Iron Artifact?

[Fossil Mom]

While fossil hunting with my kids in South Jersey (Sewell area) in late Cretaceous green marl, my 4 year old son found this triangle shaped metal?/stone? object in a stream. It didn't look like a fossil, so I ignored it but let him put it in the pail of fossils since he's 4. Later he wanted to see if it was magnetic, so I humored him with a magnet. I started to pay attention when our magnet was, in fact, strongly attracted to it; it can easily be carried around upside down with the magnet. Its perimeter is 3.7 by 3.7 by 3.5 cm. Its height is 4mm. Could the markings on the front be a picture or writing? Is this possibly a Native American artifact?

 

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[arrow86]

I don’t think it’s anything More than just iron rich rock like you said , I’m on eastern shore of Maryland and have lots of it laying around especial any cliffs near the water

 

[Fossil Mom]

I don’t think it’s anything More than just iron rich rock like you said , I’m on eastern shore of Maryland and have lots of it laying around especial any cliffs near the water

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply! We do have a lot of iron rich rock around. My first reaction when my son found this object was to think it was just the typical rock. But, after seeing how strongly the magnet was attracted to it - weaker than to a nail, but the object jumps out of its box when I pass the magnet overhead - I tested our typical rock outside with the same magnet. There's a possible (but probably imagined) slight attraction to the rock - possibly discernible only when pulling the magnet away. It's nothing like the magnet's attraction to the specimen I posted. This is what made me think it is made of iron (perhaps through a refining of the iron rich rock that's all over the place?).

 

[smokeythecat]

More than likely it's a broken piece of an 18th or 19th century large size kettle. We find them all the time here and they are about 1/4" thick. The scratched are probably incidental.

 

[RGINN]

I don't think it's a native artifact, but from your post you're a pretty cool mom.

 

[Fossil Mom]

More than likely it's a broken piece of an 18th or 19th century large size kettle. We find them all the time here and they are about 1/4" thick. The scratched are probably incidental.

Thank you for your reply! That's really neat that you have so many fragments like this around. Well, even if it's not Native American, it is at least old. Its symmetry led me to think it was intentionally a triangle rather than a broken piece of a kettle. I appreciate your help!

 

[Fossil Mom]

I don't think it's a native artifact, but from your post you're a pretty cool mom.

Thank you

 

[A2coins]

Cant hurt to have someone look at it

 

[A2coins]

Welcome also from MI Tommy

 

[Fossil Mom]

Cant hurt to have someone look at it

How do I find someone?

 

[Fossil Mom]

Welcome also from MI Tommy

Thank you!