Set of 6 Antique Celluloid Line Spreaders with Keepers, Rings, Hooks, and Leather
Our family owned a working farm in Pennsylvania that was started in 1916, and sold in 1958. These line spreaders are from the farm, and we believe they were used in the 1930\'s and 1940\'s. This sale is for a set of 6 line spreaders which includes the rings, the keepers (little rectangular piece located between each pair of rings), the leather, and the metal hooks. These line spreaders were used on the horse\'s harness to straighten the path of the lines (reins) from the horse\'s bit to the driver\'s hands. When the farm first started, crude (and less expensive) spreaders were used that included a piece of hay twine with a ring at one end. As the farm prospered, the more decorative and polished spreaders were used. The rings on older, fancy spreaders were often white celluloid, such as those for sale here. Only the large bottom ring has a functional purpose; the smaller rings are purely for looks. Sometimes the keepers were made of metal. These are made of celluloid. This sale includes:

• 6 sets of line spreaders; shorter spreaders (5) measure approximately 14 1/2\", from the top of the hook to the bottom of the large ring; long spreader (1) measures 19\", from the top of the hook to the bottom of the large ring.
• Rings on the oldest spreader (shorter line spreader measuring 14 1/2\" in length, with the metal ring as the base), measure from 2 1/4\" in diameter (metal ring), to approximately 2\" in diameter (largest celluloid ring), to approximately 1 1/2\" in diameter (smallest celluloid ring). Three of the rings on this spreader are signed \"Celluloid\"; the other rings are not signed on this spreader. The rings are very old on this particular spreader, and many have cracks (although no breaks) and scuff marks. The keepers are quite hard and brittle (again, none are broken). The metal ring has an oxidized patina, as does the old hook. The leather strap is sound and somewhat pliable, but shows age and years of use.
• There are 4 line spreaders that also measure 14 1/2\" in length (from top of hook to the bottom the large ring). These line spreaders each have 7 celluloid rings. Each ring on each of these spreaders is signed \"Anchorloid\". Each line spreader is this set also has 7 keepers. The rings decrease in size the closer you get to the hook, and they measure in size from approximately 2 1/2\" in diameter to about 1 1/2\" in diameter. The rings on these spreaders are in great, vintage shape with wear in terms of scuff marks and discoloration from years of use. The leather straps are still sound and pliable, but need a good oiling. The metal hooks have a wonderful aged patina and some dings, again from use.
• The largest line spreader measures approximately 19\" in length from the top of the hook to the bottom of the large ring. This line spreader has 15 white celluloid rings and 15 keepers. Each of the celluloid rings on this spreader are signed \"Anchorloid\". The rings decrease in size the closer you get to the hook, from approximately 2 1/2\" in diameter to 1 1/4\" in diameter. Again, the celluloid rings show use marks including discoloration and scuffing. The same applies to the keepers. The leather strap is still sound and pliable, but needs a good oiling. The metal hook is aged to a great patina and shows use marks.
• Again, each of the line spreaders show wear from use on the celluloid rings, keepers, leather, and hooks. They could all use a very careful and gentle cleaning, and oiling of the leather. However, none of the pieces are broken, and none have been repaired.

These pieces would display quite well with your antique farm implements, antique saddles and harnesses and reins, or equestrian collection. They would also work quite well as part of a primitives antiques or Americana display. I have seen some people take these apart and turn them into re-purposed jewelry. (That is up to the new owner, but it would make me sad.)
Comes from a smoke free home. We are happy to combine shipments when possible.

Please read what follows thoroughly before placing your offer. Your offer on this item confirms that you have read and agree to the specifications included in Item Condition, Returns, Payment, and Shipping, as follows below:
Item Condition:• The majority of our items are “vintage”, “antique”, or “previously owned”. They are in a used condition, unless specified otherwise in the ad. Please carefully examine the description and the pictures (considered part of description), and ask any questions about the condition of an item before offerding.• All items are sold “as is”; there are no warranties expressly or implicitly implied.• Any toys sold are not intended for children of any age, unless specified otherwise in the ad.Returns:• Items can be returned only if they have been misrepresented in the listing. Items broken or damaged during shipment can not be returned. The USPS will determine if the item qualifies for reimbursement. If so, the USPS will directly reimburse the buyer for the purchase price of the item.• The buyer must notify the seller in writing within 3 calendar days of receipt of the item (as verified via USPS tracking) of their desire to return an item and how the item was misrepresented in the ad. • The buyer must return the item to the seller within 14 calendar days after receipt by the buyer (as verified via USPS tracking).• If the item was shipped to a U.S. location, the winning buyer will receive a PayPal credit in the amount of the item purchase price, plus the initial and return shipping costs.• The PayPal credit will be issued within 3 calendar days after the seller accepts the item back into inventory.Payment:• We only accept PayPal payments.• Ohio residents must pay Ohio sales tax based upon the purchase price of the item, unless they provide a Vendor ID Number.• Payment must be received and cleared by PayPal within 3 calendar days from the close of the sale. • High buyers not completing the sales transaction will be referred to the Resolution Center.Shipping:• We only ship to US locations in the lower 48 states. • We do not ship to Canada or any other international locations at this time.• We only ship to PayPal confirmed addresses associated with your account.• We ship items the next business day after PayPal notifies us of a cleared payment. A business day is defined as Monday through Friday, excluding weekends and USPS observed holidays. You will be able to track the shipment of your item on your “My ” page.• The majority of our items are shipped via the USPS, Priority Mail, Insured with Delivery Confirmation, unless specified otherwise in the ad.• The buyer only pays actual USPS Priority Mail shipping charges based upon the packaged item weight and distance between ZIP Codes. The seller pays all insurance costs and packing costs. • Priority Mail usually arrives within 3 – 4 business days after shipment, but we cannot be responsible for USPS delivery intervals, which may vary due to extreme weather conditions, demand, or other, unforeseen circumstances.• If another shipping alternative is available for an item, it will be specified in the ad.• If the sales price of an item exceeds $250.00 (USD), the item must be shipped via the USPS, Express Mail, with Signature Confirmation, as required by PayPal. This overrides any costs shown in the shipping calculator, and a new bill will be rendered to the buyer.• We will combine shipping on items, unless something is too fragile. Please ask about the possibility of combined shipping before offerding.• In the unlikely event that an item is lost or damaged during shipment, the buyer will receive reimbursement directly from the USPS. (This applies to U.S. shipments only.) It is the responsibility of the buyer to process the claim with USPS. Information, methods, and forms regarding insurance claims processing can be found on the official USPS site. The seller will help to facilitate the processing of the claim, as requested by the buyer.• We do not allow local pick up of items, unless specified otherwise in the ad.
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