Copper plates!

[digordie]

These plates are folded and pierced by two pins. Plates are copper and the pins are a yellow alloy when polished. Like a ****** I etched the plates with acid removing all the corrosion build up to look closer for writing to no avail. Any ideas as to what they are or the use?

 

[GatorBoy]

To me it has to be European with any kind of alloy.
Just what kind of site did you find it on?
It looks like it may have held together a straw broom or something.
If natural copper is so prevalent in your area I'm sure it was used by settlers.

 

[digordie]

To me it has to be European with any kind of alloy.
Just what kind of site did you find it on?
It looks like it may have held together a straw broom or something.
If natural copper is so prevalent in your area I'm sure it was used by settlers.

I see your point. You are probably right however i found it on a mississippian sight i believe. The farmer told me that his grand dad had leveled a couple mounds way back. I have never found any natural copper nuggets in my area just strange artifacts. The nuggets I posted are from Wisconsin. I'm in Illinois. I wish I could push a button and look into the past so bad sometimes and see the story behind these artifacts we all find.

 

[GatorBoy]

I'm not trying to be a downer..just a bit analytical.
Do you find this pieces of copper in any direct association with native artifacts? Like mixed in with pottery chards or anything?
If not for the pieces of alloy would you have though that was a Native American artifact..that just happened to be on a old home or farm site?
Since you now know that piece to be European you can now use it as a control to test your acid test validity.
Does it look any different than the "arm band?"

 

[digordie]

I'm not trying to be a downer..just a bit analytical.
Do you find this pieces of copper in any direct association with native artifacts? Like mixed in with pottery chards or anything?
If not for the pieces of alloy would you have though that was a Native American artifact..that just happened to be on a old home or farm site?

Yes they have all been found in association with other artifacts. This one really has me scratching my head though. I mean there has never been a home on the sight that anybody knows of just mounds. I'm actually wondering if they knew how to smelt and make alloys as well. I remember larson posting a pic of copper spear heads awhile back of the Manden sight in North Dakota. One of them I swear was a cast copper sword including the hilt or handle. Not really sure what to think anymore. I try to keep an open mind to a fault sometimes I guess.

 

[digordie]

I'm not trying to be a downer..just a bit analytical.
Do you find this pieces of copper in any direct association with native artifacts? Like mixed in with pottery chards or anything?
If not for the pieces of alloy would you have though that was a Native American artifact..that just happened to be on a old home or farm site?
Since you now know that piece to be European you can now use it as a control to test your acid test validity.
Does it look any different than the "arm band?"

Yes I tested these plates and they came out cloudy very diff from the arm band. So if the natives indeed had no knowledge of smelting or melting alloys then you are right and they are modern.