Bizarre fossilized piece

[nivek1969]

Hello again-

 

I am doing a favor for a friend who is a "picker," and frequents estate sales. He collects many things, but not really fossils or rocks. He did happen across this very odd rock piece and asked me if I had any idea what it could be. At first I thought Ammonite, but upon further review of better photos he sent I doubt it is. It looks to me like an old piece of machinery that left an impression in material that hardened. I've seen it in person since and it is very strange, definitely rock, and doesn't look to be of natural origin; but then again, many fossils or geological finds can look so similar to something of human origin. So, any idea what the hell this thing is? Sorry, being an estate sale he asked questions, but the people running the sale were not family and had no information at all. He bought it for $2! I would have as well for that price!

 

[Macrophyseter]

Woah that looks really cool. I also first thought it would be an ammonite impression, but like you said, it looks more an impression from machinery. You're probably right on that because the holes are way to rectangular to be from any animal (according to the pics I see). But I find a hardened impression from machinery just as rare as fossils. Nice looking example too.

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

Yeah, I agree .. looks like something from a smelting site.  Very cool.

 

Cheers,

B

[ynot]

When iron rust it will form a concretion in the surrounding material. I think this is an example of that process.

Notice the pebbles embedded into the piece, very typical of a modern concretion of this type.

[nivek1969]

Some type of pulley I am guessing. If it were a concretion of a pulley from the rigging of a sunken old ship, that would be an amazing find! Most likely from a mining pulley though, but very old. 

 

[sTamprockcoin]

Somebody was "antiquing" in Atlantis again!