I came across the pair of chrome items in a box of stuff I had bought at auction. They looked like the spurs I’d seen cowboys wear on their boots in western movies. These, however, didn’t have the fancy stars (rowels, as they are called) on the shank.
What were they? I’ve become pretty adept at researching to find the name of items, but these stumped me. They were unmarked, so I searched for a pair of spurs that resembled them, but nothing turned up. I put them aside, figuring that I’d eventually come across another pair with a name attached to them.
A week ago, I was vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard with friends when we visited Menemsha, a fishing village known for its fresh seafood and wonderful sunsets (Artist Lois Mailou Jones loved it so much that she painted it twice, first in 1948 and then in 1983). We got there too early to wait for the sun to set, so we sampled the shops on a small strip in the town. At Oversouth Antiques, I listened as two men lamented that owner Jane Slater would soon close the shop. No one’s buying antiques anymore, she explained – something that anyone in antiques will agree with. She’s shutting down after 40 years.
Soon after, I was moseying around the Copperworks shop admiring artist Scott McDowell’s copper wall hangings and some vintage offerings. On a weather-beaten table not far from the door of the shop, I came across several old and crusty items just like the spur-types I had been trying to identify. These had some age on them, while mine were relatively new.
What are these, I asked a man who had just stepped inside the shop, likely McDowell, even though I was too excited to find the items to ask his name. He told me the answer and explained how they were used. I realized that I had “seen” these in movies and TV shows, but I had never “noticed” them.
They’re related to water activities, and the closest I get to that is a swim in the pool. For those who may not spend much time around water, can you guess what they are? Click on the photo below for the answer.
