Post Your Favorite COLONIAL Era Relic (No Coins Please)

romeo-1

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Jul 29, 2005
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I think that it is fair to say that Colonial era relics are a favorite among many on the site. Post up your favorite Colonial era relic.

Mine is this silver whistle found last year. Silversmith was Joseph Taylor, late 18th century. I call it a hunting whistle but who knows. The shield motif always made me wonder if it was military in nature. I've seen similar Taylor silver whistles but none with the shield.
 

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Brian W said:
1550-1650 spectacle buckle...Looks alot like romeo's ;D

Nice one...really is a rare bird on this side of the pond but certainly not unique as evidenced by the three posted in this forum alone.

Keep 'em coming folks, I know there are a lot more Colonial hunters out there!
 

I almost forgot about this one. I dug it in the foundation of a colonial period house. It's made of bone and about 1" in diameter and 1/2" wide. Someone told me they thought it might be a thread waxer. Whatever it is someone took a lot of time carving those square holes out in the side.
 

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Wow, those are all wonderful finds! I love the buckles and whistle, and I doubt anyone could top Don's "peace medal". :icon_thumleft:

It's hard for me to pick just one object, but I guess it would be this little gilt fob seal. I dug on a site where our revolutionary soldiers had encamped before crossing the Delaware on Christmas Eve to fight the Battle of Trenton. In the same area of the field I found a chin scale, braid, many musket balls and sprue, Colonial coins, and a watch key, as well as other contemprorary artifacts.
 

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johnnyi said:
Wow, those are all wonderful finds! I love the buckles and whistle, and I doubt anyone could top Don's "peace medal". :icon_thumleft:

It's hard for me to pick just one object, but I guess it would be this little gilt fob seal. I dug on a site where our revolutionary soldiers had encamped before crossing the Delaware on Christmas Eve to fight the Battle of Trenton. In the same area of the field I found a chin scale, braid, many musket balls and sprue, Colonial coins, and a watch key, as well as other contemprorary artifacts.


Very nice! Romeo found a similar one here. We have a thread on them.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,175497.0.html
 

johnnyi said:
Wow, those are all wonderful finds! I love the buckles and whistle, and I doubt anyone could top Don's "peace medal". :icon_thumleft:

It's hard for me to pick just one object, but I guess it would be this little gilt fob seal. I dug on a site where our revolutionary soldiers had encamped before crossing the Delaware on Christmas Eve to fight the Battle of Trenton. In the same area of the field I found a chin scale, braid, many musket balls and sprue, Colonial coins, and a watch key, as well as other contemprorary artifacts.

Very nice...here's one I found last year!
 

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Iron Patch said:
johnnyi said:
Wow, those are all wonderful finds! I love the buckles and whistle, and I doubt anyone could top Don's "peace medal". :icon_thumleft:

It's hard for me to pick just one object, but I guess it would be this little gilt fob seal. I dug on a site where our revolutionary soldiers had encamped before crossing the Delaware on Christmas Eve to fight the Battle of Trenton. In the same area of the field I found a chin scale, braid, many musket balls and sprue, Colonial coins, and a watch key, as well as other contemprorary artifacts.


Very nice! Romeo found a similar one here. We have a thread on them.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,175497.0.html

Yikes, those are some fantastic seals Romeo and Ironpatch! I'll have to switch mine to that thread. In the meantime I guess I'll substitute that best colonial find for this one, my Christmas plum pudding! I dug it this year at my house dating from the 1680's, and it is the purest large piece of colonial smelted bog iron I've ever found. It came out of the ground like that with absolutely no tace of rust, yet it's depth indicated it was buried far longer than many coins and artifacts dating from the 1780's and 90's. The plate the pudding is served upon is pewter, possibly manufactured in lancester Pa., and was badly bent when I recovered it.
 

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My complete shoe buckle. Found in Massachusetts.
 

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I'd say mine is this pewter whizzer toy. I can just picture a little baby giggling after Colonial mommy or daddy started it up. :laughing9:

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KylePA said:
I'd say mine is this pewter whizzer toy. I can just picture a little baby giggling after Colonial mommy or daddy started it up. :laughing9:

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I love your whizzer Kyle. Being soft pewter, it might just pass the "Fisher-Price test". Evidently that toddler has responsible parents. :D :D On the other hand the knife edged one I dug this year is a law suit waiting to happen! :laughing9:
 

johnnyi said:
KylePA said:
I'd say mine is this pewter whizzer toy. I can just picture a little baby giggling after Colonial mommy or daddy started it up. :laughing9:

I love your whizzer Kyle. Being soft pewter, it might just pass the "Fisher-Price test". Evidently that toddler has responsible parents. :D :D On the other hand the knife edged one I dug this year is a law suit waiting to happen! :laughing9:

John, I think Colonial daddy had too many rounds of ale before he made toy for baby. :laughing9: Nice one!!
 

umrgolf2000 said:
I've spent a few hours of crud removal from the sword today.. It made quite a bit of difference ;D 1st two pics are before cleaned.. Jeff
Wow What a difference. that thing is nice.
 

johnnyi said:
Wow, those are all wonderful finds! I love the buckles and whistle, and I doubt anyone could top Don's "peace medal". :icon_thumleft:

It's hard for me to pick just one object, but I guess it would be this little gilt fob seal. I dug on a site where our revolutionary soldiers had encamped before crossing the Delaware on Christmas Eve to fight the Battle of Trenton. In the same area of the field I found a chin scale, braid, many musket balls and sprue, Colonial coins, and a watch key, as well as other contemprorary artifacts.

That is an awesome find johnnyi !!! It makes it even better knowing the site it came from. Washington crossing the Delaware is one of the most historically significant nights in our nations history. To find the fob seal in that area makes it that much more amazing. Congrats!
 

umrgolf2000 said:
I've spent a few hours of crud removal from the sword today.. It made quite a bit of difference ;D 1st two pics are before cleaned.. Jeff

Well done on the clean up!! Did you just use olive oil?
 

umrgolf2000 said:
romeo-1 said:
umrgolf2000 said:
I've spent a few hours of crud removal from the sword today.. It made quite a bit of difference ;D 1st two pics are before cleaned.. Jeff

Well done on the clean up!! Did you just use olive oil?

thank you Romeo, yes I used only olive oil and a needle.. It took at least 3 hours and it was a lot of fun watching the detail come out..

IP, that is very interesting that you have the same face on another relic, which face looks closer to the one you have? Might be time for some research

It appears that this is off a French rapier. If it is, it is possible that this might be a depiction of their famous martial arts master, Fiore dei Liberi, or perhaps another Frenchman with a similar illustrious history in the use of a sword. .
 

umrgolf2000 said:
romeo-1 said:
umrgolf2000 said:
I've spent a few hours of crud removal from the sword today.. It made quite a bit of difference ;D 1st two pics are before cleaned.. Jeff

Well done on the clean up!! Did you just use olive oil?

thank you Romeo, yes I used only olive oil and a needle.. It took at least 3 hours and it was a lot of fun watching the detail come out..

IP, that is very interesting that you have the same face on another relic, which face looks closer to the one you have? Might be time for some research


I don't know if it's an exact match but I know it's close. I'll post a pic in a bit. An interesting side note is that it's from the same site as the find that started this thread, the whistle. The field is a combination of Loyalist and British settlement, no early French anywhere close.

PS... I have seen a third piece with the face too.
 

Iron Patch said:
umrgolf2000 said:
romeo-1 said:
umrgolf2000 said:
I've spent a few hours of crud removal from the sword today.. It made quite a bit of difference ;D 1st two pics are before cleaned.. Jeff

Well done on the clean up!! Did you just use olive oil?

thank you Romeo, yes I used only olive oil and a needle.. It took at least 3 hours and it was a lot of fun watching the detail come out..

IP, that is very interesting that you have the same face on another relic, which face looks closer to the one you have? Might be time for some research


I don't know if it's an exact match but I know it's close. I'll post a pic in a bit. An interesting side note is that it's from the same site as the find that started this thread, the whistle. The field is a combination of Loyalist and British settlement, no early French anywhere close.

PS... I have seen a third piece with the face too.

In that case strike my idea of this being a French sword (I was playing the odds regarding rapiers, one of which this is) . Patch, considering where you found your relics with the same likeness, it could have as easily been a British hilt with an Itlalian or Spanish blade I suppose. Now to look up famous Brits who looked like the cowardly lion.
 

johnnyi said:
Iron Patch said:
umrgolf2000 said:
romeo-1 said:
umrgolf2000 said:
I've spent a few hours of crud removal from the sword today.. It made quite a bit of difference ;D 1st two pics are before cleaned.. Jeff

Well done on the clean up!! Did you just use olive oil?

thank you Romeo, yes I used only olive oil and a needle.. It took at least 3 hours and it was a lot of fun watching the detail come out..

IP, that is very interesting that you have the same face on another relic, which face looks closer to the one you have? Might be time for some research


I don't know if it's an exact match but I know it's close. I'll post a pic in a bit. An interesting side note is that it's from the same site as the find that started this thread, the whistle. The field is a combination of Loyalist and British settlement, no early French anywhere close.

PS... I have seen a third piece with the face too.

In that case strike my idea of this being a French sword (I was playing the odds regarding rapiers, one of which this is) . Patch, considering where you found your relics with the same likeness, it could have as easily been a British hilt with an Itlalian or Spanish blade I suppose. Now to look up famous Brits who looked like the cowardly lion.


Well put that thought back on the table because mine is different. Similar but different, and not great detail like what's posted above. If I recall correctly I only suspected it was a face until one day seeing a better one posted which confirmed it.
 

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