Badge-Like Thingy

Hi!

I found this badge-like thingy and I have not seen anything like it before.  It has to date earlier than 1955 since it has been under pavement since then.   

Does anyone know what it is?

Thanks for looking!   

I agree with badge looking and pin attachment. Any markings at all?

The pin may have been used as hinge and maybe it's a lid?

I agree with badge looking and pin attachment. Any markings at all?

The pin may have been used as hinge and maybe it's a lid?

I agree that it is a lid to something, and the pointed tabs look like they are meant to dig into something to keep it from rotating. Wonder if it could be  gas meter cover or something of that nature.  Neat find!

It looks like holes in the 4 tabs near hinge area. Were small rounded metal pieces used to secure around pin on container/box?

Could also be a small buckle.

Could also be a small buckle.

This piece appears to be chrome plated, so I don't know if this info will help in dating it or not, but here it is anyway.
The practice of metal "plating" has been around for centuries. Gilding, as it was originally called, was developed by the Romans. Sheffeld Plate, which is the plating of copper or brass with silver by fusion originated in England during the 18th century. Plating with chromium didn't make it's debut in the US until the mid to late 1800's. However, according to George Dubpernell, in his book published in 1984, "A History of Chromium Plating – Plating & Surface Finishing, chrome plating really didn't become a common practice until its perfection until 1928. 

Thanks for the replies so far!

Hmm I never thought about it being some kind of lid.

I didn't see any markings anywhere on it, but that dirt doesn't want to come off.  I'll try scrubbing at it a bit more today to see if I can spot anything I missed and maybe add an angular pic if no one figures it out first.

I'm thinking that star has to be the main clue?

Also, due to other factors at this site I figure it more than likely predates 1929, for whatever that is worth.

Thanks again.

Could it have been a medal of some sort.  Would explain the hinge top and the cleats on the bottom to attach a ribbon to.

Construction inspector's badge?  They are usually more flimsy than a policeman or a deputy or even the Fire Dept.  Monty

Thanks for the continued interest!   

I scrubbed it hard with a wire brush and no markings of any kind came to light.

It isn't at all flimsy, it is very solid.  It just looks weak because I chipped the bottom of it while digging it out of rock-hard ground.

I took another, more angular photo:

Kid's toy badge from Lone Ranger series or something like that?

p.s. Nice swirley fingerprints you've got there. 

What are the dimensions of this? Dou you know what the base metal is?  Thanks

looks like a toy sheriff's badge that was mounted in a pocket holder

that badge style was common in the early fifties

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm having trouble imagining this item as a badge.  And I have a pretty good imagination...  How was the pin attached and secured on the back?

I still think this was a hinged lid or a cover off something.  In the new pic you can even see that the hinge part is slightly bent, possibly indicating considerable use (opening & closing) of the cover.  I also have to wonder about the piece having a religious connection with the Star of David on it.

Was the item found in a residential area?  Under a sidewalk?  Parking lot?  Any Synagogues or significant Jewish population in the area?

DCMatt

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm having trouble imagining this item as a badge.  And I have a pretty good imagination...  How was the pin attached and secured on the back?

I still think this was a hinged lid or a cover off something.  In the new pic you can even see that the hinge part is slightly bent, possibly indicating considerable use (opening & closing) of the cover.  I also have to wonder about the piece having a religious connection with the Star of David on it.

Was the item found in a residential area?  Under a sidewalk?  Parking lot?  Any Synagogues or significant Jewish population in the area?

DCMatt

I'm with ya on that score Matt.  It is not a wearable badge.  It might .. might .. by a long stretch be a bumper badge, but I have my doubts about that as well.  I agree that it is probably a lid or flip cover to something.

Could it be a badge/emblem from a policemans hat?  Older type 50's era maybe.

looks like a jewish star..just my 2 cents

Seeing it cleaned up makes a world of difference.  Now I too see it as a lid to something.  The hinge would be a pin across the top so it could swing open.  Monty

Thanks for all the continued interest!

What are the dimensions of this? Dou you know what the base metal is?  Thanks

It measures just over 1.5" across.  I don't know what the base metal is, but it is very sturdy and not the slightest bit flexible.

Was the item found in a residential area?  Under a sidewalk?  Parking lot?  Any Synagogues or significant Jewish population in the area?

I avoided telling you how I found it because it is a long story and I was prepping to do a complete writeup on the 'today's finds' thread.  LOL  I'll go ahead and give you a preview:

There is an old school near my house that was built in 1929.  They recently decided to put a community garden in the back of the school in an area that had been paved for a  long time.  I was lucky enough to notice this right as they finished taking out the broken asphalt and the fill that had been placed under the asphalt.  I scoured the site with my detector for the two weeks that it was huntable, 1-2 hours a night after everyone had left and before dark.  I surmised from what I found that when they went to put in the parking lot they had first removed the top layer of sod that had been there, unfortunately taking most of the coins with it.  But I did find some coins, almost all of them dating between 1930 and 1955.  But below that was a layer of stuff that certainly did not come from the schoolyard.  I surmised that some older houses had been there, and that one or more of them had burnt down, judging from the high degree of charcoal in the soil.  The houses surrounding the schoolyard are predominately 100 to 130 years old, and the stuff I was finding in the lower layers at this site fit that time period.  The way the finds were scrambled up at different depths in the lower level leads me to believe that before they had put in the schoolyard they had thoroughly bulldozed the site.  This particular item was found 8" to 10" down, in that lower layer.

Hmmm...now that I mention bulldozers, I just had a vision.  Call me crazy, but this item reminds me of the little flapper cap on top of old heavy equipment exhaust stacks.  Do you know what I mean?  Were there any heavy equipment manufacturers that used a star emblem??  Or am I way off course??      LOL

Very wild idea but it reminds me of a hinged patchbox cover.    

too much to read too little time. this has probably already been mentioned

but if not.............. its a door knocker for a jewish home.

it explains the upper hinge point

and the little legs at the bottom. it most likely would have been mounted on a
background metal plate.

[door]

Please don't yell at me for adding this ( it's not a case of I'm right and you're wrong ) but I honestly think it's too small to be a door knocker. Look again at the first photos of it being hand held. It's quite small, plus no way to grab it for knocking. If it was considerably larger, I'd say you were right on the money!

i wouldn't do that. we need views from every angle, yours mine and everbody.

as for the too small, i was kinda thinkin that also untill i googled "door knockers"
and saw the many, many sizes and styles. some were a lot smaller than the pic we have.

p.s. what ever you do, if you google this make sure you type in "door" knockers

Could this be part of a terret swinger? 

Thanks for the continued interest and replies, everyone!   

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a wee bit disappointed to see that no one has totally nailed it, but that's OK.

I'm off to google "terret swinger" and see what the heck that is.      

I had another idea.  

Maybe this is the lid to the female trailer wiring plug found on some vehicles.



Bad pics, but maybe you can get the idea.

Researching 'terret swingers' was an educational experience, but I like your second idea better.

My idea of an exhaust flap still looks promising as evidenced by the picture I'll add.

The question then of course would be, "An electrical port cover or exhaust flap to what?"

Just a suggestion ... but the six-point "Star of David" is unique and seldom used without a specific reason attached to it. Being as most uses of a typical star are five pointed, I'm convinced there is a Jewis connection to the item.  I've been following that lead, and will post if I find anything. I'm sure there are exceptions, but so far everything I've seen with six points is connected to the Jewish Star of David.

P.S.

Is the item cast iron ... cast aluminum ... pot metal, or something else?  The magnet test may help in determining this.

Thanks.

I dont think it Jewish related but just a feeling.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_David 

There is an old school near my house that was built in 1929.  They recently decided to put a community garden in the back of the school in an area that had been paved for a  long time.  I was lucky enough to notice this right as they finished taking out the broken asphalt and the fill that had been placed under the asphalt. But I did find some coins, almost all of them dating between 1930 and 1955.  But below that was a layer of stuff that certainly did not come from the schoolyard.  I surmised that some older houses had been there, and that one or more of them had burnt down, judging from the high degree of charcoal in the soil.  The houses surrounding the schoolyard are predominately 100 to 130 years old, and the stuff I was finding in the lower layers at this site fit that time period.  The way the finds were scrambled up at different depths in the lower level leads me to believe that before they had put in the schoolyard they had thoroughly bulldozed the site.  This particular item was found 8" to 10" down.

I took a portion of earlier information to be kept in mind while we search for the proper ID of the item.

I hope you don't mind that I deleted some portions of your quote?  They can still be read in their origional form.

Thanks.

Bob

Inkwell lid?

You beat me to it Ironspike but I was thinking inkwell lid too.

I was surfing the internet and came up with these.

1.   1900's Judaica glass ink bottle by: J. Karmanski   

2.   Cast iron "lid" to some part of a wood stove. Date 

If it was to an inkwell. I don't think it went to a glass one.  There were metal inkwells that were like a cover for the glass ones. The glass inkwell would go down inside the metal cover and the metal cover had a lid that had a seal that fit tight against the top of the glass. Some of them were big fancy things that would go on a desk and other were smaller and more portable. 

Please ... somebody stop me. I'm getting so far out in left field that I may never be able to find my way back.

I discovered that Montblanc Ink used a variation of the six point star on their bottles.

If there was an old school where item was found ... maybe it was a Montblanc desk top ink well lid. 

 

Sometimes I search an idea, and bingo... there it is!!  Then other times I feel I am close to solving,   but cant find an exact match. Keep searching in that direction if you like.   It could lead to a killer ID.

This is an English ink well made of copper. No date or other info available, except that it is old.  The lid looks similar in design to the item in question, but I realize that "similar" and "close" won't win me a cigar just yet.   

The attached photo is of an antique school desk.  If you zoom in on the ink well lid you will notice it is similar in design to the item in question. Especially near the top where it narrows and protrudes where the hinge part is.  I know this is a long shot ... but I'm trying.

The last one is very close to being a match. Well done SODABOTTLEBOB 

A few more suggestions:

http://images.google.com/images?hl=...es&sa=N&start=0&ndsp=20

Pyxes
Compass
Portable ashtray

Thank God for dictionaries! Even after viewing the photos I had to look up the word "pyxes."  Which, for those of you like me who are not as smart as a fifth grader, is;

           "A container (Catholic) in which wafers for the Eucharist are kept."

                      Eucharist: "The Lord's last supper" (Communion).

But what's throwing me off more than anything, (including my theory on the ink well cover) is the presence of the two little legs. Which appear to serve one of two purposes.

1.   To keep the item from fitting securely to whatever it was attached to, thus     creating a small gap.

2.   To fit into two slots or holes, for a secure fit.

Contradictory, I agree ... but the legs served a purpose, and that's what's puzzling me most. 

Dear mlw67 -   (By the way, I like your profile photo - it reminds me of ... well, on second thought, we better not go there). LOL 

Have you done any research on the school that you mentioned? And is there any possible connection between the school and anything Jewish? I still think the six point star is a clue!      

Thanks.

SODA"JERK"BOB

WoW!  I cannot believe how many very similar items you guys have come up with.  Y'all rock!   

At this rate I'm sure it's just a matter of time before someone posts a picture of this actual item in use!  heheh

Thanks again for the continued comments and interest.   

Bob!  Thank you for the kind words.  I missed your last post when I was here yesterday--it looks like we were posting about the same time.

My avatar is the face I make when I find stuff.   

Wow I just now found a cool website that blogs the progress of the garden where I found this.  If you go to 'older posts' you can see a video that shows the parking lot before they start, then there is a video of them tearing up the asphalt, then a video that shows the fill rock still there, then a video that shows them just as they are starting to bring in the loads of topsoil.

I was very lucky to have found this site the day after they cleaned out the fill rock, and I hunted it right up to the night before they filmed that last video.  You can see in the background of that video some big dirt piles.  Those piles weren't there the last night I hunted and the next afternoon when I showed up the lot was covered with those piles--so that last video had to have been shot that very next morning after my final hunt.  I will try and get the full story out to the 'today's finds' forum within the next week.  I have to finish my photos first.

Oh--and I don't know of any Jewish connection, but I didn't look into that very deeply.  I got distracted by the garden blog site:

http://vestalcommunitygarden.blogsp...3A47%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7

Well I looked around a bit more for a Jewish connection and I couldn't find one.   

My link above already links to the 'older posts' (sorry), but there is a link then to the 'newer posts'.

I found out that I missed it when they removed almost as much asphalt from the same area last year.   

The attached photo is of an antique school desk.  If you zoom in on the ink well lid you will notice it is similar in design to the item in question. Especially near the top where it narrows and protrudes where the hinge part is.  I know this is a long shot ... but I'm trying.

It looks like a possibility. The closest match so far.