Big brass nail

[Vikingblood]

Found this nice big brass nail on the beach tonight. I have found other very small brass nails in this area for awhile now so I always hit this spot pretty hard and tonight I found this. Half of it is roundish and the top half is square. Had such a bad day otherwise. But may 19th is my birthday.

 

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[Sir Gala Clad]

Interesting find!
I would expect there to be some green of off color if it is brass.
Was it in Fresh: Water, Wet Sand or up on the Dry Sand.
You might want to carbon date the wood, to determine what it is.

 

[Fitzwilk]

Interesting find. Where did you find it?

 

[Vikingblood]

I found it in on a salt water beach in New Jersey. In the water.

 

[Fletch88]

Very cool relic! I would leave the wood intact even if you put in display case.

 

[Sandman]

I would consider that find great...I never found a brass nail or spike.

 

[Vikingblood]

Thanks, sandman. I will have to find a nice case for this. It's the best thing I have ever found so far. I'm so tempted to pull it out of the wood but I won't. I read there has been makers marks on nails this size. I wish I could go back there today cause I heard other signals around there in the water but just could not get a chance to dig them since I only have a v3i (that can't get wet) and the waves just kept getting bigger; wish I had a PI detector and did not have to work today. Before I found it I could swear I could hear something in the ground shaking and vibrating the ground every time the waves crashed and I tickled the idea that a large wreck in the surf was shaking the ground, then another hundred feet and found the nail. The other signal I got a glance of we're in the led and brass range.

I'm so excited, as soon as I get my boat fixed I'm gonna get out there off the beach and search around

Any idea how old it could be and why half of it is square and the rest is round? Anybody?

 

[RobRieman]

The end was probably worn round by the sand and surf rolling it around.

 

[Vikingblood]

Oh. Good thought. You are probably right.

 

[gman17]

I have heard that smugglers would pull out some of the iron nails in their boat and fill it with gold. I'm not saying that's what you have though, sweet find. Just puzzling that there is no tarnish.

 

[Fletch88]

I have heard that smugglers would pull out some of the iron nails in their boat and fill it with gold. I'm not saying that's what you have though, sweet find. Just puzzling that there is no tarnish.

Very interesting! Can a standard test kit distinguish between gold and brass is my next question?
Vikingblood, you may have a Banner golden smugglers nail! Either way it's an awesome find.

 

[Vikingblood]

Well I looked at a few scratches on the thing and it is not gold inside the scratches for what's it's worth.

 

[Fletch88]

Do you mean it appears to be plated? What color is the base metal? Would the nail be magnetic by chance?

 

[hobbit]

It is a copper alloy fitting of some sort. It appears to be hand forged. It is impossible to date precisely, but my guess would be quite old. It is probably a ship fitting, though there is an outside chance it could be from a pier or wharf.

The wood is going to dry up and shrivel a lot unless you use some sort of preservative on it. It is probably best just to remove the spike.

I would pound the area you found it. New Jersey is a rich shipwreck area, to say the least.

 

[Coastie59]

I agree with RobRieman, rounded from years of rolling on the bottom, it prob looked like these at one time. Great find, like it in the wood!!!

 

[Diggin Dave]

WoW, what a nice find! I've found plenty of nails but nothing like that one. Congrats!!

 

[Vikingblood]

Thanks everyone I will check to see if it is magnetic, that's a good thought. And I have an acid test kit so I will check it to see if it comes up gold(I doubt it's gold) not sure if acid test can tell the difference between gold and brass, but for what it's worth I will try it. I just went to by a used excal 800 that was sent in for complete service and never used since. But when the shop tried today to turn it in today it would not work. I could buy a new beach hunter for like 780 with tax. But after all the problems with the whites v3i and the whites pinpointed I just bought I am Leary.

Thanks again everyone.

 

[sponge]

That would be one sweet display. Check on how to preserve that piece. Thats something u see in a museum. Hope u are on to something. Be awsome if you found a wreck or old camp.

 

[Boatlode]

Check on how to preserve that piece.

This^^^ Definitely an awesome find with the wood intact. You need to keep it in water until you preserve it or the wood will crumble.

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT remove the wood. I've seen plenty of ships spikes, but none with the wood.

 

[Vikingblood]

Well I pounded that area with my at pro, which gets no depth in the salt since it has to be tuned down so much. And hit the wet slope and dry sand with v3i and did not find anything else. The nail is not magnetic at all and I used a good strong magnet. I am still rife with excitement about the nail and now I'm gonna get an Minelab excal to get into the deeper water and pound that place some more. I just can't get over how good the condition of the nail is, although it is bent. Which is surprising since brass is kinda brittle, I thought. I'm so curios as to how old it is and what might of happened to the ship. Just holding this thing evokes all sorts of ideas of what could have happened on that ship.

Thanks again guys.