1781 Continental Soldier Cavalry Spur and mid 1850s solid GOLD watch fob!!!

[Devonrex]

1781 Continental Soldier Cavalry Spur and mid 1850's solid GOLD watch fob!!!

I dug a revolutionary spur today at a new site!!! Its been several years since I dug my last one. This one is broken and looks like it is brass. It is a different style than the others I have found but has the early figure 8 pattern. It doesn't have chain links attachments like my other most recent one. These spurs are so small when compared to Civil War spurs. Also dug out a bottle pit from the turn of the century and got me 19 unbroken bottles........some of them embossed. Also got a mid 1850's watch fob and a small brass buckle. After cleaning, to my astonishment, the watch fob which I had originally thought was just going to be brass turned out to be solid gold with a beautiful ornate design. Then as I started to clean the spur the same thing happenened again! There was beautiful scroll work down both legs of the spur with gold in the recesses! This spur is beautiful! I was in a position that was occupied by American soldiers during the Revolutionary War and this is the first 1781 Continental Soldier Cavalry spur I have ever found! The others were found in a French camp in 2012. One of the bottles turned out to be an aqua Chero - Cola from the early 1900's from Seneca, South Carolina. The rest were mostly medicinal and tonics many with embossed maker names. These had cork or glass stopper tops. They will look great with the other pharmacy related relics I have found. At the end of the day I had found relics from the 1700's, 1800's and 1900's. I love sites like this! I know I will be returning very shortly! HH Devonrex

 

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[kingskid1611]

What a wonderful find on all the items. Congrats

 

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[Evolution]

That's a sweet watch winder. Nice find.

 

[trdking]

Thanks trdking for the information! It does indeed have a square hole in the end but it was also appears to have been attached to a chain. Could it have served both as a fob and a watch winding key?

Yes the key was usually attached to a chain and kept tucked in the opposite vest pocket than the watch. It is a decorative tool. A fob was attached to the watch directly by a piece of leather and was used to help retrieve the watch from the vest pocket. (very short and close to the watch) Since now we know that it is a watch key whoo hoo Very highly sought after piece of gold you have there Some of these trade in the thousands Does it have any markings?

 

[trdking]

Yes the key was usually attached to a chain and kept tucked in the opposite vest pocket than the watch. It is a decorative tool. A fob was attached to the watch directly by a piece of leather and was used to help retrieve the watch from the vest pocket. (very short and close to the watch) Since now we know that it is a watch key whoo hoo Very highly sought after piece of gold you have there Some of these trade in the thousands Does it have any markings?

In reading the rest of the posts about age. The older they are the more rare they are. In the 1900's a nice pocket watch cost as much as a car, so only wealthier persons could carry a gold watch an fob. 1750 Is very early in portable time pieces (earliest watches in gold are usually 1650) So ownership of a watch in this time period would make you in the top 1% of wage earners and borderline royalty if not royalty. Rare piece in gold

 

[RelicMedic]

Killer finds! I'd love to dig either of those items, but living in Canada, the watch winder is the only possibility. Well done!!!