ColonialDude
Hero Member
Managed to get out today with a buddy of mine. We had high hopes for a site but it didn't pan out as so often happens in this hobby.
We went with plan B, a site that that had turned up a few early coppers in the last year or so.
It was my first attempt with the CZ-21 so I wasn't expecting much...but I was pleasantly surprised! I have made a few finds I would consider a find of a lifetime but this one to me is one of the best! It has so much history!
When I first pulled this out of the water I thought it was a spoon (fishing lure) untile I flipped it over!
It reads "Tete De Pont Bks Entrance to Cells" and has the word "Provo" in the middle with a period after it. Beside the P is a sideways P.
The "Bks" is obviously "Barracks". The Tete De Pont Barracks were a military barracks built over the location of Fort Frontenac in Kingston which has some serious history! The barracks were built in the early 1780's I believe and were named "Tete De Pont" sometime around 1787.
The item itself, I knew what it was right away as I found something similar a few years back. This is a key fob or tag for the prison cells. The portion that had the hole is obviously missing. I have attached a photo and included a photo of the one I found a few years back. This is a fascinating piece to me, as is anything marked with a name or location of military significance. What amazes me is that I found it about 2 miles away!
The one thing I am unsure of is the word "Provo." in the middle. I thought it was perhaps a name at first, or at least short for a name based on the dot at the end. I am now however thinking it stands for "Provost" as in Provost Marshall. This was essentially an officer in the military who was sort of like Military Police. They were responsible for executions etc. I could be way off, but it makes a lot of sense. Would love to hear other peoples thoughts on what this stands for!
Thanks for looking
We went with plan B, a site that that had turned up a few early coppers in the last year or so.
It was my first attempt with the CZ-21 so I wasn't expecting much...but I was pleasantly surprised! I have made a few finds I would consider a find of a lifetime but this one to me is one of the best! It has so much history!
When I first pulled this out of the water I thought it was a spoon (fishing lure) untile I flipped it over!
It reads "Tete De Pont Bks Entrance to Cells" and has the word "Provo" in the middle with a period after it. Beside the P is a sideways P.
The "Bks" is obviously "Barracks". The Tete De Pont Barracks were a military barracks built over the location of Fort Frontenac in Kingston which has some serious history! The barracks were built in the early 1780's I believe and were named "Tete De Pont" sometime around 1787.
The item itself, I knew what it was right away as I found something similar a few years back. This is a key fob or tag for the prison cells. The portion that had the hole is obviously missing. I have attached a photo and included a photo of the one I found a few years back. This is a fascinating piece to me, as is anything marked with a name or location of military significance. What amazes me is that I found it about 2 miles away!
The one thing I am unsure of is the word "Provo." in the middle. I thought it was perhaps a name at first, or at least short for a name based on the dot at the end. I am now however thinking it stands for "Provost" as in Provost Marshall. This was essentially an officer in the military who was sort of like Military Police. They were responsible for executions etc. I could be way off, but it makes a lot of sense. Would love to hear other peoples thoughts on what this stands for!
Thanks for looking
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