Odd piece of heavy metal... HELP!

[the.silver.standard]

Hello all, and Merry Christmas!

I went out for a brief while this morning to the local park, and found this odd piece of metal. It was about 4-5 inches in the ground, and is about 1/2 inch wide. It is VERY HEAVY and my first thought was that it was lead. However, it has a very dark color to it, and does not seem to be as easy to mold/scratch as other lead items i have found. There do not seem to be any markings or such that would indicate that it was once part of something else (button, machinery, etc).

I have pictures below, and ANY thoughts would be appreciated.

 

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[the.silver.standard]

Looks just like a rock... you can imagine my annoyance at the signals my machine was giving. I'd move the 'rock' aside and then scan, sigh, then do it again...

 

[TreasureTales]

Does a magnet stick to it?

 

[Excavator]

$20 worth of meteorite? May be, if a magnet will stick.

 

[texan connection]

I'd guess metiortite it looks molten ,also a magnet may not "stick" but may attract to it, put the magnet or rock on a string and see if it draws to it.

 

[the.silver.standard]

Hmmm... the only magnet I had handy was a fridge magnet, and it seemed like there might have been a tiny bit of attraction, but not much if any. Ugh. A meteorite would have been cool.

I have not pulled enough lead in my short MD career to know how it ages. All that I have dug to date still retained its dull grey look. Can lead corrode to have a hard, dark finish like this?

 

[TreasureTales]

Hmmm... the only magnet I had handy was a fridge magnet, and it seemed like there might have been a tiny bit of attraction, but not much if any. Ugh. A meteorite would have been cool.

I have not pulled enough lead in my short MD career to know how it ages. All that I have dug to date still retained its dull grey look. Can lead corrode to have a hard, dark finish like this?

Lead usually doesn't tarnish, although it might look somewhat white when really old. Lead is a soft metal. It can be nicked easily with a knife blade. And it is not magnetic. Learn to do a few simple field tests and you'll be able to determine the metallic make-up of most finds. A magnet, knife, and magnifying glass are good things to keep handy when treasure hunting.

It's hard to say what your weird find is, but a meteorite is a possibility. Do you have a shower curtain in your home? Sometimes the hems of shower curtains have magnets in them. You could maybe use it to see if the item is attracted to a magnet. If it is, it's not lead, silver, copper or gold. It would be iron or nickel. If nickel, it will be hard. If iron it would be rusty looking. Did this thing look rusty when first dug up?

 

[Excavator]

Lead won't attract to a magnet.

A little reaction from a fridge magnet might translate into more with a stronger one. Fridge magnets are usually barely strong enough to hang on the fridge. Have any old stereo/radio speakers? Good magnets on those.

I watched a tv show over the holiday that showed some folks hunting meteorites in Kansas. The relative heavy weight of your piece is what made me think of a space rock. With a homemade detector, towed by an atv, they found one worth $1500, and another worth around $30k.

How big is it actually, and what does it weigh?

 

[texan connection]

an atraction is enough I have a few "hot rocks " myself and am also unsure, I am still guessing metiorite on yours, one of mine I say the same about and the rest I'm saying lead or who knows what. look up metiorite Identification on the internet' lots of good info out there, those High dollar ones are usally lg and have nice patterns to them. Here is my rock that I am wondering about

 

[the.silver.standard]

Interesting nugget you have there, texan. Thanks for the pics... almost looks like platinum or silver bullion.

I just procured a VERY strong neodymium magnet, and there was absolutely no attraction between the object and the magnet. So, unfortunately, meteorite is out of the question.

That being decided, and not worrying about any collector value, I decided to cut a small portion of the edge with wire cutters (all I had handy). Upon getting past the dark outer layer, it was rather silver-coppery looking. (pic below). My guess it is copper and until I get a beaker and test the actual volume, I will go with that. These are the approx. dimensions and weight.

5/8" X 9/16" mm face (pictured)
5/16" width at widest point

10 grams

Thanks, all!

 

[TreasureTales]

Hmmm, it certainly looks like copper in the newest photo. But isn't it unusually heavy for its size? It's dense, in other words? Take it to a jeweler and have him/her test it for you. Find a jeweler who won't charge for the service. Then let us know so we can put this mystery to rest. LOL (I don't like unsolved mysteries)

 

[Excavator]

I was guessing that ten grams might be about right for copper of that size. But my only experience is from weighing a normal penny, and the thin penny I posted about. I know it doesn't take a lot of copper to make a pound.

Definitely find out if you can. What if it's silver?

Texan's rock does look like a vein of silver in those pics.

Keep us posted.

 

[Excavator]

Take a look at this meteorite that crashed through a roof in New Jersey. I thought some of the silvery lines were similar to the one Texan posted.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS/301110018