SubscribeMystery Finds
I occasionally come across items at auctions that stump me. What is it? What was it used for? I will be posting photos of them, and if you can identify them, please comment below. If you’ve come across items you can’t identify, please submit them to me.
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Mystery Lot 2: Here are two other items that I picked up in a lot of knitting items. They look like vintage knitting tools.
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Mystery Lot 1: These three items came in a box lot of needlepoint and cross stitch goodies. I was able to identify everything else in the lot except them. Help me out, please, knitters, sewers, needlepointers, crocheters. What are they? And are they all related to sewing?
I started going to auctions to fuel my love for African American art – but at a bargain. I love the old masters: Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith. I wanted to find their works and discover other veteran artists whose works may have been hiding in an attic or basement, and forgotten.
The first photo is of a pom pom maker; traditionally, the shape is circular. The 2nd is used for spool knitting; you may have made one as a child, using a wooden thread spool & small nails. The 3rd may be the pick used w/ the knitting spool – to make it easier to lift the stitch over the prong (back in the day, we used crochet hooks or a nail).
The object on the far right is a lace bobbin.
Thank you.
In your first set of pictures the long brown wooden thing looks like the old time shoe horns that use to hang on the side of the shoe shiners chair. I hope this is correct & this helps. Let me know what you find out.
Thanks Natalie
Thanks, Natalie, for your comments about Mystery Lot 2. I’ll search using the info you’ve provided. Sherry
The second instrument in upper photo, looks like a sculptor’s tool-the wooden handle bottom part to smooth clay, top wire part to take away clay in sculpting process.
Thanks, Suzanne, in helping to figure out the identity of one of the items in Mystery Lot 2.
Sherry
Hello,
I enjoyed looking at your site and reading your articles. I have one of those slave tokens and became a little
concerned when I noticed the backwards “n” on the reverse. I thought for a moment it was a reproduction.
Thanks! I feel a bit better after reading your description!
Vivienne
Thanks, Vivienne. I believe that I’ve come across a few of them on the web with the backwards “n.”
Sherry