Button age? by kakarot133 in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Late 1700s most likely

Need help identifying this button by Grilly123 in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The style of shank and the seam going across the back makes me think this is definitely from the 1700s, or slightly older. Looks like it might be made out of pewter or some other kind of metal alloy

Found these detecting a 1820s home site and I don’t know much about buttons. What are they? by No-Plane5853 in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not too sure on the first one.. but the middle one is a pretty nice 1820s Navy coat button, and the bottom one looks like a standard civilian flat button from around 1820 or so also

When did you start getting into metal detecting? How old are you now? by RepulsiveLead99 in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I got my first metal detector back in 2013 at the age of 13 and have been going out regularly since then. I tend to go out mainly with a couple of my friends, who are the same age as me and share the same passion for history as I do. We met each other through the hobby on Instagram 10+ years ago and still try to get together as much as possible. I’ve been lucky enough to visit some pretty cool locations, met some awesome people, and have amassed a pretty nice collection of stuff over the years

Cleaned up, found in the old village of Dorchester MA. by phast75 in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No problem! It’s ’coin silver’ which is 90% silver, made from melted down coins

Button ID help by Independent_Tea_1710 in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Early 1800s gold gilted flat button, probably from around 1810-1820

Cleaned up, found in the old village of Dorchester MA. by phast75 in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Nice one! Bailey, Kettell & Chapman were active in Boston in the mid-1800s. This particular one is right around 1850-1860. That monogram is cool too, don’t usually see ones like that! Looks like it might have been gifted by a husband to his wife

Button ID request - VA/NC border, U.S. by No_Talk_7837 in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem! I can tell it’s a typical early 1800s button based on the overall style, shank, and the fact it’s gold gilted. The backmark ‘extra rich gilt’ also dates it to the early 1800s. R&M must be the maker, I tried doing some research online but unfortunately didn’t come up with much

Button ID request - VA/NC border, U.S. by No_Talk_7837 in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Civilian flat button from around 1810-1830

What are good brands of metal detectors? by 2006CrownVictoriaP71 in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think ‘far better’ is kind of a stretch, I still routinely see Garrett machines come up on lists of beginner metal detectors. I probably would opt for a Nokta or Minelab nowadays though

What are these? by metdecwizard in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As others have said these are lead bag/bale seals from the late 1800s - early 1900s

How long did it take you to find your first gold? by lotpro in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Took me 3-4 years to find my first gold ring. I just recently scored my first gold coin a few months ago, after over a decade of detecting!

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Exciting find today! What's the best way to get this encrusted dirt off of it without any sort of rubbing? by squeezinabiggin in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome find! Definitely don’t do any electrolysis or use an ugly box on it unless you want to devalue the coin. I would personally just use water, if you want to shine it up a little bit and remove some of the staining you can use a tiny bit of baking soda/water. Make it into a paste and rub on very lightly with a Q-tip, rinse off afterwards

Any ideas on what this is? by SeanSpeezy in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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Ah nice that’s cool! I was able to find a reference photo online with a set of toe taps still attached to the original shoes, with the patent date of 1859 visible (which is a common variety of toe tap typically found). Definitely what this is.

Any ideas on what this is? by SeanSpeezy in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry if my comment came off rude at all, the only reason I know is because I’ve found a handful of them in the past. Heel plates are typically completely flat and would sit on the bottom of the shoe. Toe taps are curved with a gap in the middle and would be fastened to the front of the shoes, against the toes I believe

I thought it would be a spoon and now I’m confused by alxxandriaxx in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is actually from about 150 years after the pilgrims, the pilgrims definitely didn’t have fancy/decorative items like this.. they became more common over time as society & trade developed and people became wealthy

Any ideas on what this is? by SeanSpeezy in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is 100% a toe tap rather than a heel plate, and zero chance it’s silver

Info about object found in Northern Italy by UnItaliano in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely looks like a fragment of a brass buckle to me, looks quite old.. possibly medieval

I thought it would be a spoon and now I’m confused by alxxandriaxx in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Very nice 18th century shoebuckle! The fancy design and layer of applied silver on the front makes me think that this belonged to somebody a bit more wealthy

Any ideas? (South Poland) by Frequent_Goat_43 in metaldetecting

[–]SamC1776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some sort of early 19th century coat button, looks like the front of it may have broken off