Hello Histarchers,
 
Charles Heath asked,
 
>Are there observable
>differences between archaeologically recovered and conserved wire nails from
>the mid-19th C. vs. those from the early-20th C.???
 
I've studied nails for many years. There should be some correlation between
the situation here (Australia) and the USA as there were nail imports from
Britain, the USA and there was local production using USA and British
machines.
 
Around 1885 steel nails were introduced and from my experience these became
to be commonly used from around 1890 - thinner shafts, and the diamond head
became more block-like - rhomboidal. After 1900, certainly by WWI, the nail
heads tended to become more raised and narrow. The story becomes
complicated by the turn of the century because of the different
manufacturers and importers.
 
When I return in about two weeks, I'll adapt an article I wrote on nails
for my web site for those interested,
 
Cheers,
 
Robert
PS: Re Mail Problems: I get one acceptance email (1.8c), one reject from
"[log in to unmask]" and one reject from "Administrator". Sorry re my last
post.
 
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