Oldest Button I've Ever Found

[F350Platinum]

Got out for a few hours on Saturday, just hunting the field in front of my house. Can't get to all of it easily, the neighbors all have big dogs that they let run free. I try to stay in the low spots so they can't see me. An additional benefit was being upwind ?

That's my house in the background. ? The field is about 70 acres, turbo tilled corn stalks. It's bad because it's like walking on a dump, but good because all the trash keeps the soil moisture in so digging isn't all that bad.

I didn't expect to find much, and was right. ? But what I found was worth every minute!

While in this spot which is on the hill side, I got a nice 87/88, usually aluminum but this one sounded sharp and different. No brassy tone.

I was really shocked to get this beautiful old button! 

It's domed and has a solid shank in back, all cast and hand engraved. I'm estimating its age as early as 1650, because I found one like it on the Internet that claimed the same age:

Different pattern but exactly the same construction. How they got that one to stand on its side is a mystery ?

Here's the back of mine fresh out of the ground.

Total haul below, got a small Tombac too which is probably more like 1720 up, but still very old.

Not much but all quite aged. ?

Earlier today I was going to post this, but my upstairs air handler quit on me, I had to climb a rickety aluminum ladder to get in the attic, and coming down I fell about 8 feet when the ladder slipped and I landed on it. I am very fortunate to only have sustained a dislocated left shoulder and one small cut on my right arm. It could have been a lot worse... ?

Went to the hospital and the doc showed me a DIY trick to put it back in place, after many extremely painful attempts I went for broke and pulled really hard. It popped back in, I kissed the Docs' hand and asked her to marry me. ?

I'm home, whacked up on morphine, waiting for it to fade and the pain to start but I thought it would be good to get a last post up here for a bit, my arm is in a sling and I hope I recover quickly.?

Here's the trash, not bad.

Also got an old pocket knife but can't identify the maker.

[Valens Legacy]

Great finds again for you and I hope that it wasn't your swinging arm that is hurt.

The knife looks to be a Old Timer twin blade from the 1950's or earlier. The button looks to have been plated with brass or copper at one time, but is pre 1800.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, and when the pain gets to much drink some moonshine and watch it fade away.

[F350Platinum]

17 minutes ago, Valens Legacy said:

Great finds again for you and I hope that it wasn't your swinging arm that is hurt.

The knife looks to be a Old Timer twin blade from the 1950's or earlier. The button looks to have been plated with brass or copper at one time, but is pre 1800.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, and when the pain gets to much drink some moonshine and watch it fade away.

Thanks VL,

I'm right handed so it's my digging arm that was dislocated, I found much to my chagrin that injuries like this can take a year to fully heal. I hope that is not the case, but I may have to find someone to dig stuff for me or do everything with the right arm. ? Sadly my wife is not up to such a task. ? I'll be talking to a doc this week to find what my options are. I'd lose my mind taking a long break. ?

I loved 'shine and beer when i could drink, probably put me in the situation of ending up with a Pacemaker. I was easily able to stop drinking luckily, and haven't had more than a Coronita or two since 2012. I was a weekend alcoholic. ? I wish it were an option.

The smaller button is Tombac metal, might have been plated. ?

It's got the raised shank and might be spun. ? 

 

[Valens Legacy]

To help you heal faster get a tennis ball and squeeze it several times a day, that will help a whole lot.

I had a shoulder injury and that helped me recover faster than anything. Sometimes I think that these doctors today just want to have people to keep coming back instead of getting them healed.

Glad you were able to quit as I knew someone that refused to do so, he is been gone now for a few years from a car wreck while drinking.

I don't know to many people that really like a drunk but that may just be me, because grandfather was drunk several times and that was enough for me to see. I have only been drunk 2 times in my life and it was never from the moonshine. I don't drink that much but when I do it has to be moonshine.

[F350Platinum]

8 minutes ago, Valens Legacy said:

To help you heal faster get a tennis ball and squeeze it several times a day, that will help a whole lot.

Thanks my friend, I'll do just that. ?

[Hunterjunk]

Ripper button F350 ! I wish there were some oldies like that here .   You were very lucky to get away with the injuries that you have .  So many people here cripple themselves , or in even die , falling from heights in their latter years . Get well soon , there's more of those beautiful buttons out there !

[JCR]

Wishing you a speedy & full recovery.

[CPT_GhostLight]

Wow, F350! First, incredible finds so congrats and well done! 

Second, man I'm sorry to hear about your fall. I hope you snap back fast (so to speak)! ? Just let your body do it's job to heal and don't rush it. You'll be back out before you know it and finding tons of ancient historical items. ?

[F350Platinum]

10 hours ago, Hunterjunk said:

Ripper button F350 ! I wish there were some oldies like that here .   You were very lucky to get away with the injuries that you have .  So many people here cripple themselves , or in even die , falling from heights in their latter years . Get well soon , there's more of those beautiful buttons out there !

Thanks HunterJ, 

No divine warrant for me thankfully. ?

I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to recover from this mistake for sure, and I'm sure I will find some way to get out there eventually despite the lack of detecting personal assistants ?

Going to leave the ladders to the younger crowd from now on, and yes, there should be much more out there. I haven't really hunted that side of this farm. The other side produced a lot!