Brass Mystery Item

Ripcon

Hero Member
Sep 4, 2016
725
1,245
Mississippi
Detector(s) used
Tesoro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I dug this item this morning in a camp in west central Mississippi that has me stumped, so I'm once again reaching out for any assistance.
There is some wood still embedded in the top and it looks like the wood was secured to the brass by the 2 small holes on either side of the piece. The bottom is slightly concave. Thanks for any opinions or guesses.

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looks like a cane tip, but flag pole tip is also a option.

Just another thought is could it be a ram rod tip?

I don't know much about them because I don't find them out here.
 

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looks like a cane tip, but flag pole tip is also a option.

Just another thought is could it be a ram rod tip?

I don't know much about them because I don't find them out here.

Too small for flag tip... BUT the ramrod tip theory is not out of the question... for...

I also thought this... sorta looks like a "brown bess" rod tip.
 

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My first thought...ram rod tip.
 

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(1) Comparing the brass cylinder's size with your fingertips in the photos indicates it is 1/2" wide, plus or minus a very little bit, which excludes all the other "larger" ID candidates which have been mentioned. (2) You indicated two small brass pins held it onto (3) a wooden shaft inside the cylinder. (4) You also say the bottom closure of the cylinder is CONCAVE. Those 4 facts tell me your brass mystery-object is most likely to be a roundball-firing smoothbore musket's ramrod tip… similar (but not absolutely 100% identical) to a 1700s British "Brown Bess" musket or a US M-1841 "Mississippi" ramrod-tip. (Which may have been what Dust-Devil meant when he said "roundball starter.") I agree with HuntinDog, and others who later said ramrod-tip.
 

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Thanks for the input. Pete, I believe you have nailed it!
 

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Others nailed it but Pete confirmed and elaborated on it. I hope he and his vast knowledge is still here after I am gone.
 

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Others nailed it but Pete confirmed and elaborated on it. I hope he and his vast knowledge is still here after I am gone.

You're absolutely right. And thanks to all those that helped me get this identified.
 

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