It has been a while since I had a Mystery Item post, and the objects keep piling up. Here are five items for your consideration, with a sixth bonus item, that cover various aspects of common use. These are all Western items, many of them uniquely so, while others have their counterparts in different cultures.
As usual, write your guesses or identifications for any or all of the objects in the comments. Correct answers will not be visible until the reveal, but incorrect or somewhat-off answers will be posted, often with an additional clue.
#1
This object
is, for obvious reasons, dedicated to Debra She Who Seeks. This is about
an inch (2.5cm) wide, and made of thin metal, although other materials
were also common. I had to remove the writing on it, so as not to give
away the answer.
#2
In an attempt to add a little class to this
blog, I decided to introduce this object. The present example is made of
silver, although gold specimens are often encountered. It is about six
inches long (15cm) when open and ready for use, as shown in the photo.
#3
I had wanted one of these for a long time, and
this summer, at a flea market in Mesopotamia, I found this example. This
useful object is about three feet (one meter) long, and while they come
in several styles, none of them are tiny.
#4
Technology has made this object (about three
inches/eight cm long) somewhat obsolete, although it certainly can still
be used, and was quite convenient not all that long ago. This one is
even suspended on a neck chain to keep it handy.
#5
This is one of the most protean of daily
objects—there seemed to be a contest to see in how many different shapes
these could be made. This one is small, about three inches (8cm) long,
and made of metal, with of course its tiny wooden handle—although not
all of them have such handles.
#6 Bonus Mystery Object
This object is rather
large and heavy, about 10 inches (25cm) wide, and is the most
complicated of today’s items. Its many parts combine to have a definite
practical function, and the whole is still in working order.
I am looking forward to your identifications, guesses, and comments.
(All objects and photos of the same collection of the author.)
Dearest Jim,
ReplyDeleteThe first one no doubt is a small lid of a honey bottle or jar as honey never spoils.
2. A swizzle stick for a sweet drink, maybe adding some drops of honey...
3. Knife for hand sawing straw for use to make a bed...
4. For filling and mashing a pipe? Pieter smoked a pipe but don't know if he still used one of these...
5. A nutmeg grinder...? Mom used one and it sat ready on the shelf in the cellar.
6. No idea. It says plumbing, heating, power piping but don't know how it was used.
That was a nice jump back in time...
Hugs,
Mariette
The first very fast and mostly accurate response came from Mariette, but I have a few comments:
ReplyDelete#1 is not the lid of a honey bottle.
#4 is not a pipe tamper, although this is a very good guess based on the shape. Since this one is metal I suppose it could be used for such a purpose, but not all of them are made of such heat-proof materials. Also, if you look closely, there is a clue to its real function.
#6 Please don't get too distracted by the labeling plate.
--Jim
Dearest Jim,
DeleteWell, I'm at a loss for #1 and also #4. At first I thought it would be a chatelaine's needle case but don't think so.
Neither a wax seal...
#6 I'm at a loss.
Hugs,
Mariette
Hello Mariette, More good guesses, but #4 is not a needle case--it is solid and does not open. Also it is not a seal--it is rather narrow for a seal, and while I suppose you could engrave or personalize the bottom, it would not improve its function. --JIm
DeleteDearest Jim,
DeleteMaybe #4 had something to do with child's food, for pounding on something?
Hugs,
Mariette
Hello Mariette, Sorry, #4 has nothing to do with food. --Jim
DeleteJim, that guess was because of the Dutch Gestampte Muisjes, a spread that is especially popular in the Netherlands , but is almost never found abroad. Gestampte Muisjes is made from aniseed and sugar and has a taste similar to aniseed sprinkles and aniseed cubes . It is made by grinding mice finely. The word mark "Muisjes" is a registered trademark of Koninklijke De Ruijter BV
DeleteHugs,
Mariette
Hello Mariette, How interesting about the Gestampte Muisjes. Each country has so many specialty foods that are interesting to explore. I am guessing that "mice" was a typo or auto-correct (perhaps for mace or anise), although I suppose that would be one way to deal with them. --Jim
DeleteJim, 'muisjes' is a diminutive of mice. In Dutch we use very often such diminutive and there is no English word for it!
DeleteHugs,
Mariette
I stand corrected! Every culture's language idioms and usage are as individual and interesting as its foodways, and I would not have it any other way! --Jim
DeleteJim, nobody can know all these cultural details...
DeleteWell, here are my sorry excuses for guesses!
ReplyDelete#1 -- Thanks for the shout-out, I appreciate this one being dedicated to me! I think it's a button off a uniform in some honey production business.
#2 -- A whisk of some description?
#3 -- This is obviously a saw, but a saw for what? The teeth don't look sharp enough for wood. So perhaps a saw for a big wheel of cheese maybe? Especially some kind of soft cheese.
#4 -- I think this is a sewing needle case. Or does it hold pins to stick in voodoo dolls?
#5 -- A pencil sharpener?
#6 -- Okay, I'm disregarding the labeling plate. Is this some kind of embossing stamp machine, operated by vise?
#1 is a vintage pin-back button, probably from a beekeeping club. Lettering might be "Queen Bee", "Busy Bee" or "ABF" (American Beekeeping Federation);
ReplyDelete#2 is a Vintage Retractable Swizzle Stick;
#3 is an ice saw for cutting large ice blocks into smaller ones for old ice boxes;
#4 is a vintage children's thermometer, probably for use by a nanny;
#5 is an antique nut spice grinder; and
#6 is a portable, hand-operated vise for making elbow joints and custom bends in small diameter copper pipe (Established in 1898, Smith & Oby is still in business today in Ohio).
Hi Jim, it’s so good to see you posting again!
ReplyDeleteSo, to my guesses:
1: looks like a brooch
2: cocktail swizzle stick
3: some kind of gardening tool, but when you say Mesopotamia, you don’t mean ancient? :)
4: a pencil
5: a pepper grinder
6: maybe some kind of a temperature control for a radiator?
Debra She Who Seeks wrote in some considered responses:
ReplyDelete#1 -- It is not a button
#2 -- You have to be more specific.
#3 -- It is not for cutting wheels of cheese.
#4 -- It is not a sewing needle case (see reply to Mariette above). "Or does it hold pins to stick in voodoo dolls?"
(I thought Canadians were supposed to be friendly. Why did you immediately think of Voodoo dolls? Or is that just that type of item you think I would acquire?)
#5 -- Not a pencil sharpener.
#6 -- Not an embossing stamp machine.
--Jim
Sheesh, these are tough! Is #2 specifically a whisk for men's shaving cream? And since you found #3 among the Amish, is it a flat iron that would be heating up and then used to iron sheets or quilts? Is #4 used by priests to sprinkle holy water? Man, I'm really reaching now.
DeleteCome, Debra, you are not trying hard enough! However, if a couple more of these are not guessed by tomorrow, I will give a few broader clues.
Delete#2 is not for shaving cream, or anything similar.
I mentioned that Mesopotamia is Amish mostly to give an impression of its visual charm, with buggies on the road, etc. But I did not necessarily obtain this from an Amish person. On the other hand, many Amish people might have one of these, as would people elsewhere. At any rate, you really, really, do not want to heat it up, and I would keep it away from sheets and quilts, at least if you value the sheets and quilts.
Finally, #4 is not for holy water. That would have been a more reasonable guess for #2, as there is a brush-like implement for sprinkling holy water, called an aspergillum, but I imagine it would have softer bristles rather than metal wires.
--Jim
Is #3 a scythe for harvesting some form of crop? And my last-ditch attempt at guessing #1 -- a little token you would get when buying a jar of honey, collect 10 tokens, get a free jar?
DeleteSorry, #3 is not a scythe of any type.
DeleteAnd #1 will not get you any free honey, although perhaps this guess, in a weird way, is not as wild as some of your others!
--Jim
I don't know why my last comment came up as "Anonymous," but glad you were able to figure out it was me. I'm going to have to wait for your expanded HINTS before I make any more fruitless guesses!
DeleteOkay, here are my last ditch, DESPERATE, guesses! #1 is a label off Burt's Bees lip balm. #6 is some kind of light fixture clamped inside a machine. I give up on all the rest. I cannot possibly imagine what they are!
DeleteTundra Bunny weighed in with the following:
ReplyDelete#1 is not a pin-back button--in fact, the back is flat.
#3 is not an ice saw.
#4 is not a children's thermometer, "probably for use by a nanny." (Since I have no idea how this would work as a thermometer, and why specifically for children, I can see why you assigned this task to the nanny. 'Here Nanny, take this and see if the kid's all right.')
#6 is not a "hand-operated vise for making elbow joints and custom bends in small diameter copper pipe" or probably anything similar.
--Jim
Here are my comments on Pipistrello's guesses:
ReplyDelete1: Is not a brooch
3: Is not a gardening tool. "When you say Mesopotamia, you don’t mean ancient? :)"
--You know that I would do anything for my readers, including time travel, but that was not necessary in this case. Mesopotamia in an Amish village in eastern Ohio.
4: Is not a pencil (or a pen, either).
5: Is not a pepper grinder.
6: Is not a "temperature control for a radiator."
--Jim
#1 - the lid of a jar of beeswax furniture polish
ReplyDelete#2 - a gold cocktail swivel stick
#3 - hand plough
#4 - a racist object, but no idea what it is for
#5 - a coffee bean grinder
#6 - machine for making pipes.
Rosemary entered some good guesses, and here are my comments/additional clues:
ReplyDelete#1 - Is not "the lid of a jar of beeswax furniture polish."
#3 - Is not a hand plough. (Oddly, the word "plough" failed the spell check--that's what happens when semi-illiterate whippersnappers run the computer systems.)
#4 - "a racist object, but no idea what it is for" Well, the cupid, angel or putto (n.b., "putto" was not in the spell check either--what is the world coming to?) was certainly painted black, but I am not so sure that this was meant as racist, although "back then" there was certainly a lot of casual racism. The remaining eye is bright green, and I have a feeling that these originally came in a variety of colors. Perhaps the original purchaser felt that the item was garish enough without adding more bright color to it.
#5 Is not a coffee bean grinder--remember, it is only three inches long.
#6 Is not machine for making pipes, or manipulating them in any way.
--Jim
New guess for 4 is a pencil sharpener. I see Debra’s guess that it was not this indeed and got through the censor gives me hope :)
ReplyDeletePipistrello, I had omitted to say that Debra sent in some comments, and that what followed were my responses to her guesses. Anyway, #4 is not a pencil sharpener. Sorry for any confusion. --Jim
DeleteAnd does 6 have a power cord at the back? The white bulb looks like a light bulb.
ReplyDeleteYes, there is a power cord. --Jim
DeleteHere are my next round of guesses, Mr. Parnassus:
ReplyDelete#1 is a Tiddledy-Winks "sqidger" game piece, c. 1890;
#3 is a One-Man Crosscut Saw with teeth filed down to make it a Music Saw;
#4 is a Rotary Phone Dialer; and
#5 is a Nutcracker made from spare parts, probably as a joke or trophy.
Your mystery object posts are always fun -- I wish you would do them more frequently!
Does 1 have to do with wax candles?
ReplyDeleteAs 3 can’t be a domestic tool, like a yard long bread knife hahah, and if it isn’t for gardening then it only leaves industry, which for the Amish could mean carpentry. The teeth don’t look particularly sharp but I’ll guess a saw.
4 looks like it pushes something at the round bottom end.
Hi again, #1 has nothing to do with wax candles.
Delete#3 is not used for carpentry.
About #4, I am not quite sure what you mean. You would have to be more specific.
--Jim
#1 - Lid of a bee pollen jar
ReplyDelete#3 - A saw for cutting down tree trunks
#4 - A telephone dialer gadget
#5 - A Cheese grater
#3 - A hay saw
ReplyDeleteTundra Bunny sent in some more responses. Here are my comments on what she wrote:
ReplyDelete#1 is not a tiddly-winks game piece or "sqidger." Thanks for the new term. We used to play tiddly-winks, but never had a special term for the pieces. At any rate, #1 would not even be usable as such a game piece.
#3 is not a "One-Man Crosscut Saw" or any kind of musical saw. Usually, musical saws are ordinary, thin, carpentry saws that use a violin bow to cause them to vibrate. #3 is rather heavy and I don't think you could get much music from it, except perhaps by hitting it, which again is not its function.
#5 is not a nutcracker or any similar type of object.
--Jim
p.s. You are actually doing pretty well!
Here are my comments on Rosemary's recent submissions:
ReplyDelete#1 is not the "Lid of a bee pollen jar"
#3 is not "A saw for cutting down tree trunks"
#5 is not a cheese grater.
But good work on your other entries!
--Jim
A FEW BROADER HINTS:
ReplyDeleteThe comments here so far can seem negative, with NOT THIS and NOT THAT, but remember that correct identifications do not appear yet.
Some of the guesses seem to be taking a wrong direction, so here are a couple of extra hints:
#1 has nothing to do with bees or honey! What you see is simply decoration (although its makers had their reasons). Look at the object itself, and try to guess what function it could accomplish.
I realize that #6 is made of mechanical parts, but it has a unified function. The parts you see are not being manipulated, but are permanent parts of the entire object, and all help to serve its function. Try to look at the object as a whole.
The others have all been identified by at least one person.
--Jim
#2 cocktail mixer
ReplyDelete#5 nutmeg grinder
Hello Debra, A label from Burt's Bees lip balm? You really are getting desperate! And anyway, would I ever include anything so new?
ReplyDelete--Jim
Well, I'm too competitive for my own good, so here are my final guesses. Maybe third time's a charm, eh?
ReplyDelete#1 -- A ball marker (golf);
#3 -- A carcass splitter; and
#6 -- A very early gas detector, probably for carbon monoxide.
Hello Tundra Bunny,
Delete#1 is not a ball marker--most of these have a spike on the back so they won't move on the grass easily, and if you recall, this has a flat back.
#3 A carcass splitter. Really? I think you were too influenced by Debra's Murder Weapon Cat.
#6 Not a gas (or any other kind of) detector.
--Jim
I have seen metal rings like your top photo before, but never with the bee so dark and a bit scary. So I am assuming it is a warning sign outside, near hives.
ReplyDeleteHello Hels, #1 is very small, only about 1 inch/2.5cm across, so perhaps it looks darker and scarier when viewed enlarged. As mentioned before, however, this item has nothing to do with bees or honey. Also, just to be sure, you called this a ring, but it is that only in the sense that it is a solid disc or circle. And finally, these do not have to be made of metal--a large percentage of the time they are not.
Delete--Jim
I’m so rubbish at this game! Here are my new guesses:
ReplyDelete1: fridge magnet
3: hedge trimmer
4: clock/watch winding key
5: seed dispenser
6: steampunked lamp made from a bench mounted vise
Pipistrello wrote in with some new guesses. Here are my comments on the incorrect ones:
ReplyDelete1: Not a fridge magnet.
3: Not a hedge trimmer (It was established before that it is not a scythe of any type).
4: Not a clock/watch winding key, but this is not a bad guess. In fact, this is round and solid, with no hole or mechanism on the bottom to wind a clock (it would be too large for a watch key).
5: Not a seed dispenser, but also a clever guess. I have seen some complicated seed dispersers, both for tiny and large seeds. But this does not have an agricultural or gardening use.
--Jim
Is #1 a token for a ride on a bus, train or metro? Maybe the "B line"?
ReplyDeleteMaybe for people told to buzz-off?
DeleteSorry, #1 is not a transportation token. Actually, it is too thin to work well as such. (That is another hint, as no one has gotten it yet!) --Jim
Last attempt Jim -
ReplyDelete#5 - a meat mincer/grinder
However, I am now wondering why you have not shown my rather strange suggestion for object #1!
Hello Rosemary, I am not sure if I have received all your comments. I did remark that #1 was not connected with beeswax polish or bee pollen. In my hint, I said that #1 had nothing to do with bees at all, other than the decoration. Did I miss something? Please re-send it if I did!
DeleteAlso, #5 is much too small to be a meat grinder. I think that you are envisioning something larger. It is only about 3 inches/8 cm long.
--Jim
Hello Rosemary, Yes, I checked spam and also the pent-up comment section in Blogger, and there was nothing from you. Please do re-send whatever thoughts you had before.
DeleteIf you need to, you can send comments directly to [email protected] and I will reprint them here.
--Jim
I'm guessing that #1 is a gasoline or other fuel cover. I'm 77 and know I've seen that object in my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteThese reversions to anonymous comments are driving me and everyone else crazy! It even happens with my own comments on my own blog.
DeleteAnyway, #1 is tiny, only an inch (2.5cm) in diameter, and very thin. Yet your guess has an odd resonance.
--Jim
Sorry I'm late here. I did not know you had a new post. Is this game over? Can I still play? I haven't read any of the comments, so even if you gave the answers away, can I still take a guess?
ReplyDeleteHello Kirk, I still will not post the results for s few days, so guess away!
Delete--Jim
Here are my final guesses, I swear, LOL!
ReplyDelete#1-- A collectible product premium from pre-WWII. The premium discs could be inserted into cardboard collectors' books like pennies;
#3 -- A cog in an industrial machine that pushes empty beer bottles or some other containers in a processing plant; and
#6 -- A lamp.
Tundra Bunny states:
ReplyDeleteHere are my final guesses, I swear, LOL!
#1-- A collectible product premium from pre-WWII. The premium discs could be inserted into cardboard collectors' books like pennies;
#3 -- A cog in an industrial machine that pushes empty beer bottles or some other containers in a processing plant.
Hello Tundra Bunny, About #1, you raise a complicated issue here, which I will go into in the reveal in a few days. However, these were not premiums and were not intended to be collected as such, although of course now they are collected, as what isn't?
Delete#3 is not part of a larger machine, and is not intended to interact directly with other mechanical parts.
--Jim
#1--A "B-line" (get it?) bus token?
ReplyDelete#4--Sleleton key?
#5--Pepper mill?
#6--Shut-off valve for toilet?
Hello Kirk, Sorry, although one answer is somewhat close, these have strayed from correct identifications. #1 has already been eliminated as a bus or transportation token, with the comment that it is too thin to serve such a function.
Delete#4 is not a key of any type.
#6 does not have any major moving parts--it is now mostly stationary.
--Jim
Just making sure previous comment was published
ReplyDeleteHello again, Yes your two comments were received, but it is beyond aggravating the way both Blogger and Wordpress revert comments to Anonymous, and sometimes make them disappear entirely!
DeleteI have found with Blogger that if you see Anonymous instead of your name, pressing Refresh a couple of time will often fix it.
--Jim
Hello Jim,
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing:
#3 is a cucumber cutter.
#5 is a whistle.
Hello RTC, Thank you for your entries.
DeleteI am not sure I understand your identification of #3 as a cucumber cutter. It is quite large, about a meter long, so it could not be used on the fruits/vegetables themselves, even to sever them from the vine. Anyway, it has nothing to do with cucumbers.
I agree that #5 looks just like a whistle, and I have even seen some toy or real sirens with a rotating handle like that, although usually larger, but this item is not intended to produce noise, although it would make a minor audible sound while it is being used for something else. It does have an interior mechanism to accomplish its goal.
--Jim
Okay, here goes some more wild guesses:
ReplyDelete1: plectrum
3: hay saw
4: match striker
5: ticket dispenser
Pipistrello came up with a few last-minute entries:
ReplyDeleteOkay, here goes some more wild guesses:
1: plectrum
4: match striker
5: ticket dispenser
Hello Pipistrello,
Delete#1 is not a plectrum. As mentioned before, it is very thin; too thin and soft to use for this purpose.
#4 is not a match striker, although I think I see what you mean. It does resemble those reusable matches that you don't see much anymore. It does have some texture, which while not for striking matches, still serves a purpose.
#5 is ABSOLUTELY not a ticket dispenser. In fact, you would regret trying to use it for that purpose.
--Jim
p.s. You already have partial credit for one of your today's answers which unfortunately went stray of the mark.
I am completely stumped with 1 and 4 and can’t think up any more crazy ideas there, but 5 evidently has some cutting or mincing function, and I’m leaning towards the vegetable department, and judging by it’s age it’s probably unlikely to be a garlic mincer, so I’m going with nutmeg grater. If no joy results, I’m going to have to admit defeat and bow out!
ReplyDeleteI'll say number one is a bingo chip.
ReplyDeleteHello Kirk, I had to look up the size of bingo chips, since I have never played the game. They generally are 3/4 to 7/8 inch in diameter, so on average a little smaller, although the mystery object came in a variety of sizes and shapes, both smaller and larger than the one illustrated.
Delete--Jim
p.s. I wonder now could bingo chips substitute for tiddly-winks?
Pipistrello, Your latest comment came in just under the wire. In fact, it caused me a bit of work because I had already tabulated the results and written most of the reveal post, but your late (although correct) entry upset everything!
ReplyDelete--Jim