The following is from “Military Explorations” May / June - 1987. The “Journal of the

National Artifact Hunters Association”  

   “Hunting the Wilderness and Chancellorsville Battlefields from the early 1960’s to

the present, James E. and Jim Bruns, Jr. are among the most successful relic hunters

in Northern Virginia. Their research into the Civil War, together with their finds have made

them experts on these major battles as well as the major campaigns throughout Virginia.

      Their relic hunting began with a home-made detector detector that was quite efficient

for the 1960’s. Once a spot for hunting was selected, Jim would collect all the cartridge

box tins, shell fragments and canteen halves and rake them under a tree. His father

would then slowly work the area with the metal detector. In three hours one afternoon,

Jim remembers they dug 113 bullets, 26 eagle buttons and a number of brass knapsack

hooks. U.S. plates were common finds during these early years.

      Jim recalls that at one location in the Wilderness where they entered the woods, their

detector would indicate the presence of metal near an old stump - however they would

never find anything. After five or six times experiencing this unusual occurrence, they

carefully investigated and down inside the hollow of the stump was a Schenkl artillery

shell which had struck the tree during the battle and then fallen down inside after the

tree had died and rotted away.

      Jim is a well known antique dealer in Northern Virginia, and has hand-crafted display

cases to house relic collections. Among his most recent finds are a Federal officer’s

Sword Belt plate and a State of New York belt buckle found within a few feet of each

other at Kelly’s Ford, Virginia.”          

Collectors Frame is a family owned business in Fredericksburg, Virginia. We specialize

in original Civil War artifacts and currency mounted in museum quality frames. All of the

frames are made by hand here in our cabinet shop at Fredericksburg.

We have a selection of frames with different battle scenes and currency that are ready

to ship or we can make a custom frame with your choices of styles, scenes and currency.

All orders will be taken by phone. We accept most major credit cards or you can pay

with a check. For more information or to check availability, please hit the “Request to Buy”

tab below the artifact. If you prefer to inquire over the phone, please feel free to call us at

home. 540 372-7565. Evenings are best until 10:00 EST.
Jim & Karen Bruns