We had two correct answers to our June What Is It? Both Charles Pheasant of Centennial, Colorado and Jacque Rutledge of Northglenn, Colorado identified the object as a stamping or sealing device. Our friend Tricia Meyers of Berwyn Heights, Maryland also identified the object Charles says, “It looks like a date stamper you used to see at the bus station, where the ticket agent validated a purchase…What throws me off is that it appears to have been at the bottom of a lake for 20 years.” Jacque says, “Looks like a stamping or sealing device to me…put paper between the “jaws” (Is that a frog?) and stamp down on the round top piece…I pass my copies on to friends. They enjoy reading it.”
This particular device, a functional frog, dates from the 1860s. It does duty as a paper embosser. The stamp reads “Bradbury & Sweat,” a Maine law firm.
Congratulations, Charles and Jacque and Tricia, you have won a year’s subscription to the Mountain States Collector.
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