VERY RARE!! Revolutionary War nail/spike from the gunboat “Philadelphia”, well documented and Smithsonian involvement

Most of us who are involved in the Revolutionary War and its artifacts are very familiar with the Gunboat “Philadelphia”, it is the oldest surviving American fighting vessel. Being offered here is a hand-forged nail (more like a spike), measuring 6" long which came from the sunken Philadelphia.  

The Philadelphia rested on the bottom of Lake Champlain until it was located and recovered in 1935 by Lorenzo F. Hagglund with much of its equipment intact. Hagglund, a civil engineer, exhibited it for many years in New York as a tourist attraction. In 1964 It came into the possession of the Smithsonian Museum, complete with the 24-pound ball that sent the gunboat to the bottom.

On October 11, 1776, the Americans met the enemy in a hard-fought battle, but the superior firepower of the British squadron proved decisive. An hour after the initial battle ended, the badly damaged Philadelphia sank. The Philadelphia and the other vessels in Benedict Arnold’s fleet had served their purpose.

When the Philadelphia was recovered, much of the debris field surrounding it was left behind – this is one of those items. Those items recently went to auction and were acquired by a collector. Afterwards, the Smithsonian Institution contacted him to see if they could acquire some of these relics from him to display with the original gunboat. He donated some of the items to the museum and the correspondence is included.

Each item will come with a 14-page provenance packet, having copies of signed and notarized affidavits. Also, a copy of the deed from the Smithsonian Museum will be in the packets. Originally, the artifacts were a gift from Colonel Hagglund to his helper Bill Resler. Resler later sold the collection. 

The provenance is about as good as it gets for dug and recovered items. These items by themselves might not seem valuable, but historically speaking, relics such as these are a major part of America’s history. This is a rare opportunity to add to a collection very few people could ever dream of.

This nail comes in the display case with a beautiful description tag.  The relic is number 5 of 14 from the ship. It is very solid with no chipping or flaking. This is one of the items that the Smithsonian Institution wanted to add to their Philadelphia Exhibit.