Sweet, Very Old Little Ball in Cage Whimsy with Rounded Ends and Black Paint engraved brass matchbox holder and I love the combination

and I love the combination of gray veins in the marble near the head and the nice patina on this one

not visible when closed

when its founder George Gilman passed management to George Huntington Hartford

upon which the title -“The Open Road” (The Ship’s Highway)—is hand-written

Certainly there have been plenty of tornadoes in Kansas to document the effects of

Sweet, Very Old Little Ball in Cage Whimsy with Rounded Ends and Black Paint engraved brass matchbox holder and I love the combinationA humble but really a wonderful little whimsy, in which the hand of its maker feels emphatically present. Quite an old one for sure, once painted black but with lots of wear that makes each of its four sides distinguished by a progressive loss of paint (and gain of warm dry wood patina.) With nice rounded ends that give it a special feel and a beautifully formed little ball inside the cage with fine carve marks all over it. 3 1 4 x 5 8 and in good