I guess I'm getting into the game on this a bit late, but I've seen retractable grease pencils very much like this made of plastic to this day. Same size, shape and function. The rusty part could be a pocket clip like the ones found on pens as well as retractable grease pencils. It would be interesting to know when they were first patented. Perhaps you could locate one in a nineteenth century office supply catalog.

Marty Pickands
New York State Museum

>>> Karen Murphy <[log in to unmask]> 2/24/2008 11:17 PM >>>
Hi all

 

During excavations at a late-19th century timber mill settlement on Lake
Cootharaba, in southeast Queensland, Australia, an interesting metal
artefact was found.  It is a cylindrical item around 6cm long, with what
appears to be a knob that twisted around the barrel of the item, possibly
extending and retracting an interior piece.  An image of the item is
available at http://www.atsis.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=78055 
<http://www.atsis.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=78055&pid=42037> &pid=42037 

 

We have come up with a few suggestions and ideas here, but would appreciate
any more concrete information and identification of such an item.  And
whether people have come across something similar in their work? Or any
other ideas?

 

Your help is appreciated.

 

Cheers

Karen

 

----

Karen Murphy

School of Social Science

(Anthropology, Archaeology, Criminology, Sociology)

University of Queensland

Brisbane  QLD  4072

Australia

 

Ph: +61 7 3346 9551

M: 0401 644 678

Email: [log in to unmask] 

Visit the Mill <http://www.atsis.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=42037&pid=41684>
Point Archaeological Project website

 

Queensland State Representative

Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology

Email: [log in to unmask]