Early Relics! And you thought lawn darts were dangerous.

[Lost Signal]

Have found some interesting relics on my last couple of hunts. The toy cannon is my favorite. At 4.75", it's bigger than others I've seen found. You could have actually fit a musket ball in the barrel had the rim not been bent (intentional?). It doesn't seem to have had trunnions, but I'm confident that it's a cannon. It's heavy and it has a vent.

The rattail spoon was very deep and it began to flake a bit before I could even get home. I think I have it stabilized pretty well now.

I was trying to figure out what the shoe buckle frame is made of, so I would know how to treat it. I was stumped, so I rubbed the back with some fine sandpaper, and when I did, it revealed a maker's mark. Any ideas on how to ID it?

I think this is a small sword pommel. I found one similar last year and Crusader ID'ed it. The soil was not kind to this one, but it looks like a hound on each side.

This last thing is a mystery. It might be bent. Any ideas?

Thanks for looking.

 

[Lost Signal]

I've got to add this one more post.... I was looking for information on the shoe buckle maker's mark, "WH." When I searched it, one of the things that came up was a tnet post from mid January of this year. It was a thread that I actually commented on. I remembered it, but didn't remember that it was about a "WH" maker's mark. It was a thread started by coinman123. Somewhere in New England, he had found a silver shoe buckle fragment with a "WH" mark and a coin with a "WH" counterstamp.

I'm wondering if it could be the same smith.

Here's a link to the other thread: http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...opper-probably-one-my-favorite-finds-now.html

 

[ARC]

I've got to add this one more post.... I was looking for information on the shoe buckle maker's mark, "WH." When I searched it, one of the things that came up was a tnet post from mid January of this year. It was a thread that I actually commented on. I remembered it, but didn't remember that it was about a "WH" maker's mark. It was a thread started by coinman123. Somewhere in New England, he had found a silver shoe buckle fragment with a "WH" mark and a coin with a "WH" counterstamp.

I'm wondering if it could be the same smith.

Here's a link to the other thread: http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...opper-probably-one-my-favorite-finds-now.html

I think the chance is very good / very high.

Yours looks like an earlier piece... this may have been before having a stamp made. but ?

 

[Calabash Digger]

Nice!

 

[birdman]

Really nice bunch of history

 

[CRUSADER]

I'm not sure how big 'toy' cannons get (not seen period one's that big before), but might be worth researching the smallest type of signal cannon.

 

[ARC]

I have kept quiet on your find until now because I did not want to stoke something from just a hunch and get everyone whipped up especially you LS...
BUT... I will now proclaim...

Your cannon COULD BE one of the best finds on Treasurenet since I have been a member.



Wanna know why ? ? ?

Because after some diligent research on the side (these are the finds I wait for on here) I have come to a very exciting possibility...

MAYBE... PERHAPS... COULD BE...

You cannon is an....

extremely rare "hand cannon".

AND......

Not just any "rare" hand cannon... I believe yours falls into multiple categories of RARE... and a significant find on many levels.

What struck me as odd when I first saw this was the fact that is had what appeared to be "oversized" reinforcement rings"...

But then I realized there were 2 many... odd by being so close together... so "hand cannon strapping" immediately came to mind..

I have struggled to find an exact example of what I am taking about.

But regardless...

THIS THING IS KILLER ! ! ! Beyond stellar ... awesome... and every other descriptive word describing an astounding find I can think of.

All I can say... EVEN IF I am on the wrong track... This item STILL belongs up top / banner.

 

[ARC]

ALONG THE LINES... of where I am going in my thinking...

 

[ARC]

And here is a closeup of a 16TH CENTURY hand cannon.

View attachment 1907073

 

[ARC]

AND... I think that "divot" in the center COULD BE a "touch mark" /"makers mark".

? ? ?

And now the mystery begins

 

[pepperj]

I have dug one cannon and it certainly doesn't compare in size to what your find is. I really think AARC has ID it as a hand cannon and it really deserves to be up on the Banner.
Congrats on the rare recovery and as well as the other finds as well-Amazing hunt and a big congrats to you.
I put in my vote for this one.

 

[ARC]

I have dug one cannon and it certainly doesn't compare in size to what your find is. I really think AARC has ID it as a hand cannon and it really deserves to be up on the Banner.
Congrats on the rare recovery and as well as the other finds as well-Amazing hunt and a big congrats to you.
I put in my vote for this one.

Welll now... thanks for your vote of confidence in my possible ID of this amazing find.

BUT...
Lets don't get to far ahead yet and mark it solved or anything.

I am just stating an opinion... based on several observations only... which are NOT based on factual evidence OR example(s).... beings I cannot find any. heh

So...
Lets just try and pursue this further... all of us... and try to pin down something solid... one way or another.

Sheesh... could be some fancy signal cannon that was "board mounted" etc.
Until then...

As you were :P

 

[cheffer]

Awesome relics, congratulations!

 

[Lost Signal]

I have kept quiet on your find until now because I did not want to stoke something from just a hunch and get everyone whipped up especially you LS...

BUT... I will with great certainty now proclaim...

Your cannon COULD BE one of the best finds on Treasurenet since I have been a member.



Wanna know why ? ? ?

Because after some diligent research on the side (these are the finds I wait for on here) I have come to a very exciting possibility...

MAYBE... PERHAPS... COULD BE...

You cannon is an....

extremely rare "hand cannon".

AND......

Not just any "rare" hand cannon... I believe yours falls into multiple categories of RARE... and a significant find on many levels.

What struck me as odd when I first saw this was the fact that is had what appeared to be "oversized" reinforcement rings"...

But then I realized there were 2 many... odd by being so close together... so "hand cannon strapping" immediately came to mind..

I have struggled to find an exact example of what I am taking about.

But regardless...

THIS THING IS KILLER ! ! !

Beyond stellar ... awesome... and every other descriptive word describing an astounding find I can think of.

All I can say... EVEN IF I am on the wrong track... This item STILL belongs up top / banner.

Thank you, AARC for taking this up! I'll admit that I'm excited about the possibility, although I know it will be hard to prove definitively unless we can find something very close in style.

However it was used, it was almost certainly strapped, since it does not have trunnions and there is no knob on the end. And, as you and Crusader suggest, it is probably too big to be a toy. Also, the toys that I have looked at are miniature versions of large cannons, so the missing trunnions and knob help to rule that out. I think it has to be a signal cannon or hand cannon. Either way, it's going to be one of my favorite finds. I'm going to keep researching, of course.

Thanks again!

 

[Gene Mean]

Fantastic finds LS! Your title "Early Relics!" is looking more appropriate. Congrats.

 

[Silverindahole]

some of them early early colonial silvers are in there somewhere...HH

 

[CRUSADER]

Thank you, AARC for taking this up! I'll admit that I'm excited about the possibility, although I know it will be hard to prove definitively unless we can find something very close in style.

However it was used, it was almost certainly strapped, since it does not have trunnions and there is no knob on the end. And, as you and Crusader suggest, it is probably too big to be a toy. Also, the toys that I have looked at are miniature versions of large cannons, so the missing trunnions and knob help to rule that out. I think it has to be a signal cannon or hand cannon. Either way, it's going to be one of my favorite finds. I'm going to keep researching, of course.

Thanks again!

Agreed, I can't see it being a toy with the missing trunnions.
It just needs the right specialist to get eyes on it.

 

[Silver Tree Chaser]

Impressive finds with quantity, quality, and variety. Your research on the shoe buckler maker's mark is impressive. Stay on all of it. I would research the hell out of that cannon find.