Silver Tree Chaser
Bronze Member
This find is a good reminder of the importance of proper identification. I recovered this carved piece of lead in a wooded area earlier in the year. It’s a flattened piece of lead in the form of a duck.
I had found a child’s toy years ago in the form of tiny ax made from molded lead; accordingly, I dismissed the image of the duck as a toy as well — a very old, interesting toy, but only a toy. Recently I was researching further
on the cast pewter trade pipe that I posted back in May, and to my complete surprise, I came upon details of similar lead-shaped animal objects. It turns out that the lead duck is a 17th century Native American lead animal effigy, most certainly of the Narragansett Tribe of southern New England. I viewed online other effigy ducks made of stone recovered in neighboring Connecticut. Lead specimens representing many other animals have been recovered as well. See photos provided below. They are also referred to as totems or charms.
A few other recent finds — a shoe buckle frame and a late 1800s clay tobacco pipe that I found on the shoreline of a cove. I don’t often recover clay pipes intact. While the shoe buckle came from an area around the ruins of a barn, the main cellar hole is now buried underneath a modern home.
I will be posting a long overdue follow-up on a thread for one of my past banner finds, so keep a look out for an update if you're interested.
I had found a child’s toy years ago in the form of tiny ax made from molded lead; accordingly, I dismissed the image of the duck as a toy as well — a very old, interesting toy, but only a toy. Recently I was researching further
on the cast pewter trade pipe that I posted back in May, and to my complete surprise, I came upon details of similar lead-shaped animal objects. It turns out that the lead duck is a 17th century Native American lead animal effigy, most certainly of the Narragansett Tribe of southern New England. I viewed online other effigy ducks made of stone recovered in neighboring Connecticut. Lead specimens representing many other animals have been recovered as well. See photos provided below. They are also referred to as totems or charms.
A few other recent finds — a shoe buckle frame and a late 1800s clay tobacco pipe that I found on the shoreline of a cove. I don’t often recover clay pipes intact. While the shoe buckle came from an area around the ruins of a barn, the main cellar hole is now buried underneath a modern home.
I will be posting a long overdue follow-up on a thread for one of my past banner finds, so keep a look out for an update if you're interested.
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