eBay

ohwildhunny · ‎07-16-2019

Hi! This is my first time on this board but I've got a real stumper here. Mine and others thoughts on this item include ashtray, some type of fire starter, oil lamp. It has a hinged lid with a small finial type handle so obviously something is meant to be inside. When I found it at an estate auction it had a large amount of what seemed like burnt cork-type material inside and partly on that little tongue or slide portion. Not sure what purpose is served by the harpoon-type attachment and the wire piece with a slight hook, but the harpoon's point just meets the slide/tongue. There are no marks anywhere on the piece. It measures 4" length, 3" width, and about 4 3/4" to the top of that handle. Any help is, of course, greatly appreciated.

the_piedmonte_family · ‎07-16-2019

Not sure, but it might be a tinder box. The "harpoon" would have allowed it to be hung by the hearth. It would have contained material for starting a fire ( flint, steel and kindling), or storing coals and embers.

http://www.colonialsense.com/Antiques/Other_Antiques/Early_Lighting/The_Common_Tinder-Box.php

ohwildhunny · ‎07-16-2019

Hi and thanks for your suggestion. Although it's not a tinder box, in looking at photos of tinder boxes I saw a picture of something long and sharp like the harpoon on my piece and it was called a "sticking Tommy". I searched for more information on "sticking Tommy" and lo and behold up popped a picture of a "Betty lamp," which is what this is. https://collectlamps.com/fat%20betty%20lamps.html

Mystery solved! Thanks for your help!