Tell me more! Odd Inkwell

Woods-walker

First Sergeant
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Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Location
Spotsylvania Virginia
I found this odd inkwell in a Union PoW camp many years ago. I got a reading on my metal detector and dug a canteen and the inkwell was a bonus find in the hole.
Since then I have dug other inkwells but not like this.
I assume the stem had some sort of mental flap on it but I couldn’t get any more readings in that area.
If anyone has any idea or information on this style of inkwell I would love to hear from you


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I like the canteen that you found also. I found one years ago, also smooth sided, in the Wilderness battlefield that
had no spout on it. Canteens are so large, and easy for detectors to find that I imagine that there are not many left to find.
At least not in complete condition. The canteen I found in the middle of a large patch of Virginia brier patch. I learned why
no one else had been in there to find it!
Nice ink well too!
 
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I would imagine most have detonated. Also, since they tend to ring up as trash I suspect many folks pass them by. It’s the most complete one I ve found. A friend found one a few years ago that was shaped similar to a modern canteen but had two mouth pieces and it was divided on the interior. We suspected one side held water and the other whiskey.
I found a nice bayonet last winter near the Spotsylvania CH and almost didn’t dig it because it sounded like a horseshoe. I had dug three horse and mule shoes earlier that morning and was sure it was one but since I wasn’t finding much I decided to dig it. It was near a position held by Wright’s Corps.
 
How cool is that?? I so want to go treasure hunting. The canteen is amazing, and the inkwell very interesting. Thank you for sharing your finds. Did you mark the geo location of your finds? Archaeologists will thank you!
 
Nice inkwell. Never heard of them before.
Thanks Donna. I have collected civil war relics for nearly 60 years and never saw one like it. That drove the decision to post it. I wanted to see if anyone could help id it and thanks to ucvrelics, I found someone that recognized it.
 
How cool is that?? I so want to go treasure hunting. The canteen is amazing, and the inkwell very interesting. Thank you for sharing your finds. Did you mark the geo location of your finds? Archaeologists will thank you!
Thank you Mrs. V. I know the location but, a good relic hunter never gives up his/her secrets....lol. It’s a well documented site and has been featured in magazines, books etc. it’s also on private property.
 
Here's another one Woods-walker just like yours, click the link and scroll to the bottom. Yes it does say $185!
Thanks Poorville, I didn’t get your link but I found 2 similar on eBay after uvcrelics identified it for me. The eBay ones were 3 hundred asking but they were cobalt blue and I presume more valuable. Thanks again for the help
 
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