Lead seal, Sterling knife, buttons & nails

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

Explored a new site that the local conservancy group just purchased. Lots of hiking, but 2 potential old 1800’s sites choked in the woods.


First find was a small piece of stamped brass, cleaned up the back that wasn’t as crusty and did a mirror effect on the photo. What do you think this is from? Shined up and attached to an old fashioned “Wanted dead or alive” poster?


I see a crest with a cross in the middle and a crown on top, about the diameter of a penny. Some kind of lead seal. Back side has lots of copy, but tough to make out.




30/31 signal at the surface, thought it must be a piece of aluminum, but sounded too good to pass. In the leaf clutter.




I’d like to straighten out for my cabinet, any advice on annealing technique or?

I find loads of these miners tags, actually started cleaning them up and selling on eBay, but rarely find one with the mine name, so this one is special.



Typical handful of horse tack.



Also hit a favorite spot in my town park that still produces relics after 5 years of hunts, now only one or two trips per year. Typical handful of buttons and midtones that are left.



Also find these perfectly preserved square nails here that sound like bouncy LC until they are out of the plug.



Here is the rest of the family...



Oh, one coin, perfect 29/30 signal, green patina rim appeared in the plug, and it is a 65...heartbreaker...



Good luck out there!

 

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[wheatfinder13]

Darn that man wanted brass thing is pretty cool. Could it be for some kind of hiring/Job advertisement?

 

[Digger RJ]

Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Great relic recoveries, congrats!

 

[HeatherM]

Your nail family made me chuckle!

 

[BigWaveDave]

Sorry my wife is in bed, so tomorrow I’ll check in with her advice to straighten out the knife.
(She’s a a Silversmith)

 

[ToddsPoint]

Man Wanted. That could be from right after the Civil War. Approx. 600,000 men died from 1861-1865. There were no men available for many women. It was not uncommon for a young woman to marry a much older man. Tough times for a young woman. Gary

 

[BigWaveDave]

Hi, this is Mrs. Big Wave Dave.

In order to straighten the piece correctly you will need a torch. You can use an acetylene only or acetylene/oxygen.
As a last resort a chefs butane torch. You will need a rawhide hammer so that you do not smash the knife and mar it more.
To “anneal”( heat it to soften the metal) you have to distribute the heat evenly over the the piece, do not get too close with the flame, watch for changes in the metal. When you see it turning a little orange, stop. Take tongs or pliers of some kind and quench in a dish of water. At this point you may use the hammer to slowly, from open end hammer open the knife. Best to do this on a steel block or very had surface. After straightening you would then clean it in a pickle solution. An acid that you won’t have, but can make with white vinegar and salt in a crock pot or hot plate with a glass pot. Do not use anything but copper tongs to insert into the pickle with silver it will plate the piece. Good luck!

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

Hi, this is Mrs. Big Wave Dave.

In order to straighten the piece correctly you will need a torch. You can use an acetylene only or acetylene/oxygen.
As a last resort a chefs butane torch. You will need a rawhide hammer so that you do not smash the knife and mar it more.
To “anneal”( heat it to soften the metal) you have to distribute the heat evenly over the the piece, do not get too close with the flame, watch for changes in the metal. When you see it turning a little orange, stop. Take tongs or pliers of some kind and quench in a dish of water. At this point you may use the hammer to slowly, from open end hammer open the knife. Best to do this on a steel block or very had surface. After straightening you would then clean it in a pickle solution. An acid that you won’t have, but can make with white vinegar and salt in a crock pot or hot plate with a glass pot. Do not use anything but copper tongs to insert into the pickle with silver it will plate the piece. Good luck!

Thx Dave! Sounds like a project o definitely will try. Kudos to your better half.

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

Man Wanted. That could be from right after the Civil War. Approx. 600,000 men died from 1861-1865. There were no men available for many women. It was not uncommon for a young woman to marry a much older man. Tough times for a young woman. Gary

Thx Gary! That’s a great theory on this piece. Every old cemetery in my county is loaded with CW soldiers, makes sense.

 

[Steve in PA]

Hey, at least you got some silver! That man wanted piece is really strange.