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Guess What? July 2006

Guess What Article for July 2006
By Bob Cahn, “The Primitive Man”
Handy and hand-held – synonymous with this month’s GUESS WHAT. Fits a tool box, fits a handbag, fits in your pocket. Guessing its proper place of residence could give one conniption fits.
Part action, partly passive – it has a sharp bladed V-shaped plowing bottom with a protruding nose to help glide it and guide it. A trigger-happy action lever juts out from the side, with a reservoir cup straddling the top.
Confused by now? Just as we planned – perpetrated mis-direction. A hint worth mentioning: not so much a tool – more of a gadget. Patented Feb 5, 1898 by S.E. Burke, Edon, Ohio. [Size reference: 7-1/2 inches long by 2 inches high] Put on your “guessing garb” and try your luck from among the following, with the answer randomly lurking in the pack.
Is it:

  1. Golf course sand trap ball retriever
  2. Prize souvenir baseball desk top display holder
  3. Portable “silent butler” ash tray
  4. Paper clip receptacle
  5. Oriental hot coals laundry clothing smoother
  6. Seam-stress’ combination pin holder and seam ripper
  7. Trophy hole-in-one golf ball memory mount.
  8. Tailor’s button remover and collector
  9. Early office staple remover
  10. Cappuccino cream dispenser.

Have fun; answer next month. Till then!*
*From the in-depth collection of Rosemary and Bill Ulmer, Whitmore Lake, Michigan.

Answer to June’s Guess What?

No, we’re not in a rut – just “theme-conscious,” featuring two nut cracker items in consecutive issues. Wanted to contrast vintage with current design and application.
Slightly elliptical in motion, the top and bottom rims rotate independently, with the inside walls opening and closing, providing pressure and varying the interior size/capacity. The corrugated metal center post created a barrier against which the shell was fractured. Still available in the marketplace for $4-5.

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