River Finds . . . what the . . . ?? UPDATE

[Valley Ranger]

Got back on the river today with my diggin' partner, Doug Hill and made some great finds. A good number of CW bullets and musket balls - dropped and fired, percussion cap, etc. (Video coming soon.) But I also found these two non-ferrous items. When I pulled the first one out of the river (that's a quarter beside it), I thought it was a ear piece to a pair of glasses. Could be, but it seems to me to be too thick and heavy for that. It has some decorative design on it and some lettering on the back - some too faint to see, though I can make out what appears to be "OND" - maybe "LONDON"? The second piece looks like rolled up lead. Both of these were found in the vicinity of heavy Civil War activity. What do y'all think? (Pics are a bit out of order, the last one obviously is another of the find that looks like it could be an ear piece to a pair of glasses, if it weren't so thick.) Any ideas on either item would be appreciated.

UPDATE - Check out the last photo I found searching on the internet. Here's the description - (Note - that last photo is not a picture of mine):

"Medieval Bodkin. Silver, 3.61 grams; 69.25 mm. A beautiful example of a 15th Century bodkin used in the weaving process. The head has a typical Early Acorn Top with cross hatch decoration. The loop is elongated and shows signs of use making this a most interesting addition to any medieval collection. Very Fine condition. Ex. Kirkton collection."

Link: http://time-lines.co.uk/medieval-silver-bodkin-002266-8849-0.html

I think Derfel maybe on the the right trail. What do y'all think?

 

[Valley Ranger]

Hey Stonewall,
Nice finds! Unroll the lead thingy. I found a piece of copper on a fort site that was rolled up like that,
and it turned out to be a paint stencil with a soldiers name, rank, etc. I almost chucked it into the junk
pail, but luckily I unrolled it.

Slab

Wow Slab, I don't know man. I'm afraid if I unroll it, it will break up . . . hmmmm. Yes, I almost threw mine away as well.

 

[fibberjibber]

Stonewall-
I have to say, the coins and relics everyone finds on here are very cool. But I think your bodkin is one of the COOLEST! A tool like this, to me, tells a story. I like it. Great find!!!

 

[Irregular]

Hey Doug - good to see you here. BTW, I'm pretty sure that Bodkin is silver. Very pliable and where I nicked it, it's very shiny. I chased that durn signal for more than a half hour under 10 inches of water - glad I didn't give up!

There are some simple tests out there to determine if an item is silver or not. One I used was igniting a match head up against the material to see its effect on coloration, but (obviously) don't follow my simplistic instructions. Chasing that signal as described is a better experience than chasing the top of a can for 25 minutes in 12 inches of water, believe me!

That bodkin has generated a fair amount of interest around here...

 

[Valley Ranger]

Hey Doug - good to see you here. BTW, I'm pretty sure that Bodkin is silver. Very pliable and where I nicked it, it's very shiny. I chased that durn signal for more than a half hour under 10 inches of water - glad I didn't give up!

There are some simple tests out there to determine if an item is silver or not. One I used was igniting a match head up against the material to see its effect on coloration, but (obviously) don't follow my simplistic instructions. Chasing that signal as described is a better experience than chasing the top of a can for 25 minutes in 12 inches of water, believe me!

That bodkin has generated a fair amount of interest around here...

It's really one of the neatest things I've found thus far. Pete points to a reference in the #2 post about this item that suggests its likely pewter, but dates to 1720-1750! Since we know soldiers were in the river and that these Bodkins were used to sew canvas, I suppose its possible it was carried to stitch up tents and dropped by one of the soldiers in his haste to avoid the bullets being fired his way. Who knows?