This blog was featured on our social media's "Museum Mystery Mondays" series.
This is a board of dated nails used for construction, most likely for the railroad. The nails were put on railroad ties, as well as utility poles, bridge timbers, and other wooden structures. The numbers signify the year of the wood’s treatment, so railroad companies could keep records of what treatments were the most effective in the longevity of the wood. For example, a nail with “54” stamped on it meant that its wood was treated in 1954. Dated nails were most common in the 1920s and started phasing out in the 1950s. Perhaps that’s why these nails look like they’ve never been used!
Three dated nails secured in wood (credit: Wiki Commons).