Finds from near the rock with the hole in it

[JakePhelps]

These are what i found yesterday around the rock with the hole in it which i now believe is a manmade hole in it I found a drinking glass from 1903, a cartridge from the 1930's, a few shotty shells, a harmonica reed, A dropped large caliber musket ball , its the first one iv found of this size and also its dropped not fired which is a first, it has a mold mark around it and also a little dimple on it. Any ideas as to what caliber it is? Maybe .68 or .69? Also does anyone know how to date how old harmonica reeds are? When was the harmonica invented and when was it popular And the best find!!: A lead seal of some sort maybe a bale seal? It says "The A. C. Co" on it, and help would be appreciated drilled a long time ago, prolly over 100 years ago is my guess. I think i may have some proof that it could be manmade also, because of what the rock has done on the back side. I will post pics of the rock at a later day, probably sunday, im camping tomarow

 

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[comfyinvermont]

Hey Jake, some nice finds. Most of the harmonica reeds I find are in areas of 1850 to 1900 when it seems like they were most popular. I always use a micrometer to measure the musket balls. You will have to go all the way around it and get an average. That is definately a lead seal, but I don't think a bale seal. It looks more like a seal that would have been used with a wire. Could have been used on a mailbag, or a money chest or something that they wanted to make sure they could tell if it was tampered with. I have found several that were used on railroad mailbags. Hope that helps. Congrats on some nice finds...Lance

 

[Mona Lisa]

Jake, that's a nice sized musketball. I found a lead seal like that only it had a star scratched into it. Mine also has a hole in it, does yours?

 

[JakePhelps]

The seal looks like it would have clamped on to something, like a wire as he suggested.

 

[DetectoDude]

Great finds, LOVE that musket ball!

 

[Nana40]

Wow Jake! Those are some nice finds!

 

[Bavaria Mike]

Nice finds Jake! HH, Mike

 

[Monty]

Good to see that persistance pays off again! The finds in the area also up the odds that the hole in the rock is manmade too. It also changes my perception of what the rock could be. Since lead of that period was a precious commodity I would be inclined to think the rock was used as a weight or counter weight to secure or hold something down. Be alert for any old obviously shaped pieces of rotting wood or rusted bolts and screws such as would have been used in making a wagon, etc. Wagon wheel rims are often found that have been discarded. They will usually be a thin metal band shaped to fit around the outside of a wagon wheel and hold all the wooden pieces in place. I found one where they used to use wagons and mules to haul material. JIM

 

[JakePhelps]

There is tons of those wagon rims out there! Are they worth taking home

 

[gldhntr]

if in decent shape, old wagon wheels/rims are highly sought after by wagon rebuilders, antique shops, western theme shops, and also by landscapers for yard art....have seen them go for as little as 40-50 bucks up to several hundred dollars depending on condition and what they came off of....the very tall ones off of old military transport wagons seem to be the most in demand with good examples bringing 750.00 or more.......saw one set of two of these sell at an auction for 2200.00.........and they will probably roll home easier than the rock,,,,,,,,,,,,gldhntr

 

[JakePhelps]

The ones iv found are just the metal rim that goes around the wheel, and they are really rusty and buried underground a little bit.

 

[gldhntr]

probably not worth too much by itself, keep looking .................gldhntr

 

[Fredneck]

Jake,
Looks like your on a good site there, I see some relics there dating back to at least the mid-1800's. The lead seal looks to be a railroad door seal, I have a small collection of them myself. Railroad nearby? They are pressed around iron wire and the letters are their marking of destination, commonly found at CW period railroad camps. Keep it up , bet there is an Nice piece there somewhere, at least a good coin. Good Luck

Dave

 

[JakePhelps]

Nopoe, no railroad here. But maybe someone took it from a railroad and dropped it out there? Is there any pics of these?

 

[gldhntr]

its starting to sound as if you might be on a long term encampment, possibly civil war .. i would suggest looking at the aerial photos and checking into civil war history and maps in your area......i may can help on that, if you want send me a p.m. and i will see what i can find out in the official records of which i have copies of everything available....., or you can do it yourself online, google . official records, war of the rebellion.......look for the one that has kirkleys name as a co-author as this is the most complete,,,there is also an updated version done in the 1900's that contains alot more records although i have not seen it online except for sale..... searching these is a little tricky, you will have to keep re-entering different info concerning your area to get your answers.......the maps are available through a number of sites listed on the maps threads.........gldhntr

 

[JakePhelps]

I don't recall there being at civil war activity here, but you never know! Do you have any maps/info relating to civil war in Westminster, Ma? I dont think anything ever went on here, specially not battles. Could it be from a older war?