Posted 3 years ago
hotairfan
(388 items)
I'm going to need your help with this one.
It's about 3" long. It appears to be nickel plated. there were two of these when I got them in a box lot. I thought that they were early sock holders like the ones used in the depression era, but the spring loaded clasp with the words "the tip" doesn't close up enough to grasp a garter of sock top.
The pinch clip on the other end swivels around. The back side has stamped with "pat. applied for"
A friend told me he thought that they were used in a barbershop or neighborhood store as holders to keep a cigar box held open.
Without knowing any other explanation, I am going with that... help me out here....what are they?
Not sure...the cigar box holders I've seen, are just cheap wire. This one seems really fancy and decorative.
I thought maybe a tie clasp, smoking device, etc..but no luck. I think we need Keramikos for a patent search.
I was told by a "cigar box collector" that this is a 1950's sweater clasp.
Seems kinda small for a sweater clasp?
dav2no1, I took a look, but no joy. :-(
hotairfan, I tend to doubt the sweater clasp theory.
All of the sweater guards I've seen are symmetrical in terms of the actual clasp hardware if not the decoration and they're usually much more ornamental overall.
A 1950s female would have wanted something pretty to secure the cardigan of her twin set.
Here's an interesting one, although the chain looks rather short:
https://matterhorn1959.blogspot.com/2011/03/souvenir-friday-sweater-guard.html
Judging from the description, the author of that blog post seems not to understand the purpose of a sweater guard, bless his heart. };-)
His Internet handle suggests that he's old enough to remember sweater guards, because his mother's generation would have worn them. Either sweater guards weren't popular in his local area when he was growing up, or being a technically oriented male, he just wasn't paying attention because it didn't interest him.
Here's a similar one with a longer chain:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/284078688985429585/
In a similar vein, this writer thinks the sweater guard they've found is German because the alligator clip hardware is engraved as such:
https://richiesriches.ecrater.com/p/25652334/vintage-1950s-sweater-guard-cardigan
That sweater guard looks like something a male improvised out of spare parts in his garage shop. The cardboard to which the sweater guard is attached looks genuine, though. You can see many display cards like it by searching Google Images for "sweater guard."
That display card was probably 'borrowed' -- possibly from his spouse's jewelry box.
So, with regard to both the maker of that particular sweater guard and the blogger who posted it: bless both their hearts. };-)
However, I digress.
The patent I did find for the hardware used on sweater guards, tie clips, etc., is cited over and over:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US2853761A/en
The original patent for alligator clips:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US1779442A/en
More about sweater guards:
https://www.theintelligencer.net/life/features/2019/02/vintage-jewelry-can-be-curious-but-clever-today
The comments on this piece are interesting:
https://www.kovels.com/news-news-news/the-return-of-sweater-guards.html
Anyway, I really hate to say this, because I still don't know what the item in this post is, but I just don't think it's a sweater guard. :-(
another thought: poker cheat card clip
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/pair-vintage-poker-card-cheats-1810729949
other examples
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/19th-century-wizard-monarch-derby-tip-1815714183
Well ..now that's really interesting!
TallCakes, Wow. Just Wow. >8-0
I never would have guessed. I don't even know how to play poker, let alone how to cheat at it.
It looks like I'm not the only one, though:
*snip*
Vintage The Tip cuff and card clip. Cheat with a card up your sleeve, not quite sure how it works.
*snip*
https://www.chairish.com/product/4292877/vintage-poker-cheat-card-clip-the-tip
Here's some explanation (I begin to see the light):
https://bestvintagecufflinks.wordpress.com/2018/11/16/wizard-cuff-holder-1889/
https://suiter.com/patent-of-the-day-cuff-adjuster/
https://patents.google.com/patent/US333485A/en
The patenting of cuff holders/adjusters was going hot and heavy there for a while:
*snip*
That first date is October 22, 1889, and there are renewal dates up through 1906. So this one was manufactured in the first decade of the 20th century
*snip*
https://seanward.org/blog/metal-detecting/wizard-cuff-holder/
https://patents.google.com/patent/US252099
https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth173816/
https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1259164/
Well that actually makes more sense...a cuff holder. Great find on that link Keramikos..
dav2no1, Thanks, but I still would have been clueless without TallCakes.
I had no idea what the item in this post was; I was only comfortable in opining that it wasn't a sweater guard.
One I saw the information at TallCakes' links, I was off in a new search direction and voila.
You three guys are amazing. You should all be detectives in your local P.D.
Thanks for the great detective work. I now can sleep tonight...(just kidding)