✅ SOLVED Egyptian in Northwest Indiana???

Walldow · Mar 20, 2018

Hello everyone, I believe this is copper it's bendable and green like a penny coming out of the ground on the folded side. It's about 4"×4"

and if you zoom in it has about two to three hundred little pictures all over the front side of it any ideas?

mcl · Mar 20, 2018

It appears to be some sort of replica of a brass plate (i.e., page) from a book of the antiquities. If you Google brass plate books you will see many examples that have the holes in similar places as yours does, for the purpose of binding -- sometimes with brass loops, other times with tied cords or wires.

I mean, I'm calling it a replica here based on where you found it and the fact that the language does not look authentic.. but if you really want to know if it is real, send an e-mail to BYU -- because they will have experts on the authentication of metal plate book pages. If this is a replica, I'm guessing there's a good chance they will be familiar with other copies of this same piece and be able to tell you right away, "yeah, it's a toy from the 1940s" or something like that. However, if it might be real, it is something they'd probably fall over themselves to authenticate for you as they have a particular interest in the idea of "Egyptian" being used in the Americas many thousands of years ago. Who knows, you may have just discovered the first hard evidence that the Mormons were right all along!

I doubt it's real, but you do owe it to yourself to have it checked out, provided that this is something you dug up and not something you purchased -- there are lots of fake brass books out there on the internet being sold out of Middle Eastern countries. They have been artificially aged to look much like your piece does now. These make their way to the states occasionally and I've seen people ask about them before.

If it's real, well.. that could have some implications. Fun to think about.

Also, I could be totally wrong and it could be a swanky book cover from a songbook from 1867 or something.

All the best.

-mcl

Walldow · Mar 21, 2018

Thanks mcl, I can't find anything similar online. My first thought was a music plate but obviously no notes on it. I dug it on a 1850s property from what I believe was a men's house or apartment flop house whatever you call it back then. Thanks again for the info

Joe-Dirt · Mar 21, 2018

Makes sense, I guess

DCMatt · Mar 21, 2018

It's the side piece from an Egyptian revival metal coin purse. Early 20th C when everyone was crazy for all things Egyptian.

mcl · Mar 21, 2018

Walldow said:
Thanks mcl, I can't find anything similar online. My first thought was a music plate but obviously no notes on it. I dug it on a 1850s property from what I believe was a men's house or apartment flop house whatever you call it back then. Thanks again for the info

So disclaimer, any time DC chimes in with a different opinion, he tends to be right, I tend to be wrong, but here are some similar styles:

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Note that I'm not vouching for the authenticity of any of these (in fact the latter comes from a tutorial on how to make your own of all things).

Just a thought.

rginn · Mar 21, 2018

Pretty cool find. I think the other guys nailed it. If Barry Fell was still around, you could send it to him and he would translate it right out for us. (I'm joking there.)

against the wind · Mar 21, 2018

If it turns out to be real, (and I suspect it might be) you should be fore-warned, before a brass Egyptian Prayer Book could leave the shores of the Nile, it had to be blessed so as to remove the curse of the Scarab.
If it wasn't, there will be grave consequences for all who come into contact with it. The only way to escape the curse is to take it back to where you dug it up and rebury it with 5 Silver Coins. Then send me a map of where it was buried so I can perform a long range exorcism.

Walldow · Mar 21, 2018

Hahahaha that's funny against the wind. If I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have luck at all, a curse might do me good. And thanks to everyone who commented I'm going to leave this unsolved yet to see if anyone finds something more similar thanks

Plug N Play · Mar 21, 2018

The "Egyptian" theme brings up a myriad of possibilities.
(The psuedo Egyptian look of the images might suggest a non-Egyptian take-off of a very popular established market ... ?)

I don't know ...

Men's flop house, apartment,
+ Manner of construction
_________________________
Cigar box, Humidor, or Cigarette tin

Worth a look, maybe ?

zombieraccoon · Mar 21, 2018

you all find so many interesting things. Looking at it, it appears more art nouveau than egyptian revival. It really could have been so many things I wouldnt even begin to guess.

little coppet boxes of all sorts were popular then

Bramblefind · Mar 21, 2018

I think it could be this....

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-ornate-brass-hinged-door-469696213

ANTIQUE ORNATE BRASS HINGED DOOR MATCH HOLDER/STRIKER SAFE

Up forauction is this antique Hinged Door Brass Match Holder/Striker Safe. The safe is 2 ¾” long, 1 ½” wide and 3/8” deep with highly detailed pictures of birds, fish, houses and ships. When you first look at them they remind you of hieroglyphics. The safe has two hinged doors one at each end. The safe is in very good condition with a small dent in one door. It does need cleaned. I cleaned a little of it trying to find a maker’s mark, but found none. This is a very unique piece I could not find one like it on the Internet.