What is this?

[Scotty]

I bought this at a church sale. They had a lot of stuff that a missionary might have had. Any idea what the metal circle thing is? Looks like a cutter or an opener of some sort but I have no clue. Some of you are much more "traveled " than me.

 

[Monty]

Looks like a combination pry bar / nail pull and bottle opener.

 

[carlmorrell]

looks fishy to me.

 

[Curly]

Perhaps a tool for rounding arrow shafts?

Pete

 

[Monty]

After looking at it again, I think the tail end is to remove fish hooks from fish. Not sure about the other end.

 

[Curly]

Going to be brave and call it a Polynesian Circumciser.

Pete

 

[Drewby108]

Going to be brave and call it a Polynesian Circumciser.

Pete

Better than Rabbi Tuckman's circumcisions.

(If the image is hard to see/you haven't seen Robin Hood: Men in Tights, it's Mel Brooks with a small guillotine)

 

[Dieseldoc]

Going to be brave and call it a Polynesian Circumciser.

Pete

Ha Ha

 

[Scotty]

After looking at it again, I think the tail end is to remove fish hooks from fish. Not sure about the other end.

You might be onto something here. It does look like it might remove hooks. Just can't figure out the purpose of the circle.

 

[Smokey S]

That's a good one. Although I bet is was a valuable tool in its day……..Smokey

 

[Scotty]

Any chance this might be ebony? What else would be this dark?

 

[sorcerertd]

Any chance this might be ebony? What else would be this dark?

Could be African Blackwood. In fact, I'd expect that would hold up better since Ebony is a bit brittle.

 

[jttheclockman]

To me the circle is the key to what it is. It was shaped as a fish and the tail is just that a tail. The hole is where the action takes place.

 

[SpiritRider]

Bottle opener

 

[tomtedesco]

Perhaps a tool for removing fish from a net, or repairing the net??

 

[jrista]

Better than Rabbi Tuckman's circumcisions.

(If the image is hard to see/you haven't seen Robin Hood: Men in Tights, it's Mel Brooks with a small guillotine)

Complete only with the quote:

"I take your little thing, put it in this little hole here, and NIP THE TIP!"

*Sluchink!*

"Aaahh! Ooowh! Eeh."

 

[Sataro]

I use to make oven rack pullers in the shape of fish & ducks. Notch in the front to pull oven rack out. The split in tail was to push the oven rack back in with. But with that item having metal in the circle that blows my idea out of the water…

 

[Woodchipper]

Fishing lure.

 

[jimm1]

I use to make oven rack pullers in the shape of fish & ducks. Notch in the front to pull oven rack out. The split in tail was to push the oven rack back in with. But with that item having metal in the circle that blows my idea out of the water…

Yup. Oven rack push/pull.

 

[Scotty]

Well I don't think it was meant to open bottles. Tried it and didn't work. One of the mysteries of life I suppose!

 

[TellicoTurning]

kinda looks fishy to me, but could be just a bottle opener shaped like one.
you didn't give dims....