can’t put a price on how special they are to me. They have witnessed a critical part of American history and traveled to places and events that I’m thankful I never had to experience. Soldiers are heroes, and finding military relics provides a small, tangible connection to those extraordinary people.”

On the last day of January 2015, Joseph Parady dug the wreath of a “C S” TONGUE & two-piece belt plate— and then the snow moved in. Through days of bitter winter weather, WREATH BELT he waited impaPLATE tiently to go back in search of the Value: $3,500+ rest of his relic. “It Joseph Parady kept me up nights, thinking about the other half of that buckle.” When the chance finally came, conditions were still against him.

“We went back twice to look for it, but both times the ground was frozen solid. There was just no way we could dig at that spot.” At last he caught a break. This time there was rain, not snow, and the next day temperatures rose into the 60s. “A couple of friends and I got there

32 APRIL 2016

about 8:00 that morning and got down to business. My first two targets were junk, a piece of wire and a nail, but then I got a solid hit. I nearly lost it when I saw the side of that buckle tongue!” There were other relics found that day, too. “We all found bullets, and one of my friends found half a spur. The other one came up with a Confederate block ‘A’ button, and before we wrapped things up I also dug a sword belt hook... about 3' away from from the buckle tongue!” Back at home, Joseph paired up the pieces and could rest easy at last: they were a perfect match. “There’s no better buzz than this!” he says. “Thanks for letting me share this great day!”

Been wishing and waiting to find one of these? You’ve got a lot of company. Bryan Bauman did his share of wait- CAST “C S” BELT PLATE ing, too— and it was worth it! “I actually started detecting Value: $2,800+ as a teenager back in 1978, and I’ve lived and hunted in Bryan Bauman Goldsboro, North Carolina since 1989. In all those years, I never once found a Civil War belt plate— until now! One Saturday last August, I decided to check out a lot here in town where a house had been torn down. It didn’t look all that promising, but a week later I went back to give it a shot anyway. Since I wasn’t expecting to find much, I cranked up the discrimination, figuring that at least I’d have less trash to contend with. After working almost all of the lot— and with only newer coins, a couple of Wheat cents, and some old brass to show for it— I had one last pass left, and about halfway down the strip a big hit stopped me in my tracks. ‘Most likely a can,’ I thought as I popped out a plug.

Then, 5'' down I saw what had kicked that big signal out of my machine. It was unquestionably the back of a buckle, all hooks intact, and after a moment of stunned silence I flipped it over and saw... CS! I could hardly believe my eyes, but after 26 years of hard hunting here in the Goldsboro area, I was finally holding a Confederate belt plate! I finished the strip, still in a daze, and then started for home. But did I go back for another crack at that lot? You know I did! This time dialing the discrimination down to zero, I soon discovered how much I’d missed: numerous dropped bullets, eagle buttons (one a Dragoon), a Connecticut state seal button, and another great find, a Civil War period baggage tag from the Wilmington & Manchester Railroad!” (See “Ask Mark Parker” in the February 2016 issue of this magazine.) Again, if you’re still waiting for a find like Bryan’s, hey, that’s okay... but don’t wait another day to go look for it!

“How many of us find the best things just as we’re about to leave?”

“C. S. A.” BELT asks Jason Jarnagin. We’ve heard our share of those stories (and maybe told a few, too!), hudPLATE dled around a kitchen Value: $2,500+ coffeepot or campfire— Jason Jarnagin but not many to match the happy ending of the one Jason shared. “I had only a few hours of daylight left after getting off work, when I hurried to a local site that had recently been cleared. I started working a pattern in one corner of the property, but with trash at the bottom of nearly every hole and sundown now minutes away, I moved to the west side of the hill to make the most of the fading light. As I reached the crest, I heard one of those ‘different’ signals that got my hopes up, and what I found didn’t let me down. Underneath a tangle of thick tree

WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 33

roots I saw the edge of a flat piece of metal, pulled it out, brushed it off, and read, ‘C. S. A.’! For a little while I knelt on there in disbelief.

Finally heading back to my car, I kept thinking not just of how lucky and blessed I was, but how I could so easily have given up, not bothered to check that last spot, and gone home empty-handed. I can’t tell you how glad I am that I went with my instinct instead!”

VIRGINIA MILITIA BELT PLATE Value: $1,000 Gregg Gensone

“The signal was so loud that when I heard it, I thought it was a soda can,” recalls Gregg Gensone. “At first, I wasn’t even going to dig... but I’m glad I did!” And with good reason, because that “can” turned out to be a c. 1860 Virginia Militia belt plate. The die-struck design is the seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the plate is the variety with a period after the motto Sic Semper Tyrannis [“Thus Always to Tyrants’], and one after Virginia. Its manufacture is attributed to James S. Smith & Sons of New York, whose mark appears on the tongue of some of the plates. Not surprisingly, production came to a screeching halt in 1861, when the Civil War began. Just to make sure of it, authorities seized the dies Smith had been using— and in so doing, helped to ensure the existing plates’ rarity. Today, a problem-free one can be worth $3,500-4,000+, but what about Gregg’s? Other examples with significant damage (bends, cracks, tears, holes, missing metal) have fetched as much as $1,500-2,000, with a view toward restoration. This one, we’re told, has similar potential for such enhancement. But whether carefully conserved as found— an option many would favor— or given a bit of attention by a skilled professional, it’s a plate worthy of proud display in any showcase... including the big one we like to call Best Finds!

CAST OVAL “CS” BELT PLATE

“Heath Jones and I were relic hunting at a site in Mississippi last spring, and I was Value: Unpublished lucky enough to locate this solid cast Steve Phillips Confederate plate,” reports Steve Phillips. Evidently, they’re not done with that Dixie hotspot either, because his narrative came to a full stop right there! After all, when there are relics of that kind on the line, a veteran hunter’s not about to tip his hand. As for pricing the plate, this is one of those times when we wish we had the item in hand. It’s a tough call, just from the photos, as to where the bidding might begin or end. That said, a higher grade excavated cast oval “CS” can command four or five grand; so, no matter how it checks out, Steve’s is definitely in four-figure territory. But he’s not in any hurry to put a price tag on it. “I usually hunt for artillery projectiles,” he says, “but this find will fit into my collection just fine!”

34 APRIL 2016

Sure, you remember Roger Cobb. He’s been in Best Finds before... and before that... and before that, and... well, you get the idea. This time his entry is a Confederate staff officer’s button (CS 7A, if your copy of Albert’s button book is within reach), desirably backmarked “W. DOWLER / SUPERIOR QUALITY.” As usual, it was a keen insight into regional history that enabled Roger to zero in on yet another enviable find. “I dug it at a site in central South Carolina— a river crossing where Confederate troops kept an eye on Sherman’s army while he was held up by flooding rains. It’s an area that’s given up a number of Confederate I, A, C, and R buttons, including a rare script R cuff button that my girlfriend found. You might remember that one from the Best Finds of 2013.” No, this is by no means Roger’s first relic hunting “rodeo.” In fact, his track record reminds us of the words we once heard used to describe basketball legend Larry Bird: “The man knows his game like your mama knows your name!”

CONFEDERATE STAFF OFFICER’S BUTTON Value: $1,000+ Roger Cobb

GANNT & HOFFMAN AMBER PONTILED SODA BOTTLE

Can an antique bottle like this one really be worth thousands of dollars?

Sheldon H. Fawns knows the answer’s, “Yes!” And he knows why. Naturally, it’s all about rarity. But part of that rarity is due to the fact that most of those Value: Unpublished bottles are destined to remain unfound, Sheldon H. Fawns underground because, Sheldon tells us, “Digging for them is hard, painstaking work... work that sometimes can literally break your back!” There’s also a lot of preliminary work, delving into histories, poring over maps, and driving around in search of old houses and their privy pits.

That’s what he does, and he does it well— and that’s why he’s able to get his hands on “classical glass” like this ultimate rarity in Jersey sodas, an amber pontiled “Gannt & Hoffman,” fully intact, from the mid 1800s. Sheldon calls it, “Probably the best bottle I’ve found,” and that alone gives it some claim to fame.

Once word got out, the offers rolled in, and a bottle long consigned to the depths of a privy now enjoys pride of place in a major private collection. Meanwhile, Sheldon’s back in the hunt, scouting out and shoveling down, “Unlocking history one foot at a time!”

PREHISTORIC COPPER KNIFE Value: $750 Joseph W. Nechuta

Only a year ago, Joseph W. Nechuta shared his discovery of a 4,000-year-old copper spear point, both in Best Finds and in an article, “It Was Just Another Field,” appearing in that same April 2015 issue of W&ET. Six months later, searching in a Wisconsin cornfield, he was astounded to uncover another ancient artifact rivaling the first one. “A friend of mine directed me to a place where, years earlier, old-timers had recalled finding arrowheads—flint points, though, not copper ones. After gaining permission to detect, I was initially disappointed to find only a few copper fragments. It didn’t look as if my luck would be any better the next WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 35

time I had a chance to hunt there, when I arrived to see that the corn was still standing in the field. That’s when I decided to ‘think outside the box’ and try my luck in a grassy area some distance away. It was slow going at first, but about an hour into the hunt I got a really good signal around 7'' down, and sure enough it was copper... old copper... a 6-1/2'' prehistoric knife, later appraised at $750! That’s what I love about this hobby. You can find anything from today’s nickels and dimes, to tools and weapons last wielded thousands of years ago,— and you never know when, or what, your next good target might be!”

CELLAR HOLE JEWELRY CACHE

Old cellar holes are a favorite target of relic and treasure hunters, especially Value: $2,000 in the Northeast.

Terry Charest Stumble upon or track down a good one, and you could be in for a great day of detecting... exactly what Terry Charest and his brother, Paul, had in mind. “As usual, we were traveling down one of the backroads here in Rhode Island, in search of Colonial cellar holes, and pretty soon we spotted one hidden in a patch of pines. I went past the hole, swinging toward what I thought might have been the backyard, while Paul began working closer to the cellar itself.

After digging nothing but a D buckle and the reed plate of a harmonica, I went over to where Paul was hunting.

I put my coil on the ground and on the second swing heard a grunt of a signal, along with a slight high tone.

I kicked through the thick carpet of leaves, rechecked the spot, and got a better reading. Sinking my shovel into the soil, I flipped back the plug and saw a gold chain! I pulled it out, handed it to Paul, and went back over the hole with my pinpointer. There was more! When the signals finally went silent, I was looking at 2.68 oz. of modern era, 14K gold jewelry!” Checking the latest spot prices, that amounts to about $1,700, just as scrap gold. What’s more, it looks as if most of the jewelry remains in nice, wearable condition, and that would add another 15-20% or so in value, nudging the total toward $2,000. “I never would have expected to find anything like this at a cellar hole,” admits Terry— yet for some reason he doesn’t seem to mind at all!

“All is not gold...” Well, you know how the rest of it goes. For Mark Jenkins, who 1909-S V. D. B. was spending a weekend at a miners’ rally WHEAT CENT on a gold claim in the Pacific Northwest, Value: $700+ there wasn’t a lot of glittering going on Mark Jenkins either. “I spent most of my time digging nothing but trash in the fields. On the way back to my campsite, I passed an area where three roads intersected, forming a triangle, and the next day I decided to hunt there for a little while. There was plenty of trash at this place, too, but I scanned on at a very slow pace, eventually got a nice, faint sound, and dug up a Wheat cent. As I took it out of the ground, the dirt just fell off. Because this is a dry area, most of the old coins found there have only a small amount of oxidation, keeping their color and looking almost as if they were lost recently. Looking closer, I saw that it was a 1909 Wheat, and I quickly flipped it over, hoping to see V. D. B. at the bottom. I didn’t, but I still felt that I’d found a reasonably valuable coin— perfect to enter in the “Find of the Month” competitions of the detecting clubs I attend. Four months passed, and then one day as I was working on a display of my finds, I noticed a speck of dirt still clinging to the 1909 Wheat. A cautious touch or two with a toothpick, and the speck was flicked away, revealing those longedfor little letters... V. D. B.! It was an exciting moment, but also a wake-up call: I’m now in my late 40s, and I realized it was time to get reading glasses!” While you’ve got your own reading glasses on, if you need them, too, take a moment to turn to the Gold Coin Club section here in Best Finds and have a look at Mark’s 1856 French 10 Francs love token. Sometimes it really is gold that’s glittering after all.  36 APRIL 2016

Author’s father and reigning champ, Barry Cormier, fulfilled a 30-year quest when he at last recovered a gold & diamond solitaire ring.

This is the ring that ended the “drought”: a 14K gold, 1/4 carat diamond solitaire.

The End Of The 30-Year Drought

By Jolene E. Cormier when we hunt together, gloating over who has the best find and talking “smack” the entire time we’re out on the search. I have done a victory dance in the past— well, okay, more than one.

I believe singing has been involved as well. Unfortunately my dancing was not quite as enthusiastic this past summer and this is a situation I need to remedy. I’m currently losing our ongoing competition, and that

has made me hungry for someI have finally decided to purthing that will bring back my chase a second metal detector to competitive edge. I don’t like to use on some of my treasure lose. hunts. I have always had trouble The gold & diamond solitaire getting my current unit to work ring has been my father’s white effectively in any wet sand and whale for his entire detecting salt water combination, at the career, spanning nearly 30 years. saltwater beaches where my He has found a number of silver father and I sometimes hunt and gold rings through the years, when I am back home. However, and rings with diamonds, but the I have had good luck using it in diamond solitaire gold ring had freshwater locations. Since I always eluded him until this past only visit saltwater areas a cousummer, when he found two ple of times a year and have within seven days at the been content to searching the same beach. dry sand and bank when The Garrett Infinium LS beach hunting, I have not felt is one of my father’s newest the need to invest in a second detectors and he spent many machine— until now. The weeks teaching himself the events of this past summer finer points involved in opermade me change my mind, ating the machine, including when my father ended (in watching the instructional spectacular fashion) his 30video on the Garrett website. year diamond solitaire Both rings were found using drought.

My father and I always The second ring was also a 1/4 carat diamond soli- the same technique, which he explains to me as reverse have a friendly competition taire, and the gold was 18K. WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 37

table, admiring the rings, I began taking notes, partly to write about his amazing back-to-back finds and partly to start teaching myself about the machine in advance of my purchase. I’m getting a head start, preparing for next year’s competition. As I said, I don’t like to lose, and I like finding gold rings. I also like The 14K gold ring in profile. to do my victory discrimination. It is set in alldance. Besides the notes, I will metal mode at zero discriminahave him teach me the technique tion, and when he gets a signal he when I bring my Infinium out to turns the discrimination all the the beach for the first time. And, way up to 9 (the highest level) no— I don’t consider any of this and tries the target again. “If you cheating. still get the signal, then don’t “I set my threshold so that I bother digging it because it’s have a slight hum,” he offered. iron,” he tells me. This tech“Turn the threshold up just nique won’t work for larger enough to have a slight, steady items that might be considered sound and then listen for little valuable finds, such as Civil War waves in the sound.” Both rings, belt buckles, because they would which were found seven days still produce a signal at a disapart and about 25' from each crimination of 9. We don’t find other, produced only the slightest many Civil War belt buckles in fluctuations in sound. With the automatic ground track setting he Canada, though, and it is unlikely starts on slow and then locks it he is missing these items at the in, because once he is out on the local beach. However, he dug beach the mineralization doesn’t every target for many weeks change much. before he felt confident using this The first gold ring was technique to discriminate (and found on the very edge of the ultimately bypass) certain tarwaterline in wet sand. The gets. beach is in a tidal area, and As we sat around the kitchen when he started digging the signal he was in the water; but about five minutes later, when he located the ring, the water had moved away. The ring was about 12'' deep.

Digging with a sand scoop in the wet sand took a lot of effort, and he almost walked away from the signal, which never changed A profile view of the 18K ring.

38 APRIL 2016

and never moved for most of the dig.

“I was at that point where you say to yourself— one more scoop full and then I quit, but then it moved.”

The band is 14K gold, with a simple design of yellow & white gold flanking the stone on both sides. The diamond solitaire is about 1/4 carat. The 14K stamp inside the band was removed when my mother had the ring sized so that she could wear it. A local jeweler, Randy, is a close friend of the family. He has been in the jewelry trade for 35 years and cleans my father’s finds for him for free (well, the price of a coffee).

When my father requested a rough guess at the value, Randy priced the ring at around $1,000. This was not a written appraisal; my father simply asked how much it would cost to purchase, and Randy told him that someone might be able to purchase it from his store for $1,000 if they were lucky and it was a good sale.

The band on the second ring is 18K, still stamped, and also has a two-toned design of white & yellow gold. This design is more intricate with what appears to be three leaves or petals on either side of the stone. The outermost petal (which is also the middle of the three) is then accented with a ribbed, gold design. This ring’s solitaire diamond is about 1/4 carat, too. Randy believes that this solitaire dates from the 1920s or 1930s due to the design on the band and the cut of the diamond.

He estimates its value (again, not a written appraisal) to be around $1,400.

My father estimates that the ring was somewhere around 1617'' deep in wet sand. The tide was already out on this hunt.

“My biggest ‘complaint’ about the Infinium is that it goes too deep!” he says.

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Holding his two rings valued at around $2,500, I almost felt that I should harshly scoff at him for having any complaint at all, and royally outdoing me this year, but of course I didn’t.

He recalled a signal he had given up on much earlier in the year, before finding the ring, when he dug at least 16'' deep and still had not found the target.

The signal hadn’t changed or never moved, but in the end he walked away. “Still bothers me what I walked away from,” he said regretfully.

When I find my diamond solitaire next year, with my new machine, I’m going to tease him relentlessly about it being the signal he walked away from.

“Thanks for leaving this dia-

mond ring here for me to find, Dad!” I’ll say. “Now watch me dance!” 

JOLENE CORMIER, and her father have been treasure hunting together for many years. She currently lives in Dallas, Texas and travels up north a few times a year to visit her family and go detecting.

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A remarkable variety of coins is evident in this photo showing most of the “Collector’s Cache.”

The Collector’s Cache

By Harry Eichman I have always dreamed of know, the type of find featured in making that one really good find eye-catching metal detector ads with my metal detector— you or success stories here in W&ET.

40 APRIL 2016

While I have found my fair share of silver coins and neat relics since I started detecting in 2005, I have never found anything that left me speechless. That all changed during several days in the spring of 2014, when I stumbled upon one of the best finds of my career. Looking back, I am surprised that I was ever able to find this collector’s coin cache, but it seems that being at the right place at the right time and knowing your metal detector well really can pay off, just as all those ads and stories say.

It started out like many of my typical detecting days. I headed to a favorite local park with my White’s MXT 300 in hand, hoping to uncover the next great “treasure.” While I have found several Indian Head cents and silver coins at this park, I did not have high expectations that day as it is well hunted. Shortly into the search, I noticed that several bushes and their stumps had been removed from an area of the park where I had found some silver coins in the past. As I swung my detector over to this new area, my eye caught the glint of a silver disc in a small mound of dirt created by a stump remover.

Picking the disc up, I initially thought I had found some kind of token, but closer inspection

A dozen silver coins were included in the cache.

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copper coin, also in fairly good condition. At this point, I realized that I might have stumbled upon the remains of a coin cache.

This was confirmed shortly with the recovery of three silver Netherlands 25¢ coins from 1917-18, three Danish 25 ore from 1916-1918, a British penny from 1899, and halfpenny from 1906, a silver French 50 centimes from 1918, a French 10 centimes from 1917, an 1830 copper Portuguese 20 reis, an 1844 copper Portuguese 10 reis, several corroded coins that appeared to be made out of zinc, and Iron and zinc German coins from 1918 reflect the some rusted coin-sized Shortly grim economy of that nation during the last year of iron discs. after finding these WWI. revealed that it was actually an early 20th century French Algerian 1 Franc in fairly good condition.

Intrigued, I started swinging my metal detector around the area where these bushes had once been. To my amazement, I started getting multiple signals.

My very next hit turned out to be an 1857 Napoleon III French

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The oldest and newest coins found in the cache: a 1771 copper Swedish 1 skilling (left) and a 1940s-1989 Japanese 1 yen (right).

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coins, I regrettably had to head home as it was getting dark.

At home that night I started to clean up the coins I had found.

Those in the best condition seemed to be dated around 191718. I surmised that the coins had probably been hidden by a collector who had gotten them from someone who had been in

The reverses of the silver coins. Interestingly, the worst looking coins are those with a debased alloy, not the oldest per se.

WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 41

The find that started it all— an early 20th century French Algerian 1 Franc.

Struck in high relief, this silver-plated religious medal was the last find of note from the cache.

Europe during WWI. This notion was further supported when I cleaned the corroded zinc and iron coins. The zinc coins turned out to be German 10 pfennigs from 1917-18; and the iron discs, German 5 pfennigs from 1918.

42 APRIL 2016

The only U.S. coin found in the cache was this badly damaged 1939 Jefferson nickel.

When I returned to the same location a week later, I found more coins, including my oldest to date, a worn 1771 copper Swedish 1 skilling. Despite its wear, it appeared that the skilling had not been in the ground long, as it was not green like the Indian Head cents I have found in this park. Other notable finds included a silver 1905 Danish 25 ore, a debased (low-grade silver alloy) 1876 Swedish 25 ore, and a debased 1884 Swedish 10 ore.

Along with these coins I also found two zinc tokens that said Gefangenenlager Munster. Not recognizing these, I put them in my pouch for further research.

After finding the tokens, it seemed that I had cleared out most of the easy finds. I started to find a lot of small brass clock pieces and iron junk, but no more coins. Along with these pieces of

A WWI German zinc token made for use in an Allied POW Camp in Munster, Germany.

scrap, I was also digging pieces of old glass milk bottles. By now it was getting dark, so I headed home to clean my finds. That night, I discovered that the tokens I had found were actually used in German POW camps for Allied prisoners in Munster, Germany.

This 1898 Netherlands 25 cent turned out to be the author’s first key date coin.

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Lifetime Warranty I figured that someone had hidden this cache in either an iron box or a bottle of some type among the roots of the bush not long after it was planted decades ago. Since neither of these containers would have survived against the stump grinder, this would explain why my finds were scattered around the area of the shrub instead of being located in one spot. It would also explain the good condition of the coins, as they had been protected all these years by their container.

My next hunt in this hotspot soon put a kink in this theory, however.

I did not find many coins this time, due to the large amount of iron signals in the area, but I did manage to find my first American

This near-mint (detail) 1918 Danish 25 ore, found almost a year and a half after the initial cache recoveries, confirmed the old adage that no place is ever hunted out.

coin in the cache— a badly damaged 1939 Jefferson nickel. Soon after, I also found an aluminum 1941 French 50 centimes, and a 1940s-1989 Japanese copper 10 yen coin. This seemed to suggest that this coin collection had been buried sometime in the late 1940s or 1950s, as that was the date range of the “newest� coins I had found.

The next hunt at my cache spot proved to be the last time I found any coins. By this point, I had begun to slow my sweep speed to see if I could get any more good signals amid the numerous iron signals present. I also put my MXT in relic mode and turned the discrimination down. To my delight, I was able to find a small debased silver 1875 Swedish 25 ore, a 1913 German copper 1 pfennig, a holed 1940 British florin (two shillings), and a worn debased silver 1898 Netherlands 25¢ coin.

After finding the Netherlands 25¢ piece, I called it a day and headed home to clean the coins.

Later, research revealed that the 1898 Netherlands 25¢ was a rare date with a mintage of only several hundred thousand.

Although its condition left a lot to be desired, I was ecstatic that I had finally found my first key date coin. On a later return trip, I came up with a silver-plated religious medallion. This proved

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to be the last object of note from this incredible series of hunts.

In all, this collector’s cache had 41 coins, 12 were silver.

Moreover, the details on some of the coins were still almost as sharp as on the day they were minted. This cache rewarded me with many firsts, including my oldest coin, first foreign silver coin, first iron coin, and first key date coin.

As it turns out, there is one catch to this cache. Every single coin has significant edge gouges to at least one spot. I believe that these coins were all stacked on top of each other in the container they were buried in. Thus, they were all hit on the edge when the stumper grinder removed the bush. While this is disappointing, particularly in the case of some of the nicer silver coins, I have come to appreciate them for what they are— my first really good find. ď ˛ WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 43

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Other items found along with the first Planter’s Bank counterstamped coin included silver spoon pieces and Civil War bullets.

When Lightning Strikes— Thrice!

By William Plummer This is a time travel story... finds are dug, they are never one that transports us all the way something we are prepared for. back to early 1800s Louisiana.

They are seldom something we From there we must fast forward even recognize or can readily to a muddy, mosquito-infested, identify, because they are so rare swelteringly hot sugar cane field that we likely have never even in the summer of 2013, to a cold seen a photo of one before. This January day in 2015 at a stubblestory is about how I came to recover— in the span of two filled Louisiana field which had years— three rare and desirable shown little promise until someLouisiana tokens, each with a thing quite amazing was recovfascinating history. ered, and finally to a similarly Before the year 1812, hot, muddy day, when the rarest Louisiana had not yet become a find I’ve dug in 23 years was state. The currency of the era made. was an odd mix of Spanish, When lightning strikes in French, and South American this hobby, and the very best

coins. In spite of the motley money in circulation, the Louisiana economy was robust, due to large crops of indigo in the late 1700s, as well as the newcomer crop, sugar cane.

(Indigo was used for dying cotton, and its blue color is recognizable to all of us as the color of our blue jeans— even though the indigo used in our jeans is synthetic nowadays.)

Around the War of 1812, Louisiana experienced a shortage of coins worth two “bits” (i.e., 25¢). It was commonly held knowledge that, “The bad coins drive out the good” at times of currency disparity (also known as “Gresham’s Law). In other words, if there were good coins (U.S. minted coins, at full weight for their value), and lighter, underweight, and less pure coins (like the beaten-up, worn, clipped, cut, and trimmed reales and other foreign currency), then the good coins would be hoarded by the public, melted down, and profited from, and the underweight ones would continue to circulate. This tendency made things very difficult during the first years of the Philadelphia mint, in terms of keeping pace with demand. The growing coin shortage in Louisiana was made more severe by the fact that the production of 25¢ silver coins was suspended by the U.S. government between 1807 and 1815.

Near the end of this coin drought, the Planter’s Bank in New Orleans took matters into their own hands, seeking to remedy this shortage by procuring bags of 8 reales coins and cutting them into quarters, weighing and testing them carefully for silver content, and then stamping them with their mark to attest to their correct value by weight. There were four counterstamps used when these coins were cut into WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 45

All it takes is one good find to make a hunt, a year, or a lifetime. Surrounded by flat buttons, musketballs, and a honey-colored French gun flint is the second Planter’s Bank coin.

quarters and struck by the bank: an eagle encircled with the words Nouvelle Orleans, used in combination with one of the following three stamps: 1. An earlier stamp with the letters PB in a rectangle. (This stamp is almost always obliterated by being overstruck with a later stamp.)

2. The letters PB encircled by interlocking chain links similar to those on the back of the famous U.S. Chain cent.

3. A stamp with the word Bad, presumably used for marking coins which were substandard in quality or weight.

These counterstamped coins contributed to solving the coin crisis between 1811 and 1816, when a shipment of 70,000 newly-minted 1815 U.S. quarters arrived in Louisiana aboard the ship Big Free Ocean. These brand new Capped Bust quarters were only minted and sent that 46 APRIL 2016

year to banks that had ordered them; therefore, most of the entire mintage of 1815 quarters was sent to the Planter’s Bank of New Orleans.

In the span of time between 1807 and 1814, the quarter dollar denomination had been suspended in the U.S., with much discussion about its continuance, and there was even legislation written for a 20¢ denomination to replace the quarter dollar in the United States. It was largely due to the Planter’s Bank’s board members and cashier that the 25¢ denomination continued to be produced in the United States.

Next we move forward 20 years in American history to another coin shortage, the socalled Hard Times. During this period in history, President Andrew Jackson had worked to abolish the Second Bank of the United States, and issued a circular requiring payment in silver or

gold rather than paper money when buying land in the American West. This caused inflation and the hoarding of large quantities of silver and gold by the public, resulting in a coin shortage. In the midst of this monetary vacuum, brass and copper coins known as “Hard Times” tokens began to circulate. In fact, all sorts of coins and tokens circulated freely in trade during the 1830s and early 1840s, including large cent-sized Bank of Canada tokens, brass tokens, white metal issues, and countless advertising and political pieces. In 1836, the firm J. Hall Walker & Walton in New Orleans issued in small numbers a half dollar-sized brass advertising token which would end up becoming one of the most sought-after of all the Hard Times tokens.

My firsthand experience of all this incredible history started in 2013, during a summer hunt at a “backup site to my back up site.” It was a spot where I didn’t have high hopes at all. My wife wanted to bottle dig, since we’d seen signs of glass and pottery in one corner of the field. While she opened up a pit, I opted to swing a detector instead, due to the heat, humidity, and mud.

Digging a couple of silver spoon pieces gave me hopes for a nicer find, and a couple hours later I had several dropped Civil War bullets in my hands as well.

Then I got a decent signal and popped out an odd, pie-shaped piece. When I saw the counterstamps on it, I recalled seeing something similar in an earlier “Best Finds” issue of Western & Eastern Treasures. The coin I held in my hands was indeed just like the “Best Find” I’d seen, a Planter’s Bank counterstamped coin segment! With both stamps on the same side, one of them

being an early stamp which was not overstruck by the later PB stamp, the coin is truly a find of a lifetime.

Certainly, in this hobby lightning cannot strike twice... or can it? Unexpected and unknown to me, I was destined to have another encounter with these incredible coins. January 17, 2015 was a cold day by Louisiana standards. My buddy and I had not had much success in the site we were digging, except for a couple of musketballs and flat buttons that morning. Getting a decent, mid-range signal, I dug, not expecting much. A pie-shaped piece fell out of the hole, and my mind started racing. A few months earlier, my buddy had dug a quarter-cut 8 reales (unfortunately, unmarked). Would this, too, be a typical, unmarked, quarter-cut 8 reales, or could it be— by chance— another Planter’s Bank counterstamped coin? When I picked up the coin, I held my breath... and for a moment I thought I must surely be seeing things! Lightning had struck twice: staring at me through the dirt I could see the coveted Planter’s Bank counterstamp— again!

To have found two coins so rare puts one in an elite club: the club of those who own things that are so rare that even people who desire them, people with unlimited finance or time, cannot own them unless the items happen rarely to come up for auction. To be the custodians, the caretakers of such items as they make their way through time is a humbling experience, and the act of rescuing them from the ground is overwhelming. Yes, lightning had struck twice. But certainly it could not strike three times, leaving me with a third rare, local token or coin. Or could it?

Fast forward to the summer of 2015. It was a hot year in Louisiana— the kind of heat which makes a man question his sanity after being out digging for an hour or two. I was out that day with my wife, at a site that has given us a few nice finds over the years, mixed in with buckets upon buckets of trash.

We had spent most of the morning digging “can slaw” and junk, and although I’d dug a nice Barber quarter there the previous

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day, the current hunt was pretty much a bust. I remember digging a large cent-sized disc, and it read in the brass range on my Fisher F75. Thinking it was probably a large Colonial era button, I unceremoniously put it

WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 47

At first glance, the ultra-rare J. Hall Walker & Walton token looked like nothing more than a common, largesized flat button.

in my pouch. We worked hard in the heat, but in spite of our best intentions the rest of the hunt was uneventful.

A bit dejected, we headed home. When I got home, however, my disappointment quickly

turned to excitement as I cleaned the brass disc and could see writing on it. A quick Google search left me speechless: I’d dug an ultra-rare J. Hall Walker & Walton token! There are only 8-12 of these tokens known, and fewer than five have ever seen the auction block, making the token my rarest find yet. As it turned out, lightning had struck— thrice!

It’s true that we are seldom prepared to make a find of a lifetime. They are almost never dug in a nice, manicured lawn on a sunny, breezy day, with the temperatures at a steady 65°. We seldom pinpoint them accurately, cut a beautiful plug, and fold that plug back to see our find staring up at us from the bottom of the hole. No, the finds of a lifetime are often the ones we fight for, trudging through mud, battling

Careful cleaning of the rare token revealed enough surviving text to permit identification.

snakes, mosquitos, heat or cold.

They are the ones we chisel from the frozen earth. They are the ones we mis-pinpoint carelessly and risk scratching, dinging, or slicing. They are the ones that don’t beep at us saying, “I’m a find of a lifetime! Dig me!” No,

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every day, every minute, and every hole we dig... we must always expect the unexpected.

Even with advanced technology, metered computers on our arm, and target ID numbers, most of us are surprised by at least a few of our finds on each

The first Planter’s Bank counterstamped coin segment the author found. It shows the early “PB in rectangle” stamp along with the “Nouvelle Orleans” stamp on the same side. The host coin was an 1810 reales.

great finds are usually the signals that don’t quite sound like anything we’ve ever dug before— precisely because they aren’t like anything we have ever dug before, or have ever expected to find. That is one of the beautiful things about our hobby, that

Note the “Nouvelle Orleans” stamp, struck over the “PB in rectangle” stamp. (The “B” from the first stamp is still visible in the center.)

William was stunned to unearth a second Planter’s Bank counterstamped coin! The later “PB in chain links” counterstamp can be seen in this close-up. The host coin was likely a cast “War of Independence” 8 reales, as evidenced by cracking of the coin around the plow strike.

of our hunts; and when great finds are made, we are always be ready to embrace the thrill of discovery.  WILLIAM PLUMMER has been detecting for 23 years. He and his wife enjoy coin & relic hunting and bottle digging together.

WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 49

Expecting another modern coin, Grant was pleasantly surprised to pop up this silver thimble.

Author Grant Hansen found not one but seven New Jersey state seal Civil War staff buttons once worn by the original owner of the home.

Found! Civil War New Jersey Staff Buttons

By Grant Hansen When researching properties, find something to tie to an origiI often try to determine their hisnal event or homeowner. Most of torical significance, hoping to the time, I’m simply looking for somewhere old— a place dating back to a time before electricity... a time when people buried their garbage... a time so long ago that those who lost items I find are now long gone, too.

A particular house piqued my interest every time I drove by it.

This cute Dutch colonial with a big red barn and large property called to me. I tried knocking twice, but the owners weren’t home. However, the third time was a charm. The knock itself never happened. The entrance to the home is on the side of the “This bell rang beautifully... through house, so I parked my car near my headphones!” Grant recalls.

50 APRIL 2016

the street and began my walk up the driveway. From a distance I could see a head of curly blonde hair lounging in a hammock, reading a book. As if knocking

A closer look at one of the rare buttons that Grant recovered.

on a door and asking for permission to dig holes isn’t intimidating enough, I found myself about to disturb someone who was seemingly at peace.

Rather than sneak up, I called out from a distance. “Excuse me... hello?” As she turned to look my way, I kept my distance and introduced myself. “Hi, my name is Grant Hansen. Do you mind if I come over and ask you a question?”

Among the many old bricks surrounding the property was a Juan Jacinto Jova “JJJ” brick made in the Hudson River Valley.

The backmark HORSTMANN & ALLIEN N.Y. helped to identify the buttons as Albert’s NJ 7D variety.

“Sure!”

I slowly approached, telling her who I was and what I wanted to do. She was very warm and welcoming, and invited me inside to meet her husband. They told me the history of the house and showed me a Revolutionary War period cannonball and very old horse bit that they found on the property while gardening. My mind was going wild, thinking of what someone like me could find! After about ten minutes of fantastic conversation, I left with an open invitation to detect any time I wanted.

I showed up the next day.

I started my search where the homeowners told me the original front door had been located, figuring that this would have had the most traffic. Unfortunately, it proved to be a “dead air” area, to detect this old home site, but signals were few and far between.

Nothing old was coming up— not even old trash.

Deciding that it was time to 52 APRIL 2016

switch gears, I fueled up on some water and a candy bar, and then hit the opposite side of the house.

My first good target was a convex button backmarked RICH GOLD COLOR. I was excited that I’d finally found something from the early to mid 1800s. After the button I dug several suspenders and garter clips, and also turned up some broken pottery and glass.

Next came another convex button, and then a button with a seal on it. I couldn’t tell if whether was old or modern, but it seemed to be in great shape. I cleaned it off carefully and posted a photo to some Facebook groups I belong to, hoping that a member might help me identify it. It didn’t take long for someone to recognize the seal New Jersey state just as I noticed the horse’s head at the top. I love finding anything related to my home state, and my first thought was that it was a police or military button.

I continued to search this small area for a couple hours.

There were lots of targets, and everything was seemingly from the 19th century, even the junk.

Finding more garter and suspenders clips, pottery shards, and other odds and ends, in addition to more New Jersey seal buttons and convex buttons, I concluded that I was probably where the original owners had washed their dinnerware and clothing. Then, as I dug another plug and reached in to retrieve the target, the dirt felt very soft. I pressed forward and could literally stick my entire arm in (I stopped short of elbow deep when my brain told me something might be down there waiting to bite me). Perhaps this was once the location of a well (which would support my earlier hypothesis), but there was no other evidence, and the owners had no knowledge of it.

At the end of the day, having searched only about 15% of the property, I had a total of five New Jersey seal buttons and five convex buttons.

That night I spent most of my time researching the New Jersey buttons with the help of a friend.

We had assumed that these were post-Civil War buttons, but the

backmark told us differently: HORSTMANN & ALLIEN N.Y. These were indeed Civil War period New Jersey staff buttons!

My friend was quick to identify them as Albert’s NJ 7D “Horstmann & Allien/NY” variety, noting that they were very rare and valuable, even in dug condition.

While I hadn’t done research on this property prior to detecting it, the time had come to do some investigative work. It didn’t take long to learn that the original home owner had served as a private in the Union Army, 22nd Regiment, New Jersey Infantry, Company D. And then it hit me... not only had I recovered rare buttons, but I could actually identify the soldier who wore them! (I’ve left his name out of this story to

Some of the many horse tack pieces that surfaced during searches of the property.

protect the privacy of the current home owners.)

Obviously, I was eager to go back for more the following weekend. As I pulled into the driveway, I thought the day had ended before it began because the homeowners were having a big The homeowners gave Grant this decorative bridle party. The backyard bit that they had found years ago while gardening. had 20 tables, all with white linen, and there were cars parked up and down the entire driveway. I parked my car and walked around the house just to say hi before moving on to another property, but they insisted that I stay! Luckily, I wanted to focus on the same area where I’d found the buttons, out of sight from the Assorted garter and suspenders clips found in an guests. Before doing so, I told the owners area thought to be the location of an old well.

about the buttons I’d found. They were very excited for me, and told me that their son was a Civil War buff and was sure to be interested in seeing my photos when he arrived.

I quickly got to work, hoping that the 6'' coil on my Minelab CTX 3030 could sniff out some good targets amid the square nails and other old rubbish. It didn’t disappoint me. I found a few more convex buttons, garter clips, and a piece of a big pewter spoon— a pretty good day overall. The owner’s son broke from the party to say hi, and I showed him everything in my pouch, plus photos of the New Jersey buttons.

He was blown away! He told me how jealous he was... but not of the work that went into finding them. Like his parents, he seemed like a great person and genuinely happy that I was finding stuff on his very own turf!

During my next outing, I targeted the area nearer the original privy, which still stands. I quickly found more horse tack and WESTERN & EASTERN TREASURES 53

suspenders clips, but things got quiet as I wandered farther away from the small structure. I finally got a good signal and, peeling back the plug, saw a well-worn coin looking back at me. I couldn’t ID it right then, but I knew it was old, and that was good enough for me.

I made my way to the back of the property, behind the big red barn. It was a very junky area, and swarming with daddy longlegs spiders. They were everywhere! I was wearing shorts that day and continuously had to swipe them off my feet and legs.

In this area, I found even more horse tack and some small, fairly modern cartridges. So far, the finds were nothing to write home about, that is, until I got the next hit. Incredibly, it was another New Jersey Civil War staff button! That was about 100 yards away from where I’d found the others, and there was no evidence of anything else related to clothing. How and why it ended up in this part of the property is still a mystery to me.

As I was winding down for the day, I discovered a trash pit.

There were pottery shards and Mason jar lids all over the place.

This would be the spot I would concentrate on during my next visit.

When I got home, I cleaned the coin, discovering that enough of the leaf pattern remained on the reverse to identify it as a c.17951808 Draped Bust half cent!

The following weekend I headed straight for the trash pit.

Unfortunately, my reward amounted only to more pottery shards and Mason jar lids. As I headed back to my car, I walked over an area that I hadn’t really detected before, and quickly got two modern pennies. On my third high-tone signal, I expected another penny, but was surprised 54 APRIL 2016

Several early to mid 19th century convex buttons were found as well.

and delighted to see silver! It was a beautiful Simons Brothers thimble, patented May 28, 1889.

So, once again I left on a high note and an overwhelming desire for more.

The following weekend I was right back where I’d left off.

My first target was part of an old oil lamp, so things were looking promising. However, after an hour, I had found nothing else of interest. So, I moved to a different spot that was filled with iron, small and large. Slowing my pace, I listened intently for the good tones in between all the chatter. After digging a few shotgun shells, I got another midtone reading and dug. As I scraped the dirt away, I stared in disbelief at yet another New Jersey Civil War staff button!

Not only was I overjoyed, but once again I was stumped as to why this button was far from the original five, and from the one behind the barn. While this one was a little damaged around the outer rim, its face, like the others’, was in great shape.

I now had seven very rare buttons, and still had searched

only half the property thoroughly.

A few return trips yielded some odds and ends, mostly horse tack and old rubbish, but for now the total remains at seven. While I don’t sell my finds, I decided to get these valued and contacted a well-known Civil War expert, John Sexton. Based on his evaluation, I have determined the value of the collection to be between $4,000 and $5,000, and perhaps higher since they would be the only known examples in the market and can be tied to the original owner.

While these are by far my most valuable finds, I can’t put a price on how special they are to me. They have witnessed a critical part of American history, and traveled to places and events I’m thankful that I’ve never had to experience. Soldiers are heroes.

Finding military relics provides a small, tangible connection to those extraordinary people.

This story is not over. I still have more land to scan, and I will continue until my detector stops chirping. With this property, I doubt that will happen! 

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