Help identifying please.

Hi all! I’m a newbie here, but this looks to be a great group. I found something this morning in the yard of my 1876 Victorian folk house. I’m looking for have it identified. In my best sleuthing, it looks like an ornate strike plate for a door. Thoughts?

 

Maybe some additional photos and some measurements would help someone. While probably isn't, my first thought is a wall bottle opener (from the back)

And Welcome!

 

Thank you! It is 3” high and almost 2” wide. I googled a lot of bottle openers and it doesn’t have the characteristic lip that would pop the top. I also googled a lot of strike plates and saw nothing like this.

 

A match holder that would have been hung on a wall near the stove. Looks to be made from some type of cast metal.

 

The inset part (dirty part) obviously goes inside of a wall so it doesn’t look like it would hold anything in there. There’s a nice screw hole there also indicating that the ornate part would point outward. It would be unable to hold anything.

 

wall pocket for flowers?

 

Perhaps a flag pole holder. The pole would go in and slant out.

 

I’m starting to think it was a coin return in some sort of casino slot or coke machine.

 

maybe a vent of some kind..

 

or peanuts.....

 

@springfld.arsenal
@anundverkaufen
@Ghopper1924

 

I'm going with @bercrystal on this one. Match holder.

 

Agree with INH and Komo, looks like a chute for some type of vendor or dispenser.

 

that would explain the even wear to the curved interior....

 

The curved part is inset. It could not have “held” anything as that part is inside. It would have been flush with the screw hole at top holding it against something and the lip underneath shows that it would have been fixed under as well.

 

It definitely was designed to allow something to come thru that chute.

 

I've heard that old bathrooms, some in motel rooms, had a small chute or slot inset into a wall; one would drop used razor blades in there. They'd end up between the studs, where there was generally no way to remove them; but most stud spaces could hold thousands with no problem.
As said, angle is not right for flagpole holder, and it wouldn't sit flat on a wall, would have to be installed in some way.
I'd go with razor-blade chute, but those I've found pics of have been more like slots.
But something similar, for disposing something like that.

 

But there's a flange that would keep disposed items from falling right down, so maybe not that.
Part of an old wood stove?