Found! Civil War Script "R" Button!

By John Donachie

A Top 10 Winner for 2001!

Lower Alabama, March 2001

Meet up with JT-in- Bama ( John ) on Friday morning March 15 for a week long relic hunt. He took me to a spot that's been hunted for many a year. Meet James and Richard from Magnolia Springs for the first time. James found a Confederate button there before so the possibilities looked good for more to be there. Hunted there and got a 1840 Seated dime, confederate heel plate ( my first ) and some bullets.

Saturday morning JT picked me up and we hunted around Spanish Fort in the morning. We both got some bullets and JT found some pieces of cannon shells. Headed back to the spot we hunted yesterday. The spot there is infested with square nails, seems like there's one in every inch of the ground. Took the 10 inch coil off the Sovereign and put the 6 inch Sun Ray coil on. Was working to the side of a pile bricks real slow, if you were looking at me at the time you would of thought I wasn't moving at all, that's how slow I was going. Was in all metal and after getting a target would go to disc. and check target again. After only about 15 minutes got a good target after checking it out in disc. Made a plug, turned it over and target was still in the hole. Dug around the hole loosening up the dirt and after I thought I had enough loose dirt I started to grab a handful at a time and swinging it over the coil. Second handful got a signal and finally had a button in my hand. Yelled out, "John! John! Button!", he didn't hear me the first time as he was about 30 feet away so I yelled louder and he heard me and came over. I didn't have a tooth brush so John got his out and I brushed some of the dirt off the side of the button and we both saw gold gilt and decided to check it later and keep on hunting. After about two hours as it was getting late we decided to call it a day.

After taking a shower the phone rings in the hotel room. Was thinking who could that be as we already made plans for am to hunt. Hello? Its Richard, did you clean the button? No. Well you know I had a heart attack two weeks ago and if you don't clean the button your going to give me another one. Gee, talk about guilt trips, he put a big one on me. Told him to call back in 20 minutes and I'll see what turns up. Went into bathroom and grab my only toothbrush saying to myself I'll get another one in the morning. Started to lightly brush the button with running water. All I could make out after doing this was squiggly lines and gold gilt all over every were. I didn't have a clue as to what this button was.

Richard calls back and asked what is it? Told him I don't know, all I see is squiggly lines and a lot of gold gilt. He asked to look close and see if it looks like the State of Alabama. I turned button every which way and told him I don't see any thing. He suggests I take a picture of it and post it on The Treasure Depot photo forum soon, as if I don't he's going to have a heart attack. OK, OK, calm down I'll do that.

Posted the picture and 1/2 hour later phone rings and I pick up phone this time and say, yes Richard. SOB, do you know what you found. No, I have no clue, You got a Confederate Rifleman's Scrip R button. Ok, Richard I'll bite, what's a Script R. He says go to the forum and check it out. Well, go to the forum and Jim upstate NY id's it and says to stop cleaning it. Right about now the heart starts pounding, head goes light and all I could think was, What did I found, must be good one. If I knew then I might have fainted.

After checking the forum a couple of times and seeing all the responses, it hit me that I had a real rare one. Sat down on bed and took a deep breath and asked myself were do I go from here. Called Richard back and he said he made arrangements with Mike King to meet up at the spot and he'll clean button up. Meet Mike King and his beautiful wife Karen and after hunting a couple of hours we go over to Mike truck to clean button. Mike used alum. jelly and we both watched as the dirt came off and more gilt showed up. Here's picture after final cleaning.

All the info. that I know comes from Tice's book. This is only the 7-8 known. Did email some people but they couldn't give me any more info then what's in Tice's book.

Want to thank JT for helping find my first Confederate button, Richard, James, Mike and Karen. Jim upstate NY. Its was fun......John.....S.FL.