✅ SOLVED Any Ideas what this Brass item is??

[BuckleBoy]

Hello All,

I found two of these items--flat brass items with two holes for rivets/nails in them. They looked at the time like they would have some sort of stamping on them, but both are plain... The older one has some design and it is cast. It also has a part of an old nail still in one hole of it...








I found this one online that was stamped "CS" from a CW camp--the finder at the site says that it's a "watch fob" but it obviously isn't...and it's the same dimensions as the plain oval one I found (pictured above). I'm not suggesting that these are war related, but I'm just wondering what the heck they are...



http://www.midtenrelics.com/buttons.htm (See #2, second photo...)


Regards,


Buckleboy

 

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[BuckleBoy]

Nice work, Jerry--but I think Iron Patch is right. The hole in the center isn't there on any of these...I've seen these saddle pieces before--and at first that's what I thought the oval style ones were... I think we need to find some 200 year old saddles.


Thanks for posting yours, John. Even the decoration on it looks similar to the elongated one I posted up top.


-Buckles

 

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[Michellets]

I was looking back through some relics, and found this sample that resembles what we have been trying to ID. It came from a 1700-1800 site. I have found several others, but can't locate them. Some are brass/copper, but this one is a nickel silver, or even silver. It measures about an 1 1/2" X 5/8". I think that we arestarting to see some tags here that are really not the same as what originally started this thread BB. Lets limit the ID to "sharp" eliptical shaped metal with two holes. I have found several especially like the eliptical one on the left side of the first picture that was posted on the thread. M

 

[BuckleBoy]

I was looking back through some relics, and found this sample that resembles what we have been trying to ID. It came from a 1700-1800 site. I have found several others, but can't locate them. Some are brass/copper, but this one is a nickel silver, or even silver. It measures about an 1 1/2" X 5/8". I think that we arestarting to see some tags here that are really not the same as what originally started this thread BB. Lets limit the ID to "sharp" eliptical shaped metal with two holes. I have found several especially like the eliptical one on the left side of the first picture that was posted on the thread. M

Sounds good. The thread is hereby limited to the "sharp" elliptical ones like the one you posted--and Thank You SO much for posting this one!

It's interesting that your specimen is silver or nickel silver. Evidently these decorations saw widespread use by individuals at many income levels.

I assume there are no markings on the one you found?


Best Wishes,


Buckleboy

 

[Michellets]

There is no mark on the underside. The holes are beveled/flared on the reverse side like the other ones posted. Like I said, I have several of these, that all date to 1700-early 1800 sights. Some are copper/brass. There is a slight curve to the plane so that it is not perfectly flat.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Here's one...

See photo 163 (this is SCDigger's gallery):


http://imageevent.com/scdigger/relics?n=0&z=2&c=4&x=1&m=51&w=0&p=0


-Buckles

 

[Michellets]

Buckle, Item 163 is slightly different, but similar as well.... M

 

[Ohio Jerry]

#163 looks to be the same size as your egg shaped piece..what the heck are these things for?

 

[BuckleBoy]

#163 looks to be the same size as your egg shaped piece..what the heck are these things for?

Yeah I know I should've restricted this thread to the oblong ones, but I couldn't help posting this one--since I haven't found too many of them online.


-Buckles

 

[scratcher]

bump.... I've got one too

 

[BuckleBoy]

bump.... I've got one too

Thank you for posting, scratcher.


More fuel for the fire on figuring out what the heck these things are.



Best Wishes,



Buckles

 

[Goodyguy]

Sure looks something like the heel plate off of the handle of a hammer or hatchet to me.
maybe off some other tool with a wooden handle.

 

[BuckleBoy]

I did forward my friend a few photos of these items, and he said that they were nothing that he had ever seen in his work building vintage weapons.


Looks like some of the oblong ones have places where a nail could be set flush (i.e., attached to wood perhaps instead of leather...in which case they'd have just riveted the piece on).  Many of them have traces of rust from the iron nails. The piece that leddel posted shows a break at one of the nail holes from stress or use, and wear at the other.

 

[scratcher]

I think the keys to figuring these out is that most or all of the holes are "countersunk" on the opposite side of the decoration, and we can't find something they are still attached to. I know they are nothing "important", but I have the same feelings as Buckle Boy when this many are found without positive ID. I'll be suprised if someone doesn't come up with the definitive answer eventually......

 

[Monty]

I am about to go blind looking at Civil War gear on various web sites. Whatever they are they were in common use or there wouldn't be so many of them found. It's something simple I'll bet. M nty

 

[BuckleBoy]

I am about to go blind looking at Civil War gear on various web sites. Whatever they are they were in common use or there wouldn't be so many of them found. It's something simple I'll bet. M nty

I would imagine that the oblong shaped ones predate the CW by a good many years--but as the "C.S." example shows, the oval ones were still in use in some fashion. I also agree that it is something simple that we're overlooking. That "C.S." is the only example I have ever seen that had CW ties...but I've seen many other examples that were plain, or had some ornamentation... So I almost decided not to put the "C.S." on this post--but I thought it might give us a clue.

I figure it'll be similar to the parasol clip ID...somebody will say "this is what it was" and the rest of us will go "Doh!--why didn't I think of that?"


-Buckles

 

[CRUSADER]

on the item that looks like the bottom of an old iron...check out a fellow by the name of robfinds...his avatar looks so much like this item...thank you

his medieval seal matrix is only the same shape & thats about as close as it gets.

I found many of these, in fact one on Sunday but don't keep them. I always thought furniture related but no evidence.

 

[BuckleBoy]

on the item that looks like the bottom of an old iron...check out a fellow by the name of robfinds...his avatar looks so much like this item...thank you

his medieval seal matrix is only the same shape & thats about as close as it gets.

I found many of these, in fact one on Sunday but don't keep them. I always thought furniture related but no evidence.

Throwing them in the hedge, eh? If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to see a photo sometime of what types of these items you're finding over there.

 

[CRUSADER]

on the item that looks like the bottom of an old iron...check out a fellow by the name of robfinds...his avatar looks so much like this item...thank you

his medieval seal matrix is only the same shape & thats about as close as it gets.

I found many of these, in fact one on Sunday but don't keep them. I always thought furniture related but no evidence.

Throwing them in the hedge, eh? If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to see a photo sometime of what types of these items you're finding over there.

Just for you I dug around in my furniture deco bag & pulled these out. I only keep the ones with decor & not the plain ones which I have had many of. As the holes are standard width apart I thought its furniture related, might be tack I suppose Are yours about 22mm from centre of hole to centre of hole?

 

[BuckleBoy]

on the item that looks like the bottom of an old iron...check out a fellow by the name of robfinds...his avatar looks so much like this item...thank you

his medieval seal matrix is only the same shape & thats about as close as it gets.

I found many of these, in fact one on Sunday but don't keep them. I always thought furniture related but no evidence.

Throwing them in the hedge, eh? If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to see a photo sometime of what types of these items you're finding over there.

Just for you I dug around in my furniture deco bag & pulled these out. I only keep the ones with decor & not the plain ones which I have had many of. As the holes are standard width apart I thought its furniture related, might be tack I suppose Are yours about 22mm from centre of hole to centre of hole?

The oval ones are 22mm from center of hole to center of hole. The elongated ones are 27mm.

 

[CRUSADER]

on the item that looks like the bottom of an old iron...check out a fellow by the name of robfinds...his avatar looks so much like this item...thank you

his medieval seal matrix is only the same shape & thats about as close as it gets.

I found many of these, in fact one on Sunday but don't keep them. I always thought furniture related but no evidence.

Throwing them in the hedge, eh? If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to see a photo sometime of what types of these items you're finding over there.

Just for you I dug around in my furniture deco bag & pulled these out. I only keep the ones with decor & not the plain ones which I have had many of. As the holes are standard width apart I thought its furniture related, might be tack I suppose Are yours about 22mm from centre of hole to centre of hole?

The oval ones are 22mm from center of hole to center of hole. The elongated ones are 27mm.

so a universial standard for what?