apache or navajo?

[pippinwhitepaws]

eyeball find: in a trash heap along the old santé fe rail line... northern Arizona.
weight suggests it is a 50 centavo...
not sterling, coin silver.

 

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[rock]

I have no idea but its very good looking.

 

[Americus]

Wow. That is interesting. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Rege-PA]

I don`t know if the Apache worked silver but the Navajo and Hopi did, look at other examples of their work and compare but it might also be settler as the designs are stamped from a tool. Looks like part of a bridle or saddle ornament. You`ve got good eyes, I would need a metal detector to find it.

 

[Cosmo]

Your sure it's not silver?

 

[timekiller]

Yep cool looking concho.....
Wiggins Bits Spurs
Take Care,
Pete,

 

[unclemac]

coin silver is way more interesting than sterling....

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

thanks people...I found this some years ago...I have posted it on treasurenet, also, some years ago.
I had thought it was Navajo...since it was close to the rez...
but...not one Navajo I showed this to was impressed at all...not a word.
I researched the weight, size, method of forming an stamping...
I personally believe it was beat out on a rail road track...over a small fire...many years ago...close to 1900...
the slots are reminiscent of an early Navajo method to open a concho for mounting...
the slots were cut with a chisel in the early days...D shapes being the earliest form of Navajo...
then came the ovals and fine saw blade or pre formed punch...
the decoration stamps were normally hand made until the 1920's...center punch or old chisel being the stock used to create the pattern.
this piece shows both hand formed stamps, and factory punch. close review of the {water}bird stamp will show irregularities in the stamping.

I did have an couple of apache ladies see me with it one day and began chittering on about it...only giving me some indication of what it represented.
thanks for the response.

 

[Tnmountains]

That is a stellar find. Love the way it was hammered out and stamped. Nice.