Topic: Any ideas?

[Mikeyboy]

Hi found this at a car boot sale and was intrigued as to what it was, has anyone any ideas or background on what it may be?

Cheers

Mikeyboy

[flying free]

hello and welcome to the board
does the wooden top have a slot in it?  and does the base of the glass have a cross on it?
Once the wooden top is in place does it hold the glass in place and make sure it can't be removed?  if so perhaps it is some form of collection box ?
if no to all the above then I'm sorry I have no idea  but someone will hopefully be along to help you out very shortly.
m

[Anne]

Hello Mikeyboy and welcome to the board.

We really need larger images to be able to see what it is. If you make the longest side around 700 pixels in length then save for web your files should fit our size limits.

If you need help in resizing then have a peek at our Help topics here:
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,6522.0.html
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,34093.0.html

If you still have difficulties please feel free to ask for the help of a Moderator.

[Mikeyboy]

Hi Anne and Flying free, thanks for the speedy reply. I will retake the photos with a view to correctly sizing them , I took them with my iPad so I could only do huge or tiny lol, I will take some with my camera and repost them. It does have coin slots and cross bottom and the top wooden plate does hold the glass in place so yes it is a collection box of some descript, I thought maybe a church collection? I am intrigued by it, thank you so much.
Mikeyboy

[NMott]

Looks like something a carpenter has knocked up in their shed in the 30s or 40s. Probably to take payment for something, eg, a weekly parish newspaper, without the money being nicked by schoolboys.
The bowl itself looks like an old salt dish.

[bOBA]

A bigger, clearer photo of the dish would be interesting. I agree with the likely hand made nature of the piece. I am not sure I have seen this kind of thing in glass inside churches. I would worry about coin noise and damage. I was wondering if it could be a container for some kind of folded piece of paper, club voting system. If so, a bowling committee, golf committee, masonic, etc... is equally possible. It looks very British. Maybe a clear photo of the base of the glass and general photo of the bowl will suggest a country of possible origin....

Robert

[Paul S.]

does the size of the slot look as if it might have accommodated half crown or two shilling coins  -  just wondered if it might simply have been a home made money box of some sort.           Looks too small to have been of much use as a church collection container, and knowing something about schoolboys, I think they'd simply have picked the whole thing up and walked off with it

[NMott]

A bigger, clearer photo of the dish would be interesting. I agree with the likely hand made nature of the piece. I am not sure I have seen this kind of thing in glass inside churches. I would worry about coin noise and damage. I was wondering if it could be a container for some kind of folded piece of paper, club voting system. If so, a bowling committee, golf committee, masonic, etc... is equally possible. It looks very British. Maybe a clear photo of the base of the glass and general photo of the bowl will suggest a country of possible origin....

Robert

Just about to say the same thing, having seen something similar, albeit with a box rather than a bowl, used for voting in a documentary on TV. Since there's no lock on the top I don't think it would be used for collecting money over a period of time. And if someone's passing a bowl round for a collection in a church service it wouldn't need to be screwed down as the curate and parishioners would be watching it go round. If it was masonic or from a gentleman's club it is likely to have their symbol. Possibly a local sporting club, or similar.

[Anne]

Just thinking aloud... I wonder if it was used for a game where a stake was involved? Perhaps cards or dominoes or suchlike... ?

[rosieposie]

Maybe a home made swear box?

It looks a bit French,  is the wood oak? Can you tell the size and type of screw thread to gauge its age??