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 Disclaimer: The information transmitted is intended only for the addressee and may contain confidential, proprietary and/or privileged material. Any unauthorized review, distribution or other use of or the taking of any action in reliance upon this information is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete or destroy this message and any copies. ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).