BuckleBoy
Gold Member
Hello All,
When I dig one of an item that I can't ID, I search for the ID...but some items are tough as you know. When I dig multiple examples of something, or one of my buddies does, then I start thinking that it should be possible to get an ID (like the scythe handle ferrules I posted here several years back). Well, here we go again. The two pieces in the first five photos came from a late 1700s/early 1800s site in Kentucky where Hill Billy dug his Nova Constellatio Copper in 2010.
The pieces are thick either rolled or stamped brass, and they both come to a point on the end, which was curled up. I thought at the time that someone might have done this when they tossed the piece away, much like wadding up a piece of paper before throwing it in the trash can... I didn't think about the fact that the brass is not flimsy and could not have been rolled up on the end like that by hand without great effort.
There is a riveted attachment, with a flower-like, bowl-shaped top piece on the second piece. This may be a big clue to identifying it.
Well, day before yesterday in Louisiana, Shane dug a piece that reminded me of the pieces from two years ago that I had dug. When I fished them out of the brass bin, they were identical in design. The piece was broken in the same spot as the longer piece I had dug (photos 1 and 2 in this post; broken at a hole in the piece; compare this with the last photo in the post). The end of Shane's piece was likewise curled up.
Whatever this piece was, the curl was important, and had something to do with the use, or a decorative effect.
Has anyone else ever dug a piece like this? Any ideas about what it is?
Best Wishes,
Buckles
When I dig one of an item that I can't ID, I search for the ID...but some items are tough as you know. When I dig multiple examples of something, or one of my buddies does, then I start thinking that it should be possible to get an ID (like the scythe handle ferrules I posted here several years back). Well, here we go again. The two pieces in the first five photos came from a late 1700s/early 1800s site in Kentucky where Hill Billy dug his Nova Constellatio Copper in 2010.
The pieces are thick either rolled or stamped brass, and they both come to a point on the end, which was curled up. I thought at the time that someone might have done this when they tossed the piece away, much like wadding up a piece of paper before throwing it in the trash can... I didn't think about the fact that the brass is not flimsy and could not have been rolled up on the end like that by hand without great effort.
There is a riveted attachment, with a flower-like, bowl-shaped top piece on the second piece. This may be a big clue to identifying it.
Well, day before yesterday in Louisiana, Shane dug a piece that reminded me of the pieces from two years ago that I had dug. When I fished them out of the brass bin, they were identical in design. The piece was broken in the same spot as the longer piece I had dug (photos 1 and 2 in this post; broken at a hole in the piece; compare this with the last photo in the post). The end of Shane's piece was likewise curled up.
Whatever this piece was, the curl was important, and had something to do with the use, or a decorative effect.
Has anyone else ever dug a piece like this? Any ideas about what it is?
Best Wishes,
Buckles
