Small clay ? ball?Native American?

Detector mom

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Found this near an historic site that?s been occupied since the late 1700s. I?ve also found native tools there. I?ve done a lot of detecting there but this was a surface find?it is not metal. Just did a google lens search and it keeps coming up ?Native American playing pieces.? Very light; no way it?s a marble. Ideas?
 

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Fossils

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Oct 25, 2019
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First you need to ascertain the material.

If it's very light it's possible that it's some kind of bird's egg.

Native American gaming pieces are generally stone, which should be dense. A clay marble would probably be less dense.

You can weigh it and use water displacement to find the density, then compare it to a pebble, clay marble, and other objects.
 

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ticndig

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Early soda bottles had a ball inside to seal the carbonation. To open, you "popped" the ball down into the bottle. This is where the term "pop bottle" came from. Kids would naturally break the bottle when empty to retrieve the ball. Here is a pic of one. Your ball might be one of those. Gary

attachment.php
You'd think they would be a commonly found item since they were mass-produced. I learned something new today .I looked them up, invented in 1872 and they are called a codd stop and still used in india today. So if item isn't a marble maybe it's one of these?
 

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Detector mom

Detector mom

Full Member
Oct 5, 2011
127
256
Northern NJ
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white's mdx 300; simplex plus
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I've found a ton of marbles, both clay and glass, including Benningtons. This is different--rougher, lighter in the hand. However, it IS most likely some kind of marble. I can see some color on it. thing is, it's so small and light, hard to imagine it being played as many marbles were...Thanks for your insights.
 

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alrelichunter

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Mar 5, 2012
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Pennsylvania
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Found this near an historic site that?s been occupied since the late 1700s. I?ve also found native tools there. I?ve done a lot of detecting there but this was a surface find?it is not metal. Just did a google lens search and it keeps coming up ?Native American playing pieces.? Very light; no way it?s a marble. Ideas?
looks like on close up view Marble from game during Civil War8-)
 

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alrelichunter

Jr. Member
Mar 5, 2012
21
31
Pennsylvania
Detector(s) used
White's DFX 300
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
I've found a ton of marbles, both clay and glass, including Benningtons. This is different--rougher, lighter in the hand. However, it IS most likely some kind of marble. I can see some color on it. thing is, it's so small and light, hard to imagine it being played as many marbles were...Thanks for your insights.
If lighter maybe pottery but not sure if paint would still be present
 

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