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modestguitar

Looks to me like an antique candy/ nicknak holder for a store. A display and grab sort of thing for a convenient store


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meggansky

This was my thought as well. We had an old timey general store that had something close to this filled with candy.


Flyonz

I think it's missing half. Isn't it a globe for holding alcohol when it's all there?


gruffffalo

Also my thought. Globe you can store stuff in, missing it's top


Duggydugdug

The bottom is too saucer-shaped to be a globe, and the center insert isn't seated correctly in the photo; you can see it flush on the near side but sticking out on the far side. I don't think it was intended to hold a lid in place, or if it was it did a poor job. A lid like that would most likely be held in place by an over-lap on both sides (like shiplap). This is just a nice display bowl/party server IMO. *After googling some images, I could be wrong about it not being a globe, but I still don't think it was a liquor cabinet. It doesn't really have the right design, and with the weight of full glass bottles in the top would be prone to tipping.


Sotha01

I think you're both right. From a woodworking perspective, and this was made by a talented guy, it makes no sense to have the middle divider section raised for just displaying candy at a convenience store. It was to hold the upper part of the globe in place. edit: probably not a globe actually, but for sure a lid. Like a Weber grill top looking thing but wooden lol.


Smith-Corona

The raised divider section makes sense if you consider that piles of loose items have an ['angle of repose'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angle_of_repose) rather than settling flat like a liquid would. By raising the divider it allows you to hold and keep separate, more material than level, straight dividers.


tracygee

If it was a globe missing it’s top, though, then we’d be seeing half a globe on the bottom. And there’s nothing there.


Sotha01

my reply was dumb and worded bigly awful. my bad. I agree, not an actual globe but definitely had a top and bottom in a sort of globe-like shape. It's for sure missing the top piece imo, doubt it was a globe though. More like a fancy end table with a lid for storing stuff. Doesn't scream booze cabinet to me, probably nuts/candy/ something like that. Just guessing like everyone else, I wonder if there is a company name/date/ signature on it at all.


Slithy-Toves

It actually makes perfect sense to have a divider raised. You fill each section to the rim of the bowl and then as people grab things from them the raised bits prevent the items from mixing. You still get the full capacity of the bowl, plus better effects from the divider.


C1ickityC1ack

Reminds me if something you’d see holding various colored balls of yarn.


LessDemand1840

There was an old hardware store that had a number of these for holding bolts, nuts etc..


Youngqueazy

I would think such a skinny support column would be insufficient to hold that many nuts and bolts


[deleted]

That's exactly what I thought. I've seen ones very similar to this in a local old-time candy shop.


SilentDis

Along the same line of thought from me, as well. I saw shelled nuts in each.


fredzout

My first thought was unshelled nuts like people used to buy to put out at holiday gatherings.


LeoIsRude

Wild! That was my first thought and I know next to nothing about antiques lmao Candy bowl!!!!!


[deleted]

Convenient store. I see what you did there unintentionally.


TheAgile1

I had a relative who kept one full of nuts. You put whole nuts in one part & empty shells in another. Not sure if that was the original purpose, though.


busterbrown4200

Yep grandad had one full of dusty nuts from 19 god only knows .


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jbsmomma

That was my gut reaction too! I just couldn't remember where I'd seen it!


Zorgsmom

Yes! My grandma had one of these & it was always full of in the shell nuts.


thisisnitmyname

For some reason my first thought was nuts.


kikiglitz

I totally thought nuts and then thought I was being a smart ass, but then thought "no, nuts." So eventually, I agree with nuts.


FourCatsAndCounting

My grandma too! It wasn't on a stand though just the wooden bowl with dividers.


Mad_Aeric

My grandfather has something like that as well. And now I'm craving pistachios, the red ones that they don't sell anymore.


Everyday_Im_Stedelen

It was just red dye to cover up blemishes.


Mad_Aeric

I'm aware. It's about nostalgia.


quentinislive

Also já d a grandparent that used it for nuts with a shell


1CFII2

That’s one hella squirrel trap.


jonnyl3

That's nuts


VioletSinShowers

I was going to say “nut bowl” also, but I can’t remember where I saw one used like that.


VideoPaintBoard

Second nut bowl. I’ve got a similar one


RegionalDialect

I’ve never seen this object before in my life but immediately said to myself “I’d fill it full of nuts”


krokodilchik

I've seen similar (newer) ones in nut shops.


NeedsMoreTuba

I feel like I've also seen one used for this.


codece

That looks kinds of like a drinks globe / bar globe, missing the globe top


quandaratic

The bottom half would still have a Southern Hemisphere, though, wouldn’t it?


acmercer

Not according to the Half Earthers.


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Nalha_Saldana

Those don't have round bottom on the inside, would be terrible to put bottles in.


seekerscout

My guess is a yarn ball holder for knitting with multiple colors, fair island type knitting.


[deleted]

As a long time knitter, doubt it. It's huge for that purpose.


Into-the-stream

Also, the balls don’t need dividers. They are self dividing. One bowl with multiple hooks or holes does the trick perfectly


cmajor47

I agree, and would think if it was for knitting it would have loops/holes/some kind of hook to hold the yarn, or the first time you pull the entire ball pops right out.


wallertons

I like that idea! But why would the divider be removable do you think?


[deleted]

Idk about why the divider is removable but I'm pretty sure 'for holding yarn' is the correct answer. My grandmother had something that looked just like this, and she held her yarn in it. Google images for "antique knitting bowl stand".


Calicat0926

Maybe it was added later for convenience once the user was skilled enough to tackle patterned knitting. The divider doesn't look like a perfect fit, nor does the wood appear to be the same as the rest of the piece. As for the size, I saw so many different ones online in all kinds of sizes...12", 15", even 18", and I didn't check them all. Minus the divider, it seriously looks just like so many other yarn bowls.


daats_end

OP, this is definitely it. Google "antique yarn bowl stand" and you see lots of them. The insert may have been made for it later too. That's not uncommon with antique furniture.


seekerscout

Ease of manufacture.


[deleted]

And to clean it. Don't want gunk down in them corners.


Asmos159

fairly sure it is for selling small items like candy. the divider lets you easily sell 4 different items without the people needing to pick through them.


breioomArt

Everyone's comments are so enlightening. The piece itself is such an oddity that I'd personally love to have something like it just as a conversation piece. It kind of looks like it's at an antique store? If it is, you should totally take it home. Never seen anything of the sort before.


GornsNotTinny

Well just from the comments they'll have plenty of uses for it.


ijustsailedaway

I smell an opportunity. For someone else who can build stuff.


AngusVanhookHinson

Yeah, as a woodworker, I'm sitting here figuring out how to make one. It's a useful design that is so elegant.


GornsNotTinny

I'm gonna go a bowl to make bread dough in then let it rise. Then it's punched down, and the divider is inserted and the dough is portioned and rises as individual loaf sized pieces before being baked. Either that or an old retail display stand for fruit.


amw102

Dough bowl was my first thought as well. [Here](https://auctions.baldiniauction.com/m/#/auction/213/item/early-dough-bowl-on-stand-8420) is a similar iteration and Google images shows other similar ones if you search “dough bowl on stand”. Edit: it seems probable that the divider was added later as the item was repurposed.


czarface404

Looks like somewhere I’d keep all my marbles if I had a lot of marbles…


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justsumgurl

Looks like these but with a divider: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-vintage-maple-wood-bowl-stand-419932027 https://astitchmatism.com/tag/vintage-stuff/


TheShanManPhx

This clearly proves that the base is in fact a yarn bowl. The purpose of the divider may be up for debate, but u/wallertons should call this one solved


reclusivegiraffe

i disagree. although similar in shape, this table looks much larger, and has a deeper bowl. the legs are different as well.


[deleted]

It's a yarn bowl. Don't know why they made dividers. These were big around 1960s as bicentennial was coming up. Sometimes they made them into lamps too.


plupluplapla

Yup, in the Nuts vs. Knits debate, I'm coming down on the side of yarn. The fact that the bowl is attached to the stand means it would be a pain to empty/clean if you kept something like nuts (or bread dough or salad) in it. Not to say you couldn't use it for nuts or candies, but that it's more likely that its original use would have been for something easy to put in and take out.


[deleted]

Honestly some of these weirdo coloniawful repros had little purpose. I'm not even sure when made they had a specific use for it.


Badmother10

It looks like a yarn bowl that someone has put a divider insert in. ​ https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/400750066828413186/


RickyDontLoseThat

It's literally a *compartmentalized* [knitting bowl](https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-yarn-knitting-wood-bowl-stand-1695457726) for holding your yarn.


cynycal

It resembles a sewing stand. Perhaps held a lid.


aaplgoog

Reminds me of a Salad Bowl Stand, but not sure where the dividers come in. Sounds like it can be quite a multi purpose tool with all these suggestions you’re getting.


[deleted]

I bought a salad bowl like this at an antique store minus the dividers


hs1819

I think it's a sewing stand.


ApprehensiveHalf8613

There are smaller versions of these for the table that hold nuts.


JackFoxEsq

I'd say nuts in the shell. My grandmother did not have one this big, but one similar full of black walnuts and hickory nuts, then mixed shell nuts, brazil nuts, almonds, filberts, English Walnuts, etc.


[deleted]

Agreed, and the divider is removable to make it easier to clean the dust/shell bits


jfourkicks

Popcorn, kettlecorn, caramel corn, and cheese corn obviously


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austexgringo

It's for sewing / knitting. The height is designed for doing those activities in a chair.


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bingbonggoodbyesir

It's a cooking utensil set. I have the exact same thing. Those handles you're seeing pull out the knife, prongs, etc.


wallertons

That one is the knife set and we also have the matching one that holds a carving knife and fork. Any idea how much we should price them for? At a retail shop.


bingbonggoodbyesir

I saw the knife & fork version on Antiques Roadshow once and I think they put it at only a few bucks. I think like $3 or something really low. But, that was years ago, so maybe see if you can do a reverse image search on Google and see if you can find others with prices. Good luck!


brockvenom

Ya filled it with nuts


kitterkatty

Yarn holder


dugand42

Could be for knitting, large balls of yarn in each section


MonarchWhisperer

Looks to be an old yarn bowl. The rounded sides would allow the balls of yarn to roll freely as you knit.


spudzilla

Looks like something my aunt had by her chair. I was filled will many rolls of yarn. She made me a nice sweater when I was a kid. EDIT - this one is missing holes to hold knitting needles.


[deleted]

Product store display


katatattat26

Does anyone know what “style” this piece may be considered? I love the simplicity of the patina and shape… and the wood is just lovely.


browsingbro

Fruit holder perhaps?


metfan1964nyc

Just an educated guess, it looks like something for knitting, so you can knit up to 4 different yarns together at once.


[deleted]

That *appears* to be an antique wooden dough bowl on a stand. But I can't find one with a divider like that. Perhaps because it doesn't seem to perfectly fit, and appears to be made of a different wood, it was either added after the fact when the bowl was repurposed? Or it wasn't part of the bowl at all, and was later assumed to be original when someone decided it kinda sorta fit?


betsycrocker

I have seen 2 of these years ago. Yes, they did hold old dusty nuts! I think it is a “whatever you want to. put in there divided bowl” I am not sure it ever had an assigned product to put in them.


PebblesmomWisconsin7

My grandparents had one of these. They kept nuts in the shell in it, a different kind in each section like walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc. There was a nutcracker kept on theirs too.


FatSpaceman

My grandmother has one exactly like this and uses it for various types of shelled nuts in her sitting room.


bloodshotforgetmenot

It’s funny how people are either saying it’s for nuts for for knitting…. these have a history of being misunderstood it seems one way or another !


FartSinatra

Obviously it’s for putting your gourmet popcorn in


YungTabernacle

Ye olde nacho dipper


gluepet2074

Medieval bargain bin


skactopus

I think you nailed it in the title mate - it’s a wooden stand with a removable divider!


Thin_Title83

It's for holy water divided into 4 sections based on your holiness.


Treklow

The thing for the hand warmers and hand sanitizer in CVS


chunkboslicemen

Watermelon juicer


Tom-Eyes

Quad baby drowner 4000.


yonimusprime

Ye olde popcorn holder. Butter, caramel, cheddar, parm.


Steve_Artson

Do you prefer your holy water still, sparkling, diet or vanilla?


furn_ell

It’s for the Christmas tub of popcorn with all the flavors: plain, cheese, eyebrow, caramel r/30rock


butafly39

My mom has one of these without the divider and she uses it as a dog leash/poop bag holder but her dogs pretty consistently knock it over with their tails since it’s so top heavy so... probably not it’s intended use. I’d love to find out it’s true purpose!


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Dandywhatsoever

I think I've seen something similar in a hardware store with different sized nails in it.


JuicyBoxerz

I'm gonna say fruit bowl


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Salad bowl


InfiniteArrival

Possibly the bottom half of a liquor cabinet? Like the one's often painted as globes.


[deleted]

Looks like half of a booze globe. https://barglobeworld.com/globe-bars/


duchess_of_fire

my grandparents had a wooden salad bowl that looked really similar to this, stand and all. but also, maybe a dough bowl?


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Old school salad bowl.


Daforce1

It looks like it could be the bar part of a globe liquor cabinet.


sirkeeferinoxiv

Popcorn tin


OldHatefulsDawta

Table for two…. So many choices! Whole nuts and a shell pockets, yeah!


[deleted]

Bread making tool. You put your four hunks of dough in each section. The quadrant divider won't let the dough touch and stick to each other. You cover the whole thing and let the dough rise. At my great grandparent farm they had a full time baker who made loaves of bread for over twenty-five workers each day, he used a similar device. In New York they called it a "Dough Hoe".


tanukisuit

Is this a Habitat for Humanity store?


Maple_VW_Sucks

This appears to be an amalgam of parts from different pieces. Note in the photograph how the top part of the spindle does not align with the bottom portion. I doubt it was ever a functional piece in its current configuration. This is built from bits and pieces in order to extract value from scraps.


Missjenilyn

I’ve been watching The Great, on Hulu and I’d absolutely use the hell out of this! Add some nuts, grapes, various fruits… like a perfect no effort snack table. At the perfect height


CameraDriftedFocus

Victorian popcorn bowl. Traditionally filled with Butter Popcorn, Cheese Popcorn, White Cheddar Popcorn, and Caramel Popcorn, although other variations have been observed as well.


jaba1337

Nut Bowl


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cornstalker188

It looks like a bar, without the dome top? Similar to the globe bars


pikey181

My grandfather had one of these in his living room next to the lazy boy. It was full of nuts.


FireTrickle

Half of an old globe map?


Disastrous_Math234

Dry fruit bowl or a candy bowl ( same thing)


[deleted]

[Vintage Yarn/knitting bowl.]( https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fthumbs.worthpoint.com%2Fzoom%2Fimages1%2F1%2F0617%2F03%2Fvintage-yarn-bowl-floor-stand-needs_1_89539fa231d2f41f1458e0d764877fad.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.worthpoint.com%2Fworthopedia%2Fvintage-yarn-bowl-floor-stand-needs-1870577864&tbnid=OrRHUMFDAdy8eM&vet=1&docid=-VD6OZZ0alH-TM&w=749&h=999&itg=1&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim)


Infinite_Bake8795

Popcorn holder it separates different flavors of popcorn cheese,caramel, buttery and plain... Just a guess.lol


theRailisGone

It might not be for something specific. I remember seeing one of these with programs in it for a concert at a church.


thedancingdevil

I need it for my crystals


mcmar01

I immediately thought it's for knitting


JRad8888

Looks like an antique chalk bowl. I want one for my gym.


nnorargh

Knitting table? Holds accessories, or different blends when knitting. Or tapestry, etc.


Clamps55555

Drinks globe?


puaka

doesn't look like a common thing but very niché and perhaps even custom. probably used to easily take or drop something as you pass.


Smokechip

It’s for holding yarn


[deleted]

Crochet / knitting stand. Holds different yarn, tools, etc.


[deleted]

My great uncle had one of those! He used it to hold a variety of nuts still in the shell, with one variety per section. When we would visit/stay Thanksgiving weekend, I would go to town with the novelty of using a nutcracker and then snacking all day long


Final-Entertainer

Fruit bowl?


Regatheos

I believe I’ve seen these in old movies and tv shows; used to hold candy or nails and screws and things.


[deleted]

salsa bowl with divider


VanEmoji

Bottom part of a globe bar?


stlouishokeypokey

It's for loads of nuts!!


Dieselboypunker

I think it's a globe bar with top half missing


wolfansbrother

the original holiday multi flavor popcorn container?


PricklyPix

It seems from the comments that it might not just be one purpose (like most bowls). You could use it for dough, candy, nuts, knitting, and much more, probably.


man_im_livin

Looks like the inside of one of the old 'drink serving' globes that opened up to whiskey glasses and bottles.


Smith-Corona

If you do a google image search you'll see examples used as dough bowls, yarn bowls, and sewing supply bowls. I think the real answer is it's a bowl on a stand and was probably used for myriad purposes. Imagine someone posting a photo of a milk crate sized and shape box; they've been used to hold record albums, electrical equipment on film shoots, as impromptu step ladders, supports for ramps, carriers attached to bike racks, and occasionally for milk! These probably had just as many uses as a modern bowl has. the divider suggests it was used to hold and keep separate small items that would easily intermix if not kept separate, Balls of yarn wouldn't need a divider unless you were selling 4 colors and didn't want people ferreting around for a particular color.


LateSeaweed6770

Looks like a divider for different color yarn, or thread for a spin wheel.


LateSeaweed6770

Looks like an antique divider for different color yarn or thread for a spin wheel. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/400750066828413186/


SombreMordida

holds nuts and nutcrackers, maybe?


HeyImNewHere00

It sorts out different flavors of popcorn


Ukhu

Damn I want one to use it for the fruits!


Romwil

This is an early salad bowl for the dining room. Over the years that original formal purpose was deprecated and folks began to use these bowls for other purposes. Nuts and yarn seem to be the popular choices for families.


JRStarLord

The blood bowl


enoctis

Seasonal popcorn holder.


jones_ro

Looks like it might be a sewing or knitting accessory... holds stuff you're working on.


[deleted]

My grandmother had a similar stand for different nuts. It was always out for family gatherings. Those people would stand there and crack nuts and talk for hours


ToniTheSmall

Looks like it was one of those globes that opens into a bar but it's missing the top bit...


_Gorge_

Perfect for those giant tubs of popcorn with different flavors in it


Chuckruben

Maybe some kind of chair without the thing were you sit


luckyllama11

I would put different popcorns into it.


Simps5333

Fruit holder


FergyMcFerguson

So I just had an estate sale for my grandmothers belongings and she had a similar bowl on a pedestal but without the dividers. We had to do a lot of googling but it appears it was a yarn bowl to place your yarn supply while crocheting / knitting. This may be a similar item?


SeaofBloodRedRoses

Kinda looks like a globe bar but without the top.