✅ SOLVED British Crown?

[LuckOfTheIrish]

Recently I have been getting into some Revolutionary War artifacts and one of these pieces is still stumping! Can anyone help me with this British Crown motif that I found recently. All of the other artifacts all date to the Rev War (and I have found almost 0 trash) so it is definitely from that time period in my opinions. What do you think?

The picture also has my half of a British 53rd Regiment buckle from the same site.

 

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[kuger]

Part of a Flintlock flint Jaw(cock screw)?Awesome if it is!!!!

 

[DCMatt]

Part of a Flintlock flint Jaw?Awesome if it is!!!!View attachment 763516

That was my first thought - cockscrew.

DCMatt

 

[vpnavy]

LuckOfTheIrish get your butt back digging and find the rest of the it!

​

 

[Bryanhashemi]

nice id kuger!

 

[CRUSADER]

I've found these, & I'm pretty sure its not robust enough for that function, very flakey pewter like material.

 

[Silver Searcher]

Part of a Flintlock flint Jaw(cock screw)?Awesome if it is!!!!View attachment 763516

Looks like that is what it is...nice ID Kuger

SS

 

[CC Hunter]

I've found these, & I'm pretty sure its not robust enough for that function, very flakey pewter like material.

My thoughts concur with Crusader as well. The item here definitely shows the characteristics of excavated nonferrous white metal, such as pewter or britannica alloy metal. The top screw for a flintlock hammer jaw though, will be steel in nearly all examples as I recall. There were some parts of various flintlock arms, that utilized brass fittings, yet I do not even recall ever having seen a brass flintlock hammer, jaw, and top screw. Additionally, the threaded shaft on this piece in question, is much larger diameter than what is seen with a flintlock hammer jaw screw. Also, it appears to me that there is a taper to the threaded shaft on this item with the decorative top. Possibly this is a type of threaded stopper for a small container of some type.

CC Hunter

 

[CRUSADER]

My thoughts concur with Crusader as well. The item here definitely shows the characteristics of excavated nonferrous white metal, such as pewter or britannica alloy metal. The top screw for a flintlock hammer jaw though, will be steel in nearly all examples as I recall. There were some parts of various flintlock arms, that utilized brass fittings, yet I do not even recall ever having seen a brass flintlock hammer, jaw, and top screw. Additionally, the threaded shaft on this piece in question, is much larger diameter than what is seen with a flintlock hammer jaw screw. Also, it appears to me that there is a taper to the threaded shaft on this item with the decorative top. Possibly this is a type of threaded stopper for a small container of some type.

CC Hunter

Maybe thats it. I just remember something similar that I found. Just looked for it & its lost. It was the same material & was screwed into the cork (although the cork would have a pre-sized hole) of a small Victorian medicine bottle (glass). Thats what it maybe, a cheap finial to a glass bottle! It helped pull the cork out the bottle.

 

[CRUSADER]

Found it:

 

[Silver Searcher]

My thoughts concur with Crusader as well. The item here definitely shows the characteristics of excavated nonferrous white metal, such as pewter or britannica alloy metal. The top screw for a flintlock hammer jaw though, will be steel in nearly all examples as I recall. There were some parts of various flintlock arms, that utilized brass fittings, yet I do not even recall ever having seen a brass flintlock hammer, jaw, and top screw. Additionally, the threaded shaft on this piece in question, is much larger diameter than what is seen with a flintlock hammer jaw screw. Also, it appears to me that there is a taper to the threaded shaft on this item with the decorative top. Possibly this is a type of threaded stopper for a small container of some type.

CC Hunter

How come the item looks rusty then never seen rusty white metal, except leaching, but this clearly has a even rusty coat.

SS

 

[CC Hunter]

How come the item looks rusty then

never seen rusty white metal, except leaching, but this clearly has a even rusty coat.

SS

Silver Searcher,

The rusty appearance is due to the red Virginia clay soil still adhering to the surface of the metal. Note there is even red soil on the brass item in the same photo. The item is clearly nonferrous, and we even may note the lighter gray metal surface has crumbled away in places, exposing a darker gray material.

I believe Crusader has a valid suggestion, that this mystery item originally was covered with cork on the threads. This would also account for the taper on the threaded shaft. My impression is we have a Victorian period item, rather than earlier Georgian period.

CC Hunter

 

[Silver Searcher]

Silver Searcher,

The rusty appearance is due to the red Virginia clay soil still adhering to the surface of the metal. Note there is even red soil on the brass item in the same photo. The item is clearly nonferrous, and we even may note the lighter gray metal surface has crumbled away in places, exposing a darker gray material.

I believe Crusader has a valid suggestion, that this mystery item originally was covered with cork on the threads. This would also account for the taper on the threaded shaft. My impression is we have a Victorian period item, rather than earlier Georgian period.

CC Hunter

I don't wish to sound negative, but I believe the picture kuger supplied looks more like the item, but I know nothing of gun parts, but it looks very fancy for a Victorian bottle stop. Perhaps the OP can verify if it is white metal, or steel.

And the threaded end looks way to thick to have gone into cork, a much thinner thread would be neaded for cork. It would also seem that this went into a pre-determined hole, to something.

SS

 

[CC Hunter]

I don't wish to sound negative, but I believe the picture kuger supplied looks more like the item, but I know nothing of gun parts, but it looks very fancy for a Victorian bottle stop. Perhaps the OP can verify if it is white metal, or steel.

And the threaded end looks way to thick to have gone into cork, a much thinner thread would be neaded for cork. It would also seem that this went into a pre-determined hole, to something.

SS

Silver Searcher,

Being fancy with a crown motif is in fact more of a attribute for a bottle stopper, than a top screw from a flintlock hammer. I have never seen a crown design on a gun hammer screw. That is a functional part of a gun, and finger tightening a screw with a knobby crown top would create a rather uncomfortable grip.

Iron or steel buried for a century or two in Virginia soil, would be a rusty clump of iron oxide cocooned around the item, and barely recognizable for details as we see here. I've seen and dug a few flintlock parts over the years, from various soil conditions. Unless it is in arid desert regions, iron and steel rarely survives well. Also, the cork would have been only a thin sleeve covering, not a full cork. Here is a similar example below.



CC Hunter

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

If it doesn't have a slot or a hole through the head it is not a top jaw screw. Finger tight is not good enough. Also, I haven't seen a tapered one (and I have seen 2 or 3 hundred locks). It's also pretty beefy = and that would make for a slow lock.



Matchlock? Maybe. I don't know what they ised to hold the matchcord and they likely would be finger-tightened.

 

[Silver Searcher]

Silver Searcher,

Being fancy with a crown motif is in fact more of a attribute for a bottle stopper, than a top screw from a flintlock hammer. I have never seen a crown design on a gun hammer screw. That is a functional part of a gun, and finger tightening a screw with a knobby crown top would create a rather uncomfortable grip.

Iron or steel buried for a century or two in Virginia soil, would be a rusty clump of iron oxide cocooned around the item, and barely recognizable for details as we see here. I've seen and dug a few flintlock parts over the years, from various soil conditions. Unless it is in arid desert regions, iron and steel rarely survives well. Also, the cork would have been only a thin sleeve covering, not a full cork. Here is a similar example below.



CC Hunter

CC Good morning..


Yes I am aware of that type of bottle stop having found such items, none how ever had a thread through the middle, why would it need one, they just mearly fit into the base of the top..like the ones you posted. The item posted is way over top constructed for such a bottle stop.

Charlie raised a valid point about the OP's not having a hole through the head, the ones I googled all seemed to have, so it looks as your concerns were valid, but a bottle stop it ain't either.

SS

 

[Iron Patch]

If it doesn't have a slot or a hole through the head it is not a top jaw screw. Finger tight is not good enough. Also, I haven't seen a tapered one (and I have seen 2 or 3 hundred locks). It's also pretty beefy = and that would make for a slow lock.

View attachment 764443

Matchlock? Maybe. I don't know what they ised to hold the matchcord and they likely would be finger-tightened.

I actually searched jaw screw before anyone posted, but for the reason you posted decided it was probably not that. The only possibility along that line would probably be a musket that was strictly a presentation piece, but that would be pushing it a lot to believe that. Cool little trinket though.

 

[JamieD]

Got to agree with cchunter and crusader. If you google "bavaria crown top perfume jug" you'll see some pretty close matches.

 

[CRUSADER]

I'm now changing mine to perfume bottle top, as my similar one reads; 'Potter & Moore Mitcham'. I knew we were close with bottle top.

 

[CRUSADER]

Got to agree with cchunter and crusader. If you google "bavaria crown top perfume jug" you'll see some pretty close matches.

Man, you beat me to it. (our posts crossed) SOLVED.