Whatsits: A Trapped Ham?

Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association, Inc., The, Mar 2004

Raymond Seguin of Fort Myers, Florida, sent this ominous-looking item (Figure l) which appeared in the September 2003 issue of TAf Chronicle. It measures 14 inches at its longest point, and is 8 inches wide and 6 inches high. Ray reports that it weighs 12 pounds. The inscription on the bottom reads: "Mf'd By Reliance Plating Works/Louisville Ky./Patent appl'd for." We suggested it might be some sort of a trap.

Jim Moffctt wrote to Whatsits Editor Ivan Risley, and lie had an entirely different idea. he said that (if liis memory is correct) the device was used to hold a cooked ham in a vetical position in restaurants and bars. The device could he expanded to accept the piece of meat, and then it was tightened to hold the ham. The large, heavy base provided stability, the cook could cut off slices without the whole thing sliding about or tipping over.