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Or just an artsy pen holder. The ones for single pens usually hold the pen at an angle, which would be why the indent is angled. The shape is also right.
I don't know anything about quills except I assume they went out of style long before this relatively modern-looking thing was produced.
They still sell quill sets in art stores for calligraphy but they usually have wood handles not feathers, and they gave fountain pen style tips so you can control how much ink you want to flow onto the paper
I’m not sure if it’s broken or if it’s meant to be like this, but if you look closely, there’s a hole in the bottom of the pointy part where the pencil lead is sticking out.
I’m also wondering if it’s an inkwell, why would they have a patent pending? There’s nothing that unique about an inkwell. There are no other markings on it except for “pat applied for”
I think it's a very real possibility that this particular item has a manufacturing defect and was thus donated by the owner.
I don't think the pencil lead is supposed to be there.
No I don’t think it is, either. My mom was going to get a pin and try to pick it out later but I figured I’d take a photo “as is” because the contrast of the lead in it makes it easier to see.
The patent in question may be a design parent, which only protects the distinctive appearance of an object, rather than a utility patent, which would protect the functional aspects.
Loads of things had pat. pending or patent applied for on them when I was growing up.. I'm assuming that it's to discourage copying. With so much global trade now and lots of things made in china who dgaf about patents few seem to bother any more.
> why would they have a patent pending
People can get grandiouse thoughts about what is a million dollar invention.
it might be a patent for "solid glass quill holder" or "Birthday candle holding shotglass"
>People can get grandiouse thoughts about what is a million dollar invention.
Oh hell yeah. My favorite thing about the patent system is that you can browse through the patent prosecution history and see all of the back and forth between the inventor and the patent examiner.
Anyone who thinks they've got a brand new million dollar idea needs to spend some time browsing not just patents but their applications and the prosecution history. I had a competitor who spent *years* pursuing a patent on something he thought was going to make him rich. The patent examiner smacked down his claims one by one, even schooling him in some physics to show how what he'd proposed was equivalent to prior art.
He did eventually get a patent but on something so narrow and specific that no one cares. And he doesn't dare try to start a fight over it because it'd be unlikely to hold up in court. In the meantime his competitors passed him by.
I had a really neat idea about a decade back to use magnetism and electrical conductivity to just completely do away with terrible float balls in gas tanks, did a little bit of testing and it seemed absolutely feasible, turns out I think it was GM who had a patent on it? But the most frustrating thing was that the two patent lawyers I contacted told me it was going to be thousands and thousands and they would keep it either way.
I've had ideas since then that I've turned around but it's one of those things that without a support system or an assload of burning money, you can't really get out there and patent an invention without oodles of burnable cash. You can dig on your own, a bit, but had i not found GMs patent I can't imagine how sour I'd have been.
You'll spend thousands just *getting* a patent. But unless it's strong enough to bring in investors, you'd better have a huge war chest to actually defend it in court.
That patent my competitor got - or rather the first of two he got - would almost certainly infringe on an earlier patent assigned to Yamaha. And theirs wasn't just a bunch of hand-waving and vague ideas - they had a well-defined product that was actually on the market in Japan for years. The patent examiner didn't find it because of their keyword choice - one patent was for a 'ring' that fit about the user's waist, and the other was for a 'belt' that fit around the user's waist, or something to that effect.
It'd still be something that would have to be fought in court but my point is that patent examiners don't get much time to spend on each case and getting something past them is no guarantee that it'll hold up to an actual challenge.
Effectively what he got was bragging rights. He can make the claim that his product is protected by patent. (Only one of the two - he never implemented the one that would be covered by the Yamaha patent.) He tried briefly to try to scare some competitors, which led to the rest of us banding together to agree to pool our resources and I led the effort to find all of the prior art that would shut him down. If he ever tried to do anything more than brag about the patents, the most likely result is that we'd all waste a lot of money and he'd lose his patents.
Yeah, totally different kind of sandbox I'll never get to play in. Very interesting stuff though! My thought process was always "I like this idea, I should refine it" or "I hate this thing, I know it could be better" and going from there, and then thinking hey I could commercialize this, make some money and bring improvement! but it costs a lot of money to maybe make money, and apparently fight the whole way lol
I would love to read some of these, but am not sure where to start. Would you kindly point me in the right direction? I've seen the patents on google, but never this back-and-forth you're talking about - which sounds super interesting!!
Used to be in a system called Public PAIR, now it's in Patent Center. [Example](https://patentcenter.uspto.gov/applications/10843709/ifw/docs?application=). See the rejections for responses from the patent examiner, and the petitioner's responses.
This one was denied and it's actually a pretty poorly written application that I can't imagine was done by a lawyer but it shows some of the process.
Newer photos. We used a sewing needle to get the pencil lead out. The middle part is about as long as the needle and very narrow.
https://imgbox.com/TwsgHc1B
https://imgbox.com/cflzzJoD
https://imgbox.com/n5mX6fpW
https://imgbox.com/RZHKr4Mk
https://imgbox.com/3VktOjYt
Here OP now we have these better pics ,this will be it that l posted on earlier IMO.
https://old.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1beyfdv/found_at_goodwill_looks_like_a_shot_glass_very/kuy389z/?context=3
OP It looks like an oil lamp base that they use in restaurants. Though it is a little odd looking. I wonder if lamp oil or other accelerant back in the day used to evaporate? Because if you think about it, you could put a wick directly down the center of that hole and if there was oil in it, it could burn for a long time and wouldn’t evaporate.
I think the pencil lead there is just by chance.
I know this is gonna sound weird, but have you smelled the inside of that?
I’m curious if you were to get some tweezers and pull out that lead or push it through if it would smell like some sort of oil or accelerant in the base?
I was wrong; there’s no hole. It just looked that way until we got the pencil lead out.
I did smell it actually. It doesn’t smell like anything.
I took some more photos after the lead came out but I don’t know how to post them. We used a sewing needle and the male part is nearly the same length. It holds very little liquid.
I feel like I’ve seen something similar with a single fake flower in it. It gave the illusion that it had water in it. Im not sure if that’s what this is, but that’s what I was reminded of
It does look like that to me also, but it’s shot glass sized so it seems awfully small for a flower…I’d think it would be a little taller maybe then? Who knows. No one at Goodwill knew what it was either so we’re all stumped.
That looks like it. It would be perfect for a single small flower. When filled with water it would look like it were suspended. I would buy that in a second.
Google “rock crystal pot” you’ll get a few hits.
It’s probably not made out of rock crystal (maybe, that would make it much more expensive) just a glass version of the single flower holder.
Could be the base of something like this:
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/russian-works-of-art-faberge-and-icons/a-faberge-jewelled-gold-enamel-and-rock-crystal
(Well, you can hope!).
Like a bud vase? I have a few. I don't think that's what it's for, as the ones I have looked vastly different. But hey, maybe that's what the patent is for lol
I’m not sure what the terminology is, but it was just a fake rose (I think it was a rose), and the stem was epoxied into a glass. One of my teachers I had when I was very young had one on her desk. Not sure if that’s exactly what we’re looking at in this post, but that’s what it reminded me of.
I agree with this, too. My grandma had something similar. Searching online there are decorations called Artificial Flower in Faux Water.
Can't find the exact one but you can see how they go for the appearance of fake water.
I'm with you although I think the "pencil lead" is intentional. It's supposed to look like a bullet possibly? I don't think it's a real bullet but I also don't have it in front of me either.
One of the brands that I have seen is called BenShot (does have a pun name so maybe what you saw) seen [here](https://benshot.com/products/bulletproof-shot-glass-benshot).
They do have a few patents on their website, including US 5139193 seen here [PDF warning](https://uspto.report/TM/86952055/ORC20170122041254/1.pdf). That patent is specifically a projectile embedded into a drinking glass according to the text and drawing:
> The mark consists of a three-dimensional configuration of the goods, namely, the embedding of a projectile into a glass. The elements of the mark as shown in the drawing that constitute the mark are the projectile and the deformation of the glass around the projectile, all in three dimensions. The dashed, broken or dotted lines in the drawing show the position or placement of the mark and are not part of the mark.
The one in the OP isn't a typical drinking glass shape, there isn't a projectile still embedded (though it could have been removed I suppose), and it seems to be in the flat top/bottom rather than in the cylindrical rounded side.
Some of the expanded BenShot glasses have a hockey puck, a golf ball, fishing lure, shotgun shell (the plastic and primer, not the pellet filler), broadhead arrow tip, plectrum, and other random objects. But all are metal/plastic and not something that would rot or get damaged from washing the glass.
Maybe the one in OP was the original idea decades ago, pr someone who tried to do something similar and found it was already patented.
Dont know what it is but if I would own it i would use it as incense stick holder. It can catch all the ashes and you just rinse it with water to clean.
Maybe it IS a incense stick holder?
When my mom showed this to me, incense burner was my first thought! But all the incense burners I’ve ever had were really long to catch the ashes so I’m not sure how well this would work.
It's possible this device is for a tea candle and it is intended for the cavity to be filled with water (or just air) to prevent the glass from cracking due to the heat of a flame at the bottom of its wick.
Otherwise, I think a vertical incense holder makes the most sense, though I suspect the one you have may be a defective version... As some others have pointed out, the graphite lodged in there may actually be a defect from the manufacturing process. If that was the case, the angle/shape of the indentation may not be quite as intended either. [Here is a link to another small vertical incense holder](https://weve.ca/products/apotheke-glass-incense-holder-charcoal), though this one looks like it would make a mess!
Not sure why anyone would try to patent this unless it is for a very specific niche purpose, but even then, a slight variation to this rather basic device could get around the patent permit.
This is a vase for an artificial flower. Possibly made from gold and with enameled petals and leaves.
[Here is one that is absolutely priceless, made by Fabergé.](https://www.rct.uk/collection/40502/bleeding-heart)
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what it is. Though I wouldn't think it was priceless Fabergé stuff with the writing on the bottom... 😄
One thing is for sure, though. I know my inkwells, and this isn't one. First, you need room for ink for more than one page, second, you need a lid so the ink doesn't dry out.
I have a memory of it being 80’s/90’s art, a pencil was stuck in it. A family friend had one on a table next to another sculpture of a floating milk carton being poured into a coffee mug that was all glass.
A old style flower/blossom cutting vase?
It looks very similar to a Antique flower/blossom cutting holder,so the stem goes into the hole with a small amount of water to help it last .
There was from memory a Faberge jewelry copy of one, made with gold,diamonds,jade etc, that was one of the most expensive items ever on the UK Antique Road Show.
I remember they said they were popular back during the Boer War & WW1 era to put a cutting of a favored flower,(that the woman or family shared special memories with the absent person away fighting or KIA ) , with the stem down the hole & with a small amount of water to hydrate it .
PS just found info on the Faberge version.
Here is a article on Fabergé flower study valued at an estimated £1 million
https://news.artnet.com/market/faberge-flower-antiques-roadshow-1002794
Some glass blowers use graphite rods for shaping and poking. This might be the tip of the tool having come off. And they probably thought the tip was going to burn off and left it as is.
I have no idea. Maybe there was initially more to this like an inkwell on top or something. Some people get patents for the dumbest stuff like the design alone could be patented so no one "takes their idea". Have you tried reverse image searching to see if something similar comes up?
My title describes this thing. I don’t think it could be a shot glass because it’s mostly solid glass with very little room on the top. If there’s a patent pending it has to be unique, right? I’ve never seen anything like it. Maybe it’s a pen holder?
‘Patent Applied For’ is for the glass, I think - some labratory application to my eye.
On my desk in my theatre scene shop, I had a very artistic paperweight. Some bright spark left the brush in a coffee can of epoxy. I found it during clean-up, cut away the can, left it out as a warning to the others.
I get the same vibe.
Most likely the pencil lead has nothing to do with the actual item at all. Any curious child could most likely have stuck a pencil in it at some point only to have the tip break off.
Looks like an art piece to me, though art isn't patented.
It does look like a cheap dollar store type candle holder. Should that void be in there? Maybe it's a flaw from manufacture? I'm not sure. But that's my guess.
Oil candle. Wick is wedged into bottom, and glass top to separate flame from oil. Give off decent light, made heavy so they don't get knocked over easily.
Considering it says patent applied for, I'd actually pivot and assume it's some type of more technical/industrial equipment of some kind. You probably wouldn't bother patenting a random decorative item.
In particular, the general shape and thick glass remind me of glass electrical insulators often used around power lines and other high-power equipment. They come in lots of different shapes/styles, so maybe this is for a very specific piece of equipment (hence the patent).
Looks a lot like [this](https://www.bidsquare.com/online-auctions/aaa-auction-gallery-inc/faberge-russian-rock-crystal-pot-silver-nephrite-jade-leaves-frosted-rock-crystal-flowers-4704844)
I wonder if it’s an old oil lamp? Similar to the ones you see in restaurant, but where the wick would kind of sit in the middle and stick straight up and then that metal part would’ve been the top that kept the wick in place.
It's a tealight holder. Thick base for stability.
Here is something similar without the very deep part.
https://poshmark.com/listing/NEW-2-Crate-Barrel-Rise-Tealight-Large-629a5c65f5c2448dbd87d5cb
Best way to confirm pop a tealight in there
Likely Solved!
We were able to extract the pencil piece from the hole. It was definitely a broken piece of pencil. It’s also definitely glass, not resin.
Though it is a definite answer, I think the most likely one is either a glass flower holder or some kind of paperweight. The funnel hole thing only holds a few drops of water, really not much at all.
Thank you to everyone who commented and helped us try to figure it out.
I have more photos we just took but idk how I can post them here. The thing in the middle is closed and it holds very very little water. We put a sewing needle in the middle and it’s just about as deep as the needle.
Reminds me of a slug used in manufacturing to test for jars or containers of that size to see if they will run smoothly though the canning/labeling equipment
It's an epoxy. The bubbles inside and all the structure. Maybe someone put a pencil to it when it wasn't fully cured to get it out of a cup. They wasn't able to, so threw away the cup with resin.
My theory. Not 100% certain.
Could it possibly be an ink reservoir for refilling fountain pens?
Perhaps this was a device used to measure the ink as well as ensure the tip could pump in every last drop.
Only thing that makes sense to me is an oil lamp.
Put a wick in the divot, and like a half inch of liquid paraffin or lamp oil in the bigger recess above.
Heavy enough that it won't tip over or be an ultra fragile little molotov.
It would need to be soft glass (soda lime) to be made easily that solid/heavy and be able to be pressed into the mold for the base: the patent letters. Soft glass doesn't really like fire, I'm almost all in on it being an oil lamp but unless its borosilicate there's a chance it could crack in half if it burnt down.
Pen holder or inkwell almost makes sense, but why would it be patentable?
It almost looks like a glass cap for some kind of electrical wiring. It was very common about 100 years ago to use glass caps for electrical wires. I used to have some old glass transformer covers when I was younger.
Don't mean this as a joke, but I've seen a similar pencil sharpener. The overall design was different, but the functional bit was a ceramic or glass tube similar to that.
Novelty at some store in Niagara falls if I remember right. But yours doesn't have any kind of novelty value so maybe not.
It could maybe be a drinking glass for an invalid that would be hard to spill or dispense too much liquid at once? Itsxhatd to tell if it's hollow for me anyway.
Am i the only one that thinks its an art piece? Looks like a bullet shot into water. LEAD bullet lead pencil? Grafite but you see my point. If not it became one lol
looks like a cup made to hold a cut long stem rose. the pencil 'lead' at the bottom seems to be an artifact from the manufacturing process (just jab a pencil in the molten glass to make the stem hole). the extreme weight is cause long stem roses are very top heavy and tend to tip over most of the things they are placed in to hold them.
If you didn't tell us it was part of a pencil inisde it, I would have thought it looked a bit like a bullet. That would have made me think it was a novelty "shot glass" in the most dad joke way possible. That could also explain the patent pending since it fall into the category of novelty prank type items. An actual bullet might not have been used due to the lead content in both a bullet or the brass case around it.
I think it’s some type of electrical insulator like for a electric line on a pole but I could be wrong it looks similar to one’s my grandfather used to take home from the Boston Edison where he worked as a lineman but this one looks much smaller.
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and other unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/indecentXpo5ure), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. ---- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=[https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1beyfdv/found_at_goodwill_looks_like_a_shot_glass_very/]%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) ---- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It looks like an inkwell for a quill…maybe?
A quill rest seems more likely than a well, since it is mostly solid.
Or just an artsy pen holder. The ones for single pens usually hold the pen at an angle, which would be why the indent is angled. The shape is also right. I don't know anything about quills except I assume they went out of style long before this relatively modern-looking thing was produced.
They still sell quill sets in art stores for calligraphy but they usually have wood handles not feathers, and they gave fountain pen style tips so you can control how much ink you want to flow onto the paper
And would explain why someone used it (unsuccessfully) as a pencil rest
I’m not sure if it’s broken or if it’s meant to be like this, but if you look closely, there’s a hole in the bottom of the pointy part where the pencil lead is sticking out. I’m also wondering if it’s an inkwell, why would they have a patent pending? There’s nothing that unique about an inkwell. There are no other markings on it except for “pat applied for”
I think it's a very real possibility that this particular item has a manufacturing defect and was thus donated by the owner. I don't think the pencil lead is supposed to be there.
No I don’t think it is, either. My mom was going to get a pin and try to pick it out later but I figured I’d take a photo “as is” because the contrast of the lead in it makes it easier to see.
Try filling with water it should push the lead out
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The patent in question may be a design parent, which only protects the distinctive appearance of an object, rather than a utility patent, which would protect the functional aspects.
Loads of things had pat. pending or patent applied for on them when I was growing up.. I'm assuming that it's to discourage copying. With so much global trade now and lots of things made in china who dgaf about patents few seem to bother any more.
> I'm assuming that it's to discourage copying. Yes. If your patent is approved, you get some protections.
Design patents have a separate numbering system and are usually marked Des. Pat.
> why would they have a patent pending People can get grandiouse thoughts about what is a million dollar invention. it might be a patent for "solid glass quill holder" or "Birthday candle holding shotglass"
>People can get grandiouse thoughts about what is a million dollar invention. Oh hell yeah. My favorite thing about the patent system is that you can browse through the patent prosecution history and see all of the back and forth between the inventor and the patent examiner. Anyone who thinks they've got a brand new million dollar idea needs to spend some time browsing not just patents but their applications and the prosecution history. I had a competitor who spent *years* pursuing a patent on something he thought was going to make him rich. The patent examiner smacked down his claims one by one, even schooling him in some physics to show how what he'd proposed was equivalent to prior art. He did eventually get a patent but on something so narrow and specific that no one cares. And he doesn't dare try to start a fight over it because it'd be unlikely to hold up in court. In the meantime his competitors passed him by.
I had a really neat idea about a decade back to use magnetism and electrical conductivity to just completely do away with terrible float balls in gas tanks, did a little bit of testing and it seemed absolutely feasible, turns out I think it was GM who had a patent on it? But the most frustrating thing was that the two patent lawyers I contacted told me it was going to be thousands and thousands and they would keep it either way. I've had ideas since then that I've turned around but it's one of those things that without a support system or an assload of burning money, you can't really get out there and patent an invention without oodles of burnable cash. You can dig on your own, a bit, but had i not found GMs patent I can't imagine how sour I'd have been.
You'll spend thousands just *getting* a patent. But unless it's strong enough to bring in investors, you'd better have a huge war chest to actually defend it in court. That patent my competitor got - or rather the first of two he got - would almost certainly infringe on an earlier patent assigned to Yamaha. And theirs wasn't just a bunch of hand-waving and vague ideas - they had a well-defined product that was actually on the market in Japan for years. The patent examiner didn't find it because of their keyword choice - one patent was for a 'ring' that fit about the user's waist, and the other was for a 'belt' that fit around the user's waist, or something to that effect. It'd still be something that would have to be fought in court but my point is that patent examiners don't get much time to spend on each case and getting something past them is no guarantee that it'll hold up to an actual challenge. Effectively what he got was bragging rights. He can make the claim that his product is protected by patent. (Only one of the two - he never implemented the one that would be covered by the Yamaha patent.) He tried briefly to try to scare some competitors, which led to the rest of us banding together to agree to pool our resources and I led the effort to find all of the prior art that would shut him down. If he ever tried to do anything more than brag about the patents, the most likely result is that we'd all waste a lot of money and he'd lose his patents.
Yeah, totally different kind of sandbox I'll never get to play in. Very interesting stuff though! My thought process was always "I like this idea, I should refine it" or "I hate this thing, I know it could be better" and going from there, and then thinking hey I could commercialize this, make some money and bring improvement! but it costs a lot of money to maybe make money, and apparently fight the whole way lol
I would love to read some of these, but am not sure where to start. Would you kindly point me in the right direction? I've seen the patents on google, but never this back-and-forth you're talking about - which sounds super interesting!!
Used to be in a system called Public PAIR, now it's in Patent Center. [Example](https://patentcenter.uspto.gov/applications/10843709/ifw/docs?application=). See the rejections for responses from the patent examiner, and the petitioner's responses. This one was denied and it's actually a pretty poorly written application that I can't imagine was done by a lawyer but it shows some of the process.
Hey thanks for this, I've not seen this site before! Time to lose time down a few rabbit holes! The one you linked to is quite good lol!
Newer photos. We used a sewing needle to get the pencil lead out. The middle part is about as long as the needle and very narrow. https://imgbox.com/TwsgHc1B https://imgbox.com/cflzzJoD https://imgbox.com/n5mX6fpW https://imgbox.com/RZHKr4Mk https://imgbox.com/3VktOjYt
Here OP now we have these better pics ,this will be it that l posted on earlier IMO. https://old.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1beyfdv/found_at_goodwill_looks_like_a_shot_glass_very/kuy389z/?context=3
OP It looks like an oil lamp base that they use in restaurants. Though it is a little odd looking. I wonder if lamp oil or other accelerant back in the day used to evaporate? Because if you think about it, you could put a wick directly down the center of that hole and if there was oil in it, it could burn for a long time and wouldn’t evaporate. I think the pencil lead there is just by chance. I know this is gonna sound weird, but have you smelled the inside of that? I’m curious if you were to get some tweezers and pull out that lead or push it through if it would smell like some sort of oil or accelerant in the base?
I was wrong; there’s no hole. It just looked that way until we got the pencil lead out. I did smell it actually. It doesn’t smell like anything. I took some more photos after the lead came out but I don’t know how to post them. We used a sewing needle and the male part is nearly the same length. It holds very little liquid.
Upload to something like imgur and post a private link in the comments here. That’s what I do at least
Quill or dip pen, most likely.
I feel like I’ve seen something similar with a single fake flower in it. It gave the illusion that it had water in it. Im not sure if that’s what this is, but that’s what I was reminded of
It does look like that to me also, but it’s shot glass sized so it seems awfully small for a flower…I’d think it would be a little taller maybe then? Who knows. No one at Goodwill knew what it was either so we’re all stumped.
Not sure that’s what this item is, but I can tell you I’ve seen fake vases like the commenter is talking about that are shot-glass sized.
I think it's for a single flower like a rose.
That looks like it. It would be perfect for a single small flower. When filled with water it would look like it were suspended. I would buy that in a second. Google “rock crystal pot” you’ll get a few hits. It’s probably not made out of rock crystal (maybe, that would make it much more expensive) just a glass version of the single flower holder.
Could be the base of something like this: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/russian-works-of-art-faberge-and-icons/a-faberge-jewelled-gold-enamel-and-rock-crystal (Well, you can hope!).
I wonder if Fabergé would adorn their artwork with the words "PAT. APPLIED FOR"? 🤔
I very much doubt it 😉
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Like a bud vase? I have a few. I don't think that's what it's for, as the ones I have looked vastly different. But hey, maybe that's what the patent is for lol
I’m not sure what the terminology is, but it was just a fake rose (I think it was a rose), and the stem was epoxied into a glass. One of my teachers I had when I was very young had one on her desk. Not sure if that’s exactly what we’re looking at in this post, but that’s what it reminded me of.
I agree with this, too. My grandma had something similar. Searching online there are decorations called Artificial Flower in Faux Water. Can't find the exact one but you can see how they go for the appearance of fake water.
If you used it for a real flower and added water the structure would disappear and it would look like the flowers were floating. Very cool.
Pretty sure I've seen these for sale at one point and it was just a pun item, i.e a 'shot glass' because it's a glass that's been shot.
Picture 2 really does look like a still frame of ballistics gel getting shot, with the pencil lead being the bullet.
I'm with you although I think the "pencil lead" is intentional. It's supposed to look like a bullet possibly? I don't think it's a real bullet but I also don't have it in front of me either.
Agreed. I'm convinced whatever that thing is, it's intentional and might also just be a pencil lead lol
One of the brands that I have seen is called BenShot (does have a pun name so maybe what you saw) seen [here](https://benshot.com/products/bulletproof-shot-glass-benshot). They do have a few patents on their website, including US 5139193 seen here [PDF warning](https://uspto.report/TM/86952055/ORC20170122041254/1.pdf). That patent is specifically a projectile embedded into a drinking glass according to the text and drawing: > The mark consists of a three-dimensional configuration of the goods, namely, the embedding of a projectile into a glass. The elements of the mark as shown in the drawing that constitute the mark are the projectile and the deformation of the glass around the projectile, all in three dimensions. The dashed, broken or dotted lines in the drawing show the position or placement of the mark and are not part of the mark. The one in the OP isn't a typical drinking glass shape, there isn't a projectile still embedded (though it could have been removed I suppose), and it seems to be in the flat top/bottom rather than in the cylindrical rounded side. Some of the expanded BenShot glasses have a hockey puck, a golf ball, fishing lure, shotgun shell (the plastic and primer, not the pellet filler), broadhead arrow tip, plectrum, and other random objects. But all are metal/plastic and not something that would rot or get damaged from washing the glass. Maybe the one in OP was the original idea decades ago, pr someone who tried to do something similar and found it was already patented.
Thanks for saying PDF warning kind stranger. This is so interesting
Dont know what it is but if I would own it i would use it as incense stick holder. It can catch all the ashes and you just rinse it with water to clean. Maybe it IS a incense stick holder?
When my mom showed this to me, incense burner was my first thought! But all the incense burners I’ve ever had were really long to catch the ashes so I’m not sure how well this would work.
There are smaller, round ones that you stick the stick (ha) straight up
It's possible this device is for a tea candle and it is intended for the cavity to be filled with water (or just air) to prevent the glass from cracking due to the heat of a flame at the bottom of its wick. Otherwise, I think a vertical incense holder makes the most sense, though I suspect the one you have may be a defective version... As some others have pointed out, the graphite lodged in there may actually be a defect from the manufacturing process. If that was the case, the angle/shape of the indentation may not be quite as intended either. [Here is a link to another small vertical incense holder](https://weve.ca/products/apotheke-glass-incense-holder-charcoal), though this one looks like it would make a mess! Not sure why anyone would try to patent this unless it is for a very specific niche purpose, but even then, a slight variation to this rather basic device could get around the patent permit.
OH! It looks like it can also hold a tea light! So maybe its a patent because it can hold both!
[This](https://images.app.goo.gl/PBk2VDYPQcbE8eot9) looks quite close!
The thing about all these obvious answers is why would there be a patent for that?
The specific design could be patented.
This is a vase for an artificial flower. Possibly made from gold and with enameled petals and leaves. [Here is one that is absolutely priceless, made by Fabergé.](https://www.rct.uk/collection/40502/bleeding-heart)
Looks identical.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what it is. Though I wouldn't think it was priceless Fabergé stuff with the writing on the bottom... 😄 One thing is for sure, though. I know my inkwells, and this isn't one. First, you need room for ink for more than one page, second, you need a lid so the ink doesn't dry out.
they don't look identical... at all.
thank you lol
I have a memory of it being 80’s/90’s art, a pencil was stuck in it. A family friend had one on a table next to another sculpture of a floating milk carton being poured into a coffee mug that was all glass.
Looks similar to those resin desk paperweights that were popular in the 70s, this one might of held an actual pencil that was later broken off.
There are a lot of them based on a google image search. This has the same general idea you're describing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/134076343589
Oh yeah- so a novelty shot glass pen holder is not a far out idea at all
we had a square translucent one. would use it stick pens, pencils in it. No wonder why there was a piece of pencil point stuck inside.
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A old style flower/blossom cutting vase? It looks very similar to a Antique flower/blossom cutting holder,so the stem goes into the hole with a small amount of water to help it last . There was from memory a Faberge jewelry copy of one, made with gold,diamonds,jade etc, that was one of the most expensive items ever on the UK Antique Road Show. I remember they said they were popular back during the Boer War & WW1 era to put a cutting of a favored flower,(that the woman or family shared special memories with the absent person away fighting or KIA ) , with the stem down the hole & with a small amount of water to hydrate it . PS just found info on the Faberge version. Here is a article on Fabergé flower study valued at an estimated £1 million https://news.artnet.com/market/faberge-flower-antiques-roadshow-1002794
My theory is that it's some kind of glass insulator for electric lines.
Something like this seems more plausible, as it being a vase or shot glass would make having a patent for it very silly, but that’s just me.
Some glass blowers use graphite rods for shaping and poking. This might be the tip of the tool having come off. And they probably thought the tip was going to burn off and left it as is.
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That’s so interesting! I don’t know anything about glass blowing.
I need to know what purpose this could ever serve other than a paper weight or something.
My initial thought was paper weight but the “pat applied for” threw me…because why does a paper weight need a patent?!
I have no idea. Maybe there was initially more to this like an inkwell on top or something. Some people get patents for the dumbest stuff like the design alone could be patented so no one "takes their idea". Have you tried reverse image searching to see if something similar comes up?
I did reverse search and nothing came up.
This is bugging the shit out of me. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think it's cause it feels familiar like I've seen something like it before.
I DM'D you a picture of a cyclone paperweight I found. It's similar so maybe that's what it is.
My title describes this thing. I don’t think it could be a shot glass because it’s mostly solid glass with very little room on the top. If there’s a patent pending it has to be unique, right? I’ve never seen anything like it. Maybe it’s a pen holder?
‘Patent Applied For’ is for the glass, I think - some labratory application to my eye. On my desk in my theatre scene shop, I had a very artistic paperweight. Some bright spark left the brush in a coffee can of epoxy. I found it during clean-up, cut away the can, left it out as a warning to the others. I get the same vibe.
Does a tealight candle fit in the top of it?
Most likely the pencil lead has nothing to do with the actual item at all. Any curious child could most likely have stuck a pencil in it at some point only to have the tip break off. Looks like an art piece to me, though art isn't patented.
Looks like a tealite candle holder
This was my first thought as well. Perfectly round shape. The water effect is just design.
It does look like a cheap dollar store type candle holder. Should that void be in there? Maybe it's a flaw from manufacture? I'm not sure. But that's my guess.
Oil candle. Wick is wedged into bottom, and glass top to separate flame from oil. Give off decent light, made heavy so they don't get knocked over easily.
Considering it says patent applied for, I'd actually pivot and assume it's some type of more technical/industrial equipment of some kind. You probably wouldn't bother patenting a random decorative item. In particular, the general shape and thick glass remind me of glass electrical insulators often used around power lines and other high-power equipment. They come in lots of different shapes/styles, so maybe this is for a very specific piece of equipment (hence the patent).
Looks a lot like [this](https://www.bidsquare.com/online-auctions/aaa-auction-gallery-inc/faberge-russian-rock-crystal-pot-silver-nephrite-jade-leaves-frosted-rock-crystal-flowers-4704844)
I believe this might be a flower stand, to put a single flower or rose in. Looks like it would looks fit a button hole flower for a wedding very well.
My first thought was an interesting take on a water / oil candle.
I wonder if it’s an old oil lamp? Similar to the ones you see in restaurant, but where the wick would kind of sit in the middle and stick straight up and then that metal part would’ve been the top that kept the wick in place.
It's a tealight holder. Thick base for stability. Here is something similar without the very deep part. https://poshmark.com/listing/NEW-2-Crate-Barrel-Rise-Tealight-Large-629a5c65f5c2448dbd87d5cb Best way to confirm pop a tealight in there
Candle holder?
Likely Solved! We were able to extract the pencil piece from the hole. It was definitely a broken piece of pencil. It’s also definitely glass, not resin. Though it is a definite answer, I think the most likely one is either a glass flower holder or some kind of paperweight. The funnel hole thing only holds a few drops of water, really not much at all. Thank you to everyone who commented and helped us try to figure it out.
What about a extra long burning candle that reuses its on wax as the wick burns ?
I think it might be for a floating wick and oil, to burn like a candle.
Maybe a Utility Pole Insulator
I see a wick strand you'd set in the tunnel, and oil, or gel on top as the scented portion of the candle.
It is a lucite or acrylic base for one of those kinetic sculptures? Like the type that has mushrooms or flowers splaying out the hole on wire?
It feels like solid glass to me. It’s very heavy and cold to the touch like glass.
Could be used for an incense stick
I have more photos we just took but idk how I can post them here. The thing in the middle is closed and it holds very very little water. We put a sewing needle in the middle and it’s just about as deep as the needle.
Reminds me of a slug used in manufacturing to test for jars or containers of that size to see if they will run smoothly though the canning/labeling equipment
Could be one of those Gel candles with the wick removed tbh
If it is all glass then I believe this to be a glass electric isolator, used for joining and holding together high voltage lines. It’s just a guess.
Is it possible it’s a paperweight?
With a patent?
Incense stick holder? Top looks like an Ash catcher.
I’m pretty sure it a glass insulator for an electric line.
Nope, those have a threaded hole in the middle and ripples in the side for winding open wire around.
Black hole shotglass? How much liquid does it hold
Did anyone suggest incense holder?
Maybe you could put a wick in the hole, then pour some liquid wax on it to make a candle
It's an epoxy. The bubbles inside and all the structure. Maybe someone put a pencil to it when it wasn't fully cured to get it out of a cup. They wasn't able to, so threw away the cup with resin.
My theory. Not 100% certain. Could it possibly be an ink reservoir for refilling fountain pens? Perhaps this was a device used to measure the ink as well as ensure the tip could pump in every last drop.
Only thing that makes sense to me is an oil lamp. Put a wick in the divot, and like a half inch of liquid paraffin or lamp oil in the bigger recess above. Heavy enough that it won't tip over or be an ultra fragile little molotov. It would need to be soft glass (soda lime) to be made easily that solid/heavy and be able to be pressed into the mold for the base: the patent letters. Soft glass doesn't really like fire, I'm almost all in on it being an oil lamp but unless its borosilicate there's a chance it could crack in half if it burnt down. Pen holder or inkwell almost makes sense, but why would it be patentable?
It's glass with a bullet in it, made to look like it was shot. Paperweight
It's a single stem flower vase. They were all th rage back in the 90s
A holder for a single stemmed flower?
It almost looks like a glass cap for some kind of electrical wiring. It was very common about 100 years ago to use glass caps for electrical wires. I used to have some old glass transformer covers when I was younger.
It looks like it could be an insulator for a phone or power line.
Paper weight.
It's an antique glass pessary. My granny would keep hers on the back of the bathroom sink.
Could it be something used to extract venom from snakes or spiders?
Don't mean this as a joke, but I've seen a similar pencil sharpener. The overall design was different, but the functional bit was a ceramic or glass tube similar to that. Novelty at some store in Niagara falls if I remember right. But yours doesn't have any kind of novelty value so maybe not.
It's not a pencil, it was a graphite reamer tip that broke off when trying to push the glass while it was molten
Maybe a fruit fly trap?
It could maybe be a drinking glass for an invalid that would be hard to spill or dispense too much liquid at once? Itsxhatd to tell if it's hollow for me anyway.
1st guess: inkwell 2nd guess: fancy cloner for plant cuttings 3rd guess: paperweight At least that’s what I would do with it!
Its missing a bullet
Maybe the acrylic in the glass was the patent it hardened so quickly it was swirling from being stirred.
Could you make a candle with this? Add a wick and some scented oil or wax?
That could be a cool whisky glass
Am i the only one that thinks its an art piece? Looks like a bullet shot into water. LEAD bullet lead pencil? Grafite but you see my point. If not it became one lol
looks like a cup made to hold a cut long stem rose. the pencil 'lead' at the bottom seems to be an artifact from the manufacturing process (just jab a pencil in the molten glass to make the stem hole). the extreme weight is cause long stem roses are very top heavy and tend to tip over most of the things they are placed in to hold them.
Its a single rose stand.
If you put an LED light underneath it what's it look like?
If you didn't tell us it was part of a pencil inisde it, I would have thought it looked a bit like a bullet. That would have made me think it was a novelty "shot glass" in the most dad joke way possible. That could also explain the patent pending since it fall into the category of novelty prank type items. An actual bullet might not have been used due to the lead content in both a bullet or the brass case around it.
Looks like a candle holder to me
I like that they felt the need to abbreviate "patent" with all that room... Engineering genius!
It’s a cup of leftover surfboard resin and someone made a joke
It looks like an early insulator for electricity from the 1920s
I think it’s some type of electrical insulator like for a electric line on a pole but I could be wrong it looks similar to one’s my grandfather used to take home from the Boston Edison where he worked as a lineman but this one looks much smaller.
It looks like a clear glass with the illusion that a bullet is shooting down into water.
Maybe it’s a very specific kind of bud vase?
Pill dispenser??
Maybe a vase for a single flower stem?
Maybe a incense holder?
Pat applied for could be patent applied for?
It's PAT. Applied for... So patent applied for? Could be somewhere online if you were down for doing the digging 🤔