27th May 2024, 09:15 PM | #1 |
Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: France
Posts: 176
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Lead / grease / flint container
Hi all,
Found last week, this small container made of brass with heavy wear. Those have been discussed here before (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=Bullet+bronze, http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=17586) and have been described as lead balls, grease, or flints containers. I don't have much more to add on the subject but I can link this example from Georgia from the Quai Branly, describe as a lead shot container : https://m.quaibranly.fr/fr/explorer-...-boite-a-plomb. Anyway, I like this one, even though the attachments are broken, the wear on the engraving is pretty cool I think. |
Yesterday, 06:19 PM | #2 |
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: St. Louis, MO area.
Posts: 1,623
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Hi Yvain
I have 2-3 of these little containers myself. The committee is still out on what these brass containers were actually used for. Today, collectors refer to them as grease containers for ease of discussion. Many believe they were used to carry grease or fat. Trouble is, I've never seen/heard of one having any evidence of old grease inside the container. Some believe that they were used to carry shot/balls/bullets. But this doesn't make sense. The container is too small for carrying shot. Plus, the soft lead balls would bounce around and become slightly deformed. Not good from a shooter's perspective. Still others (including myself) believe they were used to carry spare gun flints and/or oiled small rags for cleaning. But again, still know one is sure. We do know that the other, small, flat "square shaped" containers were used to carry the miniature copies of the Koran. But these pear shaped containers are still a mystery. Rick |
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