“Mystery Items What is it?” is a post I’ve had on the back burner for a while. All of the items below are mysteries to me which I will be showing from time to time for help in identification.
I have no idea what these are. Can you help me with a clue? Or two?
Mystery Items What is it?
The clown bottles are about 2-3″ tall. Note the caps/hats (navy blue) in the shape of a big top. If they had a slight smell inside, I think that would give me a clue, but no smell. I’m thinking these date from the 60’s-70’s.
Has anyone seen these before?
I have a whole zip lock bag full of these lead pellets. They were found in a kitchen at an estate sale, but what are they used for? They are about the size of mini chocolate chips.
I believe this is some kind of a crafting tool with interchangeable ends, but what is it, and what is the little thingy to the right of the big tool?
Thank you my friends for your help in identifying these pieces!
Don’t Forget to Pin!
Florence
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The lead pellets are bullets that have been shot. People buy them to melt down and make other lead items.
Thanks Deb! So happy to know what those are!
Well I’m not going to be of any help probably because I don’t know what any of them are for sure! The little clown bottles almost look like they were for bubble bath or something but they are so tiny!! The lead pellets would work for people who make teddy bears, we like to use them to give the bear weight and make him feel more substantial. The last tool almost looks like my hand carving tool set except it doesn’t look like the ends are sharp enough and I’ve never seen any with holes in them like those… see?! No help at all!! I’ll be curious to see what others have to say!
Tania
That tool set isn’t sharp, but I have no clue. Maybe someone will come along & ID it. Thanks for the clue on a new use for the pellets…another thing to add to my description when I get ready to sell them. I hope I get a response on the clown bottles. They are sooo cute! Anyway, thanks for your comment. This should be interesting.
If the clowns have a shaker top with holes inside, they might have been promotional jars for cinnamon sugar. We have one from when I was a kid that is a hockey player that looks very similar in size and color.
They don’t have shaker lids, but now when I do a listing for them, I’ll add the word “promotional.” That’s a good keyword.
The tool is a rug punch for making looped rugs. The bottles make me think of a children’s candy. I’ll be happy to hear if someone else can remember exactly what was in those bottles 🙂
Do you mean like making rag rugs? What are the different ends for? Someone else somewhere mentioned they might have held candy. I’ll be happy to hear if someone else can remember too, Mother Deer!
Looped rugs can be made from yarn or fabric, using the correct sized punch hole depending. Here’s a link to the process: https://vimeo.com/25846699
Thank you Mother Deer! I looked at the video you sent and I see my tool is very similar. Appreciate all the help!!
I would venture a guess on the clowns as mustard bottles, maybe from the circus where they sold hot dogs. If there were red ones for ketchup, then I’d be pretty sure. That tool may have been used in upholstery work. Holes would be for pulling out nails, brads, staples. Googling “Vintage upholstery tools” turned up some images that appear to be saddle making or cobblers tools.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Cobbler-Saddle-Maker-Craft-Leather-Punch-Awl-Hammer-Tool-Lot-USMC-NOS-/162323523101
That’s a good guess. Wonder if there are any red ones out there? Thanks for the link.
The metal pieces are called pie weights. They are used when blind baking pie shells or tarts. Placed in the pie on top of baking paper or foil they keep the dough from puffing up as it cooks. Beans xan be used but these last forever, and as they are heavier and transmit heat do a better job.
I have a big jar in my kitchen.
Thanks Jillanne! I had heard in the past something about weights & pie-baking, but didn’t know exactly how they were used.
I had no clue about any of this, but it is all very interesting.
Thanks Debra!
I’m voting candy or cake sprinkles on the clowns, too. I ~might~ have a vague memory of colored, flavored, sugar sprinkle candy in those. Not powdery, but granular like sugar. Like we’d pour it out in our hand and lick it up. Or maybe sprinkle it on cakes? Yeah. Cake sprinkles more likely. Or….. I might have just made all that up.
That thing to the right of the handled rug punch looks like a part. A piece for attaching something else to the punch.
Several people have mentioned candy, so maybe that’s it. We can hope anyway.
No clues – just love the post!
Thanks Donna!
Florence, I don’t know what any of this stuff is but it’s interesting reading through the comments to see what others are saying about them. Great series to start!
Thanks Keri! Thanks for reading & commenting too.
No clue about the clowns or the pellet thingies, but I agree that the crafting tools look to be for making rugs. My mother made many a looped rug and I seem to remember her using tools that looked like that.
Great! Glad to have confirmation about what that is! So helpful. Thanks Tuula.
Florence, I was thinking the tool might be for hooking rugs, but I used to hook rugs and it wasn’t exactly like the tool I used. I looked it up and found out it was for making punch needle rugs. This is the difference between latch hook rugs and punch needle rugs: “A rug hooker pulls their loops up with their hook. Punch needle started in the 1880’s and is done with a punch needle. A puncher punches their loops down with their punch. Basically, hookers pull loops up and punchers punch loops down.” So thanks to you, Florence, I learned something new today!
As far as the other two items, I had wondered about the pellets being used as pie weights and the plastic clown bottles look like they maybe had that flavored sugar that we used to eat as kids. Not sure on that though.
Yes that tool is a little different looking apparently, from what other people are used to seeing. I’ve sold it now though, so someone must have recognized something about it. The clown bottles are still a puzzle to me. Thanks for your guesses & comments!