Eagle Sword Plate Die

[UCVRelics]

I picked this up in a trade at the Franklin show and been meaning to share it with y'all before I pass it on. This is the die for the model 1874 Eagle sword plate. During the CW most of the model 1851 sword plates were cast and 2 pieces with a few being die struck late in the war. The 1874 were die struck. The belt plates are many but the die's are few.

 

[1867crete]

That's pretty cool! Did they wear out? How many copies could it make? Very interesting!

 

[UCVRelics]

That's pretty cool! Did they wear out? How many copies could it make? Very interesting!

Being made of brass I'm sure they had wear. The neat part is someone had to engraving the plate.

 

[JOHN42768]

Nice piece

 

[R. Porter]

Nice die! Have you matched it up a manufacturer and time period? Die wear can be a way of finding items that were made around the same time, and if they were distributed in batches where the items were made about the same time these items can help plot movement. Not quite a serial number, but similar (although there is no guarantee that items with sequential serial numbers were issued together, you have to know that they are before they can be used to plot movement by find sites.)

 

[Joe Whitworth]

That's a really cool piece. Interesting it's brass, I was always under the impression the dies were iron or steel for longer die life. Learn something new everyday.