✅ SOLVED Letter "B" from a Civil War Site. What is it?

[garren]

Recently dug this letter B stamp from a site that has only produced Civil War items. I don't have high hopes of this being CW but I can't figure what it is or why it was at this site. It has notches on the end like it went into some type of device. Overall length is 7/8" long. I can't tell what type of metal it is but it's not magnetic and reads low (10-11) on an Equinox 800. Does anyone recognize this? Could it have been something used by CW officers or soldiers?

 

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[mbcuce]

Looks like type set

 

[garren]

Looks like type set

You nailed it.. I was able to find some type sets that look very similar to this one. Now if we only knew why this was in the middle of a Union camp!

 

[Huntster54]

It is from a typesetting machine for early printing periods. Typesetting was/is still used throughout the world, so dating it would take some work. You're actually holding it up side down in the first pick. The groves on the back were alignment aids when setting the type and locking them in depending on the machine. Typesetting does go back hundreds of years.

 

[BLK HOLE]

Yep type set

 

[garren]

Theres still hope that this could have been used in the CW camp...just found this --->

https://americanhistory.si.edu/civilwar-field-printing/introduction

 

[mbcuce]

Theres still hope that this could have been used in the CW camp...just found this --->

https://americanhistory.si.edu/civilwar-field-printing/introduction

Cool find. Encampment printing press, you don't see that everyday.

 

[Huntster54]

Nice research. It seems entirely possible. Could be many more.
After reading some of that literature, I wish my great great grandfather had the printing press sales commission for the north. I'd probably be living in a Mansion.