Josiah's Trade Blanket
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For Sale: Handforged "Fort Ticonderoga" pattern blades.
These are as period as they come!  These are copied after an 18th century original, excavated at Fort Ticonderoga.  They're forged from old buggy leaf springs by Ohio Amish blacksmith, Crist Burkholder.  I've sold these to several of our CA C.o.H.T. members who were more than pleased with the quality.  Prices vary according to size.  You choose what you want, type of tang, number of rivet holes or full stick tang, etc.  Hey, I even rub them down with a coat of bear fat.  Can't get more authentic!  E-mail or call for price quote.  Blade pictured measures 9 ¼" blade and 4 ½ " tang (13 ¾" overall) and runs $48- (plus shipping).
Pic of Rough-Forged Blade Overall
Closeup of Burkholder's "keystone"
blacksmith's mark ("touchmark")
Original 18th century Copper Trade Kettle
Fort de Baude Kettle pics and above text are from the "Great Lakes Virtual Museum Website":
http://www.hvl.bia.edu/GLVM/Fort%20de%20Buade/FDB%20kettles.htm
    These kettles are classic Fur Trade artifacts; they have been traded to the American Indians since the early 1600's.
     The trade kettle was an interesting marketing piece, as the shape allowed the pieces to nest inside of each other. Sets of up to seventeen pieces have been uncovered at some historic sites. The fur traders, however, traded these kettles to the Native Americans, not as complete sets, but as single pieces. They even sold the bales (handles) separately! The copper kettle was more forgiving than cast iron, and was much better suited to the traveling lifestyle of the early Native Americans. The copper kettles would bend rather than crack, thus making them more highly prized than the heavier, more brittle and expensive cast iron pots.
     The copper kettles had one major flaw; the copper could react with acidic foods and release copper sulfates into the food being cooked and poison the people who ate from that pot. One method to alleviate this problem was to line the inside of the pot with tin. Several kettles discovered at historic sites have this "tin wash." Most kettles, however, were not provided with this layer of protection.
Original Trade Kettles from Historic Fort de Baude, Michigan
Overall Picture
Interior-No Holes
Interior pic of hinge
Closeup of hinge on Fort de Baude Copper Trade Kettle (far left in pic below).
This is an incredible find.  I had to do a double take, as the dealer I got this from had unfortunately done a thorough cleaning.  Fortunately, I knew what to look for and guarantee that it is an original.  Like most originals, it is not tinned.  Also, originals have a rim hammered over a thick iron wire.  At certain spots this iron wire is exposed and shows great age and some corroding (to be expected).  The bail is iron and also shows serious age.  The kettle stands 4 ½" tall, and is slightly oblong at 8 1/8" x 8 ¾" in outside diameter. This is nearly an identical measurement to the Fort de Baude kettles below.

To assist the prospective buyer, some research on original trade kettles, and an accompanying picture, is shown below.  The link to the original web page is also provided.
$145-