Practically Classics Forum

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Apologies for the rather flaky photo, it was taken on my telephone (A mobile phone with a camera? Who the hell would buy one of those?)
The story behind this is that it was found in the 1970's by my wifes grandfather whilst clearing a rather old established hawthorn hedge for the Highways department of the council he worked for (from the 50's to the 80's).

The hedge in question war quite near a military base that saw a lot of action during the second world war and just after, and my father in law wonders if it was perhaps off an American car.

It is made of brass is very hevy, was possibly chrome plated, has a base which was probably threaded but has suffered a bit from being buried at the bottom of a hedge for 30+ years. Is aprox 6" tall with a wingspan of 8" or thereabouts.

So, does anyone have any ideas - my FIL has indicated he will sell it if it can be identified and he gets an idea of its value.

Cheers.
M

i have no idea, but it is very pretty.

I'm no expert, but it looks to me like some sort of (or part of) art deco ornament from the 20's or 30's.

I don't recognise it as a bonnet mascot, but even if just a domestic ornament, it may have been used as a mascot.

Just after WW2 a lot of chromed brass Spitfire ornaments were made (about 1/72nd scale) and one of them ended up as a bonnet mascot on a "customised" Bedford CF (metallic gold with stacked twin headlamps and a mattress thrown in the back)that my Dad bought in the early 70's.

I ripped the Spitfire off the bonnet when I was about 11, just before he scrapped it. I still have the mascot, but have no idea what happened to the mattress...........

Was the mattress a memory foam one by any chance? Sorry, silly question, if it had been then it would have found its own way home.

That mascot or whatever it is does look quite pleasant, but this one, from a Retrorides member's car, beats it for presence:

Yup, that is awesome.
I quite like the idea of a Stormtroopers head as a mascot for the Micra, but I bet the insurance co would knacker you if someone threw themselves onto your car bonnet at speed and hurt themselves on something not factory fit.

The barnet on that blonde is rather impressive.

Really? It looks to me like it's either a syrup or a cat that went to sleep up there several years ago.

can someone explain to me why shop dummies have nipples? look a the one on the car & you will see what i mean .. its not like they are functional is it
anyway back to anna friel & her micra......

Rich, men have nipples too you know. I have seven. Three on me and four on one of my cars.

As for the bonnet mascot on that Volvo; I'm more alarmed by the fact that it has the head of C3PO than that it has nips. Which, presumably, are cast into it to make clothes hang correctly in a shop window, seeing as humans have nipples and that thing's supposed to portray a human, not a camp, robotic character from a 1970s film.

C3PO/Larry Grayson wrote:Shut that door, look at the muck in 'ere

even i have nipples, & they will come in very usefull when ms friel turns up with her pot of golden syrup & micra