Another Beautiful Antique Brass Stencil Wheel, Allen Bros., 1868-1871 Patent painted folk art figure and a bit taller on

and a bit taller on one side than the other

I believe these would particularly have been used for polishing buttons on uniforms

not especially brittle or fragile

who is  perfectly skunklike but not fussy in the least

don't really do this one justice

Another Beautiful Antique Brass Stencil Wheel, Allen Bros., 1868-1871 Patent painted folk art figure and a bit taller onI keep scooping up these antique stencil wheels whenever I come across them as I think they're just fantastic things. This is a very early one, with 1868 and 1871 patent dates (stamped on the face not once but twice) as well as a stamp for Allen Bros. Boston, MA, who would have been the distributor. In the case of this one which is in very good shape, with a nice warm, mellow patina to the brass on the face I love the back side as much as the front,