LindaC? Mystery silver object from sideboard

16 years ago

Sorry for the poor picture quality; I used my phone. I thought this could go in the cooking forum, since it's most likely to use with cooked food. It's dated 1903 and is silver. The small holes are the size for fingers, and the thing opens and closes, but doesn't open very far because of the little chain. The insides of the large hole have very small sharp prongs, like to hold onto something. The large hole is about 1 1/2" in diameter. It was in a sideboard with a set of sterling flatware. I've looked on eBay and Replacements with no luck.

{{!gwi}}

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Comments (17)

lindac
16 years ago
Can't see the picture....it's the dreaded red X!
irislover7b
Original Author
16 years ago
Oh darn. The picture shows on my monitor. I'll try again.
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irislover7b
Original Author
16 years ago
{{!gwi}}
User
16 years ago
I clicked on the box and got the image.......Looks like something kinky for a room other than the kitchen to me! LOL
coconut_nj
16 years ago
You actually have it sitting next to the hint. It looks to be a wine foil/seal cutter. You put it over neck of bottle down under the lip, squeeze then turn. At first I thought it was an egg cutter for topping boiled eggs, but the teeth aren't quite right.

{{!gwi}}
irislover7b
Original Author
16 years ago
LOL..I thought the same thing when I saw it. Those prongs would be painful though. It's not as plain as it appears in the pic. It has some decoration in the silver. I thought it might be to serve something, but we can't figure out what.
irislover7b
Original Author
16 years ago
I had thought about something for a bottle, but I didn't know how bottles were closed 100 years ago. That would make sense if they used foil or some other thing like that on the outside of the bottle.
User
16 years ago
Actually my second thought, after my first thought , was some type of bottle opener but truly I've never seen anything like it...very interesting. Linda will know...pressures on Linda! LOL
coconut_nj
16 years ago
Well they often used wax and wine people like to have special things instead of just using a knife to run around the seal so they made these kind of things.
coconut_nj
16 years ago
Hmm. can't find an antique one but here is a modern one. Although I have seen them with teeth, this one just has a sharp edge inside, but you get the idea.

{{!gwi}}
irislover7b
Original Author
16 years ago
I was looking for antique ones too but couldn't find any. There is a word on it before the 1903 date (which I guess is a patent date) but some of it was worn off and I couldn't make it out. I wonder if wine bottles were all uniform in neck size back then.
lindac
16 years ago
Finally weasled my way around to see the picture, by right clicking on the red X and going to properties and cutting and pasting the URL! UHG! Why??
It's not a wine foil cutter, it's an egg cutter. It's a device for taking the top off of a soft boiled egg that has been served to you in an egg cup.
Linda C

Here is a link that might be useful:
irislover7b
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you!
maureen_me
16 years ago
I thought it was some sort of male chastity device. Although I guess an egg cutter would do the job. ;o)

Neat tool!
mustangs81
16 years ago
Looks like a poached egg cutter to me.
mustangs81
16 years ago
ooops, I didn't see that Linda gave us the answer.
lindac
16 years ago
Cathy!!! Surely you of all people know that a poached egg is already out of the shell and done in an egg poacher, and is different from a a coddled egg, which is made in an egg coddler...and this instrument of torture is for an egg boiled in the shell served in an egg cup.
Could you be missing some essential piece of kitchen gadgetry?? Check your drawers! LOL!
Linda C

LindaC? Mystery silver object from sideboard

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LindaC? Mystery silver object from sideboard

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