I am assuming that this antique piece is an ashtray with a combination tobacco compartment. There appears to be an ashtray area in front and the lid covered compartment directly behind it. The ashtray weighs 4 pounds. The dimensions of the ashtray is 6- 1/2" (L) x 4" (W) x 1-1/2" (H). The ashtray is made of copper. There are no visible hallmarks or maker's mark on the item. Also as a note, on the back of lid and underneath the ashtray there are visible tool and striation marks. This could possibly indicate that the copper ashtray is hand made.
The ashtray was purchased in 1998 by my late brother at an invitation only estate auction in Mountain Brook, Alabama. As information, Mountain Brook AL is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States. The symbol markings on the antique ashtray are unique. There is an Native American chief head & bust on the lid. On the back of the ashtray are two geese in flight. On both sides of the ashtray is a Native American in a canoe on a river. In front of the ashtray there appears to be pine cones with a raised metal design. In the bottom of the ashtray area is a native American cooking over an opened fire . There is a heavy layer of patina and tarnish on the surface area. The condition of the copper ashtray is excellent. No visible signs of wear and tear.
Re: Antique Copper Native American Chief Head Ashtray with...
The Syracuse Ornamental Company, known as Syroco, was an American manufacturing company based in Syracuse, New York. They were best known for their molded wood-pulp products that resembled hand-carving.
The new product, which combined wood pulp brought from the Adirondacks with flour as a binder and other materials to give it strength, was extruded and then cut to fit compression molds, which had were made from original carvings in real wood.
The process favored shallow molds with little undercutting, and this served well for the creation of a wide variety of "carved" relief work to be applied to different sorts of flat surfaces such as walls, furniture and caskets. Production of this new molded product, known as SyrocoWood, was the mainstay of the company's production through the 1940s. The finished material could be smoothed and varnished to look like wood, or it could be painted. Sales catalogues from the early 1900s through the 1920s offer hundreds of varieties of moldings, capitals, brackets, volutes, and reliefs of vases, garlands, cartouches, scrollwork, and other details in a variety of styles
The reason I posted something about wood and not brass. there are a few trays just like yours in wood,Syroco . Most sell for $15.00 up to $45.00 that is the wood ones.
Im going out on a limb here, It looks like someone took a wood tray and made a mold, then poorly made a brass/copper Copy of the wood tray, The sand used for the mold was very course, by what I see in the pitting on tray, older molds sand was very find sand, This looks like it was made to look old, Ok that being said. Worth? maybe $25.00 this is only based on what I would sell it for if I owned it..
I thought it might have been a mold from the Syroco, See underlined Note above.
I do not claim to be a expert...........good luck.
Re: Antique Copper Native American Chief Head Ashtray with...
This piece is pure copper and appears to be handmade. It weighs 4 pounds. If you look on the back of the lid and underneath the ashtray you can see some type of instrument markings like a hammer. This antique copper ashtray was purchased by my late brother in 1998 at an invitation only estate auction in Mountain Brook Alabama. Mountain Brook Alabama is one of the most wealthiest cities in the United States. I doubt if they would have a cheap copy of a wood syroco mold ashtray inside a 10 million dollar estate.
Thanks for your response. I am gong to get an appraisal.
Regards,
Willie