Featured Ancient 3 Piece Folding Platform, Skillfully Hand Made

I got this at a rural farmstead estate sale in 2009. The seller didn't know what it was for, but said it was her grandpa's and that she recalled it from her childhood, on the mantel...just where I found it. She was in her 70s or 80s. I puzzled over it for a few weeks, then squirreled it away. It rolled to the top as I was looking for something else last week. I think I have figured out what it is...but y'all get a chance to put a purpose & name to it before I divulge my inspired opinion.

It's ~9½" X ~3" X ~½" on each board; 1⅞" thick collapsed an' ~4⅞" high expanded; almost 29" long fully opened.
Enjoy

 

A clear statement that it wanted attention from Antiquers.

 

Sleeve board, from a time when you had to heat the iron in the fire?

 

Portable stool?

 

Cobbler item for shoes?

 

I believe this has been purpose-built as a collapsible, portable foot-rest for a guitar, banjo or similar (stringed?) instrument player.

That's my story, an' I'm stickin' to it!

And I recognize that it's 4 pieces, not 3...sorry.

 

Does it have some sort of latching mechanism that keeps it at a fixed height?

 

What Bronwen said, but if not, a collapsible, Russian, trench art, tank hood ornament.

 

Nope. It is, by virtue of crafty design and consummate skill in execution, entirely self supporting...including that the two faces are almost perfectly parallel when open.

I'll take a couple more pics of the pertinent areas that do the heavy lifting in that regard...