This is a wonderful thread!  What better  way to start what will be a
slightly dreary morning writing about very rusted, no diagnostics-bearing,
early 20th century overalls buttons than a trip down memory lane thinking
about the things that got me into this field in the first place!  Hafta jump
in here with a couple of neat finds that at the time and place seemed of
international importance to me.

Most likely the MOST memorable thing I ever found was back on my first
project when we excavated an Russian contact period Aleut longhouse site on
Unalaska Island and I found a crushed copper samovar (ugly little thing
really) sitting upon what was at one time the grass matting of the house
floor.  I'm not sure what was neatest, the samovar, or the perfectly
preserved 150-yr old beach grass adhereing to the surface!  That was topped
shortly afterwards by the find of a hand-carved faceted amber bead about the
size of a grape at the other end of the longhouse.

Fast-forward a few years to an historic Choctaw townsite excavation in
southeast Oklahoma.  We were excavating the remains of a Removal Period
townsite, and were in search of the hotel known to have been in the town.
1830's ceramics were in abundant supply, and we were definitely excavating
some type of building, when one of the volunteers turned over a large
ceramic platter fragment, and on the base it said "hotel".  Now I realize
that doesn't mean we were sitting in the remains of the hotel, but it sure
was neat!

Lynita Langley-Ware