FLAG PIKE?

lost crow · Aug 29, 2014

I got out the other day and went to a friends place who had an old military camp on it. I found a coat button, and an infantry button, and two percussion caps one inside the other. On my way out I found what I first thought was a bayonet,but it was brass and threaded I think it might go on the end of a flag pole, any ideas? Between learning a new computer and changing jobs I have not been on here in a while. Good luck in all your hunts. Thanks for looking.

dirtlooter · Aug 29, 2014

not sure either but really nice, pretty awesome finds

etex · Aug 29, 2014

Nice buttons, have found a similar item and was told it was lighting rod

TheCannonballGuy · Aug 29, 2014

It's a "tough call" to make on the ID of your brass spike-shaped find, for the following reasons.
1- It is shaped like a late-1800s-to-early-1900s brass/copper lightning rod top, which (like your find) screwed onto an iron rod... but yours looks a bit smaller than other lightning rod tops I've ever seen. (Check the photo below to see the typical size.)
2- Your find, having internal threading inside its base, is made to screw onto the end of a METAL shaft, just like the antique lightning rod tops I mentioned above. Most hand-carried flagpoles were (and still are) made of wood -- therefore, their "finial" (ornamental top) did not have a INTERNALLY-threaded cap at the finial's base.

So, taking all of the facts listed above into account, I have to lean toward thinking your find is not a flagpole top... but instead, is either an unusually short top/finial for a lightning rod, or is some other version of decorative finial. Here's the photo of a late-1800s/early-1900s lightning rod, with the copperbrass spike-like finial screwed onto the upper end of an iron rod.

johnnyi · Aug 29, 2014

Beautiful U.S. general service button. Is that a one piece?

beez0404 · Aug 29, 2014

Perhaps his shorter finial was screwed onto an overlong long lightening rod? Heck I don't know. But what I do know is the buttons are very cool finds!