Found in a Football Field...What Are They?

[LadyDigger]

Hey Piggman...this is an interesting case....don't cha' love a good mystery?

You mentioned the "red" button was Russian...well, I am printing out the pics of the nuts, front and back and the red button and take them to work.

I have a young lady who was born in Russia, but came over here when she was 8 and I have some young Russian adults that are here for the summer working with us. I will show them the pics and see what they think. I'll even have Kate, the one who has lived here since she was 8, take the pics to her parents and see...

If the button is Russian, maybe the "lug nuts" are too and maybe, if anything, her parents can identify....I'll let you know what I come up with, unless someone else finds out first. I'll be home after 6 pm EST....until then.....

Happy Hunting,
Annmarie

 

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[piggman1]

Ok, lets try to answer some questions here. ToddB64, the whole one weigh 6.9 grams each, the one missing the end weighs 5.3 grams, the difference being 1.6 grams, (or 23% of the weight of a complete one). I don't think that just an end cap would weigh 1.6 grams, so that still leads me to believe they are solid. They have absolutely zero buoyency in water and sink like a rock. The one missing the end is not copper plated like rest (I don't think), but I haven't run it through the tumbler for cleaning yet like I did on the others.
Ron and Ann, thanks for giving that angle a try. Wouldn't it be wild if that is what it is connected to. Also anymore info on the pin would be nice, too.
The further we go into this, the more questions arise. I never would have thought that these would be so hard to identify with all the sports fanatics out there. Even the playing field is still a mystery, but that one can easily be solved once I see someone playing on it or laying it out. Also,THEY ARE NOT THREADED, they are not something that you would use a wrench on.The mystery continues...

 

[LadyDigger]

Hey Piggman....I'm sorry ...no luck today! The girls had no idea what the nuggest things were. A group of Russian girls came in looking for work, so I asked EKatrina is she could ask them as well, if the nuggets seemed familiar...to no avail. It was a good try....

Ekatrina was trying to translate what the button said..."I am loved"...but forgot to ask her what the button is for. So I'll ask her tomorrow when I get back to work.

Been searching the net...and can't find anything out about these. Is there a school nearby...maybe it's something the kids did in the workshop....it looks like someone took some nuts and soldered those end pieces on...for what reason? I have no idea.

Funny you found one with a racing car, as I was even researching the race car scenes...to see if they use them on their tires or something...I was racking my brains trying to figure this one out. The racing car one could have had at one time, a bottom piece, but probably fell off.

Is there a trophy shop near there, a place that makes trophies? I'm wondering if the disc with designs on them were to be placed on trophies, but someone decided to weld them onto other objects, for a personal game they made up....

The mystery continues...gonna' do some more searching...I just love a good mystery!

Oh, one more thing...have you been to the courthouse to see who owned that land or what businesses may have been on that property at one time....you may want to give that a shot...it may help in solving this mystery

Until later...happy hunting,
Annmarie

 

[piggman1]

Thanks Rob and Ann, you gave it a good try. There are no businesses nearby, just neighborhoods. They were found besides an old football field at a middle school. There was nothing there before that, it used to be part of a large section of land. I've asked people at the school and they have no idea either.
I just got this last one out of the cleaner, and I was mistaken. It IS made of the same composition of copper plated base metal. I have examined them under a 20X jewelers loop and there are no seams on the complete ones to allow for them to be opened up. I am inclined to believe they are hollow, even if there is such a weight difference between the complete ones and the open one. The photos are after it has been cleaned. What looks like threads on the open side is just a lip for the cap to rest on. It is not threads. It looks to be a two piece unit consisting of a pressed in cap and body. The end with the car was not pressed in, it is one piece (sides and cap). These have been throughly examined, and are not part or never connected to anything else. Here is the cleaned up open one.

 

[piggman1]

Found in Texas right outside of Austin. That's as good of a guess as any. So far, nothing has panned out.

 

[oldplacesnofinds]

Wow, we are still trying to figure this out??

 

[piggman1]

yea, and it totally amazes me too. I would have never thought it would go half this far. These things have now moved up to my special treasures collection.

 

[LadyDigger]

Justgeese has a great thought there...for a game...which one? Well, that's part of the mystery of these items you found.

So I started reseach on Mexican Board Games first and found this link. Could those pieces go to a game like this one: http://www.gamepreserve.com/product_p/12920.htm

Even though those pieces have 6 sides and yours has 8...just a thought.
Annmarie

 

[piggman1]

To be honest, I don't know, but I would say that wouldn't be the kind of game these would go with. If I were to imagine a game, it would be one where you have a bunch in a cup or something and roll them all out like dice.

 

[LadyDigger]

Good Morning Piggman....

I really want to know what these things are and can't seem to stop trying to find out....LOL!!!

For some reason, I know you showed a penny for size comparison...but I was thinking they were the size of a quarter. Don't ask me where I got that idea...cause I have no idea!!!

Anyways....trying to search all kinds of "dice" games. I did find one that Justgeese mentioned...THE WORLD CUP GAME...but they had regular dice that we use today in many games that required dice.

Then found this page...where you can buy replacement dice for games. I thought if you contacted them, just maybe, they may be able to help you in figuring this one out. It's worth a shot...all they can say is that they have no idea. Here's the link: http://www.boardgamecentral.com/games/dice.html

Help this will help some....
Annmarie

 

[BioProfessor]

Here's the part that makes me think it is some sort of Memory Game. All the pieces have a generic basketball player on one side (according to a printing service and a logo database. All the pieces would be laid out with that side up. You would then turn one over and see what sporting event was on the other side. If you match them, you get to keep them. One who has the most pieces wins the game.

Problem with this:

- no reason for them to be Octagonal. That indicates they fit together like the beehive game.
- no pairs found.
- The International Olympic Committee (OIC) has not licensed their logo for a game like this (personal communication with the secretary)
- The World Cup has not licensed their logo for a game like this (personal communication with marketing)
- there is no trademark seal on any of the logos which a commercially produced game has to have
- Octagonal things tend to roll more than flip when thrown like dice

I also thought they were dies to foil imprint things. Not so. Logo would be backwards according to 3 foil imprinting services.

I thought they were embossing dies. Three die makers with over 50 years of experience making dies have never seen any like them.

I thought they were wax impression seals. One person said they were, and three in the trade said no way.


Why are they hollow? Easier and cheaper to machine out of solid metal. So weight is somehow important (or maybe cost) but why 8 sided?

I thought they were inserts for a sports trophy. If so, why too sides? Only one would show. Makes no sense to have a soccer or net ball on one side and a man (it appears male) doing a slam dunk.

Not tied to a ribbon. Two different things show.

What type sporting event would give out something with this mix of things. None that I can find.

These things are EVIL I tell you EVIL. I have spent well over 100 hours on this and I am no closer to an answer than when I started and I am usually pretty good at these things.

I said before I was close and just needed confirmation from 2 sources to say what they were. The only confirmations I can get is for what they are not. Crap.

Here's to starting over.

Daryl

 

[BioProfessor]

I've seen a couple of those - Flip Flogg - type games. That's why I suspected it was a memory game about sporting events. It is like "Match" played with cards. All the backs are the same, you have to pick up same number card to "get" the pair. Other memory games do the same thing.

I guess the reason I'm still looking is the Octagonal shape of the pieces. That is more expensive to make and if you are making a game to sell and make money, the cost of manufacturing comes into play. So why spend extra money making them that shape rather than round? Something is missing.

I still think it is a memory game but can't figure out why the pieces are the way they are.

Daryl

 

[BioProfessor]

That is correct. And as I said before, I talked with the secretary of the OIC and she said no such thing was authorized. Neither was the World cup. Or Netball. Nobody gave permission for any of these or received any royalties.

The "game" continues.

Daryl

 

[BioProfessor]

That's why I still think it is a "sporting event" memory match game. Unless he finds one with a duck on it, we're still OK.

 

[piggman1]

Professor, you've gone far and beyond the call of duty. I salute you!! Maybe man is not supposed to know what these things are, or even have them. I hate to tell you this, but I just ordered a 4X6 DD coil for my detector. When it gets in, you know I'm going to have to go find more. I have to find at least that matches another, to give evidence to the memory theory. I know there has to be more there. At least maybe something that will give another clue. What gets me is these are professionally made, not some cheap thing that someone just put together, and yet not one of the organizations used have given their permission for their trademark to be put on anything like these. I have shown and asked the coaches at the school where they were found, and they have no idea. I even asked the principle. They were all found about 3" deep, so they have been there awhile. I would also like to know how the top got popped off that one. I really don't want to use force with pliers or anything like that because I don't want to mess one up. Again Professor, I Salute You!!!

 

[BioProfessor]

Ah Jeez, OK a Lamp.

Thanks for the kind words Piggman1, I really do enjoy a challenge. When I started, I thought there were enough unique features to make it pretty easy - Olympics, World Cup, Some sort of Die, Printing, Octagonal in shape. Boy was I wrong. Everything that was supposed to make sense didn't. Everything that was supposed to be easy wasn't. The obvious wasn't so obvious.

I'm still trying but I'm running out of places and people. Things just don't add up. I don't know if we will ever solve this but if we do, my money is still on a memory game.

At least this thread/challenge got us away from that 15 sprocket, one-turn, counting thingy. That may be the only good thing but at least it was something.

Daryl

 

[piggman1]

Professor, that's why I need to find one that matches another. The memory theory is the best we have, but no evidence. When the coil comes in, I'm headed back. At least you don't have to sit here and look at them.

 

[BioProfessor]

Yeah, but I dream about them.

 

[BioProfessor]

The way I feel. I could use your Avitar about now. Can't drink.

Daryl

 

[savant365]

Well like the rest of you I have been looking through website after website hoping to stumble across these things and be the one to solve the mystery. But I have came up empty also. My best guess would be along the lines of some type of game pieces. Maybe having to do with some type of trivia game. you would pick a piece and have to answer a question pertaining to the subject on the reverse. I could be totally wrong but maybe this could help point in the right direction to finding out what they are. Good luck and HH.

Charlie