Bronze/copper mystery item

StevenB

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Mar 5, 2017

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143

• Aug 30, 2017

• #1

Anyone want to venture a guess as to what this is? It looks strangely familiar but I can't figure it out. This was dug at an 1800's urban site. Appears to be a copper or bronze casting, hollow inside and the smaller end looks like a half-round shaft. Clock part? Electrical? It's about an inch long, penny shown for scale.

 

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matmit

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• Sep 2, 2017

• #2

Post more pictures from different angles.
I think that "half round" shaft is something like a keyway.
It looks familiar to me too...

 

StevenB

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• Sep 2, 2017

• #3

It looks like I've stumped everyone on this. Anyway, just in case this helps, here is another angle. Length is about an inch. Sorry about the fuzzy photo, I don't have a macro lens yet (but soon will).

 

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matmit

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• Sep 2, 2017

• #4

1960's V-8 distributor cap part

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1...ge5LQ#imgrc=kkWB9l_t4x2uQM:&spf=1504409076412

You would push the end of the spark plug wire onto it.

 

StevenB

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• Sep 3, 2017

• #5

By jove that's it! Thanks! The electrode is a bit smaller than the one in my old car (Chevy 283) so I'd venture to guess that it might be older than the 1960s.