Send your answers to the What Is It contest, postmarked by October 20, to The Mountain States Collector P.O. Box 1003, Bailey CO 80421. At least three winners will be drawn. Winners will receive a year’s subscription to The Mountain States Collector.

 September’s What Is It was sent to us by Cheryl Miller of Fort Collins. Here is the note she sent with these pictures:  “I purchased the item above from the Brass Armadillo a decade or two ago just because I liked the looks of it. I have no clue what it is. It appears to be made of ivory and […]

 August’s What Is It is a one-of-a-kind corkscrew candlestick. It is 10” high with 3 fluted legs, attached with a fastener to a 4” round base, It holds a 1 diameter candle.  We had several correct guesses. Jerome McLaren of Conifer, Colorado tells us these were called Bible candleholders which sat on a table. As the candle burned down you […]

 “July’s “What Is It” appears to be a vintage wooden-framed block pulley, holding three grooved wheels (sheaves), with metal attachment fittings on top and bottom.  When paired with a similar block pulley, with a single rope threaded through the pulleys of both blocks, it becomes a system generally known as a ‘block and tackle.’ Block and tackle systems have been […]

 We had several correct guesses to our June’s What Is It. Christine Green of Westminster, Colorado; Deborah Krinitzsky of Littleton, Colorado; Connie Godwin, Lyons, Colorado; and Lynda Moore of Sun City, Arizona all identified the objects as prehistoric stone axes. Congratulaions! You have all won a year’s subscription to the Mountain States Collector.  Though they aren’t found for sale as […]