“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 […]

 We had several correct guesses to our May’s What Is It. It is a waffle maker. The Pennsylvania Dutch sunburst adds value to this waffle maker which was designed to be placed over an “eye” or firehole, of a wood or coal range.  Thank you to our readers who properly guessed what it was. They include Terry Cook of Fort […]

 We had several correct guesses for our April What Is It. William McLaren of Anchorage, Alaska; Jerome McLaren of Conifer, Colorado; and Robert Smith of Plainview, Nebraska all correctly identified the items pictured as keys. As William McLaren pointed out, “It is a group of ancient keys with rings, usually made of iron or bronze and most likely of Roman […]

 No one guessed our March What Is It. This is a 16” Hand Tuneable Bodhran. The Deep Pro Frame is in Mahogany. It is a handheld, shallow Irish drum with a single goatskin head, played with a stick. 1965-70 Irish Gaelic bodhran, from Middle Irish bodran, from bodar “deafening, deaf.” The Bodhrán is known as the core and heartbeat of […]