🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Copper “trim” with grommets. Part of a tent?

jude061

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Mar 5, 2013
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I was metal detecting my back yard (I live in a c. 1897 cottage in an area that was a “rustic” resort in the late 19th and early 20th century). I found these several meters apart. The larger piece is approximately 9” long and very damaged. The smaller one appears to be a “corner.” The copper is folded over lengthwise as if it was at a seam, and in places there is crumbly white material which I took to be canvas or other cloth. Any thoughts?
E.T.A.: I also considered an awning. I haven’t been able to find images of my house in the 1890s and 1900s so I can’t say for sure if it had anything like that.
IMG_8449.jpeg
IMG_8448.jpeg
 

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I was metal detecting my back yard (I live in a c. 1897 cottage in an area that was a “rustic” resort in the late 19th and early 20th century). I found these several meters apart. The larger piece is approximately 9” long and very damaged. The smaller one appears to be a “corner.” The copper is folded over lengthwise as if it was at a seam, and in places there is crumbly white material which I took to be canvas or other cloth. Any thoughts?
E.T.A.: I also considered an awning. I haven’t been able to find images of my house in the 1890s and 1900s so I can’t say for sure if it had anything like that.
View attachment 2166057View attachment 2166058
Tent, lean-to, awning, all seem like good possibilities.
 

Upvote 1
No idea, but not something I'd keep.
It's yours, but I'd trash it.

Alternatively, bag it up (in case it is asbestos) and see how you feel after a year... :dontknow:
 

Upvote 1
No idea, but not something I'd keep.
It's yours, but I'd trash it.

Alternatively, bag it up (in case it is asbestos) and see how you feel after a year... :dontknow:
that's not how asbestos works. just like you don't die from smoking one cigarette. it takes repeated exposure.
I'm 99% sure that's what he's found though.
1724879046784.png
 

Upvote 2
These are not engine gaskets. The longer one has holes about every two inches, and some of the holes have a separate copper grommet within them. It’s very thin sheet metal folded over like a “hem” and the degraded “cloth” or whatever it is is between the fold. Both pieces were down about 8” in my yard. Other than some clad change and other modern junk, I haven’t found anything else. The yard was heavily landscaped though in the late 1990s or early 2000s.
 

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These are not engine gaskets. The longer one has holes about every two inches, and some of the holes have a separate copper grommet within them. It’s very thin sheet metal folded over like a “hem” and the degraded “cloth” or whatever it is is between the fold. Both pieces were down about 8” in my yard. Other than some clad change and other modern junk, I haven’t found anything else. The yard was heavily landscaped though in the late 1990s or early 2000s.
Just because it was landscaped doesn't mean some foreign trash/debris wasn't blended in.
 

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Now THIS image makes me think it could be a gasket. The first image is nothing like this item. Did gaskets have separate grommets in the holes or were they held with washers and bolts?

The grommet:
IMG_8454.jpeg


I know landscaping doesn’t necessarily mean junk isn’t deposited. I mentioned it to give some context.

The fact that this area was known for a fact to be a “tenting” area and the former orchard behind the property was documented as a tenting location in the summers makes me not discount that it may be related but since I know little to nothing about tents, awnings, nor gaskets, I’ll give it up for a gasket since that’s the consensus.

Either way it’s going into the recycling bin. I’ve just been trying to find artifacts related to the history of my property and the neighborhood.
 

Upvote 0
Now THIS image makes me think it could be a gasket. The first image is nothing like this item. Did gaskets have separate grommets in the holes or were they held with washers and bolts?
click the link I posted and click to expand the pic and you'll see it.
 

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