What's This Old Numbered Nail from?

[ScubaGold]

I found this old nail with the number 29 on it. It is too small to be any type of Railroad nail (I think). Any ideas?

 

[JB(MS)]

I've found quite a few nails just like that except they had different numbers on them, all found near a railroad that's about a quarter mile from my house.. Considering where they were found I assumed they were used by the railroad but wondered what the numbers meant, so I did a search on Google. One of the results had a photo of a nail like that and said they were driven into cross ties to indicate when the ties were put down, and said the numbers were the last two digits of the year the cross ties were put under the rails. The nail with the lowest number I've found had a 25 on it, the one with the highest number had a 47. Some of them were bent and looked as though a hammer or crowbar were used to pull them out.

 

[flinthunter]

Yep, railroad date nail.

 

[ScubaGold]

Thanks. That makes it more interesting.

 

[Antique lover]

Yes thats what they are. I surveryed land for many years and have found some myself . My oldest it 1921.

 

[1859large]

I have seen something like that driven into old telephone poles except I thought the ones I saw where aluminum. Batch numbers? Preserved wood.

1859

 

[ridgerunnerII]

It is a railroad date nail which was placed in a railroad tie that had been treated to stop or retard rotting. The nails were placed in the tie at the time of treating or when the tie was laid. The oldest I have is 1913. Have been selling some of mine for $2 each to local history buffs. Have over 350 of them.

 

[all iron]

I have a 1973 treasure magazine that has an article about these in it

 

[Ant]

That's a telephone pole dated nail, railroad tie dated nails are longer. I have both kinds, look on any old telephone pole and you'll find them.