What is this cast brass hook and fixed chain?

[IowaRelic]

Found this at a home site after some timber was cleared. Any ideas? The quarter is just for size comparison. The brass “chain” is broken and appears that it would have been at least one link longer.

 

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[IowaRelic]

LOL after looking at my own post, I bet it’s horse tack. Fancy kind.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Your guess about your find's ID is correct... it is "horse tack"... specifically, a component of the bridle, called a gag-chain. See the diagram below, which is a scan from the 1907 Pearson & Hough mailorder horsegear catalog (helpfully posted here long ago by our esteemed fellow relic-ID helper Creskol).

Unfortunately, gag-chains are almost impossible to accurately time-date, because they are still being made and sold today. The photo below shows a shiny new one available from leatherworks.com.

 

[IowaRelic]

Thank you! I suspect it’s turn of the century as most relics appear to be that era from this site. Your input is always spot on and appreciated!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Love the verdigris on this piece, it looks even better now that you have an I.D.

Dave