Finally Got Out And Hit A Hammered Spanish Trail Site

[Cal_Cobra]

9 hours ago, Valens Legacy said:

Great video and thanks for sharing it, nice looking button and I hope that you can identify it.

Thanks, I'll post an update if I can positively ID that button.  I suspect it'll be something interesting.  This particular site has produced quite a variety of buttons from the early 1800's to the mid 1800's, just never know what you'll find at this site.

[Cal_Cobra]

On 8/17/2022 at 10:32 AM, GB_Amateur said:

I have a couple comments (not criticisms but more/less observations):

1) No Indian Head cents were minted with the 1856 date.  First year was 1859 (and as you know that from alloy 12% Ni, 88% Cu -- aka 'fatty').  There were some IH pattern 'coins' dated 1858 but the chances of one of these being in the ground anywhere (let alone as far West as you detect) is astronomically small.  So we're all left hanging as to what that date is.  😎

I cleaned the IHP a bit and turns out the date is 1896 🙄    It's pretty toasty on the front, not so bad on the back, so must've had the front oriented towards the elements and whatever seeped down to the coin to cause the corrosion.  Oh well, at least it wasn't an 1877 😉

[Cal_Cobra]

On 8/17/2022 at 8:29 AM, F350Platinum said:

Great hunt! Buttons are my favorite thing to find. 👍

I managed to find one somewhat like the button in question on a card of "British military buttons", but cannot make out the writing under it:

I'll keep looking. 🙂

I cleaned up the button I dug with some lemon juice, it has an incredible amount of gold gilt left (amazing how well lemon juice can bring out any remnants of gold gilt).  Although it has some similarities to the one you shared, after getting it cleaned up, it's pretty different.   It has a rope twist boarder, with a horizontal lined background, and the letters (they're really hard to read, not because the button is in bad shape, it's the font they used).  For sure the last letter is a B, but the first two letters 🤔  The back is marked "SURFACE GOLD".

I'll keep looking around to see if they mystery can be solved 🙂

[strick]

No offense 350 but I like Cal’s button better it’s more fancy 😊

strick

[GB_Amateur]

6 hours ago, Cal_Cobra said:

the letters (they're really hard to read, not because the button is in bad shape, it's the font they used).  For sure the last letter is a B, but the first two letters 🤔

Could it be kurrent lettering from 19th Century northern Europe?  But even those had many different fonts and also variations by region (e.g. Denmark vs. Germany).  Here's one example:

[F350Platinum]

Nice cleanup!

South African military button:

Same crown design, not same script but just as fancy. I also saw some Canadian railroad buttons with similar patterns.

Good mystery. 😀 you might want to look at railroad buttons if there was one there.

[Tom_in_CA]

Great post Cal-Cobra.   And great feedback you got !

 

Gee, I wonder where you were hunting at ?  😇   And as for the 1896 date :  C'mon dude, that is too new for this site !  Tsk tsk.  😏

[rod-pa]

10 hours ago, Cal_Cobra said:

I cleaned up the button I dug with some lemon juice, it has an incredible amount of gold gilt left (amazing how well lemon juice can bring out any remnants of gold gilt).  Although it has some similarities to the one you shared, after getting it cleaned up, it's pretty different.   It has a rope twist boarder, with a horizontal lined background, and the letters (they're really hard to read, not because the button is in bad shape, it's the font they used).  For sure the last letter is a B, but the first two letters 🤔  The back is marked "SURFACE GOLD".

I'll keep looking around to see if they mystery can be solved 🙂

 

Cal, I am pretty sure the lettering is a W and R.   

[Cal_Cobra]

The button mystery has been solved, a forum member on another forum nailed it:

https://www.batesandhindmarch.com/product/william-iv-period-court-dress-button-fire-gilt-23mm/

Turns out to be a King William IV court dress button.  King William only ruled from 1830-1837, which dates nicely to this site.

 

 

[Chase Goldman]

25 minutes ago, Cal_Cobra said:

The button mystery has been solved, a forum member on another forum nailed it:

https://www.batesandhindmarch.com/product/william-iv-period-court-dress-button-fire-gilt-23mm/

Turns out to be a King William IV court dress button.  King William only ruled from 1830-1837, which dates nicely to this site.

 

 

Yep.  Different back mark though.  So likely made by a different button manufacturer.