Featured 500 year old mystery item?

Discussion in 'Antique Discussion' started by Thomahawk, Jul 9, 2023.

  1. Thomahawk

    Thomahawk Member

    DSCN0275.jpg DSCN0286.jpg DSCN0277.jpg DSCN0280.jpg DSCN0287.jpg DSCN0279.jpg DSCN0273.jpg Hello like minded folks, bear with me on this one!
    I discovered this item in a box of antiquities that was bought at a self storage unit sale in the 1980's by some friends of mine. They were about to burn the box as rubbish!!! After a quick look through it I saw CDV albums, WW1 items, bibles etc. I offered them 20 bucks at the time and they were happy to take it. Thank goodness I saved it as the box has given me many years of enjoyment researching it's contents.
    This little mystery has had me baffled for 40 plus years with zero results on exactly what it is!
    The wooden cylinder itself is superbly made for it's small size and has a perfect tight fitting lid. Although the paint on the top is ancient and crackled, one can still read the word 'Coclico'.
    There are only two results when searching this word on the web, one is a modern shoe store in NY (don't think it relates!) and the other is 'Adrianus Petit Coclico, a Flemish composer born in 1499 and dying sometime around 1562.' See Wikipedia.
    Past research on the magnifying lens doesn't bring up anything resembling this item. As for the metal, I believe it was gold plated as it is magnetic where the gold has been rubbed off.
    The cylinder also contains some cotton used to cushion the item of which some looks very old. I suppose it would be helpful to have some carbon dated to give a better indication of its age.
    Could it have been used to assist in reading music when the eyesight of a composer was failing? It works well for that when I tried it on some sheet music.
    I once contacted the Danish museum of Music (with photos), but they didn't seem interested in the least.
    So, any thoughts on how to move forward on the mystery? Any insights or information would be greatly appreciated. Thanking everyone in advance!
     
    cxgirl, KSW, johnnycb09 and 3 others like this.
  2. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    have u tried any optics museums..?
     
  3. Thomahawk

    Thomahawk Member

    No, sorry I haven't, will follow up! Thanks for the suggestion. Have to be tomorrow now, done for the day!
     
    cxgirl likes this.
  4. moreotherstuff

    moreotherstuff Izorizent

    Looks like the original loupe.
     
    cxgirl, Figtree3, stracci and 3 others like this.
  5. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    I'm finding similars with a variety of search words including magnifying half dome. Here's one on Amazon. The internet says they're for reading maps. If the container is original and yours is branded, it's going to be much more recently made.

    Debora

    Screen Shot 2023-07-09 at 7.15.59 AM.png
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2023
    kyratango, Figtree3, Bronwen and 3 others like this.
  6. Rayo56

    Rayo56 Well-Known Member

    Here is a much newer one but the similarities are there....


    Tabletop Brass Map Magnifying Reader
    [​IMG]
     
  7. Bev aka thelmasstuff

    Bev aka thelmasstuff Colored pencil artist extraordinaire ;)

    That font is not 500 years old so even though it has the name of a composer from that era, the object is not.
     
    kyratango, Figtree3, KSW and 2 others like this.
  8. Aquitaine

    Aquitaine Is What It IS! But NEVER BORED!

  9. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    cxgirl, kyratango, Figtree3 and 7 others like this.
  10. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    Great teamwork. It's now been identified as a map reader; that solves a "40 plus years" mystery. And a duplicate has been found. The seller dates the item to 1910 but provides no support. Given an internet search brings up no antique/vintage optical equipment with the brand name Coclico, I (for one), would assume it's of foreign manufacture.

    Debora
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2023
  11. Aquitaine

    Aquitaine Is What It IS! But NEVER BORED!

    WHERE on earth did you find it, @komokwa !!!!? Never mind....just saw......on Etsy....where I too searched.....guess just not far enough!!!!:rolleyes::rolleyes::eek:
     
    cxgirl, kyratango and komokwa like this.
  12. Thomahawk

    Thomahawk Member

    Just got back and thanks to everyone for the information! Thanks @komokwa, that is amazingly similar to mine. That particular one looks silver(ish). I will investigate further and still might get the cotton carbon dated. And also, there are no marks anywhere on the metal, that would have been nice!
     
    cxgirl and komokwa like this.
  13. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    right down to the 3 tabs that hold the glass in place !!!
     
  14. Thomahawk

    Thomahawk Member

    Yes, pretty spot on! Thanks again, was really hoping for something older for sure.
     
    kyratango and komokwa like this.
  15. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    Aren't we all !!:playful:

    who knows...the case might be older than the contents !;)
     
    Thomahawk likes this.
  16. KylieS

    KylieS Well-Known Member

    Interesting object! Always nice to see unusual things:pompous:

    I was just going to suggest that the name might be just someone with the same name as the composer Coclico, perhaps in a communal setting when needing to name possessions (army or sea going maybe?) Especially as it looks stencilled /stamped on. The surname is unusual but still in use today. Obviously when searching a name you will find its most famous holder but doesn't mean it couldn't have belonged to someone with the same name.

    Just based on the design, I would have said slightly earlier date than 1910, probably late 19th century around 1880-1890 just based on the lion paw feet which are a little baroque revival. By 1910 things were tending to be a little more Art Nouveau or utilitarian. Just a guess though!
     
  17. Thomahawk

    Thomahawk Member

    Thanks Kylie, yes I enjoy this item because it is unusual and had me guessing for a long period of time. It's great to have so many people give their opinions and supply relevant information, and pictures! I've solved a few mystery's since joining not long ago and there is more to come. Love this forum!
     
  18. Mixdenny

    Mixdenny Active Member

    I found Coclico mentioned in an 1857 Cincinnati newspaper. It would suggest this was a trade name. Coclico.jpg
     
    cxgirl likes this.
  19. Bookahtoo

    Bookahtoo Moderator Moderator

  20. Thomahawk

    Thomahawk Member

    Goes back to the idea that the cylinder could have originally contained something other than the magnifying piece.
     
    komokwa likes this.
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