Electrolysis - 300+ Year Old Trade Knife - Grapeshot NEW 6-05-06

[Michigan Badger]

NEW TODAY: 6-05-06

I had to clean the iron knife before having an expert look at it.

It's flat on one side and convex on the other.

Now comes the expensive part where I have to mail it off to be studied.

It appears from the photos to be genuine but I need documentation on it.

These relics were dug not too far from this location:

http://www.mackinacparks.com/

Thanks for looking.

Here's the original post:

Today I decided to try something different. I went to a site I knew had been worked over with heavy equipment. About 10 years ago they scraped and leveled this whole area.

The site is located in the Upper part of the lower Peninsula of Michigan and is near the two Great Lakes. This area was frequented by early french trappers and traders more than 200-300 years ago.

So when I arrived I looked out over the area and I got this feeling that I should start hunting in one particular spot. So I walked over there and stated digging foil. I dug a foil fruit juice packet some 8 inches deep!

I walked about another 8 feet and I get this giant iron signal. I almost didn't even dig it but finally I thought what the heck...so I very carelessly dug down only about 4 inches and out pops the blade!

For a split second I thought it was an ancient Copper Culture knife but then I realized they're green...not brown. This knife is iron.

As I looked at it I got excited again to see it's very old! It's flat on one side and curved out on the other. I've seen these old knives before and I'm about 80% sure this is an early fur trader knife or it's at least from that era (ca. 1650-1850's).

I was so stoked that I left the spot without checking the area around where I dug the knife. I remembered and went back and about 1 foot from where I dug the blade I dug this iron ball which I believe to be a canon grapeshot.

Thanks for reading all this...

Badger

Photos removed to save space 6-17-06

 

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[cylki2001]

Re: FOUND 200 Year Old Knife And BALL ? Maybe?

Thanks for the advice. This winter I'll be doing a lot of research, right now I just can't stay inside. Ahhhhhh sunshine.

 

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[lucky1777]

Re: FOUND 200 Year Old Knife And BALL ? Maybe?

Great finds Badger. That sounds like one great spot. Good luck on your next trip.

 

[Southcacalaky]

Re: NEW PHOTOS 6-2-06 FOUND 300+ Year Old Trade Knife And Grapeshot

Not bad, Congrats, HH Art...

 

[Paul in WA]

Re: NEW PHOTOS 6-2-06 FOUND 300+ Year Old Trade Knife And Grapeshot

You guys are making me home sick!!

Paul

 

[tsgman]

Re: NEW PHOTOS 6-2-06 FOUND 300+ Year Old Trade Knife And Grapeshot

Cool finds! Tsgman

 

[Rusted_Iron]

Re: FOUND 200 Year Old Knife And BALL ? Maybe?

BADGER, Looks Like Grape Shot To Me, Nice Old Knife Too, Sounds Like You Have A Great Site There, Congrats. trk5capt...

It's funny, living in Michigan makes you think you're never going to find anything really old. So when you find it, you don't even see it.

But the Tesoro sees it

Dug iron objects are definitely cool

 

[EDDE]

Re: NEW PHOTOS 6-2-06 FOUND 300+ Year Old Trade Knife And Grapeshot

this old chestnut again.... gigidty gigidty

 

[Michigan Badger]

Re: NEW PHOTOS 6-2-06 FOUND 300+ Year Old Trade Knife And Grapeshot

this old chestnut again.... gigidty gigidty

Glad U like my chestnut

 

[thompy]

Hey M Badger, another cool find. My father when a kid lived in St. Ignace, the house was on some burrial grounds, north side of the bridge,while my Grandpa was one of the crane opperators building the Mackinaw Bridge. My father said they were always finding arrow heads and occasionally bones.HH Thompy

 

[Michigan Badger]

Hey M Badger, another cool find. My father when a kid lived in St. Ignace, the house was on some burrial grounds, north side of the bridge,while my Grandpa was one of the crane opperators building the Mackinaw Bridge. My father said they were always finding arrow heads and occasionally bones.HH Thompy

Thanks for the info thompy! Yes, there's a tremendous amount of history associated with this area. Some aren't even aware that there was once a naval battle fought on the Great Lakes.

History is my thing and I'll take relics any day over coins.

You'd better get a detector and check out that area you mentioned. Michigan Indians post 1650 got a lot of cool iron and copper stuff from the traders