Cast iron Candle Holder?

Hey kids...somebody on the pretty-much-defunct eBay antiques discussion board posted this item for ID and has received no replies. Says he got it in a batch of candle holders but this one has him stumped. I seem to remember seeing something like this years and years ago but cannot remember what it was used for. That wire across the big opening sorta rules out a candle, doesn't it? Thoughts? My first post here as a member so please forgive any etiquette faults.
http://community.ebay.com/ebay01/attachments/ebay01/213/91286/1/IMG_0649.JPG

 

Cigar stand and match holder?

 

Consensus is a lipstick tube holder with a missing adjustable folding mirror over that wire in the middle.

 

(edit) Consensus so far elsewhere is a lipstick tube holder with a missing adjustable/tilting mirror over that wire in the middle. Or possibly a stand to hold a plethora of different office stamp pads.

 

Bama!! Hi, there!!

I don't know what that thing is, but it looks a tad non-ladylike.

I am more inclined to the multitude of stamps with wood handles theory. However, I do remember from somewhere (??) having one of those on my desk and there was an opening in the round part for the handles to be slipped in. The way that thing is, the business end would have to be up in the air, and one would have to take great care not to accidentally ink one's cuffs.

Hmm. Possibly the middle thingle is for a wet sponge. One could squish it in, but the wire would keep it from hopping out when one dampened the label (or whatever).

Now that's ingenious, n'est-ce pas?

 

I saw this query over there and didn't have any good ideas. I didn't think it was a stamp holder because of the lack of outside openings and wasn't sold on lip stick holder. The only thing I could come up with was an egg holder like one of the followings. The middle open section might have held a handle of some kind for carrying the holder???

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fine-Cast...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-CAS...164?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4adce73a4c

http://www.witneywarehouse.com/user/products/large/PDGLOBAL/PDG69.jpg

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-USE...ome_Cookware_Food_Storage&hash=item3a95b86e51

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cast-Iron-D...ome_Cookware_Food_Storage&hash=item1c420b6a17

--- Susan