Gold Denture Plate

[Chemeng]

Our property was a garbage dumpsite 100 years ago and I have found numerous silver items including coins and spoons. I recently told my wife half jokingly I would find her some gold. I did not expect what turned up with my search. I found a dental plate made of 16K or 18K yellow dental gold. The teeth look like they may be made of ivory. I was amazed how shiny gold can be after being buried all these years. I'm bitten (ha ha) by the gold bug now.

 

[Molewacker]

Very interesting find I must say -

Looking at the teeth, I don't believe they are natural material, the color and luster speak more to porcelain.

 

[Digger RJ]

Gold is Great no matter how You get it!!!! Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Bruce R]

I’ll bet that hurt to have gold melted and poured into the mouth !

 

[CASPER-2]

thats the 3rd one like that ive seen dug - friend of mine found one very similar
WTG neat find!

 

[cannonball]

Nice Plate!!! Here is a silver sister plate with makers mark. The site had War of 1812 buttons on it as well as an 18lb cannonball on it. I never did track down the silver smith. When my partner asked me what I had found I said " All I want for Christmas are my two front teeth!
" Any ideas how to find the silver smith?

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Sweet find, congrats!

 

[RTR]

Our property was a garbage dumpsite 100 years ago and I have found numerous silver items including coins and spoons. I recently told my wife half jokingly I would find her some gold. I did not expect what turned up with my search. I found a dental plate made of 16K or 18K yellow dental gold. The teeth look like they may be made of ivory. I was amazed how shiny gold can be after being buried all these years. I'm bitten (ha ha) by the gold bug now.View attachment 1892099View attachment 1892102View attachment 1892101

Karat value ranges from 10 to 22 the average being 16k (or 67% gold). Could also hold some Palladium Whats the weight,minus the teeth ?

 

[ScriptRhythm]

Well, that's something different. Cool find.

 

[mcmich]

Nice grill!

 

[Chemeng]

Took it to a jeweler who confirmed it is dental gold (16K or 18K). Sent photos to curator at the National Museum of Dentistry in Maryland who wrote back with details of the construction and probable time period when it was made 1850's to 1870's. Teeth are porcelain

 

[Chemeng]

Thanks for the contact info. Here is the reply I got back.

What you have is a partial maxillary (upper) denture. Age for these is always a difficult thing to determine because techniques lasted a long time and if it was fabricated by an older dentist it could be newer than expected but the dentist was using an old technique. The pink areas are Vulcanite, which is rubber hardened under heat and pressure. Once developed in the 1830s it was used as the basic denture flesh-colored material up into the 1950s and 60s. The teeth are porcelain and are fairly anatomic. So that would make the denture a bit later. The gold, I think, was swaged, which would make it earlier. All-in-all, I’m thinking 1850s through 1870s.


A nice find. I’m surprised that the teeth didn’t pick up more stain from the ground.

Sincerely,

Scott D. Swank, DDS, MS, MBA

Fellow, American College of Dentists

Curator

National Museum of Dentistry

 

[Chemeng]

Total weight is about 1 ounce. The gold is probably around 3/4 ounce I guess. There are metal pins showing that could be palladium or platinum.

 

[ajaj]

Took it to a jeweler who confirmed it is dental gold (16K or 18K). Sent photos to curator at the National Museum of Dentistry in Maryland who wrote back with details of the construction and probable time period when it was made 1850's to 1870's. Teeth are porcelain

Cool!!

aj

 

[mike b]

Thanks for the contact info. Here is the reply I got back.

What you have is a partial maxillary (upper) denture. Age for these is always a difficult thing to determine because techniques lasted a long time and if it was fabricated by an older dentist it could be newer than expected but the dentist was using an old technique. The pink areas are Vulcanite, which is rubber hardened under heat and pressure. Once developed in the 1830s it was used as the basic denture flesh-colored material up into the 1950s and 60s. The teeth are porcelain and are fairly anatomic. So that would make the denture a bit later. The gold, I think, was swaged, which would make it earlier. All-in-all, I’m thinking 1850s through 1870s.


A nice find. I’m surprised that the teeth didn’t pick up more stain from the ground.

Sincerely,

Scott D. Swank, DDS, MS, MBA

Fellow, American College of Dentists

Curator

National Museum of Dentistry

Wow, that was a quick reply. I'm glad you contacted them. Great find. I always pictured an older couple in the 1800's, full beach dress and the husband comes out of the water mumbling to his wife and all you hear is "You lost what?" 150 years ago somebody got a good talking to.

 

[SC Keith]

A friend of mine detected a gold denture with porcelain teeth on a plantation site many years ago. From the info he told me they can be quite valuable not only for gold content but also for the early dental collectors market.
Congrats on your great find!