Thursday, December 17, 2009

Since next Thursday is Christmas Eve, I'm planning to post on Wednesday instead.


1801. A key fastener, this was an advertising give-away for use on old fashioned doors, the hook went over the door knob and the other end went through the key which was in the key hole, this prevented a burglar with a skeleton key from opening the door from the outside. Patent number 43,147


































1802. A chimney cleaner, the patent states:
...the arrangement and construction such that the cleaner when inserted in a chimney is collapssed, and when drawn upwardly, under sudden reverse movement, will, by gravity, expand to cause a pluality of scraper bars to engage the four sides of the chimney.
Patent number 1,775,969

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1803. A cock fighting spur, a weapon that was attached to a rooster's leg:























1804. A gas light fixture:

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1805. This wheel was intended to be placed on the counter of a store, according to the patent it could be used in different ways:
Suppose, for instance, that a customer wishes to invest a nickel in trade with the merchant who has a wheel of the kind described. The customer drops his nickel in the slot and it passes into one of the pockets of the wheel, revolving the wheel in the manner described, until the nickel is deposited and the wheel stops with the hand indicating say, No. 1. Then the customer gets any article valued at a nickel which he desires and which the merchant has to sell. If the hand should indicate No. 2, the customer would be entitled to two articles... and so on.

If the wheel is to be used for a discount wheel, instead of the marks 1, 2 and 3, the rim is marked with numbers indicating different percentages, usually from one to twenty-five percent, and after he has purchased a bill of goods, the merchant hands him a coin which the customer drops into the wheel as above described, and when the wheel stops, the hand indicates a certain percentage, which represents the discount the merchant must deduct from his bill of goods already purchased.


Patent number 538,916

Take a look at Neatorama for a lot of entertaining guesses on this device.





































1806. An Arthur Remedy Co. pill press for use by a pharmacist:

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Last week's set is seen below, click here to view the entire post.








More discussion and comments on these photos can be found at the newsgroup rec.puzzles. Glenwood Gardens Park