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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[3cylbill]

looks like a capper to me and the loop would be to hang off a button on your coat to keep handy....

 

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[dozer dan]

Civil war era mechanical pencil / fob? Just another wag.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Well... From the close ups I'd think a capper is a good possibility, just squished a bit

 

[callicles]

Could someone explain how a capper worked exactly? What was the loop used for? Is there a video where one could see it in use?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

We Blackpowder rifle and pistol shooters call it a percussion-capper, but for clarity of meaning it could be called a percussion-cap dispenser. You load it with about 20 percussion caps by using the knob to pull back the internal spring, and feed the caps into it at its open end. The spring's pressure keeps one cap held in place by the crimp at the capper's open end. (You can see this in the photo helpfully posted by Pepperj above, which I'll re-post at the end of this message.)

When you need to put a cap on the musket's (or pistol's) nipple, just put the capper's open end with the cap onto the nipple, and pull the capper off the nipple. The capper's spring then "automatically" pushes another cap into place at its open end, ready for the next cap replacement. It is much easier and faster than digging a cap out of the cap-box on your belt and positioning it just right with your fingertips while you try to fit it onto the gun's nipple. Especially in cold weather when you fingers are numb, or slippery from rain, etc.

The loop on the capper's other end is just there so you can tie it onto something to prevent losing it.

 

[Ripcon]

Great explanation of how the capper worked.
Thanks!

 

[sprailroad]

Its a antique Easter egg dipper

Those would be some "Tiny" eggs A2. A "Capper", never heard of one, never seen one in use in say any film, or Civil War re-enactment, but there it is, just as explained by Cannonballguy, who is a "go to" guy on T-Net for these type of things, and the picture posted by pepperj also really put it out there. As Cannonball pointed out, cold weather, rain etc., and I would add the "fear" in battle, but could this be a POST? Civil War item? I really do not know, but find it interesting.

 

[callicles]

Those would be some "Tiny" eggs A2. A "Capper", never heard of one, never seen one in use in say any film, or Civil War re-enactment, but there it is, just as explained by Cannonballguy, who is a "go to" guy on T-Net for these type of things, and the picture posted by pepperj also really put it out there. As Cannonball pointed out, cold weather, rain etc., and I would add the "fear" in battle, but could this be a POST? Civil War item? I really do not know, but find it interesting.

I would also like to know if the item saw much use in the War, or if it is post war. I would imagine that if it were from the war, it was not military issued but an item individually purchased by a soldier, perhaps from a sutler.

 

[DCMatt]

If it's a capper, how do you put caps in it and where do they come out? I'm not seeing it...

 

[DCMatt]

I'm guessing it's a button hook - late 19th C. Maybe used by some one-armed CW vet at a reunion camp.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Very good guess there, Callicles. The percussion-capper was indeed a privately purchased item, meaning, bought by the soldier (usually from a sutler), not issued to him by the army. The capper was from the civil war era, but fell out of favor when metal bullet cartridges with a self-contained primer cap replaced the external percussion-cap system very soon after the war ended. I have a vague recollection of seeing a US Patent diagram of one, with a civil war era date, looong ago.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

I forgot to post this earlier... having examined the new photos, I'm sure that the object is definitely not a percussion-capper. The brass body tapering near one end excludes it from being a capper, which (necessarily) had parallel sides, as the capper photos show. I initially thought maybe that end had been crushed, but it doesn't seem to be crushed in the new closeup photos.

The object MIGHT be a buttonhook... but if so, based on comparing the loop's size with Ripcon's fingernails, it is for use only on really small buttons.

 

[nsdq]

Tweezers

 

[TWray]

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

I was thinking small fishing scale also. Just guessing though. Cool find.

 

[Ripcon]

Maybe it's a civil war era button hook?

 

[DCMatt]

Maybe it's a civil war era button hook?

I can't find one exactly like it, but I think it is a shoe button hook. Likely post CW when everybody had buttons on their shoes (1880's to 1910's?). I did find several 'telescoping' hooks and others that used a loop fastener instead of a hook, but not one that was both like your relic. Some had a ring on the non-business end to attach to a chatelaine or watch chain.

 

[DCMatt]

Telescoping shoe button hook.

 

[callicles]

I suppose a button hook is the most probable. However, most of the “hooking parts” are a bit different. Ripcon’s is more rounded. Most are not telescopic like the one posted above, but evidently some were.

Could it be be some sort of medical mirror - kinda like dentists use? Something like this :

 

[Bonzododa71]

I don't know but I like it!!.....Bonz

 

[Ripcon]

Anybody out there familiar enough with civil war period medical or dental instruments that could take a stab at this?