Antique GAMEWELL FIRE ALARM BATWING KEY, CAST IRON, BRASS, EARLY 1900s

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WE'RE DOWNSIZING AND SELLING THREE GENERATIONS OF VINTAGE AND ANTIQUE TREASURES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. MANY FROM MY IN-LAWS AND THIS BELONGED TO MY FATHER-IN-LAW. I'VE ALREADY SOLD SOME REALLY OLD FIREFIGHTING ITEMS, JUST FOUND THIS, AS WELL AS A BIG BRASS NOZZEL - I'LL BE LISTING THAT NEXT, SO CHECK MY STORE AS I'LL PROBABLY FIND MORE! I MUST TELL YOU ABOUT HIM AS WHAT HE DID WITH THIS FIRE ALARM WAS AMAZING, SIMPLY AMAZING...! HE WAS BORN IN 1900 IN STUTTGART, GERMANY, AND CAME TO THE USA IN THE 1920'S. HE WAS BRILLIANT, A TOOL AND DIE MAKER, AND HAS AT LEAST 30 PATENTS FOR ALL KINDS OF THINGS UNDER HIS NAME. HIS BEST TWO PATENTS WERE FOR THE US GOVT - ONE WAS A SPECIAL PUSH BUTTON SWITCH THAT OPENED THE BOMBAY DOORS ON THE PLANES TO DROP BOMBS; AND, THE OTHER WAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH A SPECIAL METAL COFFIN USED DURING WWII TO RETURN THE DEAD SOLDIERS TO THE USA. HE HAD A COMPLETE SHOP SET UP IN THE BASEMENT OF HIS HOME, HUGE HEAVY MACHINES AND HUNDREDS OF TOOLS, ALL VERY HIGH END AND SPECIALIZED. ANYWAY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE LAST PHOTO IT SHOWS HOW I FOUND THIS PIECE, ALL NICELY SCREWED DOWN INTO A HANDMADE WOOD BOX. I FOUND THE BOX WITH AN OLD BRASS SNAP SWIVEL, USED TO CONNECT A FISHING LURE, STICKING OUT OF THE METAL FITTING... ONCE I OPENED THE BOX AND SAW THIS I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY NEAT THAT HE HAD HOUSED HIS SELF WINDING TROLLING REEL IN A BOX - I'M A FISHERWOMAN SO I KNEW, OR THOUGHT I KNEW WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT... THEN I SAW THE KEY AND WONDERED EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF REEL THIS WAS SO I UNSCREWED THE PIECE, AND ONCE I LIFTED IT OUT OF THE BOX, I SAW THE METAL PLATE WITH "GAMEWELL" EMBOSSED. WAS A NAME I'D NEVER HEARD OF AND ONCE I SEARCHED THE INTERNET I WAS AMAZED TO DISCOVER THIS WAS A PART OF A FIRE ALARM CALL BOX SYSTEM! HE WAS SO CLEVER, HE KNEW HOW POWERFUL THIS WAS AND FASHIONED IT WITH WIRE LINE AND FED IT THROUGH THE HOLE IN THE BOX. SO, CLEVER ME, I TOOK SOME WIRE CUTTERS AND SNIPPED OFF THE SWIVEL AND THEN THIS THING BEGAN TO SPIN, WITH INCREDIBLE FORCE AND SPEED, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO STOP IT. IT ACTUALLY SCARED ME AS IT KEPT GOING FOR ABOUT 2.3 SECONDS AND I WAS AFRAID IT WAS GOING TO START WHIPPING THAT WIRE LINE AT ME, SO I HELD IT DOWN AND TIED THE LINE THROUGH THE REEL TO HOLD IT STILL AS I AHVE NO IDEA HOW LONG IT WILL KEEP SPINNING! I WILL SECURE IT WITH EVEN MORE TIGHT KNOTS FOR SHIPPING AS I'M CERTAIN THE POST OFFICE WILL THINK THERE IS AN EXPLOSINVE OR DANGEROUS ITEM INSIDE IF THEY HEARD IT WHIRRING AWAY... WHAT A CREATIVE BRAIN HE HAD, AND GREAT IDEA TO USE THIS AS A TROLLING REEL, GOD LOVE HIM! I DID INSERT THE KEY AND IT DOES WIND UP BUT IF THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL I MUST DO TO STOP THE WHIRRING OTHER THAN TO LET IT KEEP GOING, THEN I CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT - BUT BASED ON WHAT IT IS DOING RIGHT NOW I CAN ONLY ASSUME IT WORKS! PLEASE REVIEW MY PHOTOS FOR ALL DETAILS AND TO HELP I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE KEY IS BRASS, THE REEL IS BRASS, THE BLACK CIRCULAR PART IS CAST IRON WITH A HEAVY METAL PLATE SCREWED ON THE FRONT AND BACK. I CAN'T FIND ANY MODEL NUMBERS OR OTHER INFO ASIDE FROM THAT FRONT BRASS PLATE WITH "THE GAMEWELL CO" EMBOSSED. I DID FIND A VERY SIMILAR PIECE TO THIS ONE ON EBAY AND IT WAS IDENTIFIED AS BEING FROM 1902! TO HELP YOU IDENTIFY IT I HOPE THESE MEASUREMENTS HELP: BLACK CAST IRON BASE MEASURES 5" X 2" CIRCULAR BLACK GEAR BOX MEASURES 4 34" IN DIAMETER AND IS 2" DEEP REEL IS 5" IN DIAMETER KEY IS 4 1/4" LONG THIS IS AN OLD PIECE, AND I'M CERTAIN YOU COLLECTORS WILL KNOW HOW OLD IT REALLY IS, AND WHAT TO DO WITH IT! PLEASE REVIEW MY PHOTOS AND CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AS I WILL BE HAPPY TO HELP. BOX NOT INCLUDED UNLESS YOU WANT IT AND WANT TO GO FISHING - IF SO LET ME KNOW AS THAT WILL INCREASE THE SHIPPING COST. Check out my other items AND Be sure to add me to your favorites list ! FREE! Sellers: Add a FREE map to your listings. FREE! read more

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