Whatsit? No idea. Any guesses?

[adatesman]

Posting for a friend, who has a friend that's trying to figure out what this thing is. Any thoughts? For scale, the second pic shows a bit of her thumb.

A couple comments from her:

The front: "CD Whereat Ironmonger" or possibly GD

The back: "Dolphin St. & Castle St Bristol "

"the round disk on the front slides and there is a "tension" pin ( looks like) inside...."

"looks like a "key" goes in the round disk which slides left and right....then it releases...if I understand correctly"


My friend did track down a GD Whereat in Bristol who worked as an ironmonger in the 1850's, but that doesn't help much with figuring out what it is. Also he had no luck with a Google image search.










I'm guessing a scale of some sort, but that doesn't explain the key mechanism or the overly long stem on top.

[adatesman]

Another pic:

"Stamp says: 72/1. 10 warrante"

[duckman]

Does it wind up and rotate slowly if something was hung from the bottom hook, like a rotating display.

[Rosco-P]

No idea, but some Steam Punk or Urbanite/yuppie/buppie/preppy ahole will probably pay plenty to use it as a plant hanger.

[CarlByrns]

Antique disco mirror ball motor.

[hermetic]

antique spit roaster, usually takes 1 of 2 standard clock keys to wind it up, wind, hang in front of fire, hang spiced chicken from it=roast chicken.
Phil
UK

[Rosco-P]

Top cap in last image appears to have three screws holding it on. Removing them should reveal what the mechanism, probably spring driven clockworks, that is inside.

[John Stevenson]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_kw=spit+clockwork+brass

[adatesman]

Awesome! Thanks so much, John!

[adatesman]

BTW, she said that the folks at Antiques Roadshow had no idea what it was.

Never ceases to amaze me how quick you guys can figure this stuff out.

[Rosco-P]

BTW, she said that the folks at Antiques Roadshow had no idea what it was.

Never ceases to amaze me how quick you guys can figure this stuff out.

I'm not surprised, the experts that travel with the show cover the major collectable/valuable categories, they can't possibly cover all bases. An eary Starrett tool or an unmarked early Stanley marking gage would have been just as baffling to them.

[Paul Alciatore]

That's because they are MIC CAN ICK LLY inclined.

BTW, she said that the folks at Antiques Roadshow had no idea what it was.

Never ceases to amaze me how quick you guys can figure this stuff out.