Cast iron whatsit?

I bought 3 of these. They're 15 1/2" by 5" and made of cast iron. There are 2 mounting holes in the large surface and 2 more on the back edge.

My first thoughts were stair steps/treads or shelves. No luck finding anything when searching for either one.

Any ideas? Thanks!

 

They look like heat registers, but they aren't flat

 

Oh, I searched for that too and didn't find anything with a raised edge.

 

Shoe-scrapers?

 

I am probably wrong but they remind me of the old, fairly narrow and not too deep steps to get on a trolley/bus and/or train. In the far reaches of my mind I seem to remember open-work steps like that for those types of conveyance.

Just a wild-eyed guess, but that's probably what I am known for around here.

 

"Tickets please!"

Sounds plausible.

 

OR could they possibly be treadles from old sewing machines OR other pieces of equipment of some sort OR "steps" of some sort to go up/down on a large piece of some sort of mechanical equipment (as in going to the top to "service" a piece of machinery in a tight place instead of having to block an aisle/walkway to get to the machine to work on it)?

Heavens, I'm on a roll now. (Thank you late night ice cream cone!!!)

 

Planter shelves?

Wait a minute - i want ice cream!

 

Definitely not a sewing-machine treadle. Seen enough of those to recognise one when I see it.

 

I have three treadle machines and it's not one of those. I don't think those tiny screw holes would provide enough support for them to be steps - unless there was something underneath holding them up. Maybe they were from a plant stand.

 

I've sort of thought of some of those things too but when searching so many of the things that are to support weight seem to have an outer "frame" that is more substantial.

I don't have anything to offer but I do like ice cream (way too much) and I do like trollies so my mind is wandering.

 

They remind me of the shelves on the side of a cast iron stove - not the folding shelves, the stationary ones

 

I think this is most likely and they are COOL! If you find out that that is what they are you might contact a trolley museum about them.

 

They would just sit on the steps to clear off shoes. The holes would have screws/bolts to just keep them there. They may have hinged up to clear beneath them.

 

Amazing what you can see when you look at something in daylight! Underneath it's marked "IRON ART" and "JM 210 211". I can't find much on the company but it seems that they produced decorative and useful cast iron items in the 20's and reproduced some in the 70's.

Thanks everyone!

 

Sometimes there's more than you suspect. In daylight or at night with a flashlight shown across something, usually at an extreme angle, you can see details you couldn't see at all otherwise.

 

Hello, it is a shelf. I have the same one with matching cast iron L shaped brackets. It also has Iron Art 210 211 on the bottom. I may be selling it soon on ebay and will put up a picture of it with the brackets if I do. it is a neat item...I find so many things that I can't figure out what they are...I should try this!

 

Excellent!