He is still alive, Steam rolled out when I opened it up. I call it " Grandpas brown beans, Fresh off the press"
Shrews.... I have dearly enjoyed this thread. And I’ll give you this. Your finds are way more interesting than the fishing lead and nuts & bolts that I keep digging up.
I received a heathkit metal detector 40 years ago for Christmas I was trying my luck looking down at the meter and found a $10 bill lol
Cut a piece off, small enough to fit into a graduated cylinder. You will need one of these. See what displacement it has. Displacement verses weight = specific gravity. You can look this up on the internet. It will tell you what the material is or come close.
I kept on reading with wide-eyed anticipation - especially since I saw that photo you posted. Then... at the end, Sigh...