I think my first posts here last year were about trying to find brass cantles. Although there are some very fine cantles available in silver, they are expensive. But on the whole, I find modern cantles have a mass-produced look, though there are some exceptions. It is my uneducated impression that cantles went through a progression from constructed (saw and torch), to engraved, to stamped, and that moulded cantles may not be too common, although modern technology may have changed that. They also seem to have evolved from brass and silver to modern alloys. Modern pewter is not at all like antique pewter. In fact, I might very much like old pewter cantles, though perhaps old pewter is a bit too soft.

I think we are looking for a simple, natural cantle. Brass appeals in that it is easy to work, cheap compared to silver or gold, and can be polished up to shine nicely if we want. I would have thought that the concentric circles in this cantle could be machined, perhaps even with rudimentary home-grown tools, templates and ingenuity