Eagle head found on woods hunt - Opinions needed

[drkp88]

Sunday I got permission to hunt a small section of woods on the corner of two routes. The area is lousy with stone walls. I was surprised that the targets were so few but the area was not badly trashed. No coins at all, but early on I popped out an interesting eagle head. It was about 6 inches deep and It appears to be made of cast brass or bronze. It also has an iron pin inside. I'm sure it's part of something larger but I was wondering if somebody on the forum might have an idea what it was part of or what it was for. Thanks. (I used a quarter coin for scale in the photo)
Bruce in Ct

 

[dirt doctor]

Ornament off a cane handle ?

 

[DirtyDeedsDugDirtDeep]

FWIW,
I've seen old single bladed,Bowie type knives with eagle heads as the end piece of the handle or grip.
Maybe the blade was completely rusted away ???
Looks pretty old no matter what it came from and is a very neat find.

 

[TokenDigger]

Very cool find! My guess is that it could be either a cane top or possibly some type of ornamentation that was at the end of a flagpole or some other type of rod or shaft. The end looks a little uneven like it may have broke off something. I hope you find out what it was for since it is neat. HH

 

[Great Republic]

Neat old relic Bruce. Cane top perhaps?

 

[Eddie in Poulsbo]

Nice find Bruce. Maybe that eagle is part of a cane or walking stick. HH.


Eddie

 

[drkp88]

I think I've got an answer: SLEIGH eagle ornament. They were mounted in pairs on the "dash" of a sleigh. I was shown an example of one dug up in Long Island and identified as a sleigh ornament. I had figured it was a bit small for a cane or walking stick head, but that's hard to tell from the picture.
Thanks to all who responded.
Bruce in Ct