Piece to a souvenir

[McCDig]

Proximity to "old" targets does not make an item necessarily "old" but I dug this yesterday morning near where I've recently dug flat buttons and that one real. This piece of stamped copper was heavily corroded and I just got it out of my pouch this evening and scraped it. I found that it bears the word "SOUVENIR" and has two eyelets on the bottom edge that held a ribbon or medal commemorating at event or group. It measures an inch and a half wide by a half inch at the center. Any ideas as to what this is? It had a piece of charred would attached to it and there were other smaller bits of burned wood in the hole.

Thanks for checking this out.

 

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[McCDig]

Found that GAR 16th encampment was held in Baltimore, MD, June 21-23, 1882.
This piece's styling may not date back to 1882 but it is similar to other GAR souvenir pin medals.

 

[smokeythecat]

I found a similar one in my neighbor's yard. That one was for the Empire State Building. I believe they were very popular around WWII and the 1950's. I think a lot of the popular tourist places had them made, think of today's machines that smash and imprint pennies today for souvenir of, wherever it happens to be.

 

[relic nut]

Maybe a world's fair badge like this one. I found a complete one at an old house site last year.

HH, RN

 

[nhbenz]

I'd say 1880's would be reasonable (on the early side), with this style being most popular from then through the 1910's from what I've seen. But the problem with the popularity of them is that it can't for sure be attributed to any group, like the GAR, as the medal makers could very well have used the same top for any number of other fraternal groups, as well state fairs, tourist locations, etc.
Smokey - those penny smashers actually got their start in the 1893 Colombian Expo. Elongated coins were a smash hit.

 

[smokeythecat]

The one I found was mixed with wheat pennies and Merc dimes up through 1945. Nothing older, so who knows.

 

[McCDig]

Thx Ben and also to relic nut and smokey for their input. I'm a little bit closer to nailing the date of this badge portion. It is identical in styling to one distributed in 1894 at the Ohio G.A.R. Encampment.

 

[A2coins]

thats is freakin awesome great shape great find

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