Guess What Article for January 2007
By Bob Cahn, “The Primitive Man”
What do you do if you invent something that looks and functions like an inanimate piece of cast iron, resembling a fancy manhole cover in heat? You send it to GUESS WHAT to try to inject some semblance of intrigue; jazz it up and give it a personality transplant – verbalize and double talk it into something lively, exciting and challenging…which is what we’re attempting.
Instead of a dull rectangular piece of metal, they came up with a distinctive 3-point silhouette design with surface ripples and an interesting slogan, which we’ve carefully covered.(Revelation in next month’s “answer” photo.)
Back to the subject at hand. It’s English, thrifty and a neat collectible – late 19th century. Can be hung out of the way when not being used. Reference measurement: arms 3 1/2 inches; center diameter 3 1/4 inches.
Is it:

Crimean War wall memento
Farmer’s lead bull herd identity medallion
Gas stove heat dissipator and pot flame protector
Desk memo paperweight
Art class design template
Bacon non-curling flatener
Beach outdoor solitaire playing card weight
Drive-in bank teller’s paper money and checks restraint
Newsstand magazine wind weight
Australian Aborigine tribal hunting boomerang.

Time’s up, thinking caps back in the think tank. Above answer correctly highlighted next month. Till then!*
*From Mike Goodman – “King of Stuff’s” curiosity cubbyhole – Townshend, VT.

Answer to December’s Guess What?

Occasionally, we inadvertently omit a pertinent feature of a mystery item. Last month was one of those occurrences. We forgot to point out that the center column cap was hinged. This serves the important function of sealing the hollow heat chamber which houses a cylindrical iron slug – which when heated, radiates the BTUs to both arms, as well.
This is a 19th-century English vertical, self-standing goffering iron used to take the wrinkles out of sleeves and tight places. Brass held the heat longer and was more lavish, for the upper class. Serfs of the estate used cruder iron versions.*
* From the vast fluting and sad iron collection of Buck Carson, Newton, N.J.