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This lovely item has carvings all over and a wheel that spins. Adorning the piece is a hand, a star, and a snake. What is it?

At first glance, this ornate carved object may look like a decorative curiosity, but it is actually a scrimshaw jagging wheel, also known as a pie crimper or pastry crimping wheel. Name: Scrimshaw jagging wheel / pie crimperPeriod: Most commonly associated with the 18th and 19th centuries, especially the great age of American and European whaling.Main use: It was used…
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This metal mug has a spout like a pitcher except that the spout is off to the side. Anyone know what this is?

At first glance, this object may look like an unusual metal pitcher or small mug. In reality, it is a shaving mug, more specifically a soap scuttle used for old-fashioned wet shaving. Most people today are familiar with ceramic or porcelain shaving mugs, but this piece is different because it was made from pewter, a metal alloy made mostly of…
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This handled tool has a spring and a screw on the top. Looks pretty heavy duty. Think you know what this was used for?

The rusty metal tool shown in the photo is a saw tooth setter, also called a saw set. It was not used to cut wood directly. Instead, it was used to adjust the tiny teeth along a saw blade so the saw could cut smoothly, straight, and without getting stuck. Time period: Tools like this were especially common in woodworking…
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It looks like it screws in like a light but there’s no bulb, just coils… anyone know what it is?

At first glance, this unusual object may look like a strange old light bulb, but it is actually a 1920s antique ceramic wire heat lamp bulb, sometimes described as a vintage screw-in heater bulb. The piece shown is marked with EAGLE, suggesting it was made or sold under the Eagle name. Unlike a normal light bulb, this device was designed…
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Which decade are these prices from?

For many Americans, a trip to the grocery store today can feel painfully expensive. With prices rising on everything from eggs to orange juice, it is easy to look back and wonder whether life really was cheaper decades ago. A set of old clips filmed inside a Safeway grocery store in 1980 offers a fascinating look at how Americans shopped…
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If you know what this is then you love history.

The object in the image is a brace and bit cranial trephine, a type of early surgical drill used for trephining. It was made in Germany sometime between 1701 and 1800, during the 18th century. A trephine was a medical instrument designed to open a small hole in the skull. The practice of trephining is very old and dates back…
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Simple or Grand? Inside the Very Different Lives of Elon Musk and Mukesh Ambani

The world’s first trillionaire, Elon Musk, lives in a tiny 400-square-foot home worth just $50,000 — and his fridge is empty. No fancy furniture, no luxury. Just a small prefab box next to his rocket factory in Texas. His mom even visited and said there was nothing to eat inside. Meanwhile, Mukesh Ambani, the 25th richest man in the world,…
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Tornado wiped out an entire Indiana Catholic school but left – the crucifix standing perfectly untouched in the middle of the wreckage.

A tornado tore through Merrillville, Indiana last week, causing severe damage across the campus of Andrean Catholic High School. Buildings were damaged, roofs were torn away, trees were uprooted, and debris was scattered throughout the area. Amid the destruction, one landmark remained standing — a large crucifix beside a nearby grotto. Drone footage of the scene quickly spread online, drawing…
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Help! I’m old and can’t remember what I am used for? Any ideas?!

The object in the photo is a vintage fluting iron, also commonly called a pleating iron. It was a household and dressmaking tool used mainly during the 19th century and early 20th century, before modern electric irons and factory-made pleating became common. A fluting iron was used to create neat pleats, waves, and ruffles in fabric. These decorative folds were…
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Did you ever have a mood ring?

The item in the photo is a mood ring, a type of novelty jewelry known for its color-changing “stone.” At first glance, it looks like a decorative ring with a large oval gem, but its main appeal is that the center changes color when it becomes warmer or cooler. Mood rings became popular in the United States in 1975, during…
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