MYSTERY OBJECTS

[PanBiker]

Is it some kind of safety key? Worn by the user, similar to an electrician keeping pulled fuses in his pocket or toolbox while working on installations?

[Pluggy]

A carrying aid for a heavy roll of cloth ?

[Stanley]

Sorry Gloria, I thought you'd once told me you didn't mind.... I shall stop doing it. Here's the original pic. Walt Fisher gave me the image and he said it was at Butts in about 1880. We know that Billycock Bracewell was a snapper and it's possible it's one of his.

[chinatyke]

Young men who already look old. I guess life was tough in those days. They look well fed though.
At least 3 of them have one of the mystery object devices.

[Stanley]

Time to come clean I think. The men on the picture are all from the warp preparation department at Butts Mill and the ones with the object hung round their necks are the twisters whose job it was to joint threads together. The object was an aid to tying a tidy knot. Try this one....

[Gloria]

Adverts for a circus??

[David Whipp]

Book sleeves?

[Stanley]

Sorry, no to both of you. Think about the fact they bear no text.....

[Pluggy]

Specialist greetings cards ?

[Stanley]

Specialist is right but not greeting cards as such.

[chinatyke]

Curry powder packets?

[Tripps]

I was going to say Ang Pow envelopes, but if that was the case - China would surely have got it.

[chinatyke]

I was going to say Ang Pow envelopes, but if that was the case - China would surely have got it.

Ang Pow or hongbao (red envelopes) are always red as far as I am aware. Red in China means good things, eg. when stocks go up the price is shown in red on the ticker, green means the price has fallen. There was even a story that when traffic lights were adopted they were going to use red for go, not sure if that is just an urban legend.

[Tizer]

Something to do with tea?

[Wendyf]

I'm with you Tiz, I think we have seen them before and tea was the first thing that came to mind.

[Stanley]

Wendy is right, you have seen them before. They are sticky labels that were put on bales of cloth to identify them in a way that didn't demand literacy. Used for the Indian export trade. Try this one, and yes, you know what it is but look carefully and tell me where they were used. Dead easy actually because I haven't edited them but interesting I think.

[Marilyn]

...for zee French market?

[Stanley]

No Maz, a bit more to it than that.

[chinatyke]

It says made in Ontario. So "for zee French market" in Canada?

[Stanley]

Near enough China. I saved it from my time in Montreal. There was a regulation that stipulated that all goods had to be labelled in both French and English. I once saw dog food labelled 'confeiture du chien' which I thought meant 'dog jam'. Another funny thing was HP sauce. Do you remember when it had a French statement on the label? "Cet sauce de haute qualitie et un melange de'epice orientaux....." The Canadian HP sauce hadn't got it on the label!
Anyone got the next for shaving?
Come to think, here's a cheeky one...

[Gloria]

Bottle for a water test??

[David Whipp]

Are you taking the P, Gloria!

[PanBiker]

Sample bottle I reckon to go along with the blood sample he's giving to the nurse this morning (diabetes clinic)?

[Gloria]

Moi David

[plaques]

Accepting that the last one is now water under the bridge here's something to keep the Barlick miscreants in check.
Its in Pendle but where?