Dating antique horseshoes

It is difficult to tell the difference between a wrought-iron horseshoe and a steel horseshoe by just looking at it.The most-accurate test is the spark test, which is a little destructive.Dating an antique horseshoe to a particular time period is challenging.Unlike the mass-produced horseshoes that dominated in the 20th century, blacksmiths forged many antique horseshoes individually and these shoes carry no branding or serial number.

Someone can recycle old horseshoes by giving them to friends or family. Otherwise, one can make a post of Craigslist asking if anyone wants used horseshoes, and he will most likely receive an immediate reply.You might be able to identify the age of a horseshoe by its material or its shaping.A hand-shaped horseshoe will have edges that are less perfectly rounded than a machined shoe.Traditionally, horseshoes hang above doorways, and how people hang them depends on century-old beliefs in the metaphysics of luck.For hundreds of years, Northern Europeans believed that luck was a form of energy, and that iron, more specifically iron horseshoes, attracted and stored this energy.

If you are concerned about damaging a wall, consider hanging the horseshoe using a damage-free hanging solution like 3M Command strips or 3M Command hooks.