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Monday, April 25, 2011

Wooden slat mystery

Here's one that threw me initially...

but then I figured it out...

but then parts don't make sense-

The wood board slides in the grooves.  The top 6 grooves are close in width, the bottom two are different.  It's about 7 inches wide and 10 inches long-
Do you know what it is?


What?

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Paul Revere art deco patented wood brass hemisphere book end

This neat book end says “Revere, Rome, NY, Patent applied for”.  As it turns out, the patent was issued January11, 1935.  See the patent here. The fellow that invented it was employed by Revere Copper and Brass incorporated. 

The company is still going strong, known today as Revere Copper Products incorporated and is one of the oldest manufacturing companies in the United States.  The company was founded in 1801 by Paul Revere, the very same fellow we all read about whom on April 18th, 1775 made his famous ride from Boston to Concord warning the colonists that the British were coming.   Turns out he wasn’t just good at riding horses and shouting warnings, he was also a great artisan / craftsmen, who later turned into an equally fantastic industrialist / manufacturer. 
 
Early on he was a prominent silversmith making utensils, bronze bells, and other such things.  By 1800 he had figured out how to roll copper into sheets, freeing the fledgling country from it’s necessity to import copper sheets from England to strengthen the hulls of their warships.  In 1801 he rolled the first copper sheets in America, refining up to 1800 pounds of copper at a time using only wood for fuel, and supplying the navy with copper sheets without the need to import any. In addition to rolling copper sheathing for ships, Paul Revere made sheathing for the State House in Boston, which required 7,675 lbs. of copper sheathing and 789 lbs. of copper nails, at a cost of $4,232. The roof of the State House in Boston lasted 100 years.

So as it turns out, what appears to be a brass sheathing coil attached to a hemisphere shaped piece of wood, made at some point prior to 1935, is in fact  a piece of American history. 

Here are a few great resources:



The vintage Revere bookend pictured here has been sold.

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Monday, April 18, 2011

Vintage Cedar Point on Lake Erie Rail Road ceramic stein C.P. & L. E.R.R.


So this 4 1/2 inch little stein lead me on a bit of an adventure.  Having grown up in Ohio I visited Cedar Point Amusement Park on occasion, though i must admit that living much closer to Cincinnati had me riding the coasters at Kings Island much more often.  

Speaking of roller coasters I found some amazing history on the place known as Cedar Point at rollercosterfreak.com.  I think the thrill ride amusement park takes center stage these days, but early on the place known as Cedar Point was a sleepy little vacation destination on the lake.  

It wasn't until 1823 that the phrase "Cedar Point" came into use.The lighthouse was buillt in 1939 (discontinued in 1904) and it wasn't until 1870, with the addition of a beer garden, bathhouse, covered dance platform, refreshment stands, swings, see-saws and sliding boards, that the place became a real destination and had what is know as their "first season". 1888 saw the addition of the Grand Pavilion and  three 66ft bowling alleys, and 2 years later there was a water toboggan that dumped riders out into the lake.  

The Switchback Railway, Cedar Point's first roller coaster, opened in 1892. Hotels, theaters, boardwalks, museums, arcades, railways, and other attractions followed rapidly.  in fact the Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad (C.P. & L.E.R.R.), featured on this stein opened in 1963 with over 370,000 guests riding the railroad during its first season. One of 6 authentic steam locomotives carried 300 people at a time. It has a rich history that is still being laid today, check out the C.P & L.E.R.R.site for more.

Today Cedar Point is a major draw for many vacations from all over the country.

Vintage Cedar Point railroad stein for sale here

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Wooden dowel peg tray with cabinet handles MYSTERY


So here is the latest baffling item.  I don't think it's vintage but it has me puzzled.  It is a well made tray about 18 x 12 inches, with a pattern of holes on top. There are 2 handles firmly bolted on, and 4 good rubber feet screwed to the bottom.  The holes on top are slightly countersunk, perfectly cored and smooth. It is a very stout and heavy piece of wood that appears to be veneered.
Interestingly, in addition to the holes on top, there are holes on the side ends, with one side having 2 holes and the other side having 4 holes.  The pegs fit, but the holes are at least half a peg length in depth.  I am guessing some of the pegs are missing.

I have a few ideas but don't want to steer your thinking...   Anyone be of some assistance or offer outlandish guesses?  Perhaps someone can lead me to some definitive proof and get a surprise thank - you in their mailbox!



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Wacky things

Tap-Icer vintage patent bar ware item

So I stumbled across this little gem called the Tap-Icer, "Cracks Ice in a Jiffy".  It has a patent that you can see here from 1962, which is a improvement over a similar invention from the 1940's.

According to the instructions you "Place an ice cube in your hand.  With the other hand vibrate the Tap-Icer with wrist action.  After a few light taps the ice cracks into many pieces.  The special spring action does the trick.  Vibrate about two to three inches above the flat surface of the ice... don't pound."
 
After trying it out, I understand somewhat why this item isn't in every household in America, because most Americans simply put ice cubes in a zip lock bag and hit them with hammers!

The vintage tap icer barware ice crushing tool pictured here has been sold.




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Vibratory action

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Vintage hand painted Ransburg Red Aster stoneware set ca. 1930 - 1960

This set is from the Ransburg Company’s “Red Aster” pattern, used on their popular stoneware from 1930 – 1960. Each piece was hand painted by a well trained decorator, at a time when most companies were exploring cutting quality for cost, Harper Ransburg invested time and money into training professionals that makes Ransburg quality unmatched with any of it’s contemporaries.

Harper J. Ransburg’s story is a testament to the American entrepreneurial system. He was born in Indiana in 1886, the son of German Quaker farmers. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade to help support his family. It seems he could have gone on to be a Professor in marketing at an Ivy-League school. He was one of the first to market items as "sets" rather than individual pieces, so in a way he is to thank for your cell phone “bundling” package! He also threw in free stuff such as selling cookie jars full of cookies. Ransburg figured out the importance of "cross-selling," and put it to good use. Ransburg developed a highly successful business with a range of product lines.

Instead of the college route, he founded a glass cutting business in Toledo, OH, and with a gamble on a loan, he moved operations to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1912. There, in short order he launched a multi-million dollar household products company, that at it’s peak was selling 250,000 hand painted cookie jars per year.

Ransburg products reflect pride and craftsmanship. The company had a large range of products made from all sorts of material, glass to metal, plastic to pottery, each one now drawing in collectors.  There are some great books on this company, check the Amazon links below.




What about this stuff on Amazon?
Salt & Pepper shakers

Friday, April 8, 2011

S.S.S. patented metal doo-hickey mystery


Measuring about 3 inches x 3 inches this little doo-hickey has "S.S.S." stamped on it along with indications it has patents from July 1, 84, & May 12, 85.  My initial patent search turned up nothing, nor did any of my other searches for that matter!

By squeezing the wire pins that hold the arm in place, one can move the arm up and down a little bit, releasing the pins will hold it in that place.  There is an oval shaped ring on the pin side.

A confounding little piece!  Anyone leading me to the answers here might just find a little surprise package in their mailbox!

Update
Thanks to my uncle Bobby who lead us in the right direction, and thanks to the folks at Patent Place USA for knowing how to look for this and actually finding it!

It is a "Scarf Shield" from the late 1800's, designed to hold neck-ware in place.  My You Tube Video explains it in detail.

Here is the first patent, regarding the mechanism that is made to hang on buttons.
Here is the second patent, that is actually of this piece.




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doo-hickey
metal
Patent art  
Inventions
Scarves

Thursday, March 31, 2011

vintage 1968 plaid fold away basket company highlander model Highlights for Children

This piece is not a complete mystery… in fact it isn’t much of a mystery at all.  At least on the surface.

Lets start with the box... which tells us this is the all purpose folding basket called "Fold-Away", a registered trademark.  I can’t find who had it registered.   It was mailed to an address in Massachusetts during the summer of 1968, according to the postage. The label tells us it was sent from the still operational magazine, Highlights for Children, out of Columbus, Ohio.

Which makes me wonder if this was a “reward” of some sort from the magazine? 

The wood handled basket lays flat in the closed position, measuring about 11 x 14 inches. Opened up the basket is about 10 x 14 and about 7 inches deep. Unfinished metal supports that simply push in place, give the basket it's structural integrity while open.

According to the metal post bracket on the inside of this basket, it was made by the Fold-Away Basket Company out of Madison, Indiana, and lists two patents: 2.042.977 & 2.228.248.
 
A very utilitarian piece with some interesting and mysterious history, perhaps someone out there can tell us more?

This item has been sold

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