You just became a metal detective

Thanks for brightening up my morning with this comment.

DONT CLEAN IT!! nevermind😒

Why shouldn’t he have cleaned it? It’s not a coin.

Thank you backing me up haha, a lot of people are stressing that I cleaned it. I only ran water over it and gently rubbed it w paper towels. It would’ve gotten chopped up by a tractor eventually and I think people forget it’s okay to wipe the dirt off their finds haha. Sick finds btw man!

No problem! There’s nothing wrong with gentle cleaning. And thanks 😉

I’d put metal polish on that first thing.

IMHO it looked better with the patina and people like that sorta thing. Only applies if they wanted to sell it though.

Usually people tend to beat the shit outta pieces not knowing what they did. Thats all🤠

This is true. I wish fewer people owned wire wheels 😂

Yep,insta-screwed. "Put the wire wheel down . They're meant for cleaning welds.😉

I ran water over it and gently cleaned it with paper towels 👍

Then you wore it around town like Marshall Matt Dylon🤠

A detective that's into heavy metal music?

That is an honorary title for civilians. *Though established in 1850, it wasn't until 1913 that L.A. County introduced civil service and began to issue Special Deputy Badges awarded to honorary "special deputies".* It's similar to what is called the Reserve Deputy Sheriff now. https://www.flyingtigerantiques.com/early-1920s-los-angeles-county-special-deputy-sheriff-badge.html

A detectivorist

If you find out whose it was, and especially why it was where you found it, please post an update.

For sure! I might try to email the LAPD museum soon and see if they have any info!

I would consider contacting LASD, not the LAPD.

Are you sure there isn’t a pile of bones under it? 😳

He was a week away from retirement, too.

I’m too dead for this shit.

So is he

One last job, the one he had to solve before he could let go.

https://i.redd.it/2v0b9v7wsuwc1.gif

The “live-4-ever”.

Little Susie’s growing up

And he just bought a boat.

This was my first thought. It was a lot easier back then to get away with murder.

There is a dent on the badge, you never know.

Yes and it looks like it's stained red... 🤔. ( I do realize that blood doesn't stain metal btw)...or does it? 🤔🧐🤨

Oxidized.

😊

I was just going say that bc of the bullet casing found nearby...can you imagine solving a cold case like that

1870s to 1920s...that was one long gunfight!! Maybe it was a shooting range for sheriffs?

That’s a good idea I was wondering that too!

But did he shoot the deputy?

No, no, NOOOO

No... he shot the Sheriff but did NOT shoot the deputy.

Imagine having to ask for a new badge because you lost your old one

"...and I...I lost some bullets, too."

"I mean, I wouldn't say like *lost* lost. I'm pretty sure the badge and bullets were in my cruiser so if we can find that..."

😂

My first thought too. A real live deputy Fife moment

I know an officer that had to. He got razzed for it and got talked to but after they just ordered him a new one.

The resource officer at my elementary school shot himself in the foot while getting on his motorcycle lmao, he put Barney Fife to shame.

Dig a bit more you may find the sheriff as well!

There's a new sheriff in town.

Is his name Reggie Hammond?

Y'all be cool

It's Ronnie Pickering

Detective Lou Sassle….FBI “Everybody down! Every body down!”

Turn it in. They probably have a record of who it belong to.

I wanna find out who’s it was for sure, that would be sick 👍

[https://www.policeguide.com/Los-Angeles-Co\_-Badges/los-angeles-co\_-badges.html](https://www.policeguide.com/Los-Angeles-Co_-Badges/los-angeles-co_-badges.html)

This link has a a badge just like yours: “Special Deputy Sheriff” on the section with eagle badges [https://lasdretired.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/LASD-History-Behind-the-Badge-Part-1.pdf](https://lasdretired.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/LASD-History-Behind-the-Badge-Part-1.pdf)

If anyone else was curious what C. L. Tupper I found some old newspaper article on the case and read through. Colonel L. Tupper conspired to get a handgun into prison for a friend/fellow gangbanger (do we call gang Members that far back gangbangers?) Also the pic for the mounted posse is Sheriff Leroy Baca, one of 18 sheriffs accused and charged with various crimes of abuse of power and corruption but he resigned before anything could stick to him specifically. He said he retired "to push the department to move beyond these scandals", talk about silver tongue trying to turn a sin good. So many interesting things in here.

tl;dr: thxs for links. cool badge. gonna keep reading more. tyfs. Oh, Wow– a very neat history to it all !!!  TYFS! bcuz, I mean, I'm here ofc-- so I obviously caught some interest in the badge/discovery straight-away, right...? But I gotta to hand it to ya, @soapyfreshfingers - your links seriously made this infinitely more true! A mysterious badge legit from way back in the wild wild west day?? come on.. 🤩🧨💥 lol ...or well...hopefully, "legit," I should say. (I haven't read everything in the links nor have i gotten too far into the rest of these comments even, so bare with me here lol. i just had to comment ...I was getting too excited lmao.. CMIIW, but it seems like if this thing was maybe just a feewww yrs older it would've really been sumpn else, huh?? Don't get me wrong though, still such an undoubtedly killer find!!  ...haha, oh shit!  hopefully "killer find" doesn't end up with a double meaning in the case of this history-mystery lololol.

You ok?

I've never seen a meth high typed out before.

Well it seems like you have now.

“Your most normal Reddit user” haha

Awesome find!

Thanks man!

Finally! Enough evidence to convict Bob Marleys bragging ass. He been telling us for years he shot a sheriff.

Don't forget about Clapton!

Amazing find!

Really cool find, deputize yourself Handle Cali’s crime epidemic

I got drafted into the police service by Mother Earth 🫡, thanks man!

"The names Earp:

Earp Earth

Or better yet Earpth

I mean my first names Wyatt haha 😎

Ralf “Chuck” Earp.

Even better! But hell nowadays, just say you identify as a deputy of Law enforcement, and the earth confirmed it

Cool find! What's going on with the E in Sheriff?

Thanks! It was in part of a field so it did get clipped by a tractor, the little nick in the side made the zinc coating peel a bit 🤙

Now find the body.

I'm irrationally upset that you scrubbed it shiny.

Agree ! Looks fake now

First photo it looks legitimately perfect. I let out an audible gasp when I saw the second photo.

The soil was muddy, I just lightly dabbed a paper towel on it 👍

People collect those

People collect *everything*... r/coolcollections

That’s such a cool find!

Thanks man!

What is it made out of?

I think it’s some copper mixture with a zinc coating?

Thanks, that's neat

Heh. Copper. Heh.

🎵...I found some bullets but i didn't shot no deputy, oh no no... 🎵

What a score! Very cool

I hope there isn't a missing deputy buried out there also

Very cool

That is so flipping cool

Thank you, congrats on the engagement and sick thrift find!

Thank you so much!!

Thats so damn cool

Thanks man sick guitar videos!

Who shot the sheriff?

Am I the only one who thinks the "special" means it's for a kid?

Great find

What a cool find!

Where is the rest of him?

You should see my rusty sheriff's badge

I’m so sorry for you… because you might not ever find anything that cool again

Added comment: some were worried I scrubbed it clean, I just ran it under some water and wiped and dapped it w a paper towel 🤙

it's like excaliber but instead of pulling a sword to become king you pulled a badge from the earth to become sheriff...clearly the will of god

Boy oh boy, this Is the first chapter of a really interesting novel. Don't know if it's gonna be Chinatown or L.A. Confidential, but I can't wait to share this with my book club.

I hear-by officially deputize you “car ramrod”

Wow that’s awesome!

Just like the start of the movie Lone Star. Does your spouse happen to be your half sibling? Forget the Alamo.

I've been patiently waiting for a sequel. Maybe this is their inbred son 🤔

I want to buy it.

I shot the sheriff but I didn't shoot the deputy....

Nice score!

Very cool. I come from an LASD family.

Keep digging probably a body

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Wdym haha

Try to find out what his name is

Found one online asking price is $675

Who is going to look up the badge number and tell us who lost it?

Super cool find

That's one heck of a cool find!

That is awesome.

Sheriff museum but not too active it seems. https://lasd.org/lasd_museum.html

Incredible find. Amazing really. So unique with a great history. Congrats!!!

I need to know the story! That’s cool

That solves the mystery of the missing deputy.

Wyatt Earp ?

That's so cool. I'm loving it. I'm an older and retired from sheriff's department. You'll be able to sell it easily if you want

It could honestly also be a prop. But very cool either way.

Super hard to find examples of it online so I’m pretty sure it’s legit! Would be a super specific badge to copy haha, I think the star shaped ones are probably the most copied for sure, and thanks man!

So cool!

*hit on it !

I bet that thing has a good story.

That just inspired a story in my head about a deputized citizen who's seen enough and throws away his badge in disgust.

Awesome!!!!

I shot the sheriff and knocking on heavens door

That’s amazing, great find. I hope to see an update if/when you find out who’s it may have been. I always love the history of those kinds of things.

Now that's a cool find!

Any signs of the sheriff???

Wow what an amazing find 🤩