A real mystery here!

[Ripcon]

I found this item today at my Union camp in west central Mississippi.
Any ideas? I've never seen anything like this before. Thanks for any assistance.

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

Going by just the one photo you posted, your unknown object looks like it MIGHT be a civil war musket or pistol "percssion-capper"... a device which enabled the soldier to very quickly put a percussion-cap precisely in place onto the musket's nipple. The photos below show some modernday ones.

But, a photo from you to show us the object's other side could completely cancel my guess.

 

[dozer dan]

Looks to me like an old button hook. Just a wag.

 

[Deftone]

Very interesting piece. I dunno TCG. The way it narrows out like that toward the bottom. And the thingamajig stops at about the halfway point. I'm with you for more pics and info.

 

[Ripcon]

I just posted up the back side of the relic.
I found tons of minie balls where this piece was found. It sure looks like it could fit the description of a percussion capper.

 

[Kray Gelder]

Going by just the one photo you posted, your unknown object looks like it MIGHT be a civil war musket or pistol "percssion-capper"... a device which enabled the soldier to very quickly put a percussion-cap precisely in place onto the musket's nipple. The photos below show some modernday ones.

But, a photo from you to show us the object's other side could completely cancel my guess.

I believe you ID'd it Cannonball Guy. That's an interesting tool. New wrinkle in my brain. I had never heard of one before. Thanks for the education.

 

[Ripcon]

Thank you so much for helping with the I.d. On this one.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Well, at least the education about the civil war musket/pistol percussion-capper device will remain even if I have to cancel my ID guess. The brass object posted by Ripcon has a small knob at the end of a long narrow rectangular slot, as we also see on the percussion-capper. But now that he has posted a "backview" photo, it looks like the knob connects to a stud which holds a long flat piece of brass on the back of the object. That doesn't match up with a percussion-capper. What will tell us yes or no is the fact that a percussion-capper consists mostly of a long square tunnel, whose "business end" is hollow/open on one side, like a roof gutter. (Look closely at that end in the photo of the percussion-capper.) Ripcon, is that end of your object hollow/open, or just a flat piece of metal?

 

[NOLA_Ken]

When I first looked I thought "capper" as well.... but I'm not so sure now. My second thought is a small pocket scale, like a fisherman's scale type thing

 

[Ripcon]

Well, at least the education about the civil war musket/pistol percussion-capper device will remain even if I have to cancel my ID guess. The brass object posted by Ripcon has a small knob at the end of a long narrow rectangular slot, as we also see on the percussion-capper. But now that he has posted a "backview" photo, it looks like the knob connects to a stud which holds a long flat piece of brass on the back of the object. That doesn't match up with a percussion-capper. What will tell us yes or no is the fact that a percussion-capper consists mostly of a long square tunnel, whose "business end" is hollow/open on one side, like a roof gutter. (Look closely at that end in the photo of the percussion-capper.) Ripcon, is that end of your object hollow/open, or just a flat piece of metal?

It's hollow, like a gutter.

 

[bowwinkles]

It appears that the loop end is like a small cable and it is connected to the side button which is in a slide window like some type of holding device. May be medical in nature.

 

[A2coins]

i agree completely

 

[marion moore]

Is the flat end tapered on each side like a screw driver? looks like the cable loop on the end looks is adj. With the slot in the middle, I have no idea what's it far. Thanks for posting.

 

[Peyton Manning]

nose hair trimmer / insert and twirl

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Ripcon, is the loop on the object's end made of brass braided (or spiral-twisted) wire? If so, is it visible in the long rectangular slot on the object's side?

 

[Ripcon]

No, the loop is not braided or twisted.
Here are some additional close up pictures.
Also, at the very bottom, there appears to be some type of attachment device.

 

[trdking]

It looks to me like a pair of slide locking tweezers

 

[pepperj]

I never knew there was things like these made, good ID CBGuy and congrats on the recovery Ripcon.

 

[sprailroad]

It appears that the loop end is like a small cable and it is connected to the side button which is in a slide window like some type of holding device. May be medical in nature.

Kind of my first thought, some kind of surgical instrument? They had some pretty tuff ways of doing things then. Just an "out there" guess though.

 

[A2coins]

Its a antique Easter egg dipper