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Topic: authenticating a button

LHF
Member
Member # 71

posted 04-10-2001 01:20 PM

hello brenna,

i just checked out the site that you recommended Marcus.
http://www.artifacts.org/conquest.htm

very nice thanks.

but here's a dilly! my last trip down to the keys i passed by this antique/tourist trap shop; pirates treasure somn' or another right off of us 1. it was a nice nauticaled themed place: lots of gold coins brought up from differnt wrecks and the such, a couple of buckles, buttons, some cannon balls, etc. the owner does pirate reenactment down there and we got to talking.

i was finishing my doublet body and was still deciding on the type of closure to use. so i was checking out the buttons that he had. one of them was the "Menéndez • Ca. 1565-1566" from the page that you recomended.

he had a couple so he gave me one which truely thrilled me. i just compared to the pic on screen. it's the same.

so what, you may be asking. the article states "No examples of this form have yet been recovered outside the St. Augustine area." he claimed that he recoverd it in the keys!

so now how can i authenticate this button?

have fun,

daniel

[This message has been edited by LHF (edited 04-11-2001).]

Registered: Nov 2000 | IP: Logged

Brenna
Member
Member # 96

posted 04-11-2001 09:23 AM

Glad I could be of help!

As to authentication--if it was recovered from an acutal archaeological site, the recovery and item description would be in the site report. If it didn't come from a well documented site (IE amatuer recovery from any one of the MANY Spanish/French/English shipwrecks that abound along the Florida coast) you are probably going to have to settle for: "See my button? See the button recovered from archaeological sites? They match!"

It's still a pretty good thing even with the second option.

BTW I love the Keys!! (Ask me about my jet ski adventure there ) I have a necklace made from one of the Atocha doubloons that I got in Key West. It's so cool to wear real history.

Brenna

Registered: Dec 2000 | IP: Logged

Reinhard von Lowenhaupt
Member
Member # 119

posted 04-11-2001 12:25 PM

There are so many Spanish shipwrecks off the Florida coast, it's actuall staggering. The button of which you speak is most likely something that was manufactured in the new world. Most Spanish ships would sail to St. Augustine from the carribbean prior to returning to Spain. With the large garrison at Castillio de San Marcos, this would explain the need for a large number of these buttons. It is possible they were made in one of the islands or in South America and transported to St. Augustine, and the one found in the Keys was one of millions of items that went to the bottom.
As to the number of shipwrecks here, I live in the Vero Beach/Ft. Pierce area, and used to dive with Mel Fischer. When searching an area North of the site of the 1715 fleet, I found another small cannon, one from a ship that wasn't known to have sunk in that area! Chalk up another one to the Atlantic. They're always finding more stuff around here. Next time I get a chance, I'll see if there is anything new at the Fischer's museum in Sebastian. If so, I'll photograph anything from the 16th cent.

[This message has been edited by Alasdair (edited 04-11-2001).]

Registered: Feb 2001 | IP: Logged

LHF
Member
Member # 71

posted 04-12-2001 03:05 AM

hello folks,

well i went ahead and e-mailed the site curator about my find. i asked to see if there had been any change in recovery status since his last update. plus, i also asked to see if there was anyone down here that i could take the button to.

just waiting for him to e-mail me back.

by the by, Brenna i'd love to hear about your adventure. why don't you go ahead and e-mail me about it.

have fun,

daniel

Registered: Nov 2000 | IP: Logged

Brenna
Member
Member # 96

posted 04-12-2001 10:35 AM

Okay, on it's way.

Brenna

Registered: Dec 2000 | IP: Logged

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