Mystery antique

May 18, 2008 4:50 PM

What the heck is it?

My FIL bought this at an antique store. The outer, carved portion appears to be (a fairly heavy/thick) plastic, but the rest of it is made of some sort of metal because the piece is fairly weighty. Even though it appears that it is a container of some sort, it doesn't open up in any way; it is a solid piece. At the top there is this little lever that makes it look like it might be a lighter, but there is no flint or anything in the "neck." There is a short chain attached, but it is not long enough to sling around your neck or over your shoulder (I was thinking perhaps it is made to hang on a saddle horn?)

There were two similar items at the antique store - one was pewter and shaped like a large hand grenade, the other was metal of some sort and just round like a canteen. Both had the same type of flip-switch or lever at the top, both had chain-type handles attached and none of them opened up in any way - in order to "fill" them with whatever was made to go inside apparently had to be poured through the tiny opening in the "neck" at the top.

Any ideas as to what this thing is or what it was used for?

posted by Oriole Adams to grab bag (14 comments total)

For ether sniffers?
posted by netbros at 4:54 PM on May 18

My guess would be a personal liquor flask, to be filled with a small funnel.
posted by fish tick at 4:54 PM on May 18

Gunpowder? Snuff?
posted by IndigoJones at 4:56 PM on May 18

A flask.
posted by fire&wings at 4:57 PM on May 18

Looks like a flask to me, too.
posted by desuetude at 4:57 PM on May 18

Perfume bottle? Or for taking smelling salts?
posted by LucretiusJones at 4:59 PM on May 18

There's a lot of nude writhing going on in the carving. I think it merits further study.
posted by Countess Elena at 4:59 PM on May 18

Gun powder flask .
posted by TryTheTilapia at 5:07 PM on May 18

Circular powder flask.
posted by exphysicist345 at 5:26 PM on May 18

The Hive Mind triumphs once again! Thanks so much, everyone! (I had to go and be adamant that it was some type of lighter, and now I owe FIL a steak dinner.)
posted by Oriole Adams at 5:28 PM on May 18

More specifically, it is a priming flask, for wheel lock or flint lock weapons.
posted by the Real Dan at 7:47 PM on May 18

I hope your FIL didn't pay more than $24 for it at the antique store. :)
posted by Joleta at 7:57 PM on May 18

He paid $10 for it, so looks like he got a "deal." ;>
I don't know if this is quite kosher, piggybacking another question onto my original, but FIL has been trying to figure out what these things are for several years. (We're down in Georgia visiting him - he just recently had to put MIL in an assisted living home, so we're helping him clean out some rooms in his house and are going through his "treasures.") The ends of these "tools" are rather heavy, and they garduate in size. Each one has a numeral near the end (8, 9, 10, etc) indicating the size. They appear to be chrome-plated, because the shiny part is peeling off of a few of them. Any ideas?
posted by Oriole Adams at 7:39 AM on May 19

Re: Thingies--

I can't tell for sure, but they look like old urethral sounds--I've seen things like them in 19th Century medical collections. But I can't tell the size from the picture.

Maybe not, though. Their sort of chili-pepper flare seems counter-productive for the purpose.

Some Civil War articles for comparison.

If you're looking for urethral sounds on google images . . keep eyewash handy.
posted by LucretiusJones at 5:39 PM on May 19