✅ SOLVED Decorative serpent thing

[mmocha2905]

Ideas?

 

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[ironhorse]

It's a brass side plate of an early french trade musket.

I'll try to find a pic of one

 

[mmocha2905]

It's a brass side plate of an early french trade musket.

I'll try to find a pic of one

How did you know that?! What time period?

 

[ironhorse]

How did you know that?! What time period?

There were lots of muskets traded with the indigenous population in the early days and these have showed up from time to time over the years on this forum
For a time period I would say these would easily date to 1700s

 

[mmocha2905]

There were lots of muskets traded with the indigenous population in the early days and these have showed up from time to time over the years on this forum
For a time period I would say these would easily date to 1700s

Awesome, thanks ironhorse!

 

[Mine Shaft]

It might also be a Vintage French Curve used in drawing/Drafting. I have a modern one not the same design but the same purpose lol.

 

[l.cutler]

Trade gun for sure, but not necessarily French. The serpent was much more common on the English made trade guns commonly called Northwest trade guns. The serpent became kind of a trademark that the Indians looked for, a fair number were also made in Belgium. Yours looks to be the earlier flat engraved type rather than the later cast piece with raised detail, this would place it as one of the earlier ones. Here is one write up, but just do a google search on Northwest trade gun and you'll find tons of info. http://thefurtrapper.com/home/indian-trade-guns/ Another good piece of info by Charles Hanson, one of the premier experts on these guns. https://americansocietyofarmscollec...ploads/2022/04/1966-B14-Indian-Trade-Guns.pdf

 

[mmocha2905]

Trade gun for sure, but not necessarily French. The serpent was much more common on the English made trade guns commonly called Northwest trade guns. The serpent became kind of a trademark that the Indians looked for, a fair number were also made in Belgium. Yours looks to be the earlier flat engraved type rather than the later cast piece with raised detail, this would place it as one of the earlier ones. Here is one write up, but just do a google search on Northwest trade gun and you'll find tons of info. http://thefurtrapper.com/home/indian-trade-guns/ Another good piece of info by Charles Hanson, one of the premier experts on these guns. https://americansocietyofarmscollec...ploads/2022/04/1966-B14-Indian-Trade-Guns.pdf

Great info, thank you! Couldn't have imagined it would have been anything that cool.

 

[unclemac]

100% spot on I.D. great find, still waiting for one myself.