500+ .58 Caliber Bullet and Partial Crate Recovery - One Hole - Recorded
SOLD
In 2015 Virginia digger Tony Hochstetler made the find of a lifetime by unearthing over five hundred .58 caliber three ring bullets all from the same hole in the area of Brandy Station, VA. Remarkably, portions of the wood crate were still present as well as percussion caps, nails, and one iron equipment buckle.
The majority of the bullets are single examples with some fused together in clumps, the largest containing nearly twenty examples. Tony explained that the largest clumps of bullets were the last to be extracted from the hole and were supported by parts of the wood crate as he removed them. By then the hole was so deep that someone had to keep a foot on the back of his legs so he wouldn't fall completely in. Several of the percussion caps are still wrapped in groups within the material they were packaged in and others can be found affixed to the bullet clumps.
While the bullets are technically considered "dropped" examples, their condition is not perfect. After remaining in the Culpeper, VA soil for approximately 157 years, the gunpowder reacted with the elements not only corroding the bullet surfaces but also, on some examples, wearing away a portion of the bullet's skirt. Some of the black gunpowder is still visible on many of the examples. There are many bullets where the skirts are still complete.
The best part of this find, however, is that it was recorded. The entire 25 minute digital video covers portions of two days of hunting and is well worth watching, however, the recovery of these bullets does not begin until the 12 minute into the recording and, from that point, is approximately 8 minutes in length. The entire video can be viewed by clicking: The Find of a Lifetime
Represented in the images included in this listing is what the purchaser will receive. There are approximately 537 bullets, 2 large and 2 small sections of the wood crate, all of the many percussion caps and their packaging, and finally, the nails and iron equipment buckle. This amazing find will be an excellent bullet, campsite, or battlefield display for any excavated Civil War or general relic collection.
- Product Code:
- PC8785
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