What is this?

[SquidRow]

It's a penny and a button?....Any help would be great.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

OutdoorAdv, are you looking for images of intact bells w the item?
Or recover bells w the "drilled shank" attachment point?
Intact bell w item attached would likely be proof, but I can say that 80+% of my bells have tab w hole.

OutdoorAdv, you are right, I find no handbell examples w this what's it, I only spent 15 minutes, but this certainly lowers my confidence ��
I leave it to the experts now, Happy research and hunting all !

Non dug items on google images. Over this past year, I searched for every phrase I could think of having to do with candle snuffers and hand bells. Since many smaller bells are cast with a rectangular piece at the top, those are the types I was studying. I've also looked in some of my reference books for things with similar shapes and that's where the powder measurer idea came from. I am pretty sure its a finial of some kind and probably allowed something to pivot.

 

[DCMatt]

Can we assume this is a regional item?
I believe we have 4 of these found in northeastern North America - including Romeo1's found in Canada.
Why none found further south? Because it's warmer there...
Maybe the piece is snow related - like those eagle head sleigh finials we ID'd on the forum recently. They were all found in snow states.
I'm thinking this could be a type of fastener for sleigh bells. I've looked at lots of 19th C bells attached to leather with sort of rivet. Most of the rivets are screw-in.
If these are earlier, they didn't have percision techniques to make screw rivets.
I can see these pushed through a slot on a leather strap. The 'points' just above the base would hold it in place.
A bell stem would be slipped into the rectangle hole on top and a wire through the round hole in the side to keep the bell attached.
Can someone confirm or deny my supposition?
Sadly, I can't find any pictures of early strap bells with this type of fastener - so I'm only guessing...

 

[DCMatt]

Would this fit in the rectangle slot?

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Matt, The one I posted from FB on post #11 of this thread was from the Carolina's I believe... at least that's where the guys FB said he was located. It didn't specify, and I didn't ask, if he was hunting down there or on a trip to the north east. Regardless, it was my understanding that crotal bells on a harness were a safety device to warn people that a horse or carriage or sleigh was approaching.... so perhaps if it his a finial for a crotal bell, then it could have been on a harness for a sleigh or carriage... so perhaps if on a carriage, it would not be limited to snowy areas and would explain the Carolina's one.

The rectangular sprue on the top of bells is also why I thought it was a finial. I only looked a hand bells and candle snuffer bells though, and never tried to research a crotal bell finial... it could very well be to one of those.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Would this fit in the rectangle slot?

View attachment 1521591

The slot on mine is slightly tapered from the bottom (flatter area where we theorize the bell would have been) to the top (where the pivot pin area is)

Bottom: 4mm X 7.6mm (0.16" X 0.3")
Top: 2.3mm X 6mm (0.09" X 0.23")

View attachment 1521596

You can see the taper in this picture on mine. My thought is it would be very easy to file the rectangular sprue on a small bell to fit into that slot. Mine appears to be sand cast brass and you can see some file marks on it... I typically see that sort of things in the much older brass pieces I find.

 

[Deleted member 122652]

Black Diamond?

Black Diamond? Not magnetic.

 

[RustyGold]

Reminds me of part of a wooden box hinge that you inlay into the surface.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Could be part to a drawer pull like these, but that doesnt explain the rectangular opening down the middle. Unless there was a specific rectangular fastener that was used... it would explain the wear marks on the hole of mine though.