A Whatzit

[Semar]

Going through my bottle stash I came across this piece of pressed glass I dug about 50 years ago.
The diameter is a bit over 2", the height is about 1 1/2 inches.
There is lettering on the surface; A. Kline is embossed on one half; across the raised center line are the words Use Pin; then on the other half there is a patent date Pat'd Oct 27 1863.
It sure looks like a stopper or cover for some kind of container.
Have any of you ever seen one of these in your excavations?
'Use Pin' I find puzzling to say the least.
Can someone here help Grampa figure this out.

 

[Sitcoms]

Hi Semar!

I did a reverse image search on it - it seems they were the lids to glass fruit jars! My guess is the tapered side would sit inside the mouth/neck of the jar, creating a seal. I assume the "use pin" means you probably had to break the seal in some way - push a sewing pin between the lid an jar to break it, and grab a hold of the middle part to pull it out. Again, a guess, but a very cool design!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1435826834/antique-a-kline-aqua-blue-glass-fruit - yours would be like the one on the left in this listing.

 

[Semar]

Thanks, Sitcoms, for solving the mystery.
Even more mysterious is having that Etsy page you referenced show up in my MSN news feed this morning.
I'm getting a bit creeped out over that. I'm pretty sure my VPN was on.
Shades of George Orwell!

 

[Semar]

I checked ebay this afternoon. These tops far outnumber the jars they are made to fit, and the jars when they can be found, are pricey.

 

[EvansBottles]

That is a small mouth pint size Kline jar stopper. Much more scarce than the regular size.
I once had the jar. It's pretty rare.

 

[Semar]

More information trickles in. Thank you EvansBottles.
Do the large examples of this stopper look any different than the small ones?

 

[Sitcoms]

Thanks, Sitcoms, for solving the mystery.
Even more mysterious is having that Etsy page you referenced show up in my MSN news feed this morning.
I'm getting a bit creeped out over that. I'm pretty sure my VPN was on.
Shades of George Orwell!

Big Brother is always watching lol!