✅ SOLVED What type of sea shell is this?

[ANTIQUARIAN]

I found this shell last weekend on an old woolen mill site here in Southern Ontario.
I can't tell if it's a saltwater or freshwater shell or if it's even a sea shell at all for the matter?

Thanks,
Dave

 

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[Indian Steve]

I believe that is called a cowry shell. Saltwater.

 

[Blak bart]

Yes that is a cowry as indian steve said. There are many different types of cowry, not sure exactly which yours is. They were used for trading and as money in the ancient past, and are still collected and used in jewelry today. I dive them up and sell them to the shell shops sometimes. Rub it down with a drop or 2 of vegetable oil and it will clean up even better. It's a saltwater shell and was probably traded by indians to get all the way up there. They like warm tropical water. Congrats and happy hunting.

 

[A2coins]

Cool find and some new info good post..

 

[rick67]

The hippies used to make beaded curtains out of those in the 60-70's.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

I believe that is called a cowry shell. Saltwater.

Thank you so much for the I.D. on my shell find Steve!
Dave

Yes that is a cowry as indian steve said. There are many different types of cowry, not sure exactly which yours is. They were used for trading and as money in the ancient past, and are still collected and used in jewelry today. I dive them up and sell them to the shell shops sometimes. Rub it down with a drop or 2 of vegetable oil and it will clean up even better. It's a saltwater shell and was probably traded by indians to get all the way up there. They like warm tropical water. Congrats and happy hunting.

That is so interesting that this might have been used as 'trade' by the Indigenous people in this area.
I've been detecting a lot of the farm lands in this area and I've found glass trade beads and even a hide scraper.
My wish is to find and arrow head... copper would be amazing, but I'd settle for a stone example any day!

Thanks very much for your info Bart,
Dave

Cool find and some new info good post..

Thanks Tommy... sometimes the 'eyeball finds' are better then what the detector finds.

The hippies used to make beaded curtains out of those in the 60-70's.

Alright, so now I'm having an acid flashback... I knew I'd seen these somewhere before!
Dave

 

[Holyground]

Used as a rate of exchange by some Indains however, any white man could have aquired on the coast or whereever and lost it there.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Used as a rate of exchange by some Indains however, any white man could have aquired on the coast or whereever and lost it there.

Good to know EDN.
But I'm still holding out hope that it was dropped by one of the Indigenous people who owned this land prior to the "white" invasion.
Dave