Any Ideas What This May Have Come From???

[HuntinDog]

Went out the other day and dug this along with a few Chinese Cash Coins and a nice button.

It's brass and 2 1/2" long x 1 1/8" at the widest.
Top piece is 1 1/8"x1 1/8" and the bottom piece is 2" hinge to tip x 1 1/8".
The top pivots on a heavy folded over tab.
The decorations look like a flower in the center of the bottom part with long leaves around the edge.
The top part looks like three splayed leaves with three seeds in the middle.
It looks like a small part has been broken off the top of the top part and off the bottom of the bottom part.

It's Thick and heavy... too heavy for a pin or broach.
And I don't see any way it could have been used for a pull... like on a drawer or box.
Love to entertain any ideas you may have.
Thanks

Oh and there is no writing anywhere on it.

 

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[kcm]

Geez! Your finds just brought my last remaining brain cell to a screeching halt!! ...And I think it had an accident.

No earthly idea. The round things with the square holes look somewhat familiar, but just can't place them right now....unless there's a possibility that they're Asian coins. ...AH! Might have found something. Check this out:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/171000915/5-vintage-style-chinese-coins-for-i


EDIT: Btw, as you're in CA and there were TONS of Chinese workers in many areas, I would think those coins are authentic - not the reproductions that the link would suggest.

 

[HuntinDog]

kcm,
The coins are Chinese Cash Coins
Three of them are K'ang - HSI 1662-1722 and one is Ch'ien Lung 1736-1795
My what's it is the flowery brass bobble.
Thanks for the reply and the link. I've seen the repos and these are not them.

 

[kcm]

Sorry - got ahead of myself. Read the title and looked at the pic APPARENTLY without reading the text!

Ooops!

 

[DCMatt]

The 'seeds' look like coffee beans. Possibly the remains of a coffee grinder folding handle.

DCMatt

 

[HuntinDog]

DCMatt,
Although the piece is heavy I don't think it could be used as a handle.
The "seeds" do have the looks of coffee beans though. I'll look in that direction.
Also the "flower" has the looks of a star anise seed.
So it could be something related to spice.

thanks for the idea

 

[Coach Stack]

Very interesting piece. I believe it may be upside down in the picture?

 

[Carolina Tom]

Here is a pic of a coffee plant. sure does bear a striking resemblance to the plants on your doo-dad. The flower also appears to look similar, star shaped, as pointed out earlier.

Perhaps part of an old coffee roaster or grinder.

 

[DCMatt]

DCMatt,
Although the piece is heavy I don't think it could be used as a handle.
The "seeds" do have the looks of coffee beans though. I'll look in that direction.
Also the "flower" has the looks of a star anise seed.
So it could be something related to spice.

thanks for the idea

Like this...

 

[Coach Stack]

Ok, I'm still looking at this thing. It's the "hinge" that is interesting. I don't think it could be a drawer pull, box or door hinge because the hinge doesn't work that way, it only "opens" to 180 degrees from a "closed" position. It would work on something like a coffee pot with the hinge working the lid?

 

[marion moore]

it could a drawer pull, it looks like a pc is broken of at the top, I see
no tapped hole or a threaded stud to attach it to the draw or door. not a hinge for sure.

thanks for posting, marion

 

[kcm]

I was thinking maybe a door knocker, but can't find a match.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I think perhaps the "beans" are attachment points that were peened over (as in to attache to a metal backing plate or metal drawer face). If you flip the upper part so it is 180° from where you have it (three leafs points up) in the images does the lower pennant still hang freely?

I'd be going with drawer pull - like so:




Look up "Chinese Cabinet Hardware" for some kind of similar pulls.

 

[ARC]

Charlie this along the lines of what I was thinking as well.

Coffee canister / box perhaps due the pattern as suggested earlier by CT.

 

[ARC]

Called a "dongle" ? err or dangle" ?

 

[Coach Stack]

I don't think it can be a door knocker or a drawer pull, unless someone can figure out how to keep the detailed side showing. Which direction is the "folded tab"? I believe that would give you the correct orientation. The "open" end of the tab should be up. I did a quick sketch yesterday trying to figure out how it would open and still show the detail. It is almost seems that it needs to be free hanging and not attached directly to anything.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

If you look at the first image where it is still dirty that would be the orientation for the "pull" three leaves pointing up and the pennant hanging down. Peened end(s) of the loop would be hidden behind the upper piece.

 

[Coach Stack]

If I understand what your are describing, wouldn't that make the detailed side, with the "coffee beans", facing the wood? (or what ever it was mounted to?)

 

[HuntinDog]

Thank you guys for the Great discussion and ideas.
I'm off to a meeting now, but will post side pictures when I return.

 

[HuntinDog]

ok,
So here's a few more pictures.
This is a tough one.
I can't see how it could be used other than hanging.