~ Cast Iron Turtle Head ~

This was by-catch at a recent (huge) farm auction. At first I figured it was a bit from some recently imported decorative item. Actually it is some 60 or so years old.

I finally did puzzle out what it actually was, and offer it here for a bit of entertainment. Hint: What species of turtle is it?

 

I will guess: Snapping turtle.

 

Yup.

 

yes snapping.......bottle cap opener....?

 

I found it on the internet. I never would have guessed! It is sort of a hood ornament.
Now I want a one!

 

Great guess! I hadn't thought of that one but I'll bet it would work.

 

If it actually was a hood ornament wouldn't it be polished and chromed? Unless raw casting before it was prepped to be turned into one!

 

I don't know if Steersman wants to tell yet.

 

I think they were originally painted. I thought I saw a slight trace of red paint when I cleaned it.

 

I would say maybe on that one if the base were flat - seems to be concave (convex?) to match a curved surface.

 

I will award you the Coveted Gold Star in advance.

But the guesses are too much fun for now.

 

Well I give although looks to be modeled off of this guy!

 

Hi,
Those guys are so good when cooked right. I used to eat a lot of them. The GMU used to have turtle night several times a year. It was a wonderful time with all those old German ladies cooking up a storm. There were 5 of them who were in charge of the big kettle to make turtle soup. It was so thick I would have called it stew but as a kid you did not question names. The whole place had a festive air from 6AM until midnight and later, us kids were bundled off to bed around 11PM. The turtles were caught in the creeks a week before the feast. It was done so their food was made for cleaning them out before the feast. Ohhhh what memories did that bring up.
greg

 

I like snapper myself. The locals say you can taste 6-7 kinds of meat in them. (I think one of them is Quail.) I have seriously considered farming them. (No chores from November til April!)

I don't know how to properly poach a web photo to provide the answer to the turtle head riddle. Any suggestions?

 

click on one you find and just copy it and paste it here...

 

Here goes.....





In 1951, Southern Saw Works began making their 'Snapping Turtle' mower.

Thanks Komokwa!

So Google, etc images aren't protected by Copyright?

 

How interesting. I never would have guessed. According to the following article, the turtle head can be worth more than the rest of first self propelled rotary mower!
http://nostalgiaranch.com/snappin-turtle-mowers/

--- Susan

 

Steersman, that is a really cool piece...

Would I lose all credibility it I admitted that I wanted to reply "Teen-aged Mutant Ninja" to your original query?

 

Most images on Google are copyright protected,"steal" at your own risk and may cause problems for forum owners.

http://www.copyrightlaws.com/creators/copyright-law-using-images-and-photos-from-google/

 

ya but folks do it all the time......& what about all the pics their bots steal from here !!!