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[deldave]

I dug this up in my own front yard ( Sussex Co. Delaware) this spring. I was using my Garrett 250 set on coin mode. It was 3-4". It is a fine casting with no markings and non magnetic. The finish is obviously old, but where it came off it looks like maybe some alloy.

 

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[fishguy]

Looks like a giant lost one of his jacks.

 

[wkrp43]

Nice...congrats. welcome to tnet from NC

 

[Kieth-Tx]

Looks like it would flatten a tire pretty quick!

 

[deldave]

I just found something just like it. Caltrop! May have been used to cripple a horse or person. I think!

 

[surf]

Hello deldave,

Welcome to TNet, and thanks for showing us your discovery. Do you suppose it's a mutant jack or a caltrop?

Caltrop - a.k.a. Crowsfoot​

 

[deldave]

I think I may have found it! caltrop, used to hobble or maim a horse or person. I found others like it on goggle picture search under caltrop. What do you think?

 

[wvwildman]

you have ninjas running around there that you dont know about?

 

[taz42o]

Caltrops always lay with one point straight up. Not sure what it is but its not a caltrop.

 

[wvwildman]

its a ninja weapon cant remember what its called

 

[Ism]

Could it have been a toy spinning top?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Surf and Taz42o are correct. It absolutely is not a Caltrop (also know as a horse-crippler, and a Crow's-Foot). Nor is it a Ninja-weapon. Deldave's find is one version of several varieties of "Mill-Stars"... which is a type of Tumbler Media used in the Metalcasting industry to remove burrs and casting-sand from raw-out-of-the-mold metal castings.

As Taz42o said, the defining characteristic of an actual Caltrop is that a Caltrop always has a Tetrahedral form, an arrangement of FOUR sharp-tipped spines which will always land on the ground with one spine sticking STRAIGHT upward, to impale a horse's hoof of a soldier's foot -- or tires. See the two illustrations, below.

You can't make these 6-armed Mill-Stars sit with one arm pointing straight upward. They sit with the arms at a 30-degree angle -- which means you could drive over one and it won't pierce the tire. Or, step on one and it won't pierce your shoe.

Surf already posted a photo of an actual Caltrop. To see more photos (note that they always have only 4 spines), and learn about them, go here: Caltrop - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here are some photos of other variations of Mill-Stars. Note that none have 4 arms/spines. I'll also include a drawing from an Army OSS Manual showing an actual modern-era Caltrop being used for sabotage.

 

[yaxthri]

CannonballGuy is correct. But it would be cool if it was a weapon

 

[deldave]

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