More Mystery Objects (2024 Edition)

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.)

Photo Caption Challenge Results

Thanks to all of you who responded to my baby photo caption contest. This post was really a treat for myself, as I got to enjoy a laugh or smile as each entry arrived.

Incidentally, of the three babies, the second one is definitely a boy, named William Austin. I cannot be sure whether Austin is his middle or family name. I have a feeling/vague memory that the cornet baby is also a boy, but I only have a copy of the front here, and all three actual photos are in Cleveland. The people of yesteryear were unfortunately just as guilty as we are in neglecting to label photos.

Those who sent in replies were:

Mariette
Tundra Bunny 
Debra She Who Seeks 
Kirk    
Roughterrain crane  
Rosemary 
Architect Design 
The Vintage Contessa 
(Note: The Contessa has recently changed blog hosts, and the above link is the new and correct one. I was dismayed to have been out of touch with her for a while.)


Here are the captions you supplied:

#1 Key Baby:

   I picked Daddy's pocket. Now to find the liquor cabinet.  (Kirk)
   Hey, I finally got the keys to the liquor cabinet: let's PAR-TAY!  (Tundra Bunny)

NB: I hadn't known that my readers were such a bibulous lot!

   Look! I've found my keys but where are my glasses?  (Rosemary)
   Shows such perfect lace work and a happy baby which is KEY!  (Mariette)
   What are you looking at, tough guy?  (Architect Design)
   Mine!  (Contessa)
   Thanks Mum! No, of course I won't scratch it!  (Rosemary)
   I promise I'll have it back by midnight, Dad.  (Kirk)
   I hold the key to make the world happier than ever.  (roughterrain crane)

#2 Baby With Stuffed Animal

   Are you sure it's got no teeth?  (Rosemary)
   Why couldn't I have been born in an era with cute plush toys instead of this ugly hell hound?   (Debra She Who Seeks)
   Trust my cheapskate parents to get me a public domain Winnie-the-Pooh.   (Kirk)
   You said I'd get a Steiff teddy bear if I was good...   (Tundra Bunny)
   Bear is not yet a bosom friend!  (Mariette)
   No! I am not going to cuddle it.  (Rosemary)
   What do you mean he's cuter than me?  (Architect Design)
   I don't trust this babysitter   (Kirk)
   May I take the baby for a walk?  (roughterrain crane)
   Do I have to?  (Contessa)

 

 

 

 

#3 Cornet Baby  

   I asked for a rattle.  (Rosemary)
   You mean I have to play my own lullaby?!  (Kirk)
   You want me to blow what where?!   (Tundra Bunny)
   But it's bigger than me!  (Architect Design)
   Guess that cornet was COLD  (Mariette)
   Mama, just stop kissing dada and make the pleasant noise!  (roughterrain crane)
   Big to be a RATTLE!  (Contessa)
   Noooo Dad, I said I wanted a cornetto, not a cornet! (A cornetto is an ice cream in a cone in the UK)  (Rosemary)

Note that “cornetto” is also an obsolete musical instrument, with finger holes and a cupped mouthpiece. It was often called a cornet (i.e., little horn), but to avoid confusion with the modern cornet, it is usually today called a cornett, cornetto, or zink. (Photo via Wikipedia)


Good job, everyone! It is surprising how often we could have matched the entries to their writers simply by what they said. I am lucky to have such a varied and interesting group of readers, and I am grateful that so many of you have not forgotten my blog during my long absence.

I enjoyed all of your entries. If you get a sudden new inspiration, or have some general comment, be sure to reply below.

I will now reveal the *actual* answers: All three babies are saying, “I want Jim to adopt me!” Baby #3 is even offering a bribe!


(All original photos property of the author.)

 

 

Antique Photo Caption Contest

 
Hello, everyone! It has been quite some time since I posted, so it's time to make my grand re-entrance with a fun contest. With so much negative news lately, I thought I would I would start this year with a happy topic—babies!

Over the years I have presented a variety of my collections, but without question my main and largest collection is early photographs. Although very few of my photographs are of babies, I do have some that display a special added attribute, as demonstrated by each of today’s photos.

I have decided to make this a caption contest. Think of creative captions for any or all of these photographs, and enter them in the comments. 

 

#1 Keys
What could be better than a happy, smiling baby? This particular smile was induced by handing the baby a key ring, showing that things have not changed much over the years. Of course, since this photo is over 100 years old, these are old-fashioned skeleton and cabinet keys.

 

 

 

 

 

 #2 Toy
What baby doesn’t love a fuzzy, cuddly toy animal? Apparently, this baby doesn’t, and his facial expression and body language say it all in this photograph.

 #3 Cornet
You all know how much I love the cornet, so acquiring this photo was inevitable. The baby, on the other hand, doesn’t seem too pleased with his parents’ musical ambitions for him.

 

Let these cute babies inspire you, and please enter your captions in the comments. I am not quite sure yet how the grand reveal will work, but I will turn on comment moderation in the meantime.

I am looking forward to your replies! 

 

 

Five Western Mystery Objects Revealed

This Mystery Object post has created quite a discussion. All in all there were 39 correct answers given. Congratulations to Rosemary, NYChatham, and Tundra Bunny, who tied for first place with four correct identifications each. A special shout-out goes to Mariette, who was the only one who guessed the apparently difficult #3.

Here are the answers:

#1 Button Hook

Mariette, Debra, Michelle, Jack, NYChatham, Rosemary, Sue Bursztynski, The Contessa, Travel, Mrs. D., Pipistrello, and Tundra Bunny all got this one correct.

In earlier times there were many buttons that held clothes together. Shoes and gloves especially were held on by rows of buttons. The button hook made the job easier. You put the hook through the buttonhole, grabbed onto the shank of the button, then pulled the button through the hole.

I have tried this and it is very easy to become skilled with a button hook. The tiny example pictured here was likely meant for gloves—the larger, tighter buttons on shoes would probably break it.

Here is a photo of a few more buttonhooks from dresser sets that my sister was kind enough to send to me:

#2 Hair Receiver

This direct top view shows the center hole more clearly.

NYChatham, Rosemary, Kirk, The Contessa, Mrs. D., Pipistrello, and Tundra Bunny all identified this object.

Hair receivers once adorned virtually every lady’s dresser top. Women would brush their long hair, then pull the hair out of the brush and push it through the hole in the lid. When the receiver was full, they could take the accumulated hair out and make a small cushion called a rat, which was used to supply extra volume and height for elaborate hairstyles.

There are many hair receivers (such as this one) made out of celluloid, an early kind of plastic. A great many were also ceramic, and some were even made of sterling silver. Here is an unusual square ceramic one with a square hole, again courtesy of my sister:

#3 Corn Husker

This was correctly identified only by Mariette.

This item was dedicated to Kirk, whose blog Shadow of a Doubt recently honored Carl Sandburg. Kirk in that post mentioned Sandburg’s 1919 award-winning poem collection called Cornhuskers.

When you buy fresh corn (maize) the ears are covered with leaves or husks which must be shucked off. This is not so bad if you are boiling a few ears for dinner, but if you have an entire field of corn to husk, especially when it has been left to dry in the field for animal feed, these tough husks would rip your hands to shreds. Enter the corn husker, of which there are many varieties around.

The leather strap went around your hand, and the point could be used to puncture and start splitting apart the husk, which was then easily removed by hand. Farm workers were incredibly fast with this tool, and indeed corn husking competitions were common in earlier decades, and there is some footage of these on Youtube.

I didn’t plan for this one to be so hard. Corn huskers can easily be found at flea markets or online. Here is a group that I bought together (the one used in the quiz was purchased separately). You can see some of the many forms these came in:

Proof that Necessity is the mother of Invention

#4 Jug Cover

Mariette, Debra, Michelle, Hels, NYChatham, Rosemary, slf, Jenny Woolf, Travel, Bazza, Pipistrello, Loree, and Tundra Bunny all knew what this was.

This is an object that could still be useful. When flies are numerous, cream jugs, drinks, and various dishes of food could all be protected by these crocheted (or knitted or whatever) covers, whose edges were weighted down with glass beads so they would not fall off easily.

The one illustrated above has a kookaburra in the center, indicating that it came from Australia, as Hels explained. In fact, these are found all over, but there does seem to be a predominance of them in Australia, where my examples came from.

I am adding a picture of a plainer one, an intricate one topped with a teacup, and a view of the whole group to indicate the variety these can be found in.

#5 Collapsible Cup

I admit this one was a bit of a perspective trick, as most of you have probably seen these. However, Debra, NYChatham, Rosemary, The Contessa, Travel, and Tundra Bunny all identified it correctly.

These compact cups were used to carry on one’s person, in traveling bar kits, and as camping equipment. They must have been a blessing for fastidious people in the days when drinking fountains or other sources a water had a single public tin cup for everyone to use.

The side view immediately identifies both its use and its telescoping mechanism. This one is very small, about the size of a shot glass.

The top view would have given it away, with its inscription Vest Pocket Cup in pleasantly old-fashioned writing.

The rivet on the bottom is a little mysterious. It doesn’t indent too much on the bottom, but given the size of the cup, I am guessing this might have been part of a traveling bar set, and the cup snapped into place.

 

Thank you to all who participated in this quiz. The answers and guesses were very well thought out, especially for items that were unfamiliar. Tabulating all the answers was quite a job, so if I made a mistake, let me know and I will fix it.

Please don’t worry that I will run out of mystery objects, either Asian or Western. In fact, when my sister was sending me the photos, she sent one of an item she had just obtained, that I believe will make the corn husker look like child’s play!

===========================================
All of the objects and photos shown here are property of the author, except as noted. The group photos of the corn huskers and the jug covers (except for the kookaburra, again, courtesy of my sister) were the original listing photos when I purchased them.

Mystery Objects -- Western Edition

In the past all of my Mystery posts have been of Chinese items, which has made many of them difficult to guess. Other cultures might use the same items, but they can be hard to recognize when buried in carvings of dragons and the like.

Since turnabout is fair play, I have decided to do a mystery post of Western objects, but this time the rules will be a little different. I am afraid that some of these will prove too easy, so I am including five mystery objects in this post. Each correct guess will count, and the grand winner will be the one with the most points.

#1

#1  This is the epitome of antique or bygone objects, once found in literally every Western home. While the handles could be made of any material, the business end was usually steel, and the entire object ranges from about three to six inches long. This diminutive example, made from bone and steel, is less than three inches long, but it works fine.

#2

 

#2  These items for a long time were nearly as ubiquitous as the above object. They could be made of many materials, especially china, but this example is made from celluloid. They seem to average about five inches across.

#3 top

#3 bottom

#3  This article is perhaps more of an American specialty. Many designs and varieties exist. This one is made from steel and leather, and is almost five inches long.

#4

#4  These crocheted pieces bordered with glass beads seem so handy that I am surprised they are not in more general use, although possibly in some places they still are. They are typically six to eight inches across.

#5

 

#5  These frankly are still available, although their greatest popularity was a while ago. Often about one to three inches in diameter, this small-sized example is made of nickel-plated brass.

If you can identify any or all of these objects, please do so in the comments. The usual mystery object rules will apply. Comment moderation will be turned on. Incorrect answers will be printed immediately, so people can guess again with more clues. Correct answers will be withheld until the Reveal post in about a week.

Good Luck!
 

Mystery Object Revealed—Chinese Calligraphy Guides or Frames

This mystery object was used in the production of calligraphy. To keep the columns of characters straight, sometimes guide lines were lightly inscribed. But for those who preferred a more freehand look, these brass frames placed on the paper or silk ensured proper proportions and alignment of the characters as they were painted. They are thus among the many items that belonged in the scholar’s studio.

This was probably a difficult object to guess for those who don’t do drafting or calligraphy, but two readers used the clues and very much narrowed down the answer. Bazza directly mentioned calligraphy, and Rosemary’s mention of a template is so tantalizingly close that I have counted it as a winner.

The top example is made of cast brass, lending it some weight so that it could also be used as a paperweight, and so that it would not slip easily. The top side has a floral decoration, while the bottom is polished to lie flat against the work as it was produced.

The smooth and polished underside of the frame show that it was used directly on the paper or silk

These frames are still very much used by those who practice Chinese calligraphy. The following screen shot take from a Google search shows them in use, and that they often come in sets of varying sizes. Notice that some have rulers stamped along the edges, as a further aid in getting the proper proportions to the characters.

These frames also helped to align the placement of the seal-stamps that were used by Chinese artists and collectors. Painters and calligraphers often sign their own productions with red seals, and collectors of fine paintings and calligraphy may add their own seals, even to famous paintings of important cultural value.

Over time, the accumulation of the stamps adds a characteristic look to Chinese paintings, a visible record of appreciation over many generations. The seals also provide a provenance, and the seal of a famous collector or emperor adds to the cachet of a work.

Zhao Meng-fu (1254-1322) was a revered Yuan Dynasty painter. His Autumn Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Chinese paintings. Notice how many red seals are on the painting, and how carefully they are placed. I have been fortunate to see this painting in person, and the effect of Zhao Meng-fu’s genius is truly astounding.

This famous painting has accumulated many seals over the last 700 years. To see its beautiful detail, visit the original photo in Wikipedia, then click to enlarge.

Detail of above. Imagine the nerve it must take to add one of these seals. What if you botched it and got a red smudge on this treasure?

The next calligraphy alignment frame sports a meander or Greek key design. It could use some cleaning up, but I am afraid that removing the paper tag would create a “clean” spot on the frame, and I certainly do not want to polish it. Usually I remove tags immediately, but this is an old one that had been on there a long time, and would not come off easily. The same is true of the paper tags on the bottom of the floral one.
 

My final calligraphy frame is less fancy, although it is still decorated. It has engraved trophies in the middle of the long sides, interspersed with punchwork bats and corner elements. It is interesting how the corner designs closely echo the pattern of the bats. Perhaps not as heavy as the other two, it is still somewhat substantial, as one would not want these to move easily once one started writing!

When I was learning Chinese writing, I used specially ruled paper to keep the characters somewhat in order. In great calligraphy, the apparent freedom of the artist's brush is especially admired, and although some artists use genuine freehand, who knows how many rely on mechanical aids like these decorated brass frames.

(All original objects and photos property of the author. Zhao Meng-fu painting is from Wikipedia, and the Google search is of course from Google.)

Chinese Brass Mystery Object

I apologize for having been remiss in posting, and in addition it’s been a very long time since I have done a mystery object.

So many objects were beautifully made in the past, but today their identification is often obscure. If you know or can guess what this is, let me know in the comments. I will turn on comment moderation for this post, so if you guess correctly I will withhold your winning comment until the big reveal next week, in order to give others a chance.

This utilitarian object is made from brass, and is about five or six inches (c. 13 cm) on the long side, although these came in different sizes.

Perhaps the exact use for this object was more common in Asian countries, at least those with Chinese-inspired cultures, but somewhat similar objects were made elsewhere. They are still made today, both the Asian and non-Asian types.

Good Luck. I look forward to seeing your responses.


(All photos and original objects property of the author.)

My Ties to Tie Clips

When I was in college, I played the contrabass clarinet in the concert band. The contrabass is a huge clarinet, pitched two octaves below the standard clarinet in Bb. It is over six feet tall and must be played standing up. This configuration posed an unusual problem.

Single-reed player Jay Easton playing the Bb contrabass clarinet, showing the size of the instrument. His website additionally features many unusual clarinets and saxophones. Click here to listen to him playing the instrument (Mr. Easton plays in a modern style; I also enjoyed playing more traditional melodies).

I had to wear a necktie for many concerts, with the result that the tie would swing forward and interfere with the keywork on the instrument. When I explained this to my musician grandfather, he replied that he had a present for me.

Clarinet octave key tie clip.

It turned out to be a tie clip made from the octave key of a clarinet. This solved the problem in a most perfect and suitable way. You can imagine how happy I was to locate the clip recently in a box of small items I had in storage.

The tie clip compared to the octave key of a standard soprano Bb clarinet.

I treasure this tie clip because it has memories both of playing in the band and of my grandfather, who after a career as a professional tuba player, settled down in Canton, Ohio and had his own music store.

A pencil from my grandfather's music store.

At the same time he gave me the clarinet tie clip, he also gave me this set of tie clip and cuff links, shaped like grand pianos.

That box contained a number of other novelty tie clips, mostly gathered as fun collectibles that reflected other interests. I never wore any except the clarinet key, and that one not since college. Here are a few favorites:

For a while I had a metal detector, and while they do work, the learning curve is considerable. Any detectorist will confirm that what you mostly find are those old pull tabs from beverage cans. So I really enjoyed the humor of this tie clip, which is not made from a real pull tab, but is a specially made solid piece of jewelry.

I love hand tools and anything to do with them, including these vintage tie clips.

This thermometer tie clip really works, and the scale is printed horizontally so that it can be easily read when worn.

From the handcuff theme, this is obviously a policeman's tie clip. It came with a money clip marked for the Cleveland Police. It probably wouldn't hurt to wear this one while driving.

Everyone from Cleveland knows the Cleveland-Cliffs company, long a giant in the mining and shipping of ore. This tie clip shows the ship Edward B. Greene, named for the president of the company in the 1930's.

You may recall my post on the wooden Budai statue. Here he is in triplicate, as a tie clip and cuff link set. (Although made of ivory, this set certainly pre-dates any ban on that substance.)

The Budai are all carved very well. Even on the underside which does not show, the feet and toes are clearly defined.

When I started collecting items, I trained myself to recognize real amber, tortoiseshell, etc. That skill came in handy when rescuing this amber tie tack from the twenty-five cent box.

Perhaps my most amazing tie clip was a present from my sister. (We have an ongoing contest to see who can find the best presents for each other. I can assure you that the competition is fierce.) When we were growing up, we used a silverware pattern called Flair, made by Rogers Brothers and originally produced in the 1950's. We loved this set which embodied many happy memories for us. 

In recent years we have even augmented our holdings of Flair, adding serving pieces, baby sets, and the like. Imagine my surprise when my sister came up with this Flair tie clip, which must have been made in the '50's for the use of salesmen selling Rogers silver. I cannot imagine there are many of these around.

The Rogers Brothers Flair pattern tie clip. Like the pull tab, this was specially made as jewelry, not cut down from some utensil.

The tie clip next to a Flair demitasse spoon for comparison.

The clarinet key tie clip was a real life saver, while the others were collected out of a sense of fun, each representing an interest in my life. Let me know if you have a favorite among these, or if you have a favorite piece of jewelry with a story behind it.






All photographs and original objects property of the author.