Narthoniel
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2008
- Messages
- 1,755
- Reaction score
- 6
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Virginia Beach
- Detector(s) used
- Excal 2 and E Trac
Hello,
I am hoping to achieve 3 things from this post;
to have my speculations either verified or rejected
to have a time period determined that this object appears to be from
and to learn the options I have for cleaning
I was able to sneak in one hour of detecting today at a site that has yielded 4 half reale and 1 KG copper in the last 2 days. While this area is 50 feet from a significant road, we have found very little modern metal. The youngest relics found appear to be from the 1850s-1870s. I am only speculating as I know little for sure, but it appears this site was approximately inhabited between 1780 and 1860. This area is wooded now, and all that remains are the relics found and a cellar hole.
I have only used cold water so far to clean this - No picks, brushes or chemicals at all. Sorry it is so dirty, but given the nature of the find, I want to go slow and be careful in preserving it.
From what my hunting partner and I can see this used to be a pocket watch. In the first photo, I color coded the 3 parts of this item so I can explain as thoroughly as possible what I know. The coins are merely for size reference.
Red: This appears to be the bezel of the watch. I plan to return and hunt for more pieces, but I do not expect to find any. The side that is showing appears to have set into the top of the watch itself, while the other side(not pictured) was the exterior of the face. I initially thought this might be a monocle, but the glass has no magnification at all.
Blue: I know little about this portion for sure. It is very ornately detailed in nature and it swivels where it meets the ring. It spins easy, even after all this time in the ground. My speculation is that this was where a string or chain was connected.
Green: This appears to be a key of some sort, and my hunting partner said it looked like it was used to wind the springs in a watch. Ill go with his deduction for now. This part also swivels easily where it connects to the rings.
Here is a closeup of the "key" portion of this find.
I am also looking for recommendations on further cleaning. It appears that this object was originally gold plated. The following 2 pictures depict the areas that show this the best. I have read that naval jelly works wonders on gilded buttons, would that apply to this as well? What other cleaners would you recommend?
I have tried to look up information on pocket watches, but all I have learned is that they were first developed in the 16th century. If you know of any good resources online for them, please tune me in. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I will do my best to answer them for you.
I am most grateful to anyone for any insight or advice. Thank you very much for anything you can contribute,
Anthony
I am hoping to achieve 3 things from this post;
to have my speculations either verified or rejected
to have a time period determined that this object appears to be from
and to learn the options I have for cleaning
I was able to sneak in one hour of detecting today at a site that has yielded 4 half reale and 1 KG copper in the last 2 days. While this area is 50 feet from a significant road, we have found very little modern metal. The youngest relics found appear to be from the 1850s-1870s. I am only speculating as I know little for sure, but it appears this site was approximately inhabited between 1780 and 1860. This area is wooded now, and all that remains are the relics found and a cellar hole.
I have only used cold water so far to clean this - No picks, brushes or chemicals at all. Sorry it is so dirty, but given the nature of the find, I want to go slow and be careful in preserving it.
From what my hunting partner and I can see this used to be a pocket watch. In the first photo, I color coded the 3 parts of this item so I can explain as thoroughly as possible what I know. The coins are merely for size reference.
Red: This appears to be the bezel of the watch. I plan to return and hunt for more pieces, but I do not expect to find any. The side that is showing appears to have set into the top of the watch itself, while the other side(not pictured) was the exterior of the face. I initially thought this might be a monocle, but the glass has no magnification at all.
Blue: I know little about this portion for sure. It is very ornately detailed in nature and it swivels where it meets the ring. It spins easy, even after all this time in the ground. My speculation is that this was where a string or chain was connected.
Green: This appears to be a key of some sort, and my hunting partner said it looked like it was used to wind the springs in a watch. Ill go with his deduction for now. This part also swivels easily where it connects to the rings.
Here is a closeup of the "key" portion of this find.
I am also looking for recommendations on further cleaning. It appears that this object was originally gold plated. The following 2 pictures depict the areas that show this the best. I have read that naval jelly works wonders on gilded buttons, would that apply to this as well? What other cleaners would you recommend?
I have tried to look up information on pocket watches, but all I have learned is that they were first developed in the 16th century. If you know of any good resources online for them, please tune me in. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I will do my best to answer them for you.
I am most grateful to anyone for any insight or advice. Thank you very much for anything you can contribute,
Anthony
Nice find
Looks great!! 
