Topic: another mystery object (for us yanks anyway),

[BobKegeles]

This might be an easy one for the Europeans.

I have a fuzzy memory that when I bought this about 8 years ago, it was shipped from someone in Great Britain, that doesn't mean it's European though.

To the touch, it has the hardness, the weight, and the coldness of glass.

It's not soft enough, nor light enough to be a plaster cast. Definitely not plastic, and just doesn't "feel" like metal.

It's high gloss black, except for the relief face which is matte black.

Oddly though, on the forehead, there is a place where there are three tiny white dots, that look like the black scraped off.

So here are the questions . . .

What is it?
What country?
What material?
Mass produced? or Artist produced?
Worth anything?

[Fuhrman Glass]

could it be a coal carving? I've seen some very detailed carving done in very hard coal that can be polished very nicely.

[chopin-liszt]

Is coal not fairly lightweight? I'm fairly sure it floats on water.
But you've got me wondering about some of the Canadian carvings you see in some sort of slate-type material.

[Fuhrman Glass]

there are all different types of coal, some anthracite can be very heavy and dense.

[Anne]

It could be a coal one. I have a carving from coal, titled The Last Shift - 4 miners standing back to back on the platform, and it is very very heavy. No way would it float Sue, the miners would all drown.

[flying free]

I thought it might be polished black obsidian but I wonder why the white specks.  Could it be some form of hardstone that has had a coating put on it with a highly polished and matt finish? 
m

[Ivo]

Glass or obsidian - but a very nice ram's head!

[antiquerose123]

Is coal not fairly lightweight? I'm fairly sure it floats on water.
But you've got me wondering about some of the Canadian carvings you see in some sort of slate-type material.

Do you mean like *THIS STUFF here??

IF it is they are like $$, just click on those items to see prices.....

[chopin-liszt]

I think the white flecks are reflections of the towelling background used, m.
Apologies for trying to drown your miners, Anne!

I don't see carvings of that sort of quality or on that sort of theme, Rose, but I do think you've cracked the stuff they're made of - I do see somewhat more inferior carvings of seals or otters around.

[NMott]

Could it be Jet?

A lot of 'carved' coal is simply compressed powdered coal in a mould.