deer cowrie shell with beetle stamp?

Hello

I am not sure this goes in this thread but I have a deer cowrie shell with an abalone hinged lid. It looks like it is stamped with the word "beetle" and the B looks like a beetle? Any info would be great thank you

 

It looks more like a tiger cowrie and the lid part doesn't look like abalone.What is the size of the cowrie?

 

3 1/2" long x 2 1/2" wide x 2" high. I knew it was a cowrie just not which one lol But it for sure looks like abalone. What else could it be?

 

Hi,
Looks like it could be a whelk shell. Here is a photo of mine, the spoon/ladle is 8" long.
greg

 

So there's a hinged lid, but the bottom is open so anything you drop in goes right through???

 

and the lid is poorly made and fastened....with ugly hardware...

 

http://jamesdjulia.com/item/lot-800-interesting-and-rare-cowrie-shell-inkwell-27565/
You have there an inkwell mount, lacking the glass insert

 

that's a lota scratch for a well that won't keep the ink wet...

 

I'm thinking it may well be a souvenir from one place or another. Can you get a better-focused photo of the word you're reading as "Beetle"?

 

Betel?

 

Betel nut ...
it's not for betel nuts or lime..

 

Google for cowrie inkwell
surely a souvenir!

 

Can you see the price?

Anyway, it might be for writing short letters.

 

no...but the estimate .....4 to 8 hundred..I find steep !