Civil War Carved Lead. 21+

[Detectorist143]

OMG I was just cleaning out my trash pouch wait first....I was out digging an area in Western New York. The area borders a civil war training camp for heavy artillery. The area was apple orchards back in the day but now is a public park. After doing some research on the camp it seems the soon to be soldiers like to steal apples and other items from the neighbouring farms. So I worked the park hard over a few weeks. Found some small silver and gold jewelry all modern. That motivated me to come back again.
On the last hunt I dug alot of clad and i finally found a patch of signals all lead. I headed home thinking next time like we all do.
As i was emptying my trash pouch. I was cleaning off the large pieces of lead I found " I save the lead" when this came through. I have covered the possible offensive area. I have found very similar carvingings on line for sell stating they are civil war. I am still half in shock that this could be authentic.
Any thoughts or edits I have to do to the pic please let me know.
Totally shaking right now.......

 

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[Wildcat1750]

Your not going to find something like that everyday!

 

[Detectorist143]

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice!!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Erik in NJ]

Please post an uncovered full-sized pic--it's just a piece of lead I think we can handle it I'd like to see if it matches the one that someone posted from VA. If so it may have been a novelty item rather than a soldier's carving. Very cool find and piece of history either way.

 

[Detectorist143]

Here is the unedited version. Either way I'm happy
to have saved it. I was just thinking the two are very similar.
Also if it was carved would the person that carved it make more than one?
Let me know what you think.

 

[islamoradamark]

Id say somebody had to much time on there hands

 

[Detectorist143]

There are some subtle differences in the two.
Most notably the ladies leg is straight in the VA find.
Where as mine the leg is bent. I noticed a few other smaller
Differences too.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Thanks for posting the full pic. It's a great find and I agree there are subtle differences between the two, but they are so remarkably similar and rather difficult to carve that it makes me think it might be cast. Perhaps camp suttlers sold these as novelties or even sold the molds for soldiers to have some fun making these. Yours is in better shape than the one in the pic, although yours looks like it got hit with the shovel a bit during digging--I did exactly the same to a lead soldier I dug recently. Hopefully someone else will chime in on whether this was carved. It's a wonderful display piece. Congrats on the find!

There are some subtle differences in the two.
Most notably the ladies leg is straight in the VA find.
Where as mine the leg is bent. I noticed a few other smaller
Differences too.

 

[Detectorist143]

Hi Erik, Thanks for your help. It is a awesome find. It is in very good shape ohh and yes I did give them both a kiss. Love to hear more about the piece if possible.

 

[Madmox]

Thanks for posting the full pic. It's a great find and I agree there are subtle differences between the two, but they are so remarkably similar and rather difficult to carve that it makes me think it might be cast. Perhaps camp suttlers sold these as novelties or even sold the molds for soldiers to have some fun making these. Yours is in better shape than the one in the pic, although yours looks like it got hit with the shovel a bit during digging--I did exactly the same to a lead soldier I dug recently. Hopefully someone else will chime in on whether this was carved. It's a wonderful display piece. Congrats on the find!

I am inclined to agree. It is WAY too similar and specific. For it to be chance that 2 soldiers carved near the same thing to that degree, unless it was the same guy just had a thing for that particular carving, but then lost both... seems far fetched.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Hi Erik, Thanks for your help. It is a awesome find. It is in very good shape ohh and yes I did give them both a kiss. Love to hear more about the piece if possible.

Were you able to find any more similar items like this on-line other than what you posted from the relicman site?

 

[Detectorist143]

The relicman site is the only one I have found.
Hard internet search when you combine civil war with
Erotica. Lol but I will continue looking tho.

 

[CRUSADER]

Can't tell well enough to see if carved or cast. Cast would make more sense. Not sure how you would date these easily, they are very similiar to late 18th C objects that were popular. (circa 1790s)

 

[Detectorist143]

I would love to hear more about about the late 18th century objects you refer to. I can try and take more pics closer and clearer.

 

[CRUSADER]

I would love to hear more about about the late 18th century objects you refer to. I can try and take more pics closer and clearer.

Can't dig around for them at the moment, but the more common ones were pipe tampers, although I'm struggling to remember a famous maker of these types of images. (although made in copper-alloy)

 

[Steve in PA]

Here is something similar. Can't remember where I saw this posted or who found it, but I liked it and lifted the image. I call it the "get lucky" horseshoe.

 

[Detectorist143]

I would think if this was a cast of sorts for semi mass
Production we would have found more than 2 over the years.