Heavy Cast Iron Mortar & Pestle with Unconfirmed Possible Sprue Mark ??? I-144

Description

Heavy (12) lb., 5 1/8" tall X 5 1/2" diameter, 8" long pestle with  a 1 1/2" diameter at bottom, could possibly have a sprue mark, I put several photo's of the bottom and you can make your own judgement as to it is or is not, I tried to get an antique appraiser to confirm or deny it but all they were interested in was selling a lot more than the appraisal so I did not get a confirmation, if I had gotten one this would have a much larger price tag. This would be a great decoration on the counter of a pharmacy store but in that situation a bit more cleaning might be desired.   SPRUE MARK--if you are not familiar with SPRUE marks and GATE marks this will help date the item. Sprue marks are the oldest of the two and they are residue from when the item was poured at the foundry and is where the mold was attached and it left a mark when separated, it left a round mark and this was the procedure from 1700 until 1750+-. From 1750 to 1890+- the mark left is called a gate mark and it is in shape of a straight line slash or scar and some went almost the entire width of the item and some may be 2" or even more short scar looking marks. In 1890+- the foundries started putting their names and logo's on the item. You can find a few exceptions but if one of the two marks (gate or sprue) are on an item there will normally be no manufacturer logo or name.