This study concerns the metallographic examination of a range of spikes and nails recovered from historic shipwrecks. The fastenings made of copper, brass, and bronze were recovered from the wrecks of the <i>Rapid</i> (1811), <i>James Matthews</i> (1841) and <i>Eglinton</i> (1852). The study revealed a range of impurities and microstructures that provided good evidence for the method of fabrication. A comparison of the microstructures and the related corrosion phenomena is of interest because of the differences in the nature of the wreck sites and the origin of the vessels. The <i>Rapid</i> was an American China trader built in 1807. The <i>Eglinton</i> was English, but built in Quebec in 1842, while the <i>James Matthews</i> is believed to have been constructed in France between 1820-35 and refitted in England after her capture as the slave trader <i>Don Francisco</i>. Chemical and metallographic evidence can be used as a guide to the provenance of the fixtures on the vessel. -- AATA