Could this be a Bone Handle?

[digginNdreamin]

Hello all,
I found this while digging a hole for a new mailbox..As a treasure hunter / metal detectorist, I'm always on the lookout for anything that don't look quite right, and this is one of those things..
I'm in the north central part of north Carolina..It was found about 8-10 inches deep and probably a 1/4 mile from a river..

I thought I would run it by the experts.. Thanks for any and all help,

Scott

 

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[ToddsPoint]

Someone clearly sawed the ends off. The center might have been hollowed out or it may have just rotted away. If it's antler it had pith. If it's bone it had marrow. Marrow was extracted for food by smashing a bone. Yours is cut so they weren't after the marrow. Might be some sort of handle.

 

[RGINN]

Looks just like a piece of bone from modern butchering.

 

[quito]

Boy I don’t know if those saw marks really look that modern to me.

 

[RGINN]

I should have said historic, quito. I didn't mean recent.

 

[digginNdreamin]

I really appreciate the responses.. I threw an indian trade bracelet{found out later} away 5 years ago in my copper scrap pile because I didn't atleast have it looked over first..My knew rule now is whenever in doubt, atleast ask..

 

[unclemac]

bone handle for a what?...that is the first question

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Boy I don’t know if those saw marks really look that modern to me.

Normally I fully expect to see an old ham bone on posts like this, but if you zoom in on those ends they look to have been cut and ground at different angles and not just cut with a metal band saw like most of these are. I'm not saying it's ancient of even an artifact, but that is not modern meat saw cuts on those ends.

Interesting find.

 

[joshuaream]

Interesting bone. Anyone recognize what kind of animal it could be from?

Looks really robust from the cross section. (It doesn't look like a light weight whitetail deer to me.)

 

[uglymailman]

Hope a butcher chimes in. I've got a big butchering bone saw that's probably 150 yr.s old. I can see it putting marks on bone like that. Cutting bones don't look slick like a modern band,table,radial type saws. My guess is it's from beef and may be 100 yrs. old. Looks a little short for a knife handle but what do I know? Good luck.

 

[quito]

Normally I fully expect to see an old ham bone on posts like this, but if you zoom in on those ends they look to have been cut and ground at different angles and not just cut with a metal band saw like most of these are. I'm not saying it's ancient of even an artifact, but that is not modern meat saw cuts on those ends.

Interesting find.

You are seeing the same marks as I am Grim.

 

[1320]

Antler Foreshaft

 

[arrow86]

Antler Foreshaft

Really interesting

 

[digginNdreamin]

Thank you for the link 1320..interesting stuff..

 

[1320]

Addressing (and possibly eliminating) the butchering thoughts....what cut of meat would be 3.5" thick? I can't think of any cut of meat that thick. Hams maybe but 3.5" would be a small one for sure. Bone looks much larger than ham bone anyway. I guess it's possible that it was butchered and it's a type of "clean up" cut that may have been needed to get a more desired cut off of the animal? Could it have been one of those throw away cuts for a pet dog?

The cuts on the bone look very "manual"....any Civil War hospitals nearby? Any flint/quartz come out of the hole?

Bone doesn't do very well in moist soil so I wouldn't think it's terribly old.

 

[ptsofnc]

I'm in NC too. Don't think bone has much of a shelf life in our climate. Except in places where protected from weather.

 

[Gare]

Looks like the bone out of a pot roast

 

[unclemac]

my dog buries bones like that

 

[quito]

Addressing (and possibly eliminating) the butchering thoughts....what cut of meat would be 3.5" thick? I can't think of any cut of meat that thick. Hams maybe but 3.5" would be a small one for sure. Bone looks much larger than ham bone anyway. I guess it's possible that it was butchered and it's a type of "clean up" cut that may have been needed to get a more desired cut off of the animal? Could it have been one of those throw away cuts for a pet dog?

The cuts on the bone look very "manual"....any Civil War hospitals nearby? Any flint/quartz come out of the hole?

Bone doesn't do very well in moist soil so I wouldn't think it's terribly old.

ive had some beef roasts that were at least 3 inches thick.

 

[1320]

Looks like the bone out of a pot roast

Don't laugh ok? Where does the pot roast cut come from? Leg? Back?