Topic: machine threaded candlesticks for dating.

[Paul S.]

I think machine threading started about 1870 ish, although no real idea when it stopped, so unsure of a date for these - but this decorative effect is seen commonly on late C19 material.          Quite short at 3.5" - 90mm only - and can't imagine they're part of a trinket set, but you never know.     Ground/polished flat across the entire base - but without any marks, and one has been in the wars with repair to the top, where you can see the colour of the glue.   Definitely manual threading and not a mould effect.     Maximum base diameter is about 3.3/8" -85mm.          The top rims are also ground/polished and very slightly bevelled.               Do people think they look deco  ish perhaps - and how about country of origin?           All thoughts welcome and thanks for looking

[Lustrousstone]

I think they might be match strikers for the table. Late 19C sounds good.

[flying free]

oh so with the hole in the top to hold the matches?  They are great design!
m

[Paul S.]

thanks Christine  -  in fact I meant to say I thought the threading might have been used to strike the light for the candles - but forgot.
Also should have said they both had candle wax around the top, so had obviously been used for this purpose  -  the threading doesn't appear to be clogged with phosphorus, although they might have been cleaned.          And of course they are a pair, which is more akin to how you'd find candlesticks.          Maybe they were multipurpose  -  candlesticks and table match strikers, but I'll go with the date then - origin unknown then.

[flying free]

mm, thinking about it, weren't old matches fairly long as well, so they would fall out of the top 
m

[Paul S.]

I've a feeling you're right m.......although I've just measured three other machine threaded known match strikers (round ones) and they have very similar 'match depths' to these examples..........about 26/27mm.       Christine may well be correct, and this pair were commandered for candlesticks, possibly, much later in their life when their original use as match strikers had long gone out of fashion.