Age of copper bead necklace?

[TomPA]

Any idea of the age of this necklace? Found near a spring and also a 1840's home site, but they seem to have a Native American look. After cleaning one of the beads, they appear to be copper and not brass.

 

[kingskid1611]

Can't help on id but that is a keeper. Thanks for sharing and Congrats!

 

[BosnMate]

Very possibly an Indian trade item.

 

[Steve in PA]

I really doubt it is an indian trade item, but you could post it on the fur trade forum.

 

[TomPA]

BosnMate, As opinions have been few, can you tell me the reason(s) that lead you to this thought? Thanks.

 

[Tony in SC]

I don't think it's too old. Looks like hippie beads from 60's/70's.

 

[TomPA]

Thanks Tony. I had an archeologist tell me that he thought possibly 1800's, so I'm just hoping to "get it right" before they go to the junk box.

 

[BosnMate]

During the fur trade there were copper beads used as trade items. I've never seen any beads, modern or old, that look exactly like yours. I suggested trade beads as an option for further research.

 

[tamrock]

I'm with Tony on this. A hippie chick era gypsy bell ankle bracelet or just a wrist bracelet. India import merchandise

 

[Oddjob]

You can still buy the same exact item from beach vendors in Europe and vendors in India and Pakistan.

 

[GopherDaGold]

Belly dancer jewelry.

 

[TomPA]

First, thanks to all that chimed in on this post. But now the verdict is in on the beads. Since there was an Native American village nearby and as the archeologist thought that the construction was 1800's, I'm going with this:
A pot smoking, hippy, belly dancer from Pakistan lost these on a beach in India in the 1800's. A visiting fur trader from America was checking his traps along the beach and stumbled across them, put them in his possibles bag and returned to Pennsylvania. As it was a long, hot trip back across the ocean, the first thing he did when he returned was to go to his favorite spring for a drink of cool water. unbeknownst to him, a chipmunk saw his bag laying on the ground and mistook the beads for a string of nuts, and thus scampered off with them. As they were extremely hard to eat, he buried them, hoping that by winter they would be much more palatable. The poor fellow got run over by a drunken, horse and carriage driver and never returned to retrieve them. In 2016 I found them and the provenance is now complete!!