I have no idea. Two pieces of brass forged together. About two inches long.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/JimsTest/whatsthis.jpg
Printable View
I have no idea. Two pieces of brass forged together. About two inches long.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/JimsTest/whatsthis.jpg
good one, JC. looks almost like a trigger
A piece from an old mechanical piggy bank?
It reminds me of a bank I saw a few years ago,when coins were deposited a fish rose from the bank
Dear JC,
It sure look like a line of some sort should be running through the head of the fish like it was a counterweight on some kind of chain pull or maybe on window blinds?
Best Wishes,
Avalon :D
It's an early version of a Rapala. They haven't quite figured out where to put the trebles yet. The holes were drilled in an attempt to make it a top water lure - - -this method is based on the logic of - - - very tiny rocks do float and thus so do ducks....from the Holy Book of Antioch. :wink:
My observations are that it obviously doesn't rotate because it is one sided. The slot is for some use.
Could it have been inside a door?
Doug :shock:
It looks like a strange kind of knife hilt to me.
Boys Scout scarf thing. JGW
"My observations are that it obviously doesn't rotate because it is one sided."
Therein is the rub....
Castwell,
That is clearly an ancient Sumerian bottle opener. They are seldom found. It is speculated that shortly after the Sumerian's conquest by the Hittites, who had already invented screw-tops, the entire manufacturing base of the Sumerian bottled beverage business collapsed. No reason has yet been uncovered by any archealogist for such an industrial disaster. Some believe the writing found on an inverted plate from 2300 BC -- "
ispep, ekoc ton" -- may relate to it.
Just too good....JC you really owe this guy for letting you know :)Quote:
Originally Posted by overmywaders
Thank god ...we are never too old to learn
Looks like you could slip a hook into the end of it so as to tighten a knot, as in 80 lb test on a 3/0 tarpon fly because it has indentations for the fingers to get a good grip ! 8) :idea:
JC, Did you steal that from the Sumerians? :shock:
Doug
Darn, JC, you know there are laws against picking up those artifacts...they call it looting...you are.. :twisted:Quote:
Originally Posted by DShock
Now that I think about it...
Pay attention to Flavor Fav the next time he smiles.....he's got one just like it.
Well, we have the whole world looking at it. Someone should know what it is. :D
:roll: Aw comon. You know JC always comes up with something to get a good post going. This time he outdid himself :lol:
We just gotta wait till someone with the right amount of beer in'em gives us the right answer...
It looks of oriental design-carp? Maybe a handle or latch for one of those black lacquered chest or cabinet...hmmm :?:
What's the winner get? :wink:
Reed,
I can now fully understand LF's comment about " I like how your brain works".:)
ispep eerf
Mark
Marco,
I think you may have discovered something there! There has been much debate in scholarly circles as to the "Great Sumerian Cola Wars" of 2300 BC (oh, the inhumanity) -- I believe you have found the key!
I'm suprised that no one knows what this is. It was made post Sumerians. Buy the little known tribe in North America called THE-WHAT-YOU-MA-CALLERS. I believe theirs one at the Smithsonian called THE-WHAT-YOU-MA-CALL-IT. Can someone correct me if I'm wrong. Later.
Would you pay $600-$700 for this item? :shock:
OK! JC, I've done some research and what I've learned so far is that your object was made by humans, by connecting two pieces of brass together and carving a fish on one side!
I just watched a show about Egyptians wanting their MUMMYS back and I hope they don't go after YOU! :shock:
It's also OK if you don't tell us how much you paid for it.
Doug :D
In the previous reply, please replace the word MUMMYS with ARTIFACTS.
I don't want to get banned this close to Thanksgiving.
Thank You!
Doug :D :oops:
flyster,
I still believe it is Sumerian. You will note the apparent haste with which it was cast and assembled. We think of life in 2300 BC as bucolic and tranquil -- it was far from that. Since it was BC, time ran backwards, thus you might tell a friend, "I will meet you at Hastfa's Bowling Alley three days ago at 3:00, or at the latest, 2:30." The worst of it was, they didn't even know why time was backwards.
So, when the artisan who made this bottle opener enquired when his customer wanted it delivered, he probably received the traditional reply (still in common use) "Yesterday." Since yesterday is tomorrow, he only had one day to make it, and it shows.
Since this is about fishing, you might be interested to know that C&R was practiced backwards as well in 2300 BC. We now call it "Put and Take".
Reed (overmywaders),
If YOU STOP posting here, I'M LEAVIN!!!
Mark
PS: Sumerian scholars are soooo hard to find nowadays
PS AGAIN: And I'm still laughing 10 minutes later. I've got this image of BC time and eating dinner. Had to be quite the experience per your "time ran backwards" theory.
I'd really like to know what it actually is....
Lots of guesses.
One 'sided', since only one has embellishments. Whoever made it wouldn't have made those voids or spaces inside it for no reason, too much work, so they had to 'do something'. The area inside doesn't seem to be as polished as it would be if there was supposed to be a line or rope running through it (unless it was never used?), but that's hard to be sure of from a picture. No indication that it was mounted or fastened to anything by means of a screw or pin. It could have been inlayed.
Every time I look at it, I think it was made on board a ship. Just an impression, but that kind of construction was common for small parts fabrication in the days of sail. I could be way wrong, though.
But what is it?
Driving me nuts. I'm showing it to everyone.
Hope we figure this one out.
Buddy
I agree :DQuote:
Originally Posted by flyster101
I've seen this display next to the THING-E-MA-JIG'S TRIBE display :wink:
Gary
JC: it appears that one hole goes through and one hole does not. How deep is the hole that does not? Could you put a hook eye or a blind 'eye' through the open hole and have the point of the hook in the closed hole (without damaging the hook point)? I wonder if it is a too to assist in tying (hand-held) flies or snelling hooks.
Could this be.....drum roll please......
The handle to a beer tap? One that is missing the carved pearl handle on the other side. 8)
I'll give it a try;
One fish, two fish, brass fish, blue fish.
Is it a file, or rasp handle?
chris
Had some great Chinese food a day ago. This could be put to that use?
tl
les
.....Unknown Objects for $500.....
Is this the handle to a walking staff?
Unknown objects for $200...
Is this the handle to a letter opener?
Just send it to me and I'll throw it in the brass recycle barrel with the old fittings and faucet bodies. That'll end this enigma.
Joe
Except for the hole that goes through...it is reminiscent of a wooden match stick holder that could be mounted to a hearth by the smooth side...
Marco,
I now have definitive proof that the object is an ancient Sumerian bottle opener.
As you probably know, "Many Waters Bottling, Inc." was one of the largest bottlers in Sumeria, 2300 BC. Well, what is the ancient Sumerian word for "fish"?
Proto-Sumerian Language[/url:a3cc9]Quote:
ha: fish (not the usual word for fish, but the fish sign may get its syllabic reading of HA from *h 'many' + a 'water' = 'fish', an alternative to the usual ku6, kua)
J.C., instantly recognizing its origin probably exclaimed "HA!". We might have misunderstood him to be saying "Huh?" which in medieval Pseudo-Croatian means "I expell noxious bodily fluids in your general direction.". An easy mistake to make.
I trust that is proof conclusive.
Lots of good ideas, but if you are taking this seriously please remember JC said it is only about 2" long - like your thumb. So it may be strong, but not many tools or handles are that small.
One half of a window latch?
Doug