Decoration from the dump

[Michiganne]

Hi all,
My two young boys have been having fun digging in a little dump (that we now own) near us. It isn't very old, maybe 40's - 50's based on our findings. Yesterday they came home with this decorative item. It was obviously meant to hang and is two sided. Penny for scale. I had no idea on this one. The image on it looks like a cat with wings.

TIA,
Michiganne

 

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[cw0909]

Michiganne,
looks like a Gargoyle,wall mounted key holder,ive seen bats and dragons,never a Gargoyle
hang it up and use it, nice

 

[Michiganne]

Michiganne,
looks like a Gargoyle,wall mounted key holder,ive seen bats and dragons,never a Gargoyle
hang it up and use it, nice

I wondered about keys but the hooks seem rather small to me. I guess folks probably had less on their keys chains back then, no electronic fobs, etc.

HH,
Michiganne

 

[mcmich]

Hello Michiganne,

At first I thought it might be a wind chime being its in two pieces but seems a bit small for that. Also it looks like it was hung on the ends, not the middle. I think key holder is on track. Nice find, i would use it too...

mcmich

 

[JimmeyC]

Very cool find!

 

[Dihren]

Loos like a key holder to me! Keep us posted on what you find in that dump!

 

[Mike from MI]

HMMMMM? I'm not thinking key holder. Being it is two sided, it would have hung so you could see both sides. A key holder would have been one sided with the flat side against the wall. HMMMMMM Got to do some more thinking on this one. Great find boys!

 

[nhbenz]

Would make a great display sign rack/bracket in the right type of store!

 

[LeBeau13]

cool find definitely different

 

[Michiganne]

I've been pondering this more and I don't think it was a key rack, mainly because the top and bottom parts are connected by a joint that can move and swivel. If you took a set of keys off one end it would hang crooked. I also checked and the two holes on the ends of the top piece are not countersunk, indicating this may have been free hanging. The images is two sided as well.



HH,
Michiganne

 

[Erik in NJ]

Hi Anne,

I think it's supposed to be a bat, not a cat, and definitely not a gargoyle. I also don't think it was used for hanging keys. If it has the same image on both sides it was not meant to be hung on a wall. It may have been used for hanging a sign or display of some sort--possibly in a store setting.

Regards, Erik

 

[nhbenz]

Funny about the wings being feathered rather than webbed like either a bat or most gargoyles?

 

[Michiganne]

Hi Anne,

I think it's supposed to be a bat, not a cat,

Bats don't have feathers. (Well, cats don't either! LOL)

HH,
Michiganne

 

[Erik in NJ]

Let's just chalk it up to "artistic license"....trust me it's supposed to be a bat....a wild and precious one at that!

 

[Michiganne]

Let's just chalk it up to "artistic license"....trust me it's supposed to be a bat....a wild and precious one at that!

Hmmm, the biologist in me is not letting me admit it is a bat.

Either critter, we still haven't figured out what it is.

 

[Erik in NJ]

The engineer (and starving artist) in me is soooo letting me admit it's supposed to be a bat

A day out in your bean field says it's a sign/display holder of some sort from a shop

Hmmm, the biologist in me is not letting me admit it is a bat.

Either critter, we still haven't figured out what it is.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Maybe it held a sign for the sale of "guano"

 

[Michiganne]

The engineer (and starving artist) in me is soooo letting me admit it's supposed to be a bat

A day out in your bean field says it's a sign/display holder of some sort from a shop

OK, I'll give you a highly-stylized, anatomically incorrect, artist's rendering of a mythical wannabe bat.

A sign holder for.....? Bat food? LOL

Sorry Erik, I'm trying to pigeonhole this thing and having trouble.

 

[Erik in NJ]

No, I was actually thinking about the other end of the bat, but it's funny the word "pigeonhole" comes to mind LOL

 

[Mike from MI]

It's a bat head with feathers. No different than a a horse body on the lower and a man's body on the upper? Whoever made had the option to make it what they wanted! I like the sign holder, but wonder why 3 hooks HMMMM!!!!