Nailed it!

spyguy

Full Member
Jan 30, 2006
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image.jpeg
You couldn't be blamed for thinking I went straight to the nearest construction site in all-metal mode. (15 nails) I was actually over at Tybee Beach on Tybee Island, GA on my last vacation day up here today. Definitely a day of strange firsts. Along with the 15 nails across a serious stretch of beach I got approached by a guy asking if I'd found his beach stake.... WTF!? I actually found 3 of those today and had to direct him to the nearest black garbage can down the way where he went to retrieve it.... What does one of these things cost these days --- .50 cents...? Anyway I had fun & got some sun all before Hurricane Irma blows in and wrecks things here and down south back home....
HH
-spyguy
 

Upvote 13
NICE GOLF TEES, LOL..
 

Those nails look a bit odd to me...

I believe that they are brass, and old... iron nails would rust away in sea water... right?

Let's see if anyone with any real knowledge chimes in.
 

Well done!! Congrats and HH
 

Nails for copper roof sheeting/flashing, take a file/sand paper and see if it's brass or copper.

"I got approached by a guy asking if I'd found his beach stake.... WTF!? I actually found 3 of those today"

Were these survey stakes or some other marker?
 

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Shipwreck Nails.JPG
Here's the above nails I found on Tybee Beach after a bath of vinegar which literally turned it blue. I did some research and copper nails were used on ships from around the 1780's to the 1830's to fasten copper plating to ship hulls. This was done to prevent marine life like barnacles and toredo worms from attaching themselves to the wood and causing serious damage. So with some cleaning and research my seemingly junk nails just got elevated to 1800's shipwreck relics....
HH
-spyguy

Brass Nail.JPG
*After sanding one of these things down they are unmistakably brass rather than copper. This narrows things down to ships built in or after the 1830's. Given Savannah's very strong connection to the Civil War it's entirely possible they date from that period.
 

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Sounds logical, a piece of old ship wood washes ashore, deteriorates, and leaves the nails, as evidence.

Nails from an old ship, are sure better that modern nails from building debris.

Nice finds congrats!

I

Sent from my VS810PP using Tapatalk
 

I would have never guessed. Nice antiques.
 

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