I have no idea...

jl1252 · Sep 11, 2022

Dug this from the bank of a pond thats almost dried up. Rang up 29 -30 on the nox. When i pulled it out the bottom was full of mud so i was thinking i found my first crotal bell...then i cleaned it up and was puzzled...

hbot37 · Sep 11, 2022

I have no idea what that is but it’s definitely cool. Great find!

Cherry Picker · Sep 11, 2022

I find a lot of these myself. My research has found that not all crotal bells are like we see displayed by most detectorists and that some were shaped like yours. I can't say for sure, but here are some of the once I've recovered.

MuddyMo · Sep 11, 2022

It looks like a lot of brass things old friends brought back from the middle east.

GroundSweeper · Sep 11, 2022

They appear to be called claw bells. Here's a similar one listed on ebay;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185115564485

Maybe Tom can shine more light on age or origin. I dunno. I found a similar one somewhere long ago but it was much smaller. I have to see if I still have it somewhere maybe.

Sounds like a fun spot

hope you find some more goodies, and glad you're getting out. Socked in by smoke here

lately.

tinsmith · Sep 11, 2022

My mother had a couple of those bells in the 60s
.. I remember my uncle, who's travelled says they're cow bells. Think from India.

jl1252 · Sep 11, 2022

Detector said:
I find a lot of these myself. My research has found that not all crotal bells are like we see displayed by most detectorists and that some were shaped like yours. I can't say for sure, but here are some of the once I've recovered.

GroundSweeper said:
They appear to be called claw bells. Here's a similar one listed on ebay;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185115564485

Maybe Tom can shine more light on age or origin. I dunno. I found a similar one somewhere long ago but it was much smaller. I have to see if I still have it somewhere maybe.

Sounds like a fun spot hope you find some more goodies, and glad you're getting out. Socked in by smoke here lately.

Wow, claw bells...who knew? Thanks guys for the ID.

Bilgemaster · Sep 19, 2022

Definitely from India. There was a company called "Bells of Sarna" that imported them from the '20s, but they became really popular in the '60s as a standard-issue hippie accoutrement. It wouldn't surprise me if that one still smelled vaguely of patchouli.

MinnesotaMetal · Sep 27, 2022

We grew up calling them “elephant bells”. They were a popular souvenir for people/hippies who traveled to Central Asia in the 60’s and 70’s and soldiers stationed in that area during WW2.

Texaspast · Sep 28, 2022

MinnesotaMetal said:
We grew up calling them “elephant bells”. They were a popular souvenir for people/hippies who traveled to Central Asia in the 60’s and 70’s and soldiers stationed in that area during WW2.

My grandmother had one of those back in the '50s or '60s, although she had had it a long time. Hers was about 2" in diameter. She called it an elephant bell, too.

I have no idea...

jl1252

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