Here’s a picture of something that was donated to the thrift stores run by my wife. Does anyone have any idea what it is? It’s got six double rolls, each wound with paper on which is printed three numbers. It’s 9 inches tall and 12 inches long. On the top of it is stamped “Patented Feb 2. 1897.”
1897! Now, c’mon. You guys are smart. What is this thing?
(Hey: I’m writing this, right now, today–as opposed to yesterday, when I wrote the above. Find out what this thing turned out be in today’s post, which is here.)
![John Shore on The Huffington Post](http://johnshore.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/huffpost.jpg?w=120 "John Shore on The Huffington Post\")
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we just like guessing, Mr. Tucker
I know what this is. Do people really want to know or do they just enjoy guessing? It was invented by David Haines from Sandy Hill, NY. It’s patent number is 576450.
I sent your email on to mom. She knows her antiques. She’s a walking encyclopedia; a wealth of times long gone.
I will post what she says.
My guess?
Something really old.
LOL
Blessings,
John
I agree with Mark Bradshaw. It does look like some sort of drying rack or at least ringing out the water in clothes, so they aren’t hung to dry SOAKING wet!
um . . . ?
YOu've certainly got the suspense going, though =)
It's a mimeograph machine! I remember the one at my grade school back in the days. Whenever the teacher would run off copies of papers and pass them out to us students, we would each hold it up to our noses and take a big SNIFF…! I know some of you out there have a similar memory… So I say the photo is of an old-style mimeograph/ duplicator machine… Thank you, and God bless and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
It's a map holder! It's nice and neat, made to organize something.
Did you know the US Patent Office patented 487 patents on Feb 2, 1897? In case you ever wanted to know. You couldn't just give us the patent number and make it easy, could ya?
Looks like the metal strips are meant to compress the rods together. First thing that makes come to mind is drying out clothes. I’d say this is some sort of drying machine.
Some of these guesses are great!!!!!!
Actually it’s a medieval torture device but by the time the guy got this thing through the patent office, it had been outlawed.
You are just attempting to confuzzle me too, aren't you? I apologize for thinking me was also John.
Oh, and I so wish i was head of Homeland Security. Can you image the fun I could have?
Tam,
this is "me" and I'm not John Shore, just so you know.
And, in the case that people can be confuzzles, I know some confuzzles.
that was fun. make sure to tell us what becomes of it john
And I thought it was a miniature rug holder… darn
I didn't want to spoil the fun if people liked guessing. I'm glad tam isn't in charge of homeland security if he's willing to torture me over this. So before I end up in some Abu Graib type situation I'll confess..it is a stamp dispenser. I gave you the inventor and patent number and you had the date. Anyone could have simply looked it up like I did. Mr. Haines designed this to dispense stamps when the post office handled postage stamps in long sheet like rolls. The numbers on the spindles were supposed to help keep count of the number of stamps dispensed and remaining on the spool. It doesn't seem like it would work very well and I couldn't find any evidence that it was actually used by the post office.
I think this belongs in the National Postal Museum in Washington,DC which also has the old post office from my hometown Dillsburg, PA. I think we should send the photos and information to the museum to see if they want it.
Treasure maps.
John – yes people can be confuzzles. Some are designed stircly to be confuzzles. People can also be confuzzled (usually as a result of encountering a confuzzle).
I also think jonathons theory (that it is a torture device) should be tried out on mMr. Tucker for rubbing it in that he knows what it is… and then leaving without telling us.
A printing press.
Mama Lucia's Super Duper Wowie Zowie Multi Purpose Pasta Press?
Yeah, a DRYING thing! Except, wait. It's only nine inches tall, and a foot long. So that can't be it. Unless it's a thing leprachuans (sp??) use to dry their hankies. (Jonathan's answer was funny.) Leif's I thought of, too: I thought it was maybe a toilet paper dispenser for, like, Edison-era nerds. But there's not room for the roll!
Hjordes's answer ("It's the Antique that will make you Rich beyond your wildest dreams") was majorly good.
All of these have been.
One guy–a pastor!–emailed me and said he thought it was something used to pull groundhogs out of the ground. But that's just stupid.
It's the fore runner of the toilet roll dispenser.
The Antique that will make you Rich beyond your wildest dreams.
a julian calender calculater? a first try by bill gates? who knows but you might make a mint from the antique road show on the thing.
Probably would make a great wrapping paper dispensor for a large volume wrapping center. (Can't help that one, it is Christmas you know!
Merry Christmas, BTW
Looks like a sandpaper dispensor
tam,
I like that…a confuzzle….is it possible for people to be confuzzles?
Oh, I recognize that. It's your ticket to getting onto Antique Roadshow.
It is a confuzzle – confuzzles are crafted with no express purpose other then to confuse people who find them years later. If a confuzzle make you scratch your head and make wild specualtions regarding it's use… then it has done it's job.
I don't know….a…scroll-holder???????
Looks like some sort of measuring gizmo. Technical, I know!
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