STC Employee Gift

[FABphones]

I received this little metal bowl today. Needed something to pop small pieces into when disassembling and this fits the bill nicely.

Made circa early 1920's believed to be an employée award or gift (tricky one to track down as haven't come across another), perhaps a retirement gift.

Almost 100 years old and still in pretty good shape.

As I used to work for STC (Standard Telephones & Cables) it seemed appropriate for it to come to me.

I won't be polishing this one up, the patina is just as it should be. 

[.....]

Very nice indeed!

[countryman]

That will serve your intended purpose very well and with distinctive style :-)
It looks like it was supposed to be an ashtray, a typical gift item for possible customers or maybe employees.

[FABphones]

It looks like it was supposed to be an ashtray...

I had wondered if that might be so, but decided not as no recesses and the rim is curved so unsafe for resting cigarettes on. Also distance to centre not long enough to place a cigarette. No discolouration to centre tablet. Also when emptied the underside of rim would catch the contents.

I could of course be wrong. I have never smoked. Yuk.

[countryman]

Non-smoker here, too. So no expertise available
But hard to guess for what purpose it was made then? Serving sweets?

Nobody in my family smoked when I was a kid, but visitors, both private or business, expected to have an ashtray provided when they lit a cigar or cigarette without asking. Some habits really improved over the last 40-50 years...

[Jim Stettler]

I think it is an ashtray. I have seen that style before.
Cigarette holders on ashtrays came about in the 1950's is my guess.
this style is much safer than the 4x6 inch shallow glass try style
Jim

[19and41]

I would guess it is indeed an ashtray with a pipe knocker for dislodging the material left in a pipe, before pocketing or reloading.

[Key2871]

I tend to agree, but just for the telecom aspect its quite neat.

[Jim Stettler]

I would guess it is indeed an ashtray with a pipe knocker for dislodging the material left in a pipe, before pocketing or reloading.

I never knew the reason for the knob on this style ashtray. Pipe knocker makes a lot of sense.
when the pipe knocker has cigarette size holes it is a passive snuffer for cigarettes (don't snuff it out, stick it in the hole and it will smother on it's own).
Jim