Type of Button clasp or clothing fastener?

[joncooper1986]

Found this at a late 1800s house. Looks like pewter. I'm thinking it's is a grommet that a fastener would nestle into from a dress. Any thoughts?

 

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[CoilToTheSoil]

Dunno but I've got 4+ that were pulled from a late 1800s homesite in a field.

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[1637]

it a grommet off a tent, or?.a flat part goes though it then turns and locks in place.
brad

 

[cavtrooper]

Not sure of the age, but here is a complete modern one. This is called a purse closure on the website but I have seen them used for other things as well.


Here is a picture with it apart and all of the pieces to put it together.

 

[DCMatt]

I had those on the tonneau cover for my '67 Austin-Healey back in the day...

 

[trapperart]

Looks like cavtrooper nailed it

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Actually, that type of fastener (sometimes called a twist-catch) dates back further than we'd think, based on purse-flap-closures and tarp fasteners. See the 1889 US Patent diagram and info, below. It was originally posted several years ago here by the What-Is-It? forum's inestimable relic-ID-helper BigCypressHunter.

So, your find theoretically could date back as far as the late-1800s house you dug it at. But unfortunately, none I've ever seen were date-marked nor maker-marked, so time-dating a dug one with any accuracy is difficult.