Found in a West Texas Cotton Field

[lookin4loststuff]

I found this item on a "private" dirt road bordering a cotton field about ten years ago. The road had recently been plowed so the item was laying on the surface. The item measures about 3-3/4" by 3-1/2" at the widest points and is 1/8" thick. It is metal, I'm thinking iron.....on the back of the item i can see faint grooves where the picture was hammered into the metal. To me the front side looks to have a headband, possible helmet on top portion. Below that are two eyes and what appear to me as being gear cogs or possibly stylized sun rays. Interesting to me is the center piece that looks kinda like a Nordic nose guard. I have had the item looked at by a museum curator. He thought the item was very odd considering where it was found. The first pic is the item next to a ruler for size clarity and the second pic is with a casting made by the curator for study purposes. I may post new pics with better clarity if these don't show as much detail........please ask for more if you need em. This is my first try at figuring out what the item is and my first post on Tnet. Thanks....

 

[lookin4loststuff]

Here are two more pics with better resolution. #4 is the back side of the item....the skull look is what actually caught my eye when i first found it. #7 is a "better" view.

 

[trikikiwi]

Welcome to TreasureNet
It looks like an interesting find and your information is great,
but you are going to have to provide better pics, please

You should get better results with a dark background and the pics taken in natural light.
Try from a few different angles.

Cheers, Mike

Edit - you beat me to it - they are better!

 

[BuckleBoy]

The decorative devices of the item do indeed look primitive--but I can't jump to conclusions about its origin. My advice would be for you to hit that field again and try to recover more pieces of the item.

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Looks like part of an early Spanish Strongbox to me....

 

[DCMatt]

Wood stove part...

DCMatt

 

[whynot]

I would agree with DCMatt... Here is a link for some really decorative stoves and baseburners from the early 1800's and up. I remember burning a nice pattern in my hand as a child on my grandfather's wood burning stove... Ouch!
-whynot

http://www.barnstablestove.com/html/stoves.htm

 

[lookin4loststuff]

The wood stove idea by DCMATT is a good idea but as far as the land owner knows, there has never been a homestead or a building in that area. The land has been in their family for 80+ years.......but it is possible a pioneer family came thru that area and dropped/lost a stove in the 1800's. Now for Gypsy Heart, the strong box is a possibility. There is some evidence that Spaniards came as far as Matador, Tex. which is about 70+/- miles north east from where this item was found. For those that have heard of the "Spider Rock map", that item (plus others) was found about 90 miles east from my site. All could very well be tied to the Spanish Conquistadors or Priests from the 1600-1700's.....i don't know.

 

[lookin4loststuff]

Yeah Plehbah I've hit that site a few times previously, but i feel another trip wouldn't hurt. My thinking is after the next big rain storm that hits that area will be a perfect time to check things out.

 

[lookin4loststuff]

maybe i posted this in the wrong forum. Is there another forum on TN that may prove a little more useful? Possibly a member that has some signs and symbols info that could prove useful.....i would appreciate any advice.

 

[CRUSADER]

The wood stove idea by DCMATT is a good idea but as far as the land owner knows, there has never been a homestead or a building in that area. The land has been in their family for 80+ years.......but it is possible a pioneer family came thru that area and dropped/lost a stove in the 1800's. Now for Gypsy Heart, the strong box is a possibility. There is some evidence that Spaniards came as far as Matador, Tex. which is about 70+/- miles north east from where this item was found. For those that have heard of the "Spider Rock map", that item (plus others) was found about 90 miles east from my site. All could very well be tied to the Spanish Conquistadors or Priests from the 1600-1700's.....i don't know.

DCMatt is on the right track, & its a strong possibility. Being that kind of cast iron piece, its most likely late Victorian.
Remember, the whole stove may not be there. There is no reason why that could be the only piece dumped or lost there.
I love the way you think the Spanish idea is more likely. I would discount this immediately. This design is nothing I have seen before on Victorian cast iron pieces(not that ancient).
Victorian Cast Iron piece to a ?

 

[thepoolguy]

cant tell you what it is but maybe can shed some light on how it got there. if it was a private dirt road many times gravel is added over the years. if the gravel came from crushed concrete chances are it was from a demolition job and even though they run a magnet over it some metal still ends up in the finished product. i have found pieces of cast bath tub feet, cast radiators ect ect. one time we found the remains of a smoke box door off from a port huron steam engine.....we put the pieces together and had the letters ort uron in a half round pattern. hope this helps on the mystery as to how it got there. dave

 

[Gypsy Heart]

One of the reasons I thought it was a Spanish piece is because of the fact that you said it had been hammered....not cast .....I dont think there were stove parts that had been hammered.
Then you stated that it had already been looked at by a museum curator and he couldnt figure it out.....but he would have been able to tell you that it was cast iron and not hammered....so I am assuming its hammered. And he also felt compelled to make a plaster cast of the design,which would lead me to believe that its more than just a decorative piece off a stove.

I am going to stick with my original thought that its off some type of strongbox

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

A larger pic may help.

 

[lookin4loststuff]

For thepoolguy's question, the road is actually a private dirt road between two cotton fields......there has been no gravel added to this road... it is all dirt. In this area cliche is more commonly used. The road is commonly referred to as a "turn row", where tractors can turn around and continue plowing, planting, etc.. And to gypsyheart, i feel the strong box is still a better lead.....i would really like to find a drawing or pic with that similar design. I will try to enlarge the pic for a better view. Thanks for all the replies on this subject, i appreciate it.

 

[lookin4loststuff]

for cypress.....a little bit bigger pic

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

for cypress.....a little bit bigger pic

Thanks but thats the same pic. You dont have enough pixels to enlarge it. I dont know that I can help but I thought a clearer pic might.

 

[CRUSADER]

for cypress.....a little bit bigger pic

looks cast to me

 

[lookin4loststuff]

yeah thanks crusader.......i think hammered, then again look back at the beginning of this post. I posted two pics, the second pic shows the backside with hammered grooves on the item, looks vaguely like a skull. I'm not arguing here, i just don't think you know what your talking about, previously you doubted Spanish influence.......it may not be Spanish but i seriously doubt its cast Victorian era anything. Thanks for your input though...........

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

maybe i posted this in the wrong forum. Is there another forum on TN that may prove a little more useful? Possibly a member that has some signs and symbols info that could prove useful.....i would appreciate any advice.

The pic looks like cast iron but you must realize your pics are not the best. I asked you for a larger pic and you posted the same picture. Why dont you take a better larger picture using the highest resolution available with a macro lens? Look for a flower icon. Also scrap the white background. Try a blue or green background and take the pic outside in daylight.

You asked for any advice.
Thank You.