Strangely Beautiful

I managed to hit a few thrift storesin another town last Saturday.There wasn't much that caught my eye,except for this little item.I didn't know what it was.And neither did my husband who hasa knowledge of unusual things.His best guess was that it was a containerfor something at a work site.It appears to be handmade.It's a heavy metal with a black foam insert.It was unusual, but I could see