✅ SOLVED Small Silver Object

[Chris717]

Hello again! My son and I found this at a colonial homesite and I'm having a hard time IDing it. I think it's silver, and it appears to be hand made (but I could be wrong about that) On the back it says something to the effect of TBRUNE. My best guess is a knee buckle but it seems kind of small compared to ones I see online. Appreciate any insight into this!!

 

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[ColtsPop]

Yes, it is a knee or shoe buckle

 

[Tpmetal]

I do not think this was a buckle unless it was a cover attached to the buckle mechanism somehow. If you look at the back there is no place for the shaft of the buckle. It looks more like a pin or brooch that the pin broke off of. you can see the two solder points on the back where something was attached at one point.

 

[tamrock]

I think it's a filigree silver brooch missing the center stone or maybe a cameo such as this. OR maybe it never did have anything mounted in the center? Yes as mentioned you can see where the pin has busted off. The word I'm seeing looks like parts of the word STERLING to me. To me that qualifies as a found treasure imo.

 

[GlowingArtist]

Yes, it is a knee or shoe buckle

Is it for tap dancing?

I was going to suggest it was part of an old car grill.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Tamrock said:
> The word I'm seeing looks like parts of the word STERLING to me.

I gotta give Tamrock some public applause for correctly interpreting the marking "TBRUNE" as actually being part of the word Sterling, for those like me who did not recognize it.

If a silver object is marked "Sterling" in plain-block lettering, it is not older than about 130-140 years.

 

[Chris717]

Thank you very much - it took my eyes a minute to see 'STERLING' but that would make the most sense to me. Thanks for the input, everyone and especially Tamrock, with that ID and interpretation of TBRUNE, ha. It being a brooch or cameo makes a lot of sense.

My son and I were very excited to find it, along with that silver dime. That makes a total of three silver pieces found metal detecting so far. Man, that's an addictive color to see come out of the ground!

 

[tamrock]

Tamrock said:
> The word I'm seeing looks like parts of the word STERLING to me.

I gotta give Tamrock some public applause for correctly interpreting the marking "TBRUNE" as actually being part of the word Sterling, for those like me who did not recognize it.

If a silver object is marked "Sterling" in plain-block lettering, it is not older than about 130-140 years.

Yeah marks can be partially stamped or difficult to decipher at first glance as in the case of this sterling piece I came by. The piece did look silver and was constructed as I would expect solid silver to be, but I was thrown a bit by what looked like it read TERLIN & EXIC ?? Finally it hit me. It was meant to read STERLING MEXICO