Weird old toothpick holder?

[anitap]

I don't know whether this is the place to post this or not but here it is. I bought this thingy cheap in a garage sale. Didn't know what it was but thought it was interesting. Is this a vintage toothpick holder or a strange pin cushion? The perforated domed top and three curled legs are sterling silver. The black cylinder body could be Bake-lite but I just can't tell for sure if it’s Bake-lite or metal. It isn't attracted to a magnet. It has a small circular flat piece of sterling in the middle of the bottom about 1/4 inch in diameter that has the letter R over the word Sterling. I had to use a loop to read this. This object is 2 inches tall and is about 1 1/2 inches across the diameter of the cylinder. At least one time it was used as a toothpick holder because I think it has a small tip of a toothpick under the dome inside. You can hear it when you shake it. It does not open up. I welcome any opinions on it. Thanks! :P

 

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[stud564]

salt shaker on the bottom is a plug where you pour in the salt

 

[diggummup]

Yup,it's a salt shaker.As to whether it's bakelite or not,I don't know.You can rub it and smell it,but i've never done it so I wouldn't know what to smell for.It's called the "smell test".It's supposed to put off an oily or deisel or chemical smell or something,i'm not sure.Anybody?

 

[Michelle]

Yup 8)

 

[mojjax]

Maybe it's a pounce shaker ?

 

[anitap]

It just didn't occur to me that it could be a salt shaker. If you guys are pretty sure about that, I'll try to pry off the plug in the bottom. I'm not gonna pry hard cause I don't want to break it. I sure want to see if that plug comes out. Being sterling, it was kind of a fancy S & P set for someone! 8) Thanks for the input!!

 

[Michelle]

Maybe it's a pounce shaker ?

oh,that reeks of a past post!!!

 

[mojjax]

Sorry , couldn't resist !
mojjax