Wheels? Pulleys? Cogs? - Crank telephone magneto gears

[DCMatt]

We hunted an historic property on the south side of the James River (VA) on the weekend. The property records go back to the 1630's. These items, obviously, aren't that old, but I can't figure them out. I found two of them, almost identical, about a mile apart (separate home sites). Another slightly smaller one was also found on the property.

They appear to be copper. No markings. No threads. No visible signs of wear.









Any thoughts?

DCMatt

 

[IronSpike]

Tony in SC made a great ID on this relic. Well done

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Wheels? Pulleys? Cogs?

They are too light and the teeth are too fine to hve been on an engine. I have seen gears like that on the old crank telephone magnetos. The large gear would spin a very small gear very fast to get the voltage to power the phone. I'll try to get a pic if I have time. Tony

Great ID Tony.