What Might This Plywood Panel Be?

[mesodude]

Covid cleaning and found this plywood panel reinforcing a wooden shelf in a basement closet. It’s about 2 ft wide by 10” tall and a quarter inch thick. What the actual?! I’m imagining this was perhaps once part of a baby’s/child’s bed or crib? The artwork appears to be embossed or burnished. I’m not sure if the screw holes were originally there or if they were created when the panel was used to reinforce the shelf. Any clues would be appreciated.
BackThickness

[maxine*j]

My first thought was that it's the side of a child's cart or wagon.  I don't have much time this morning but one quick look yielded this, which has a side piece shaped like yours:

https://www.harpgallery.com/shop/item35186.html

I'm not saying yours is from a similar wheelbarrow (or from a wagon or cart), but it could be worth further research along that line unless someone comes along with a definite identification for you. 

[sonomabarn67]

1 vote for wheelbarrow, you can see the ghost imprint for one of the handles.

[sonomabarn67]

And keep in mind even if you find the complete wheelbarrow in mint condition online selling for oogles of $, what you have is a fragment in very rough condition that has decorative value only. I don't think it passes the covid clean test for a child's room.

[mesodude]

Thanks for the tip. That seems like a promising lead. Because it's black (and not some whimsical colors) I'm second guessing it being a child oriented product but anything is possible.

[mesodude]

I'm just thinking it's an interesting piece of Americana. I'm not sure why it (or a shipping box)

would still have virus on it after a few days.

[sonomabarn67]

I was just responding to your comment "Covid cleaning and found this plywood panel...". Maybe I projected a bit but...how do you know how many days are really required before an item is safe to handle? 7 to 14 days? 3 weeks? I don't think either one of us are doctors but we are both really smart, right and we know 190,000 US citizens have died from the virus? All the food and packaged items, mail, etc that comes into this house is sprayed with 99% isopropyl alcohol and left to settle in a bit.  I really don't trust anything that any of the media doctors are telling us...because it changes so often and is tainted by politics. Better to sort all this out before we die eh? I've lost two cherished relatives to this so I'm touchy.

You know you can get a matte spray lacquer for things like this; it leaves all the dirt/surface intact but leaves, say a chair seat on wicker chairs usable but does not transfer the dirt. to white pants.

[lacemaker3]

Hi @sonomabarn67 , I would say that it can't do you any harm to be safe, as long as you don't let the food go bad while you're waiting. Do what you need to do to keep yourself safe. 

Here are some news articles that I think are pretty trustworthy about the surface transmission situation. Not from the USA media, so less influence of known bias. Yes, there's a change in belief reported here, but based on evidence, which is shared in the article.

Mar 25, 2020: The riskiest surfaces for coronavirus and how to clean them:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/covid-19-surfaces-1.5509619

Jul 11, 2020: Why it may be harder to catch COVID-19 from surfaces than we first thought

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/coronavirus-surfaces-groceries-packages-playgrounds-1.5645602

[sonomabarn67]

This is for lacemaker. Thanks. A lot of transmission is chance; did a customer who has just explored their nasal orifice with their pinkie and is asymptomatic pick up my loaf of bread and then set it back for me to pick up? Two minutes ago? I don't know. I do feel much safer by being obsessive about stuff like this. I did read that a minimum time from spraying 99% isopropyl to killing the virus germ is a little more than 5 seconds so we spray and leave it there for a few minutes and then wash hands on top of that just like surgeons. Be safe. 190,000 deaths from this and rising.

Perfectly good grandparents are dropping like flies so 20-year-olds can get their hair/nails done and party.

[sonomabarn67]

Obviously made in the days of Black and White TV. 🎪

[mesodude]

I'm not a doctor. From what I've read and heard in most of the mainstream media (both here and abroad) is that even if the person delivering your mail just sneezed on your package be, there's virtually no reason you should fear being infected by touching the package days or even hours later. With all due respect, I don't think we have any evidence supporting the degree of transmissibility you're suggesting. When the mail comes through the slot, I might wait a few hours before picking it up. But that's just 'cause I'm lazy. 😉

[argon38]

.

[sonomabarn67]

Yeah, you and the 190,000 dead people from the virus go first. 😉 Those are real dead people ( a good many preventable) not projections. I think you are giving bad advice about an infectious disease and I hope it doesn't come back at ya. It looks so painful too. Good luck with selling your panel.

[sonomabarn67]

Doing that Harry Potter "Cloak of Invisibility" thing, eh?

[mesodude]

Thanks. A) I had COVID-19 back in April and wouldn't wish it on anyone. B) Anyone seeking public health advice from a random person commenting in an eBay discussion group has way bigger problems than needing guidance on how to avoid an infectious disease. C) I didn't offer any "advice" so no need to admonish me about karma. I said that I've not seen nor heard evidence suggesting that people are or should be significantly worried about getting infected by items that were exposed to the virus weeks ago. D) I strongly suspect that at least some of those who died of the virus contracted it by touching surfaces and then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. That and the fact that many of these folks already had pre-existing vulnerabilities. We don't know the exact circumstances associated with these people getting the virus so there's no point in being alarmist about handling packages. E) I haven't even figure out what this is much less decided to sell it. But if I were planning to sell it, I hope the person buying it would be smart enough to handle it with a pair of gloves.