I was rearranging my kitchen cabinets when my hand brushed against something small, smooth, and unfamiliar at the back of the drawer. I pulled it out and held it up to the light.
It had a smooth, polished surface, a slightly golden-brown color that caught the afternoon light, and was small enough to fit comfortably in the palm of my hand. At first glance, it looked like a decorative object, but it was so unassuming I could not figure out what it was meant to decorate.
At first, I thought it might be a vintage paperweight. Then I wondered if it was a fancy drawer pull that had somehow fallen off. I even considered the possibility that it was a piece from an old game set or a missing knob for a piece of furniture.
I turned it over in my hands, feeling the smooth curves, but nothing clicked. I was a little baffled.
The Search for Answers
I did what most of us do when we are stumped by a mystery object. I scoured the internet for similar items. No luck. I sent a photo to a friend who loves antique stores and forgotten relics. She was stumped too.
I was starting to feel a little ridiculous. How could I own an object and not know what it was?
Finally, I called my aunt. She is a retired elementary school teacher with a gift for knowing the most unexpected things. I described the object to her, and she listened without interrupting.
Oh, she said. That is a tape dispenser. The old-fashioned kind, before plastic ones were everywhere.
I laughed. No way. I had it in my hand, and it did not look anything like a tape dispenser.
You are probably holding it wrong, she said. Turn it over. Does it have a serrated metal edge?
){kind=link}