It’s music-on-hold for a home telephone. The phone was placed on top of it to keep the caller entertained if they had to be put on hold during a conversation.

It’s an analog of an ordinary slingshot. You shoot metal balls with it — put a ball into the rubber sack and pull it back.

It’s an old device for making mayonnaise.

It’s a foot-operated potato planter.

“I’m curious about the context of this gift — historically it was used to keep a patient’s mouth open during surgery to prevent suffocation.”

It’s a counterweight for an old adjustable-height chandelier or ceiling lamp.

It’s “boning” from a corset.

It’s a kite spindle — likely a reproduction of the ones used from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s.

They look like chimney pots — probably removed when demolishing a house or upgrading a fireplace. If they’re attached to something underground, they may sit on top of a vent.

It’s a handle for carrying books. Two straps would pass through the holes on each end and wrap around the stack of books.

It’s a gas heater from around the 1930s–50s. You’re seeing the side (the gas valve) and the back (the covered flue opening).

It’s a snooker cue tipper. The cue goes into the open end to straighten and shape the tip, and the file slots in horizontally to square it off — basically a pencil sharpener for a snooker cue.

It’s a dress clip. Often worn in pairs and clipped around the neckline of a dress, blouse or coat — designed not to leave a hole in the fabric the way a brooch would.

It’s a baby food pusher, quite common in the 1800s through the early 1900s.

It’s a miners’ changing room. The hooks and baskets lift work clothes up and out of the way for the next shift.

It’s a vintage ski wax iron.

It’s a lady’s reticule — a tiny handbag popular in the 19th and early 20th century.

It’s a folding tie rack.

It’s an operating room light with some pieces missing.