Hey Yall,
Was pouring rain Saturday and thought well hell, the ctx is waterproof and I have raingear up the wazoo (Wife works at REI), and thinking of Leos determination I went out.
Keep in mind I was at an old park...was digging old targets - (Lantern parts, harmonica reeds, weird lead objects...and then this beauty popped out.
My first eagle button and its lettered! (C for Calvary)
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Thanks for lookin!
-MM
Beautiful button!!! You were doing the happy dance after that, huh? Lol. See, digging in the rain & all your persistence paid off
Joe
Sweet button. What's the happy dance look like?
Holy SH!T! A Calvary button! I've found I's and A's and have always wanted to find the C. Awesome man! I love it.
I so wish I knew the guys story...Like how he came to San Francisco...
I seriously feel like I am swinging a time machine some days.
What are the ages of the other relics you are finding there? Those buttons were pre-civil war forward. Could have been someone who migrated west after the civil war. That's one of the things that got me into detecting, wondering the story behind relics and touching the past.
P.S.
I can't believe the gilt in that button. Mine always come out green.
Thanks guys!
SLC, the other relics are usually 1880s-early 1900s.
Some of the older parks here were tent citys after the big earthquake and so lots of dropped stuff.
The silver coins have been sniped ages ago but luckily I love relics and dig low tones left by others.
On the gilt, I've had great luck with cleaning very carefully.
On the ones that are black and totally corroded I'll chance naval jelly like this article:
http://www.wetreasures.com/treasures/feature/201202.htm
But where its green/brown only like for this button, lemon juice and a qtip slowly will do wonders. Recipe I used is here:
mix about a tablespoon of Lemon Juice with 1/2 tablespoon of water
use a q-tip and/or old soft toothbrush & work slowly cleaning one side at a time. Repeat as necessary
(try not to let the liquid get down into the inside of the button halves where you can't get if out)
once you've reached the desired results, I mix up some baking soda & water to neutralize the effects of the lemon juice, rub it on with a q-tip & hand dry, (you can also use some distilled water after the baking soda, just in case there's "grit" left over)
if there's any gilt left on the button, if should show up pretty quickly after a few minutes
-M
Very nice
and very rare too!
Excellent find :-)
HH