Flintlock trigger guard (need help with additional ID), plus other finds

brianc053

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Hello all! I've done some detecting over the past few days at a 1740's house here in town, the same one where I found this https://www.treasurenet.com/threads/beautiful-18th-century-shoe-buckle-frame.675448/

My interesting find this time around is a trigger guard from what I suspect was an 18th century flintlock. I've looked online at various pictures but cannot find one exactly like mine. The closest I found was the British 1750s flintlock in the picture below.
Can anyone help with a more precise ID of what type of gun this trigger guard came from please?

I've also included pictures of other finds from the yard. 12 wheat pennies (no memorials, no indian heads - all wheaties), two silver dimes, a very cool Waterbury FD (fire department) button, an 1886-7 clothing token (D'Engremont, like this one found back in 2019: https://www.treasurenet.com/threads/dengremont-token.615849/#post-6292262), a bag/bale seal, and some sort of other item (last two pictures). Any ideas on this last item are also welcome.

Thanks for looking!
- Brian

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releventchair

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Trigger gusrds can vary in use. Meaning a gunsmith making thioer own could modify or use whatever style they like.

Ypurs is pinned to secure it.
So it can be considered "early".
But anyone could make a pinned guard at any time too!

On this link is an early flint that's pinned.
Not the same as yours but you might get some ideas...


 

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brianc053

brianc053

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Jan 27, 2015
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Morris County, NJ
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Trigger guards can vary in use. Meaning a gunsmith making their own could modify or use whatever style they like.

Yours is pinned to secure it.
So it can be considered "early".
But anyone could make a pinned guard at any time too!

On this link is an early flint that's pinned.
Not the same as yours but you might get some ideas...


Thank you for the information and your thoughts. (I actually stumbled upon that RE Davis website when looking for similar pictures, but I didn't know that "pinned" guards were early).
Your comments remind me of two other thoughts going through my head:
1) this guard fits the period of the house and other items found (18th century), and it has that "look" of something old. BUT...
2) I found it in an area where I was finding other dump-like items (example: canning jar lids with the milk glass), which makes me think that although it may have been on an 18th century flintlock once upon a time that doesn't mean it fell off the flintlock and then I was the next person to touch it. Who knows what its history really is...

I did search the area where I found it and I dug anything that wasn't iron (and a lot of iron too), hoping for some of the firing mechanism, but - no luck.

- Brian
 

releventchair

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May 9, 2012
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Thank you for the information and your thoughts. (I actually stumbled upon that RE Davis website when looking for similar pictures, but I didn't know that "pinned" guards were early).
Your comments remind me of two other thoughts going through my head:
1) this guard fits the period of the house and other items found (18th century), and it has that "look" of something old. BUT...
2) I found it in an area where I was finding other dump-like items (example: canning jar lids with the milk glass), which makes me think that although it may have been on an 18th century flintlock once upon a time that doesn't mean it fell off the flintlock and then I was the next person to touch it. Who knows what its history really is...

I did search the area where I found it and I dug anything that wasn't iron (and a lot of iron too), hoping for some of the firing mechanism, but - no luck.

- Brian
Ya. It could have been salvaged or even just a part with no home before it ended up where you found it.
IF it's brass , brass had value! As brass alone. But to another person it might just have been junk.
Not likely to have fallen off without a major event or long erosion of the stock causing it.
 

Gare

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Sure are nice finds
 

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