Hidden Treasure In CNY ~ Crotal Bells

Artifact Recovery Specialist Bob Howard from Otego joins us in the studio to show us  Crotal Bells in this edition of Hidden Treasures in CNY.

Crotal Bells for sleighs and wagons came in various sizes depending on how affluent the family was or even who made them. The Crotal bells that Bob shows us were discovered in Cooperstown and Stamford. While researching this, we wondered what the 'B' on the bottoms means. Could the bigger one have been made by a Bartman?

Wikipedia says 'Crotal bells, also known as rumble bells, were used on horse-drawn vehicles before motorized vehicles were common. They were often made of bronze with a slot cut down the side. These bells were used to warn other horse-drawn vehicle users (mostly on country roads) that another vehicle was approaching. They came in many sizes, from a small 1-inch version to bells that were many inches across - the older ones were forged while others were cast. They were either hung on a small leather-and-iron harness bracket above the horse's collar on smaller vehicles. On larger vehicles, such as delivery wagons, they were driven into the wooden frame of the wagon.'

[Information from Wikipedia]

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