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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: katerina00 on December 16, 2011, 12:32:31 am
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Hey guys, I recently came across this item in a box lot that I bought from an auction and I have absolutely no idea what it is. It appears to be made of metal, maybe brass? The base of it also unscrews. At first I thought it was a paperweight but now I'm not so sure. Any help on identifying what this is would be very much appreciated.
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You didn't state how tall it was.
If tall enough, my guess would be .... a free-standing "post" like is used in Banks, etc., to "rope-off" a specific area to human traffic.
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Sorry about that (newbie) it's only 44cm tall
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does the top come off? my first guess is a candlestick holder
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thats what I thought as well but no, the top doesn't unscrew and there is no hole to put a candle in
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Can you post a picture of the very bottom of it?
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sure, it looks like it has a proper bottom to it with a piece of dark green felt adhered to it. Obviously its meant to stand up that way and the green felt I guess it supposed to protect the surface it's sitting on. I'll take a pic of the base and get back to u
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here is a pic of the base, it was maroon felt not dark green..
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I think its bronze rather than brass and from the bottom we can say that it was meant to sit on something !! At less that 2 feet tall I am trying to figure out what its meant to sit on !! Odd thing is,, it doesn`t seem to have a particular use other than to look good sitting somewhere !!
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looking good is questionable lol.. im debating what to do with it at this point, guess I will just have to hold onto it until I find out exactly what it is. I wonder if the metal has been painted over? We tried making a small scratch underneath it to see the colour of the metal, right now I guess the toss up is between brass and bronze. I'm just itching to know what it is..
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when the base unscrews is it hollow? like you could put something in it or is it simply solid?
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yeh if u look in the third pic, i think it is.. u will notice that the base is hollow.. almost like you could stash something in there, initially when we opened it we were hoping to come across wads of cash or something lol but it was empty. I thought maybe it could be used as a keepsafe bookend type thing but its too tall to fit on a book shelf..
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Don`t scratch that patina off !! If you do that use the bottom, not the main body !!
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dont worry, we just made a small mark inside the threads. Also found out that the top part of it does unscrew as well, so maybe it is a candlestick holder? ???
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I don`t think so !! It would look really strange with a candle !! And many items like this unscrew at various points !! I am still looking !!!
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It's a bird, It's a plane, NO! It's......oh hell, i have no clue what it is, lol.
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damn, i got excited then.. i thought someone had finally figured it out :-\
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thanks mart, i really appreciate it.. i;ve busted my chops looking for what this thing could be too
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LOL !! Jacon4, we don`t know either !! I am thinking of what to call it and post is all I can come up with !! Where it might have been used is the big question too !! Bank, gov`t offices, church, courthouses ??? It doesn`t have the loop for something to put a rope through so it isn`t a marking post of any kind and its too short,,( sorry cogar ! IO even looked at one site that had something similar for a paper towel holder and the base was simillar but I don`t think this one is it either !!
Have you looked at it closely with a magnifier for a foundry mark ??
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I've looked at it closely, no marks.. Nothing. It's sO frustrating!! I wouldn't even know what to call th shape either, it's not a tower, is it a column idk
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is it? possibly? related to this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/circa-1900s-ANTIQUE-BRONZE-STAND-CYLYNDER-OIL-LAMP-LANTERN-CANDLE-CANDLESTICK-/170720144290?_trksid=p3284.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D21%26pmod%3D110768445588%26ps%3D54
just an idea that crossed my mind. since the base is hollow it could hold oil. a wick could be run up the column. another thought was a lamp base but an oil lamp makes more sense
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good thinking but there isn't a hole to allow for a wick, I thought it might be an antique lamp base but there are no cords running thru it. I also thought it might be this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SOLID-BRONZE-ANDIRONS-BOW-TIE-DECORATION-/270876389052?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f117daebc#ht_571wt_1185
andirons are used to hold logs in a fire place but there is no hole for the bar of metal to sit in in order to hold the logs.. gahhhhhhh! so confusing :-\
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I think it might be a hat stand for use on a desk, table or dresser. It could also have been used as a door stop/porter if it's heavy enough.
Look for wear on it. If there is a lot of wear on the top and around the sides of the base and the felt bottom then I would guess a door stop/porter or something that was relocated a lot.
If there is a lot of wear on just the top then I would say a hat stand or possibly just a decorative piece used for that purpose.
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there doesn;t seem to be much wear on it at all, if any.. i'm stumped, I have no idea what it could be
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Well , my 2 cent opinion goes like :
Looks like an item that was once common to see on desktops , esp. with 'boss' types , most frequently these mildly-disguised phallic do-dads were sold in pairs , &/or as components of a fully-furnished desktop .
Heavy enough for a person on the other side of the desk to maybe think about not sayin' anything that mighta gotten a person whacked with one or two , back in the day .
Nice heavy cast & machined 'formerly-macho feng shui-esque' item , katerina00 .
I'm only guessing , but perhaps 1920's-1930's .
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Okay.....Going to chime in. I believe it is what it is....a decorative piece. It resembles tabletop pieces that Kevin M stated were to place a hat on...(and believe it or not, if it was a soft felt or cloth hat would not necessarily leave any wear marks), but they generally have larger flat tops so as not to disfigure the hat - so this pointier finial most likely rules that out.
The baluster style with finial and 3 part construction resembles a decorative items in the mid 90's!! Generally much older pieces would be 2 part or solid piece unless they were candles.
Can you best describe what you think the finial is?
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i have absolutely NO idea what it is, I've asked all the older people in my life as well and none of them have any idea either. This is a complete mystery to me, I'm even having trouble finding anything similar to it on the net..
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http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=&bih=&q=brass%2Fbronze+desk+top+column+17+in&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2
Look at the one on the top row here !! Can`t read description ( dial up is giving me fits this morning) but its a similar piece, same form just different maker I think !!
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I guess that's the closest we're ever going to get to establishing what it is..
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Well, at least we know that there were a few things with no particular use and designed to make people ask questions !! We will find it eventually,, just give us another ten years or so !!