Not sure if I have the mental picture of your mystery item correct, but
it sounds vaguely like a union "voting box" in our collection.  Does the
hole in the slat extend outside the box?  That's how our piece is built.
 Ours was used by a railroad union for secret votes--each member present
would be given a white marble and a black marble--the box would be
passed around, and each member would put in one marble indicating "yea"
or "nay" on the question at hand--counting white vs. black marbles
indicated the decision.  Ours doesn't have a velvet lining, but I could
see that being a useful addition to cushion the fall of marbles into the
box.

Good luck!


------------------------------------------------------------
Tim McShane, Assistant--Cultural History
Medicine Hat Museum and Art Gallery
1302 Bomford Crescent S.W.
Medicine Hat, AB   T1A 5E6
(403) 502-8587

>>> [log in to unmask] 09/10/03 09:55AM >>>
Hello,
I'm hoping someone out there may have come across an item like this and
can
help me figure out what it is and what it was used for. Here's a
description
of the item in question:

It is a smallish wood box, partially covered with a hinged lid. Inside
is a
wood slat with a round hole in the center, that slides in at a 45
degree
angle from the top. There is a turned wood handle attached to the back
of
the box, and a strip of velvet lining along the bottom. The box is 8"
deep
by 3.5" tall by 5.5" wide, and the handle on the back is 5.5" long.

I've been particularly puzzled by the piece that slides out the top at
an
angle, with a perfectly round hole in the center, as it must have
served a
purpose. Anyone have any ideas what this might have been used for?

Thanks for any suggestions!
Cristin Grant
Curator of Collections
Susan B. Anthony House



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