Weston Bowl Mill

[Cindy12]

I'd love to know what this is used for and how much it's worth. If anyone has a clue can you pass it along. Thanks!

[cogar]

You didn't give its dimensions but it looks to be somewhere between 14" and 18" tall. I'll just guess and call it new "folk art" made from black walnut .... and used for hanging on a nail in the wall to display "whatever" one places in that opening of the lower portion. Maybe something like different sizes of long handled "wooden spoons".

[Cindy12]

Yes it is about 14" high and I thought that it could be used for that purpose. I can't find much out about the Weston Bowl Mill except they are no longer in business. I found a few items on ebay from Weston Bowl Mill, but they are bowls not something like this.

[KC]

Sam Lloyd (Previous actor on Broadway and left NY for a gentler life in Weston is also the brother of the infamous Christopher Lloyd -actor of Back To The Future) bought the Vermont Wooden Bowl Corporation in 1960 and then went into business with Paul Orton - Paul managed the business while Sam worked between NY Plays and the bowl company - until Paul's death in 1988 then operated it on his own until he sold it in 1992. During this time it was renamed to the Weston Bowl Mill. (Great article about Sam at  findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3675/is_/ai_n8728641) The Weston Bowl Mill is now no longer in business.

Now, one of my grandmother had a box similar to this hung on her wall and it had the long wooden matches in them for the furnace and burning trash out in the orange groves.  It is hard to tell from your pic what the "cavity" of the piece is shaped like.

[Cindy12]

The cavity is in the shape of a half circle and about 6" deep.  I wonder if it is a stick match holder. thank you.

[cogar]

Yes, I vote for the long stick matches. Vermont, 1970's, wood burning stove craze in full swing across the Northeast from New York to Maine: ..... this would have been a good "sale item". Wood burning cook stoves and heating stoves were selling like crazy.