Saved from the scrap bin!

[Christoph1945]

                        Up until I joined the NWDD, and went out on some club digs, I had been throwing all my buckle finds into my scrap bin; but upon being informed by Will that buckles can also have an interesting history, I rescued mine from the bin.
 
                        Picture one shows a collection of buckles rescued from the bin. Picture two shows what I believe is a quarter of a brass or bronze buckle and I would be pleased if you could id the quarter for me.
I would interested in learning its age?

                                                   Chris 

[Chef Geoff]

Chris the general rule of thumb is that if the crossbar is or was iron, ie two piece, then it's after 1680

[Christoph1945]

                    Thanks for your swift reply Geoff. What convinced me that it was a buckle segment was the fact that I thought I could see an area of corrosion where the crossbar may have fitted. The corrosion initially looked as though it may have been very light rust. I tried a magnet in that area but got no response. Upon scraping the area lightly with a blade and cleaning the hole out none of the material that came out responded to the magnet, but if it was iron oxide it wouldn't would it?

                    So; if the crossbar was iron, then it could be any date from 1680 till present day?



                   

[hotmill]

I am partial to a nice buckle Chris 

[Christoph1945]

Hi Will,
             I'm guessing that the broken piece of buckle must be pre 1939 but am wondering if it could be Georgian, ie 1700? What do you recon?

[hotmill]

Looks about right Chris 1720 -1760 ish I reckon

[Christoph1945]

Hi Will,
             It turned up on the beach, not far from where I found a George III halfpenny. This large metal cast object has also turned up in the same general area. I think that the large cast object could be maritime; what do you recon?

[hotmill]

Probably is Chris, lots of concretion on it so been in the water a good while.

[Christoph1945]

                                 As you can see, it is very ornate. When I first saw it sticking out of the sand like a part crescent moon I thought that it was perhaps an old lobster pot, but on closer inspection I found it to be a solid casting. It is dish shaped and the inner part would appear to be the back of it and it would perhaps have been bolted on to something.

                                Makes a change from bullets! 

 

[wet feet again]

Could be the back of a porthole. They used iron in both wars
as a shortage of brass for shell cases.

[Christoph1945]

Didn't spot an hinge. I will take a closer look, the next time I am at Talacre. That is if the sands haven't covered it over again!