Vintage .22 Caliber Rimfire Spent Cartridge Casing

This item is a spent metallic cartridge casing, specifically a .22 caliber rimfire variety, commonly associated with the late 19th or early 20th century. Construction is of a thin-walled copper or brass alloy, which has developed a significant dark, aged patina and superficial oxidation over time, obscuring the original metallic luster. The casing features a characteristic rimmed base, a hallmark of rimfire ammunition where the firing pin strikes the edge of the base to ignite the primer. It appears to be a 'Long' or 'Long Rifle' variant based on the length of the cylinder. The mouth of the casing is open and shows slight irregularities, common when a bullet has been discharged. While no specific maker's marks or headstamps are clearly visible in the provided image due to the distance and surface tarnish, these small cases were widely manufactured by companies like Winchester or Remington-UMC during the post-Civil War era. The condition is consistent with an excavated find or long-stored relic, showing no structural crushing but significant environmental surface wear. The piece represents the evolution of metallic cartridges from the mid-1800s onward, shifting away from paper or skin cartridges to modern self-contained metallic units.