Thanks, sciencefare! I have sent it to you. I am now changing my feebay profile back to the original pic.

A potjie (pronounced poy-kee) is a cast iron pot used in South Africa for preparing Potjiekos (poy-kee-kase) translated as 'pot food'. The typical potjie method is layering meat and vegetables in he pot and cooking over a slow fire. The result is a slow-cooked feast that is both simple and delicious.

Close? Perhaps.
However, the lid on your pot seems to lean more towards decorative than utilitarian

My only question (yeah right) is: if it is used for cooking, what is that big stir stick used for? It seems like the "stick" is designed to glow or "hold" ashes or something...

tropicalwolf wrote (View Post): › Thanks, sciencefare! I have sent it to you. I am now changing my feebay profile back to the original pic.

Ok!

Here's your pot:

YOU DA MAN!!!! Thanks so much! It is nice to have someone who knows how to get things accomplished!!!

tropicalwolf wrote (View Post): › YOU DA MAN!!!! Thanks so much! It is nice to have someone who knows how to get things accomplished!!!

Hey, you're welcome!

Hopefully, the image will allow some of our experts to identify your mysterious pot.

With this new image, I noticed the odd "thing" with the handle. Is the large end solid, is the thing heavy, or is that bulbous end hollow with holes in it?

Additionally, does that pot have any type of residue? If so, is the residue similar to bits of charred wood or pieces of charcoal, or might it be food remnants?

Yes, the large end is solid and it has "divets" like a golfball. It is VERY heavy. Those are 12 inch tiles in the background, so that gives a rough estimate of size. The only residue is ash...no idea what type of ash.

Any writing or symbols on the pot, the lid, or the "masher"?

Looking at the masher thing, it appears that the handle exhibits discoloring one might see from exposure to high heat. The bulbous end looks quite ashen.

I would guess that the masher is a tool that was designed to have the bulbous end intentionally heated by coals in that pot.

What would an extremely hot object shaped like that be used for?

If the pot is used to cook, could the "hammer-like" thing possibly be a tenderizing mallet of some sort??

Just a though..

Skeeter

That looks similar to a fireside ash pot we had at a mountain cabin we owned for a while -- especially the stir rod used to stir and extinguish embers after shoveling out the fireplace. The brass lid adds to the ornamental look with functionality. I would seriously doubt this is an outdoor smudge or cooking pot.

The inside of the lid reads: ERIE LIGHT, then the other side (still on the inside of the lid) is stamped 1510. I had never noticed this before.

Looking closely, is there any symbol similar to the following anywhere?

Nope, nothing that says "Griswold". And I have to add a correction, it actually reads: ERIE LIGHTER...the "ER" is faint. There is a small symbol of what appears to be a guy standing over a "hearth" or something similar.

That's a fireside pot. Used to be common to hold fire starting flammables like coal oil. The wand was dipped into the liquid, ignited with a match and thrust into the firewood and starter material.

In later times they became used either as a decoration or an ash disposal canister (like we used a similar pot for).

This according to a neighbor of mine who used to own a large antique shop in the east. He suggested researching it as an antique while looking for fire starting implements or hearth side tools.

mongoose wrote (View Post): › That's a fireside pot. Used to be common to hold fire starting flammables like coal oil. The wand was dipped into the liquid, ignited with a match and thrust into the firewood and starter material.

I'm thinking that mongoose has it. That description is consistent with the appearance of your item.