Apropos Dan Weiskotten's question about specialized shroud pins:
 
The Lost Towns of Anne Arundel Project often encounters straight pins on
Colonial Period sites, generally in feature contexts. And yes, I have
encountered them on other Colonial Period sites, including Belair
Mansion in Bowie, Maryland.
 
I have not noted any differences between those used on shrouds and those
presumably used on clothing and for myriad other purposes.
 
If memory serves, the classic description of pin making, which describes
the trade well for the 17th through early 19th centuries, appears in
Adam Smith's discussion of specialized labor--breaking down industrial
tasks into their smallest viable components--in The Wealth of Nations.
 
Jim Gibb
The Lost Towns of Anne Arundel Project
Annapolis, Maryland  USA