Hey ya'll! Since finding an old building site with James on October 8th and detecting it with the Raleigh boys on October 15th, I just had to go back to see what else was beneath the earth! So I went out there today to see what I could find, and came up with some neat relics to share with you. The best of the bunch actually came from a mini-hunt when I tried to search the area yesterday evening, but the cows decided they wanted the spot and sent me packing.
The best find is a large flat button, slightly bigger than a half dollar. It's made of a material called "tombac", a brass alloy made with a large amount of copper and 5-20% zinc. The result is a highly durable button which resists corrosion. The back has a raised cone shaped base where a copper or iron shank would have been soldered on. Tombac buttons were used for both military and civilian purposes, and were mass produced in the late 1700's. To think, a 200+ year old button just a few inches down in a cattle field near Saxapahaw! I love this hobby! I know both the Morrows and the McIvers lived quite close to this field in the late 1700's, and could account for its origins.
In addition to the pictures, I also created a video of today's search. I did something a little bit different, so I hope you like it! Let me know what you think in the comments section below! Thanks for looking, and God Bless!
