Nails are one of the most datable construction-related artifact classes that can be found on historic sites. Like many objects, nails have changed in manufacture, style, and form through time providing relative dating. Edwards and Wells (1993) and Wells (1998) have provided invaluable resources in documenting these changes. The nail depicted here is classified as a Type 8 cut nail – characterized by face-pinching, squared points (both in front and side view), in-line grain, same face burrs, and often exhibit face splittings or corner tipping on the head. This nail type was the dominant form in the United States ca. 1836 – 1885.
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