*2-Day* Fresh Barn Finds & Country Estate Auction (Day 1/2)
Lot 44:
Description
C-18890
c. 1900s-1930s; Harvey M. Rinehart – Galesburg, IL & Charles L. Passmore – Fulton, IL This two-piece grouping includes a cast iron "Handy Hog Holder" livestock restraining device patented by Harvey M. Rinehart, along with a "Lightning" shoe stretcher patented by Charles L. Passmore. The hog holder features a long forged handle terminating in angled, hexagonal jaw loops designed to grip the upper jaw of a hog securely during veterinary work or ringing. The form matches Rinehart’s 1931 patent filing, which details the opposing jaw loops and rocking action used to apply controlled restraint with minimal effort. The Lightning shoe stretcher represents an earlier domestic innovation, intended to expand tight footwear by applying controlled pressure inside the shoe. Cast in a single, rigid frame with an open hexagonal handle, it reflects the same emphasis on mechanical simplicity and strength found in rural and small-town toolmaking of the era. Together, these tools illustrate the breadth of early American patent culture-where the same foundries and inventors served both agricultural and everyday household needs with equal ingenuity.
Both pieces are in excellent antique condition with stable, darkened patina and no cracks or active rust observed. Surfaces show light handling wear consistent with age, but mechanisms remain intact and solid. Sold as a matching historical grouping.
Hog holder: 21" L x 5" W Shoe stretcher: 16" L
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