Brass tap plate?

[angieelee]

Can anyone please tell me if this is a brass tap plate from a child's tap shoe? I was unable to get clear pictures with a quarter. The quarter is about the same height as the clover opening from top to bottom.

I found this on an old homestead from 1825 where an entire family is buried, including small children killed by yellow fever. I would love to know if this could date back to that family.

 

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[timekiller]

It's a heel plate.I see alot of folks post them from civil war sites so it's that era at least.
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=367155.0
Take Care,
Pete,

 

[Breezie]

WELCOME to the forum! Yes, it is a Civil War era heel plate. Actually it is not for a child, but for an adult. People's feet were smaller back during that time.
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/dug-civil-war-clover-heel-plates-toe-pieces

Very nice find Breezie

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Timekiller and Breezie are correct in saying it is a heel-plate. This same type of heel-plate has several variations, with the cut-out being shaped like emblems from playing-cards, such as club, or heart, or diamond, and other popular symbols. This specific type dates from the last 1/3rd of the 1800s. There is still considerable debate about whether or not they go back as far as the civil war. In my 30-something years in the civil war relic digging "field," I've yet to hear of one being dug from deep in the bottom of a battle-trench. Some have been dug at campsites. But we now havew solid evidence that these particular heel-plates were absolutely not worn by soldiers. Ladies (or at least, women) visited those camps. Remember the "camp-followers," and especially, "Hooker's Battalion." Regardless of the debate about time-period, consider this photo. It shows a Ladies' tall lace-up shoe/boot, which was dug out of an 1870s dump. It is absolutely not something that would be worn by a man ...at least, not back then, anyway. ;-) Note that it has the typical narrow heel of Ladies shoes and boots ...unlike the wide heel on typical men's shoes.

 

[angieelee]

Thank you all so much.

 

[IronSpike]

Welcome to Tnet angieelee Nice heel plate

Great pic of the ladies boot and good comments on the heel plates

Are the companies that made these known? If so couldn't research of these companies establish if they date back to CW era?

One would not expect to find these plates deep in CW battle-trenches as they were used by the cavalry.

Just currious if this lead heel plate also is considered used on a ladies boot

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,282529.0.html