Need Help - Fancy Cancel

I don't need help identifying the stamp so much as the fancy cancel. I can't tell if it is a mortar and pestle or shield and pommel of a sword or just some funny cork cutting. Can anyone help? Thanks to everyone in advance.

It looks like a cork cutting to me.

I agree, looks like a poor strike of a segemented cork.

I agree. I certainly believe it is a cork cutting, but I thought maybe someone may have a similar design as be able to help me see what the picture is supposed to be (if anything). Doesn't look like anything to you Russ. Maybe my mind just wants it to look like something.

It is hard to tell if there was any particular design. Normally the segmented corks are just obliterators.

Hard for me too. What bothers me is that piece at the top of the "shield" that looks lie the pommel end of a sword. Again I do have a very active imagination. Thanks for sharing the scans Russ.

I see the feature that you are looking at. There just isn't quite enough to tell if it is anything other than a partial strike of the grid/segment. Ther is also something in the upper right if it was on a cover with the complete strike then you could probably tell.

Could it be that part of the cork had fallen off or not got inked properly . You can see the oval shape of the full strike but with parts missing at the top.

And it does look like a sword pommel to me too, but look at the lighter marks around it to either side. These could be the only inked portions of the worn cork canceller / obliterator, as if it was used in a certain orientation most of the time and one side received more wear than another?

you cannot imagine how many times I had wished it were on cover to see the whole strike, even that upper part that you are talking about. Not havong anything more definitive to go on, I will just leave it in my "It could have been something" part of my collection. Thanks everybody.