Unusual, Substantial Pair of (Heavy!) Metal Salesman Sample/Display Loafers with Tassels bald eagle but holding it in hand

but holding it in hand is a different thing

or wearing around one's neck as a dramatic pendant

I love these as objects

as the patina to the interior of this box--a rich mix of beeswax and grime and who know what all--attests to many years of housing bees inside

all from one piece of wood

Unusual, Substantial Pair of (Heavy!) Metal Salesman Sample/Display Loafers with Tassels bald eagle but holding it in handCurious. I don't know that I'd ever seen a pair of metal salesman sample shoes before, but I'm more or less certain that is what these are, given their quality and scale and specificity. (Or maybe a shoe company's gift for the loafer salesman of the year?!) They're quite substantial, beautifully crafted and quite striking, all the more so in hand, with their surface finish evincing carved stone (I keep thinking of catlinite) as much as anything and