Featured I bought a bunch of Bakelite. Not sure what some things are.

Discussion in 'Antique Discussion' started by Lizzie, Feb 1, 2023.

  1. Lizzie

    Lizzie All you need is love ...and a dog.

    The first picture shows some of what was in the lot. Additionally, there were some pins and a bracelet, some game pieces like dice, napkin rings and some other misc items. I know the desk set is missing the mechanical pencil and the perfume bottles have lost their daubers. The rest I have no idea what they are:

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    Picture 1. The top of the disk revolves and shows a Chinese symbol, an E and the numbers 2, 3, 4. Was this used for a game of some sort?

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    Picture 2. The flat item I think is a letter opener. The round pointy thing is marked Pickwick Arms Hotel, Greenwich Conn. What is it?

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    Picture 3. The red thing is 4 1/2" tall and has a screw in the bottom. Perhaps it had a base of some sort?

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    Picture 4 & 5. Flowers are imprinted on the back Bakelite Travel Badge, Molded in Stokes Press, Museum of Science & (something illegible), Rockefeller Center, New York City. A souvenir perhaps? The key with the emblem? No clue.

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    Picture 6 . Not even sure these are Bakelite.

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    Picture 9. A cigarette holder. I think it's pretty cool.

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    And finally the perfume bottles which someone inserted a toothpick to use as a dauber:

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  2. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Those could be kohl bottles.:) I have a bakelite kohl bottle. Do they smell of perfume? If not, they are probably kohl bottles. Many were made for the Turkish and Middle Eastern market.
     
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  3. Lizzie

    Lizzie All you need is love ...and a dog.

    Thanks Any. No smell and no residue or color inside either. Maybe they've never been used.
     
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  4. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Could be. Kohl can be cleaned off bakelite perfectly though. Perfume smells linger.
    The pointed end of the applicator generally means kohl, not perfume. It looks like a regular applicator for bakelite kohl bottles btw, not a toothpick.
    Bakelite kohl bottles are quite pricey.
     
  5. Lizzie

    Lizzie All you need is love ...and a dog.

    Any, this is why I run things here...your knowledge and willingness to share is invaluable. I shouldn't make assumptions.
     
  6. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

  7. Lizzie

    Lizzie All you need is love ...and a dog.

    The one I have is definitely wood like a toothpick.
     
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  8. baltojoe75

    baltojoe75 Well-Known Member

    The red T handle with the screw looks like it was for a candy or cookie or bonbon serving dish. Screw went through the bottom of the plate to secure it to the handle. The key is a key ring and missing the chain that goes through the hole.
    Round disc could be off of a game or abacus. That brass insert kept the center from wearing while sliding across a rod (like for keeping score in billiards)
    The flat item is a letter opener and the item below it looks like a piece from a manicure set (for cleaning under your fingernails). I might be wrong about this though.
     

    Attached Files:

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  9. Lizzie

    Lizzie All you need is love ...and a dog.

    Thanks Joe. Great information that cleared some questions up.

    Would the red handle have gone to dish that also would have been Bakelite?

    And how nice of the Pickwick Hotel to provide manicure tools.
     
    bercrystal likes this.
  10. baltojoe75

    baltojoe75 Well-Known Member

    @Lizzie The plate was probably either china or chrome.
     
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  11. Lizzie

    Lizzie All you need is love ...and a dog.

    @baltojoe75. Thank you, I appreciate the information.
     
  12. wlwhittier

    wlwhittier Well-Known Member

    I've had this for decades, an' could never find nor figure out what it was for! Thanks, AJ...now all I gotta do is fill it with kohl bottles...that'll be a small challenge, I'm sure.
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  13. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    The item from the Pickwick Arms looks like a phone dialer.

    The name Ga-Li-Nor suggests a play on koh i noor & makes me think these red & white handled pieces are Galalith rather than Bakelite. They look like particularly brutal manicure tools?

    Guessing the red flower travel badges were from an interactive display in a now long gone museum of science & (industry/technology?). Maybe visitors could watch as a token was made just for them, using the Stokes Press.

    https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_332584
     
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  14. Lizzie

    Lizzie All you need is love ...and a dog.

    @Bronwen The red and white pieces are a desk set. A stamp for sealing wax, a letter opener and pen to dip into into ink, though the nib is broken. the empty slot is for a mechanical pencil which is missing. How can I tell if they Galalith and not Bakelite?

    Phone dialer for the Pickwick piece makes sense. I actually remember those from my childhood.
     
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  15. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Some sources say that if you put Galalith in water sufficiently hot (but not so hot as to melt it) you may be able to smell the formaldehyde. One source says a hot needle will not make a pit, but I wouldn't want to put this to the test. The name is probably the best clue short of a full chemical analysis. For a bit more from a reliable source:
    https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/galalith-alchemy-in-the-age-of-plastic/
     
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  16. evelyb30

    evelyb30 Well-Known Member

    The round bit looks like a mah jong counter; I bet the character displayed changes if you find a way to move it.
     
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  17. Lizzie

    Lizzie All you need is love ...and a dog.

    Thanks Bronwen.

    Yes, Evelyb, the top part of the disk revolves and it will show a Chinese character, and E and the numbers 2, 3, 4.
     
    Bronwen likes this.
  18. evelyb30

    evelyb30 Well-Known Member

    A turn indicator maybe? Something along those lines.
     
  19. baltojoe75

    baltojoe75 Well-Known Member

    Glad to help
     
  20. baltojoe75

    baltojoe75 Well-Known Member

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