vintage cast iron owl lantern maker or year?

hello i found another really nice item in my garage this morning.it appears to be a cast iron owl lantern with handle of some sort.the only hallmarks i could find are as follows 687 i couldn't quite make out the first number i am not sure if its a six or zero or 8. are these cast iron not sure but looks like cast iron.and i am not sure of the maker or what year it was made.please help