Today, let’s have a little game! What purpose did these vintage items serve, do you know? These enigmatic things, which range from strange equipment to unusual decorative pieces, may leave you perplexed. Don’t worry, though; try it and see if you can envision what people in earlier eras did with these fascinating objects.
First Item: The Coin Gatherer
First up, we have a mixed-metal object with connectors on the sides and slots on top. Do you know what it was used for in the past?
You’re 100% correct if you assumed it was a coin collector! Conductors of trains and buses would deposit the fares into slots and then pick up the neatly piled coins from the bottom. They could fasten it to their belts using the hooks on the sides. Remarkably, a contemporary rendition of this is still in use at a few locations where admission is free of charge. Pretty smart, huh?
The Sand-Filled Swim Cap is item #2.
This is an intriguing cap with chin straps, a blue interior, and a feminine printed pattern. Would you want to guess? Here’s a hint: it has sand inside of it!
Actually, this peculiar headgear is an antique handmade swim cap. People used to love modeling swim caps after the aviatrix fashion trend back in the 1920s. However, home sewers had trouble finding rubber ingredients. They then devised a clever fix: the cap was filled with sand, and the channels and stitches were machine-sewn.
Why the sand? As a water blocker, it lets swimmers select their own fabric pattern rather than being restricted to yellow or black rubber. Undoubtedly a novel strategy!
The Iron Flue Damper is item #3.
Now look at this iron object that has two stamps on it. Along an iron post with a spiraling end, the iron plate swivels. Any suggestions?
You’re exactly right if you assumed it to be an iron flue damper! Even though they are rarely seen, these iron flue dampers are still in use today. We enjoy finding unique artifacts that are a part of our past when we go antique shopping. It resembles going back in time!
The Victorian Shop Dispenser (Item #4)
Admire this metal box with a beveled glass front and elaborate gold stenciling. It even features a tiny sliding door with a dog picture on it. How do you suppose it was put to use?
Actually, this graceful box is a Victorian-style shop dispenser. It came in several sizes and was intended for bulk sales. This one had a label insert for gunpowder, but it may have also been used for bulk commodities like sugar or confectionery. Customers could see the quality of the products they were buying because to the glass front. Why was there a picture of dogs hunting? Well, since the purpose was to hold gunpowder exclusively, it’s merely an ornamental touch. This is a very fascinating essay, isn’t it?
The Cedar Butter Churn is item #5.
Take a look at this big wooden drum with a handle, a footed base, and a lid. There’s a crank on the side of it also. Any ideas about what it’s meant to accomplish?
This wooden drum is a butter churn made of cedar. To produce more butter, it was utilized. It says “Farm Master Dairy Supplies” on the other side. However, we didn’t want to reveal anything too quickly! Knowing about these antiquated gadgets truly transports us to a bygone era of ease.
The Soda Bottle Stand is item #6.
Look at this three-tiered metal stand for a moment. Each tier has a notch carved out of it. It is nearly four feet tall and supports itself on three legs. What was the purpose of it, do you suppose?
The purpose of this booth was to showcase Coke bottles—but not just any soda. Nehi purposely made it as part of their marketing strategy for their soda bottles. With their handy necks, the bottles fit well in the triangle shape with the notches. These stands used to be found in grocery stores and local stores during the Great Depression. They were really impressive!
There you have it, then! These enigmatic objects transport us through time and serve as a reminder of the inventiveness and resourcefulness of earlier generations. How many of those were accurate guesses, then?
Millionaire Discovers His Daughter and Four Grandkids Have Been Living in a Car for Years — Story of the Day
A woman who was kicked out by her rich father at sixteen for taking up with a poor man ends up living on the streets with her four children after her husband died.
Steve Walton was far from thrilled when his butler told him that Pastor Morris was waiting to see him. He was tired after a long flight from Singapore and in no mood for the man’s lectures or pleas for support for the community.
He had the pastor shown in and waved an impatient hand at his greeting. “Get on with it, man!” he snapped. “What is it that you want this time?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
“Mr. Walton, I saw Susan,” the pastor said quietly, and Steve’s heart nearly stopped. His only daughter had left his house nearly fifteen years before, never to be seen again…
“Susan?” Steve cried anxiously. “Where? When? How is she?”
“I was in Los Angeles, helping out a friend who has a mission among the homeless and that’s where I saw her,” the pastor said.
“She was a volunteer? Did you tell her I’ve been looking for her?” asked Steve.
“No,” Pastor Morris said gently. “She wasn’t a volunteer, Mr. Walton. She’s homeless. She and her children are living in a car.”
Steve found himself so dizzy he had to sit down. “Homeless? My Susan? Children?” he gasped.
“I’m afraid so,” the pastor said. “And she wouldn’t even listen to me when I told her to come home.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
“But why?” asked Steve angrily. “She’s not with that loser anymore, is she?”
“Her husband passed away three years ago, Mr. Walton,” the pastor explained. “And she told me she wouldn’t bring her children into a house where their father is despised.”
Steve Walton felt that old familiar wave of rage sweep through him. Fifteen years later, Susan was still defying him! He remembered the scene in his study, and Susan’s steady eyes looking into his as he ranted.
“Pregnant at sixteen, and by the GARDNER!” he’d screamed. “Well, we are going to have THAT taken care of, and HE’S fired! You will never see that man again!”
“THAT is my baby, daddy,” Susan had said in a tremulous voice. “And HE is the man I love. I’m going to marry him.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
“You marry that man and you’re on your own, Susan, do you hear?” Steve shouted furiously. “No more money, nothing! You marry him and you get out of my house!”
Susan had looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I love you, daddy,” she’d said. Then she turned around and walked away. Even though Steve had set detectives to find her, no one had been able to trace her.
“How many children?” he asked Pastor Morris.
“Four,” the pastor said. “Three girls and a boy. Beautiful children.”
Steve picked up his phone and spat out orders for his plane to be readied. “Pastor, would you come with me to Los Angeles, take me to my little girl?” he asked quietly.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
The pastor nodded, and within two hours, the two men were on board Steve’s private jet winging their way south. There was a limo waiting for them, and the pastor directed them to a parking lot outside a large mall.
At the furthest end of the lot, a pickup truck was parked, with a tent set up at the back. Pastor Morris had told Steve that when Susan’s husband died in a work accident, the insurance company had refused to pay out and the bank foreclosed on the mortgage.
Susan had piled the children and their few belongings into the old pickup. She worked at the mall as a cleaner. She and the children used the mall’s facilities and bought whatever was leftover at the restaurants at the end of the night.
Still, she had managed to keep the four children fed, clean, and in school. As the two men approached the truck, they heard cheerful voices and laughter. Then two children tumbled out of the back.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
The biggest girl, about fourteen, was laughing as she tickled a boy of about seven. The children stopped and gaped at Steve and Pastor Morris. “Mom!” the girl yelled. “That old preacher friend of yours is here!”
A well-remembered voice asked from inside the tent, “Preacher Morris?” Then Susan climbed out and Steve could see the shock in her face when she saw him standing next to the pastor.
“Daddy?” she asked, and her eyes filled with tears.
Steve was shocked. His daughter was barely thirty-one, but she looked much older. Her face was worn and lined with worry and suffering, her hands coarsened by hard work.
“Susan,” Steve cried. “Look at you! Look at what HE did to my princess! I wanted so much for you! And you married that loser! What could he give you? Poverty?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
Susan shook her head and said, “He loved me, daddy, and he gave me 4 beautiful children. He died, and I had nowhere to go, but I’ve done what I can for my children. I will always love the father of my children, daddy, just like I’ve always loved you.”
Steve found that he had tears running down his face. “Forgive me, Susan,” he sobbed. “Please forgive me. Come home, I want you all to come home with me. Let me help you take care of the children!”
Steve found himself holding his weeping daughter and knew that everything was going to be alright. Susan introduced him to his three granddaughters, then she placed her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “And this,” she smiled, “is little Stevie!”
“You named him after me?” Steve asked, astounded. “After what I did?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
“I love you, daddy,” she said softly. “Don’t you know that?”
That afternoon, they all flew home to Texas. It was the beginning of a better life for all of them.
What can we learn from this story?
- Love and accept your children unconditionally. Steve was furious with Susan for loving a poor man and made the biggest mistake of his life by losing his daughter.
- Don’t judge people for their wealth or influence. Steve hated his son-in-law because he was poor, but he was a loving husband to Susan and a dedicated dad.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a 60-year-old man who is shocked when a perfect stranger walks up to him in a restaurant and calls him a cheater.
This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
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