Veterans Day hunt earns me a bugle!

[RIdirtdigger]

This morning I headed out with Jarrod to do some cellar hunting. I had no school and his work got postponed due to the weather so we decided to try a nice colonial hole we had recently found. It was on the side of an extremly old road (now just a pedestrian trail) and in an area we've done a lot of detecting in. Unlike some of the cellars on this trail, this one wasn't on any any maps. We get to the site (less than 5 minute walk). It's a small hole but it has a pretty good sized open well. We turn our machines on and start swinging. We got NOTHING! No concentration of iron around the cellar hole and no non-ferrous targets. I must have pulled only about 4-5 nails. I don't know what was up with that place. Must have been extremely short lived and poor as dirt. I doubt it even saw the year 1800. We headed over to a nearby hole where I had found a fork and some relics in only 20 minutes about a week ago. This hole is newer as it saw action well into the 20th century. We start pulling targets right away. I got a beautiful button/rosette with horses on it. Never seen anything like it before. I dug a pocket watch, a silver plated object with "Elba" on it and a 1919 wheatie. My best find of the day had to be a part to an old bugle. I thought it was a candle stick holder before a friend of mine ID'd it for me. What a fitting find for Veterans Day. I also got a Suspender clasp with a patent date of 1885. Jarrod got some spoons, another Suspender clip and some other odds and ends. We called it quits a little before noon cause he had to do some work. I headed out again this evening cause I wanted to get at least one colonial find. I headed back to my trusty local cellar hole where I got a shoe buckle frame last weekend. I snagged a dandy button and a tombac. Dandy button was in the cellar hole about 8 inches down. Must have fell through the floor at one point. Happy Veterans Day!

[RIdirtdigger]

The first two photos are of the cellar hole that didn't even produce much iron

[aloldstuff]

Nice button with the horse design. Gotta wonder where the rest of the bugle went....... Strange that the first hole had nothing to offer.

[Digger_O'Dell]

Very interesting finds, I never heard of anyone finding instrument parts other that harmonica reeds. Well done!

[OxShoeDrew]

Your mouthpiece is connected to a leadpipe. Many times the leadpipe is detachable, which is probably why you didn't find the rest of the horn. That mouthpiece is also detachable, but even new ones stick so yours is probably on there pretty good.
I love that horse design on the button!

[RIdirtdigger]

Your mouthpiece is connected to a leadpipe. Many times the leadpipe is detachable, which is probably why you didn't find the rest of the horn. That mouthpiece is also detachable, but even new ones stick so yours is probably on there pretty good.
I love that horse design on the button!

Thanks Drew! You're a music teacher right? I figured you would give me some more info on the bugle. I'm not gonna even try messing with the mouthpiece. Knowing me something bad will happen lol.

[MangoAve]

Nice find. I like the button more because it is ornate and unique. I'm gonna guess later 1800s tho due to the shape of the shank. You got a silver plated button? The piece with the two small slots that looks like a tiny buckle look exactly like the bathing cap slide that I found at the beach with a club hunt. Obvi early 1900s when they had those style bathing caps.

As far as the first hole, there was one like that I was at recently. Right near the old county road which is still lined with stones. There are two cellars on the property, but not on the old maps. For some reason, that one was a little small but there was virtually no iron. No where near what a normal cellar would be. The hill behind it was nothing. A flat spot just 20-30 ft away I checked out and got maybe 3 hits of iron. The owner does change a bit of landscape at the place I mention, but that flat spot I mentioned shouldn't have been touched by any equipment. Idk. Yours is in the woods so that makes it even harder to understand.

Your mouthpiece is connected to a leadpipe.

Shin bone's connected to the leg bone. That's where I thought you were going with this....

[del]

i like those those type of cellars you mentioned you hit first , they are so quiet but usually yield nice older finds and often get over looked because there ain't much to them . You did very well Jim and found some great relics , congrats !!

[Cheap Thrills]

Nice finds , I like your pictures too .

[BTV Digger]

Very nice relics Jim. I've located a few quieter cellar holes as well. I wonder whether erosional processes have buried targets too deep at some of these sites, especially if the hill behind them is steeper than average? Not sure. Anyway, love the horse button. Really a unique find.

John