Little lead discs?

Coilcrazy2 · Oct 2, 2015

Hey everyone,
I have found a few of these little things over the years and never knew what they could have been used for. They are little lead discs with holes punched/drilled in them. My assumption is that they are pretty old due to the age of the places that I find them. Let me know what you think they were use for. Thanks!

HAPPYCAMPER · Oct 2, 2015

Early lead fishing sinkers?

ARC · Oct 2, 2015

This item you have found is a prime example of one of those items we all find and wonder...

IS this the artwork/project/boredom of some kid smashing fishing weights in dads vise... ?

OR is the charm worn by Ponce De Leon and was ripped from his neck and lost during a skirmish with hostile natives ?

OR the lost pocket change of an alien life form that visited your local tourist sites ?

OR.... heh

I have no clue... nor did I the last time I saw similar items... Sorry for being "no help".

:P

P.S.> BUT... I ill make a couple educated "guesses"

Possible "weight" for the following...
Civil war "coat weight"...
Shears weights...
Counterweights of some form...

Crispin · Oct 2, 2015

How do you know they are lead and not silver?

I think I know what the little one is because I found something similar. It looks like piece of part of an earring.

The big one may be a coin with a hole drilled through it. I would test the metal.

Coilcrazy2 · Oct 2, 2015

Crispin said:
How do you know they are lead and not silver?

I think I know what the little one is because I found something similar. It looks like piece of part of an earring.

The big one may be a coin with a hole drilled through it. I would test the metal.

Thanks for the reply Crispin. They are in fact lead due to their weight and the type of oxidation that they have on them. I find these at 1700s-1800s homesites.

sutphin · Oct 2, 2015

SO ITS NOT A BALE SEAL

??

Coilcrazy2 · Oct 2, 2015

sutphin said:
SO ITS NOT A BALE SEAL ??

They look similar to bale seals but they are not near as thick. Some that I find are very crude (one on the bottom) and some are very precisely cut/punched (one on the top).

bigfoot1 · Oct 2, 2015

there were many types of hem weights.folks often made their own clothes and to assume that they didnt use what they had is silly

EccentricInTexas · Oct 2, 2015

Home made fishing weights I'd say. I have found a lot of them that were made in spoons and have a hole punched in them. They also could be home made hem weights for dresses or curtains but most likely they are fishing weights.