Metal Detector’s Blog

My Minelab Advantage metal detector helped me find one of the most rare Texas Civil War buttons ever made.

I got into metal detecting because my wife bought me one for my birthday. 11 years later and I’m still addicted to this great hobby. My favorite places to hunt are private property and plowed fields. The day that I found this button I was searching a plowed field in the state of Louisiana. I had my Minelab Advantage, which I had been using for over two years by this point, and a shovel to help dig.

After about three hours in this field I got a good signal. It was only 4″ down and my hunting partner knew immediately what it was. The only Texas Unit button ever made, only a few have ever been found. It’s a Waco Guards Civil War button, worth anywhere from $2,500.00 to $3,000.00 - but priceless to me!

I was simply amazed that I found this rare and special button. The first person I told was my brother. Please enjoy this picture of the button, which is in very good shape considering it’s age and what it’s been through.

Jim H. Glimer, VA.

My Minelab Advantage metal detector helped me find one of the most rare Texas Civil War buttons ever made.

I got into metal detecting because my wife bought me one for my birthday. 11 years later and I’m still addicted to this great hobby. My favorite places to hunt are private property and plowed fields. The day that I found this button I was searching a plowed field in the state of Louisiana. I had my Minelab Advantage, which I had been using for over two years by this point, and a shovel to help dig.

After about three hours in this field I got a good signal. It was only 4″ down and my hunting partner knew immediately what it was. The only Texas Unit button ever made, only a few have ever been found. It’s a Waco Guards Civil War button, worth anywhere from $2,500.00 to $3,000.00 – but priceless to me!

I was simply amazed that I found this rare and special button.

Jim H. Glimer, VA.

My occupation is in Sales, but while a contractor was developing the property where I was previously employed I saw people metal detecting. After asking them what they were finding and hearing about the Civil War relics they were finding I got hooked!

That was about 8 years ago, and I’ve been metal detecting beaches or anywhere I can find Civil War relics ever since!

I was recently hunting in a construction site, looking for Civil War relics with my Fisher 1266-X and a shovel. Nobody was with me while I hunted that day, and the top soil had been piled up from the construction that was going on nearby. It was already dark out, but I had a flashlight and was determined to get a hunt in that day. After only about 10 minutes I got a signal, and about 8” down I found my favorite find to date.

It’s a sweet, and I mean sweet, Virginia Staff Officer’s Coat Button. I had to use my flashlight to see exactly what kind of button it was, but it was a friend of mine who identified it; he’s been detecting Civil War relics for over 20 years and knew what it was right away.

I’ve been told I’ll never dig another button in such good condition.

Timothy C., Winchester, Virginia.

I first got into metal detecting after my parents bought me one when I was 10 years old. On and off for the last 30 years I’ve been treasure hunting. I had a Bounty Hunter 505, but now own a trusty Fisher 1236-X2 . My favorite places to treasure hunt are private property and construction sites, and this past October I got a chance to go to a cleared construction site in Smyrna, Georgia that I was hoping would turn up something good.

The ground was hard and the dirt was dry, so I put my Fisher into “all metal mode” with no discrimination. After about 15 minutes of searching, I heard something and it sounded serious. I dug down about 10 inches into the hard ground and saw my first Civil War relic - a U.S. buckle plate! I knew what it was immediately, and you can only imagine how pumped I was. The first person I told was my wife, and while I don’t know the value of it and haven’t found another Civil War relic at the site since, I will always consider it my favorite find to date.

- Randall S.

I was part of a tour group that was hunting certain properties in the U.K..  This was my second trip as I usually go for two weeks at a time. 

It was the second week of the tour that we came to this selected hunting field.  There are several fields to hunt and Chris leaves the decision where to hunt every day to the fellows in the group, so thats what we did.  As several of us arrived to the chosen location I began my particular search pattern.  About two hours into the morning hunt I got a nice signal and unearthed this 50 B.C. Celtic Stater.  As of now, the 2000 year old coin is currently at the British Museum undergoing further study for it is a rare, one-of-a-kind coin.

Found in the U.K. by George W. from Copper Center, Alaska