What-is-it question XCV.

[2209patrick]

This piece is made of Old Sheffield Plate (fused plate).
Made by Harvey & Gore in the 1830's.
I estimate the length at 7 inches (17.78 cm.)
What was it used for ?



Pat.
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[byron mac donald]

Well... it is quite obviously a pass the salt train. In the 1830's if a person was at one end of the table, and the salt shaker at the other, they would say "pass the salt please" and another at the other end would place the shaker in the basket located at the back of the train shown, and roll it down the table. (how am I doing so far?) All right then... I have no clue!
Except that the basket in the back is there for one reason or another, any other clues?

Regards- Byron
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[2209patrick]

Sorry Byron, it's not a "Pass-the-salt" train.
The section just to the left of the basket is the most important part.

Pat.
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[kerangoumar]

good evening and pass the coffee please . . .'tis a coffee dripper. Usually the cylinder is a bit taller for those of us who need extra blasts of caffeine.
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[2209patrick]

Sorry kerangoumar.
This item is not a coffee dripper.
It's purpose has nothing to do with food or drinks.

Pat.
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[byron mac donald]

Hi Pat-

So far it has had 50 plus viewings, it has nothing to do with food (salt) caffine (coffee dripper) how about nicotene? if not maybe it should be melted down and made into something useful. {;-) Or, you could give us another hint? (Because I still have no idea).

Regards- Byron
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[salmoned]

Well, I'll venture the most 'obvious' purposes - an inkwell or a lighter.
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[dognose]

Hi Pat,

I'll go along with Salmoned on the lighter suggestion, the basket is perhaps to store the cigars?

Regards Trev.
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[2209patrick]

Salmoned got it right.
The section to the left of the basket holds an inkwell.

Pat.
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[kerangoumar]

well I still prefer the coffee dripper. The coffee might look about the same as ink but it's a much pleasanter thing to drink.
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[2209patrick]

Hello Kerangoumar.
Check out our first What-is-it Question from over a year ago here:

viewtopic.php?t=6325

Pat.
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[byron mac donald]

So what goes in the basket? and why didn't Salmoned identify it as a bong? :-) it could have been.
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[kerangoumar]

Pat
i like the little engineer on top of the enormous boiler. trains used to be very attractive for tabletop decoration - i wish i had a photo of my grandfather's long-gone salt train. he had rigged it up on a narrow-gauge train track, there was a little silver locomotive with silver salts on wheels. used to make my grandmother absolutely livid so he played with it all the time. i don't recall whether they all went together - the locomotive and cars, i mean.
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[salmoned]

So what goes in the basket? and why didn't Salmoned identify it as a bong? :-) it could have been.

I should have realized that musing would come back to bite me... ;) The basket was probably empty, but I imagine it could have contained a blotter of some sort.
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