Thought it was a trigger guard!

flyinryan2 · Nov 26, 2013

Found this a few weeks back. First thought was a trigger guard till I saw the threads. There are no markings but looks like its silver plated brass. The threaded part is bent and looks broken. Found in same area as a lot of confederate bullets and part of a spur. Could it be CW era? Any clue on what it may be would be awesome. Thanks!
Ryan.

SC-Ric · Nov 26, 2013

Looks like a reins guide from a wagon.

TheCannonballGuy · Nov 26, 2013

SC-Ric is correct, it is a rein-guide (also called a "terret") from the harness of a buggy/wagon-pulling horse. The threaded shaft on its base went through the thick harness leather. Yours has a fancier shape than the typical version. Also, yours is missing the retainer which held it in place on the harness. See photos below, showing an intact one (with retainer), and on an antique horse-harness, and in use on the horse. Rein-guides are still being manufactured and used today, so they are difficult to date... but the great majority of the ones we dig are from the late-1800s to the 1930s, when the era of "widespead" horse-pulled transportation ended.