Found Mystery Copper/or bronze colored shield - Oakland Eagle logo what is it?

[Guest Bob Richards]

I am trying to identify a Oakland promo stamped "metal shield" artifact found last week in a NJ Scout Camp dirt pile. I date it about 1929 thru 1931, when the GM parent Comp terminated the Oakland - brand. The length side of the all metal stamped shield is 4 1/2" while the width side is 3 1/2". Material is either a green bronze or copper, very weathered. Object was unfortunately hit directly with a pick ax, so value is nil, email me for a direct sent power point "drawing" (File drawing is huge Mega bytes, too many to post here), and its so dark green that I could not "scan" the object sucessfully. Please note my drawing is approximate, Flying bald Eagle logo is in actual a bottom up view, but due to time constraints I could not find a available Eagle logo with outspread wings and claws shown showing that on the web. Object has OAKLAND logo Oval stamped, with boarders with Acorn and Oak leaves, with a Scoll below the Oakland brand denoting "product of General Motors" , which is unusal except there was a period when "both car" brand names were listed on this car befor Oakland brand was terminated. Object is stamped in small letters on back as made by Whiteman- Hoag (of Newark NJ, a noverty & advert company). Can any one tell me what this is and if it was attached to anything, it does not logically look like an actual car part (could find not fictures like it) and no one knows here what it is, nor the President of the Oakland car club NA. Is this rare or really rare even knowing its partly damaged? We are trying to figure out how it got dumped into a rock/dirt fill under a Scout camp cabin in Mahwah, NJ, but it had nothing of value near it except a few dropped wheat pennies any (no other clues). A mystery. Bob

[Guest c.johnson]

It is most likely an ashtray...you know, back when it was fashionable to smoke. Back in a time when there was nothing better than to sit with a car dealer and have a good smoke while you are making a deal on a car. (No, I don't recommend it...) I've seen a few of these for sale on ebay, and at swap meets.

The eagle fits nicely into the time period you described. If I remember correctly, the Pontiac was started in 1925 or '26. In '27, Oakland had a sales pitch for a 6 cy car as "All American Eagle".

Not a miraculous find, but interesting.

[TheMoneyPit]

Does the one in the center look like yours? If so, it is an ash tray...