Can any one please help me identify this object?

[wild69er]

Main Question or Discussion Point

I dug up this object with a rototiller on a friend of mines lot that he has owned for 40 years. I believe this is made of marble. It is semi polished. The inside threads are tapered. I have given the dimensions below. Please help.
LENGTH 3.75"
TAPERED WIDTH 2.25" to 1.50"
THREADED HOLE WIDTH .75"
HOLE DEPTH 1.75"
WEIGHT 12oz.

 

[Nidum]

It could be a Victorian period cistern pull .

A brass fitting goes in the hole and this is connected via chain to the cistern lever .

Most commonly made of china , ivory or wood .

A slightly more posh one

 

[Nidum]

It could also be the working end of a pestle .

Mortar and pestle

 

[Buckleymanor]

Of the two the pestle is the one.I had one like it.
The cistern pull has a hole all the way through it to secure the chain.
The pestle is smooth so it can grind.

 

[ebos]

It could be the marble handle of almost anything from an earlier time. Obviously the wooden part has rotted away. I would be looking for other pieces to see if you can't cobble some parts together and then get a better idea of what the greater object is. If you find something else don't forget to mark its location and its distance from the original object. Then you'll get a better idea of the size of the larger object that this marble handle is a part of.

 

[ebos]

And, yes, it does resemble a cistern pull. I actually looked at some online and they are usually connected to a metal fitting which is connected to a chain. I'd be sweeping the area in your garden with a metal detector. That is if you're still interested. Sometimes it's fun to do these little personal 'anthropology' projects.

 

[Baluncore]

It does not have the end wear expected on a pestle.

The thread does not look like a wood thread. Most brass tube is threaded with 26 tpi. What is the pitch of the thread ?

If marble, the hole would be drilled and tapped, then a bolt in a lathe would hold the article while the profile was cut and polished.

 

[ebos]

It does not have the end wear expected on a pestle.

The thread does not look like a wood thread. Most brass tube is threaded with 26 tpi. What is the pitch of the thread ?

If marble, the hole would be drilled and tapped, then a bolt in a lathe would hold the article while the profile was cut and polished.

And even if it was wood, there should probably still be a brass or copper fitting. That's why he should go back in with a metal detector. Any mystery is a good mystery.