What do we have here?
- Thread starter sjenkinf
- Start date
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- identification lead virginia
Stiffwrists
Elite Member
Maybe Ox Knobs?
EmuDetector
Forum Supporter
Maybe a lead trench art from a civil war group?
flyguy784
Elite Member
That's a possibility, if so, that would be one of the coolest finds I've seen. Congrats bud.
Don't think they'd make ox knobs out of lead. Not to mention the intricate little handles, I love em.
Don't think they'd make ox knobs out of lead. Not to mention the intricate little handles, I love em.
Copet
Full Member
Melting lead, gold, silver?
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Chipk
Elite Member
Was there a rainbow in the area? Perhaps it’s a leprechaun’s pot o’ gold’?
EmuDetector
Forum Supporter
Have you tried cleaning them at all? Don't scrub hard, but with the old lead you can rinse it and knock the dirt off with a tooth brush. It will keep that tan color and just remove the dirt, I do it with all my bullets and carved lead. I would be curious to see if they have any rings from a minie ball, or if they are just carved from a lead ball. I think you have carved lead for sure, which is an amazing find.
dixiedigger57
Elite Member
i would say carved Minie ball but for the purpose. ??? In Georgia peaches were king one time, and old timers just took peach seeds of the freestone variety and carved little baskets out of them. my daughters used them with Barbie dolls lol when my Dad did some.
may have been out of boredom. i have a minie carved into a point with a slit and is believed to be a chess piece bishop. but that i have never seen. there was a reason
BUT it could have been a musket nipple protector used by a string attached to protect the nipple on the musket from dirt and water. most are smaller flatter, but I could see that maybe...the base of the minie being hollow. there were 3 ringers, two ringers, solids etcc huge variety. with and wiithout cavities. some had wooden plugs, some 69 caliber common in Va theaters of war, not just 58 caliber.
i would consider musket nipple protector albiet big cavity.
may have been out of boredom. i have a minie carved into a point with a slit and is believed to be a chess piece bishop. but that i have never seen. there was a reason
BUT it could have been a musket nipple protector used by a string attached to protect the nipple on the musket from dirt and water. most are smaller flatter, but I could see that maybe...the base of the minie being hollow. there were 3 ringers, two ringers, solids etcc huge variety. with and wiithout cavities. some had wooden plugs, some 69 caliber common in Va theaters of war, not just 58 caliber.
i would consider musket nipple protector albiet big cavity.
EmuDetector
Forum Supporter
How wide are the openings? They don't look much like any other nipple protectors, most of the examples I see online have square openings with a stem in the middle and aren't open on both sides. But I'll keep digging.
Fredneck
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2020
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- 361
Definitely not nipple protectors or melting pots, but you have our curiosity for sure. How about placing a coin with them for size reference.
Stiffwrists
Elite Member
Are you sure they are lead? I still think they could be Ox Knobs. The handle parts of them, could be screw holes to keep them on. The horn tip would go through the large hole in the bottom, then cut and grind the horn flush.
dixiedigger57
Elite Member
i did not know they were open. so definitely not that. the loops and size of hole too big for fishing sinker. i am stumped.
are they some kind of mantle or large clock weights?
are they some kind of mantle or large clock weights?
Fredneck
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2020
- Messages
- 361
Clock weights comment made me think of scale weights, which were used for food rationing. I've found 2 weights in camps before, one was a solid round lead ball with iron loop like that, the other didn't resemble at all being a disc for beam scale. Still stumped though honestly.
flyguy784
Elite Member
Open ends are a surprise. Handles are actually for screws, could be. Check them with a magnet. I see some iron oxide lookin stuff on there. They may be iron coated in lead for corrosion resistance.
