LuckyPoire
LuckyPoire t1_j7d1obq wrote
Reply to Lead Plates and Land Claims in North America and Europe: When did the practice begin of burying lead plates to establish ownership of land, and why did it die out, and was it ever used successfully in a court of law to establish ownership? by whyenn
I don't know if its traditional, but lead is basically the least reactive (corroding) non-precious metal. So for applications where metal needs be buried in the ground for a long time, lead is a pretty good candidate for those unconcerned with soil toxicity.
Copper is another but its generally more expensive than lead for non-decorative monuments. Unsecured metal tends to get re-appropriated for other purposes...especially when stored in an inherently insecure place like a property line.
Nowadays, steel meets all the demands without poisoning the salamanders.
LuckyPoire t1_j7dcs3l wrote
Reply to comment by wakka55 in Lead Plates and Land Claims in North America and Europe: When did the practice begin of burying lead plates to establish ownership of land, and why did it die out, and was it ever used successfully in a court of law to establish ownership? by whyenn
Since metal detection was invented I think metal has been preferred to rock for that reason.
But I think you are right that older markers were generally stone.