divewrecks
Bronze Member
- Sep 7, 2004
- 1,038
- 24
- Detector(s) used
- Minelab Explorer SE (land), Aquapulse AQ1B (sea), Fisher CZ-20 (water, beach), Fisher 1266X (woods)
A while back I purchased two 1715 artifacts from an individual who acquired them from a beach hunter who found them some time in the early 1980?s. The story was that they were found in the dunes near one of the survivor/salvageb camp sites. One item is a small buckle that I suspect is made of pewter. The linked pictures incorrectly give it a reddish tone, making one suspect iron. It really has more of a lighter silver tint and, from the lack of corrosion, I suspect it is pewter. My limited research leads me to believe it is consistent with the period, although I would appreciate educated comments relating to period and probable usage.
The other item is much more of a mystery to me. It is a brass or bronze artifact that is somewhat similar to a key. The head of the ?key? is ornate and is comprised of two fish-like figures. They appear very similar to lifting handles I have seen on pictures of early bronze cannons. That leads me to believe that the period is right. Also, the patina on the piece suggests it hasn?t been cleaned and is consistent with what might be expected. The ?shaft? of the key shaped artifact is made from thin gage material and is hollow. As evidenced from the pictures there is some minor deterioration in this area. My pictures have a measurement scale and pretty well give explanation of all I know about the piece. Please share any comments you may have on what the piece is and whether or not it is consistent with the 1715 fleet period. My guesses are this is some kind of key, an applicator for perfume or top for some kind of bottle, or a cleaner for the touch port of a cannon. All comments welcome and appreciated.
Look here for the directory of pics and view each of them if you have time:
http://www.mindspring.com/~se-sport/1715fleet/
TIA, Stan
The other item is much more of a mystery to me. It is a brass or bronze artifact that is somewhat similar to a key. The head of the ?key? is ornate and is comprised of two fish-like figures. They appear very similar to lifting handles I have seen on pictures of early bronze cannons. That leads me to believe that the period is right. Also, the patina on the piece suggests it hasn?t been cleaned and is consistent with what might be expected. The ?shaft? of the key shaped artifact is made from thin gage material and is hollow. As evidenced from the pictures there is some minor deterioration in this area. My pictures have a measurement scale and pretty well give explanation of all I know about the piece. Please share any comments you may have on what the piece is and whether or not it is consistent with the 1715 fleet period. My guesses are this is some kind of key, an applicator for perfume or top for some kind of bottle, or a cleaner for the touch port of a cannon. All comments welcome and appreciated.
Look here for the directory of pics and view each of them if you have time:
http://www.mindspring.com/~se-sport/1715fleet/
TIA, Stan
