Bought this at an estate sale without knowing much about it. It was quite dirty and looked rusty. W
hen I got home, I cleaned it with a wire brush and then I poured some “Tarn-x” on it and washed it off after about a half minute. This is what I got. Apparently these markers were made of aluminum, bronze or cast iron. I’m thinking from the looks, it’s aluminum. Earlier ones from the Civil War era were in the shape of a 5-point star. So it’s not from that period. They had metal shafts that were 18″ or 24″ long to stick in the ground. This one has been cut off.  What’s left could be drilled out and a piece of rerod could be substituted. The loop at the top on the back is for a flag to be displayed. The Brass “13” represents the chapter the veteran belonged to. If I got any of this wrong, please let me know and I’ll correct it.