✅ SOLVED Any idea of maker or usage of this charm?

[robertk]

I found this at an 1880's home site. It was actually in the cellar hole, and it appears to be gold (not sure if solid or plated). The hanging loop is at the bottom, though, so the bird would have hung upside down. That seems odd for a pendant, so I'm guessing it's a charm or ornament. Does anyone know what it was used for, or who made it? It is a bit less than an inch wide, nose to tail. The back is plain (and has some crud on it that I'm nervous of being too aggressive to remove). The hanging loop appears to be copper or maybe brass, and still moves freely in the charm.

 

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[ticndig]

peace dove charm looks like painted pot metal to me . maybe used on a key chain

 

[Emil W]

It was a pin and made from a base metal. You can see where the pin was originally soldered on, so it didn't hang upside-down, but it did have something else suspended from the loop.

 

[robertk]

peace dove charm looks like painted pot metal to me . maybe used on a key chain

It does not appear to be painted. It’s either gold or gold plated.

 

[robertk]

It was a pin …. something else suspended from the loop.

Ah! I hadn’t thought of that but that makes sense!

 

[ticndig]

It does not appear to be painted. It’s either gold or gold plated.

no one puts gold on pot metal , do you not see the flaking around the edges gold does not do that. and agree with the pin idea.

 

[robertk]

no one puts gold on pot metal , do you not see the flaking around the edges gold does not do that. and agree with the pin idea.

I will have a look at it under a magnifying glass this evening, but no, I did not see any flaking at the edges. The pictures don’t do it justice — the pictures look “darker” eh. It does in person. In my hand it looks bright and shiny like brand new gold. It looked that way in the dirt (that’s what caught my eye), and it looked that way after washing it. I scrubbed it with a soft brush. I can’t imagine that gold-colored paint would look that shiny even when first applied, much less after laying under a bed of rocks and iron scrap for 150 years (everything else in the same hole is consistently from the 1880’s). I’m not saying it isn’t exactly what you say (it may well be), I’m just saying it *really* looks like good in person. If it’s paint, it’s some fabulously good paint.

 

[ticndig]

can you post some pics that are in focus when enlarged. then I can see what you're seeing.

 

[robertk]

can you post some pics that are in focus when enlarged. then I can see what you're seeing.

I'm at the office at the moment, but when I get home I will try to get some better photos.

 

[robertk]

Picture taking of small objects is apparently hard. The ones I posted earlier were taken with my phone, but they don't look like it looks to my eyes. I tried several times to get a close-up with my wife's camera, but it doesn't like being so close to the subject. At any rate, here is the best of my several attempts with the camera. This definitely does not look like paint to me, and I don't see any of it flaking off. Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. I put it in an empty jewelry box my wife had --it's definitely a keeper, gold or not.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Love bird pendant/pin, looks to be gold plated, likely dates c1900.
Nice find,
Dave

 

[robertk]

Thanks for all the replies -- I think you all are right that it was a pin, that makes great sense and fits what I see. I have done a bunch of searching online both by image and by description and I can't find a match or a maker, but at least now I know why the loop is on the wrong side.

Hopefully there will be more goodies where this came from.

 

[Blackfoot58]

Coal miners were known to keep a caged canary to show oxygen depletion at great depths. A dead bird could save your life. Many of them were yellow. They were an Appalachian symbol of Good Luck, Second Chances, Improved Circumstances, etc at one time.

 

[pepperj]

Picture taking of small objects is apparently hard. The ones I posted earlier were taken with my phone, but they don't look like it looks to my eyes. I tried several times to get a close-up with my wife's camera, but it doesn't like being so close to the subject. At any rate, here is the best of my several attempts with the camera. This definitely does not look like paint to me, and I don't see any of it flaking off. Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. I put it in an empty jewelry box my wife had --it's definitely a keeper, gold or not.
View attachment 2096413

What cell phone are you using for pictures, and what camera?
There's lot's of easy setting that will help with macro photography.
Nice recovery BTW.

 

[robertk]

What cell phone are you using for pictures, and what camera?
There's lot's of easy setting that will help with macro photography.
Nice recovery BTW.

My phone is an iPhone 12 Pro Max (three camera lenses). It does a good job generally but it does tend to oversaturate the colors sometimes.

The camera is a Nikon D5100. It normally has a bug telephoto lens on it that my wife uses to photograph the wildlife. That’s what I used for the last photo and probably why it didn’t want to focus on something so close. This morning she found the regular 35mm lens and I used that to try again. I think the result is much better — and now I do see a couple of tiny places at the very edge of the wing where the gold has chipped off. But I still say it’s good plating, not paint.

My wife found some examples this morning of pins similar to it with the loop on the bottom. One has a chain going from the loop to a small cage on a second pin. That would be cool. I’m hoping whatever hung from the bottom is also down there but who knows?

Here’s the photo with the 35mm lens.

 

[DownEast_Detecting]

My phone is an iPhone 12 Pro Max (three camera lenses). It does a good job generally but it does tend to oversaturate the colors sometimes.

The camera is a Nikon D5100. It normally has a bug telephoto lens on it that my wife uses to photograph the wildlife. That’s what I used for the last photo and probably why it didn’t want to focus on something so close. This morning she found the regular 35mm lens and I used that to try again. I think the result is much better — and now I do see a couple of tiny places at the very edge of the wing where the gold has chipped off. But I still say it’s good plating, not paint.

something is wrong. I promise you your iphone 12 pro max is more than capable. Im still rocking the iphone x and ive never bothered to pull out my canon 5D. the first couple are out of focus. try having your phone further away and hitting the button that cycles through the lenses. 2x. whatever gets your closer while still using optical zoom.( your lenses.) not digital zoom( pinching with your finger to zoom in on screen.) Its really the only area cell phones shine is close up portrait stuff because of the rise of the selfie. and macro-ish stuff. Items in your hand. Also try using different lighting. Put it on a window sill, not in direct sunlight, but using the natural light. so much easier using your iphone. you can just edit on phone( if needed) open tnet and upload. no sd card extraction, Photoshop. etc. The workflow is way shorter. Just some tips from a photographer. good luck.

 

[Blackfoot58]

I use the portrait setting on my iPhone SE, with the “live” shut off. Works good.

 

[DownEast_Detecting]

I use the portrait setting on my iPhone SE, with the “live” shut off. Works good.

if that works well for you great. Just be aware that mode focuses on whatever is it the forefront, the main subject. and creates a fake bokeh effect around it. Bokeh is what photographers try to produce naurtrly through lenses and distance between the subject and background. Its when the subject is in focus with a really blurry background. Can do really cool things with light sources in the background. So i can see how it would make a coin or whatever stand out and in focus. just be careful if there is something else in the photo you want in focus. like an item used for scale. shouldn't cause to many problems if its on a flat surface i guess. but on my iPhone that mode does lock me out of lens choices. im stuck on my "telephoto" lens because it's trying to add to the bokeh effect. just some tips