Countless contraptions that revolutionized farming in the 19th and early 20th centuries have become contemporary curiosities or even mysteries. Here are six sent in by readers. Do you know what they are?
Answers to the March 2024 items will appear in the May 2024 issue.
Answers for new items in this issue must be received by March. 13, 2024.
A. Marked THIRD HAND PAT PEND.
Third-Hand Hammer-Nail Clip as seen in this vintage advertisement sent in by Jim Plantikow, Omaha, NE. Photo submitted by Paul James via email.
B. No description provided.
A potato picking belt. Identified by John Spomer. “It is belted around the picker’s waist to pick up potatoes. The big hook is to hang extra bags; the small hooks are used to hang the bag being filled. The potatoes are dug by a machine and are on the ground. The picker would straddle the row of potatoes and throw them into the sack as he dragged the sack along,” John says. Photo submitted by Georgetta Falus via email.
C. Found while breaking up old concrete, the tool measures about 22 inches long by 8 inches wide. The top hook moves with the lever.
No positive identification. Photo submitted by Wayne Boese, Nelson, WI.
D. Tool measures 4 by 4 inches.
Tire vulcanizing tool. Identified by Tim Frieden, Lamar, MO, Richard Vlach, Auburn, NE, Ken Bolton, Robert Sholz, Elmo, MO, Larry Kinnison, Bucklin, MO, Dennis Hamblin, Springtown, TX, Jim Grisenti, and Loren Lindsay. “Place the tire tube in the device with a hot patch and clamp it
together to fix the tube. Light the patch with a match to stick the patch to the tube,” Tim says. Photo submitted by Gregg Arch, Kewanee, IL.
E. Insert measures 16 inches long; main piece is slightly longer.
Jim Plantikow, Omaha, NE, identified this tool as a caulking mallet. “Used by shipwrights in the ship-building business,” Jim says. Jim shared a vintage advertisement that described the process of driving cotton strands into the seams of light planking on smaller ships using a caulking iron and
a mallet such as this. Photo submitted by Dirk Jackson, Hagerman, ID.
F. Large pulley measures 4-7/8 inches in diameter.
“It appears to be a hand-cranked cast iron bobbin winder that can be mounted on a tabletop,” says Nick Caldiero, Afton, NY, “A bobbin is the cylinder which holds thread, yarn, or wire, used especially in weaving, machine sewing and lacemaking.” Photo submitted by Ron Ratajczak, Newton, WI.
To submit photos:
Send prints to Farm Collector, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609. Send digital images to editor@farmcollector.com.
- Photos should be taken in a well-lit area against a plain background. Include dimensions and any markings on the piece. We cannot guarantee every photo will be published, nor can we respond to inquiries regarding when photos will be published. No photos will be returned.
- Digital photos should be sent as .jpgs at a minimum of 300 dpi.
To identify an item:
Send answers (with your name and address) to Farm Collector, 1503 SW 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609. Email responses may be sent to editor@farmcollector.com.
Answers for new items shown in this issue must be received by March 13, 2024.
