✅ SOLVED Odd Finial help please!

[Old Dude]

Hi all. Found this odd little item that I believe to be a finial of some sorts. It was in what is now a hay field across from a house built in 1805 and part of an 1820's farm. A magnet does not stick to any part of it, including the material it was screwed into. No makers mark and it was either silver plated or was spray painted at some point with silver colored paint. At first, I thought the center disc was a mirror before cleaning. Hopefully someone has seen one and will help. Thanks!

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

It is a form of horse-harness gear called a "swinger" fly or head terret. It decorated a wagon-pulling horse's collar. See the early-1900s horsegear catalog advertisement below. As the ad says, they are made of solid brass and some were nickel-plated... which probably accounts for the "silveriness" you see on yours. They are believed to be strictly post-civil-war, because none have shown up (so far) in mid-1800s horsegear catalogs.

 

[Old Dude]

Thank you very much, Sir! You have saved the day yet again! Another member just said he had found the exact same thing and was wondering also.