Unusual locket from very early Connecticut homesite

[CTwoods]

Hi, I got out for half day before the huge snow. Went to a former pasture where two very early homes were. I still cannot find the 2nd house site, but I found this large locket.

It is even bigger than a silver dollar. It was pretty deep, even compared to some very fancy 1700s buttons found earlier trips there.

I just don't know if this is a picture locket or "mourning' locket that held the persons hair? It has a hinge, but I can't tell if the front is gone? Would it be a tin-type print?

I just sanded one edge after taking the pics, and it took a lot of sanding to get through the layers of corrosion, and it seems Brass color. This must be quite old. There are no semi-modern finds in this very remote area.

I have not washed it, just barely brushed off some dirt when at the site. It started flaking on the backside while drying in the house. I don't know if you can see a weird pattern inside the back? Like alternating rows of notches or squares? Was that cloth? Then there is "black" in there.


OK...so I want to know what is inside...If there is anything left. Do I go in from the backside? as to try to save the look of the cracked but surviving glass?

.

 

[ironhorse]

It's a cool find!
I'm wondering if it might be a compass

 

[Scrappy]

You might find some gears inside

Nice find

 

[against the wind]

Congrats on a unique find.
Hope you find a few 1/2 dimes inside.

 

[CTwoods]

It's a cool find!
I'm wondering if it might be a compass

You might find some gears inside

Nice find

Congrats on a unique find.
Hope you find a few 1/2 dimes inside.

Don't you all dare laugh at me..(I just turned "senior-moment" citizen, now 65)..but I honestly thought it was some ultra-thin pocket watch until this morning. I got out a big magnifier as it is only 3/16" to 1/4" thick, and wondered how tiny the gears could be to fit in there!


How should I go inside? From the back?



Here are some finds from that old site before. The four buttons are by far, the best ones I ever found in this rural, non-rich area. Two are finely decorated Tombac buttons, and 3rd one is very thick fancy Dandy , and last one still has gold gilt ring and center part. (a new penny in there for size comparing) I also got a shoe buckle frame but no pic.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Nice relic find!

 

[trapperart]

Congrats on some nice finds good luck opening it up

 

[CTwoods]

Well, I won't be able to know if it was a picture or whatever..

Looking in from the back where the fabric or black paper is gone, I see that there are TWO pieces of round glass sandwiched together. The inner glass is cracked, too. No space between the glasses, just stacked together.

I hold it up to light and can see right through in that one spot, and I don't see an image or a persons hair. The thick black layer may have been some sort of paper from a photo? I guess I will net-search old lockets a bit.

I was hoping to see a picture of the person who lived there.

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[A2coins]

It looks like half a pocket watch is that a hinge on the bottom and the top looks like the winder Just what I see Nice find hope its something of significance for you.. Thanks for the post!!!1

 

[Terry Soloman]

Look up "Mourning Hair Locket." Nice Find!

 

[BuckleBoy]

Y'all are silly. It's a pocket watch. Open it up and you'll find a pile of rust.

 

[A2coins]

booooyyyaaaa!!!!

 

[CTwoods]

It looks like half a pocket watch is that a hinge on the bottom and the top looks like the winder Just what I see Nice find hope its something of significance for you.. Thanks for the post!!!1

Look up "Mourning Hair Locket." Nice Find!

Y'all are silly. It's a pocket watch. Open it up and you'll find a pile of rust.

It's not a pocket watch. The stem is not a winder, it just has a place for a chain loop. It is barely 3/16" thick. No room in there for anything with TWO layers of glass. I hold it up to light, and can see right through one spot at 10 to 11 O'clock, and there is nothing in there that survived. Certainly no room for any gears. Stack 3 Quarters and that's how thin it is.

I think Terry is correct that it was a mourning locket, due to not only it's possible age before photos were made?, and the fact of two glasses stacked. A picture would not need 2 glasses? But a piece of hair maybe does need two?

I guess I will keep hunting there, despite finds are dropping off.


.

 

[CTwoods]

Look up "Mourning Hair Locket." Nice Find!

Found the same one on etsy, a mourning locket.

It has two glasses like mine; one for the picture side, and one for the hair side.

Note the alternating rows of rectangles on the padded cloth behind the hair, that is an exact match to mine.

No idea on age. Late 1800s, maybe earlier 1900s

.

 

[Scrappy]

It's not a pocket watch. The stem is not a winder, it just has a place for a chain loop. It is barely 3/16" thick. No room in there for anything with TWO layers of glass. I hold it up to light, and can see right through one spot at 10 to 11 O'clock, and there is nothing in there that survived. Certainly no room for any gears. Stack 3 Quarters and that's how thin it is.

I think Terry is correct that it was a mourning locket, due to not only it's possible age before photos were made?, and the fact of two glasses stacked. A picture would not need 2 glasses? But a piece of hair maybe does need two?

I guess I will keep hunting there, despite finds are dropping off.


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Only the later pocket watches had stem winders, but if you're sure, then that's that.

 

[Lord Verdigris]

Im liking those buttons! [emoji2][emoji106]