copperNail?

MagnusBaa

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I have got this copper nail? After my dad. I heard when I was little that it came from an old ship. But it is remade into a letter opener
Do you know how old it can be? It looks handmade and is about 25 cm long.
I live in Sweden
Thanks in advance
Sincerely, Magnus Brevsprättare.webp
 

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Probably a brass ship spike
 

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Those are known as "Maritime" spikes and nails, used on coastal and oceangoing ships, made of brass or copper because iron would corrode badly and quickly in a saltwater environment.

You asked about its age. Brass/copper spikes and nails have existed since the Bronze Age. They're still being manufactured today. They're extremely difficult to date accurately, unless they are clearly machine-made. The shape of the "head" can be helpful... generally the more crudely it's made, the older it is.

What appears to be a "maker's-mark" stamping on yours could help to time-date it, but I am not familiar with Continental European maker's-marks (which are called a hallmark).

Magnus, welcome to TreasureNet's "What Is It?" forum, the best place on the internet to get objects correctly identified.
 

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Those are known as "Maritime" spikes and nails, used on coastal and oceangoing ships, made of brass or copper because iron would corrode badly and quickly in a saltwater environment.

You asked about its age. Brass/copper spikes and nails have existed since the Bronze Age. They're still being manufactured today. They're extremely difficult to date accurately, unless they are clearly machine-made. The shape of the "head" can be helpful... generally the more crudely it's made, the older it is.

What appears to be a "maker's-mark" stamping on yours could help to time-date it, but I am not familiar with Continental European maker's-marks (which are called a hallmark).

Magnus, welcome to TreasureNet's "What Is It?" forum, the best place on the internet to get objects correctly identified.


Thank you for the Answer

Magnus
 

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