I need some help identifying an artifact that I found. You wouldn’t think that it would be hard to identify a mallet, but I’m having trouble. So, at the risk of looking silly I’m reaching out to the world for help! To those new to this blog, I’m a MLIS student doing a special studies project, helping a 160-year-old nonprofit and former orphanage with their archives.
As you can see, it’s made of wood and has a rounded head. It’s partly broken (broken part is missing), but it looks like it was the same shape on both ends. There is material stitched around the shaft and wrapped around the head which may be leather. The handle/shaft is 12 inches and the head is 6 inches across.
Below are some pictures at different angles. I’ve never posted publicly asking for help identifying something before, so if there is any other info I could share that would help, please let me know.
I have no idea what purpose this was for or the approximate age. I’ve done some research but haven’t been able to find anything that resembles this. The closest tools I’ve found have been related to carpentry, but I have no idea why an orphanage would keep that around for decades.
Here’s a close up of the stitching on the handle.
If anyone can help me identify this or has any thoughts or suggestions, please share! Any help is appreciated. Thank you!
Edgewood Tales 