Five Balls in Cage Eight Inch Whimsy, Marion, Ohio, 1966 figurative nutcracker I just love these old

I just love these old wooden spinning tops as objects

There is some some wear and cracking to the interior lacquer particularly on the underside of the lid

and all arranged in rows surrounded by shading in autumnal shades of burnt orange and ochre

I found her at an estate sale loaded with Victorian era antiques

This large one has an unusually (and dramatically) wide oval shape

Five Balls in Cage Eight Inch Whimsy, Marion, Ohio, 1966 figurative nutcracker I just love these oldI love that the maker of this whimsy used the balls not only to sign it (ELD) and date it (1966), but also to note the site of its making, which appears to be Gran Camp Gorge (noted on one ball), Marion Ohio (on another)! And then they carved their monogram and date again into either end, just to be sure it would endure! A pretty good job they did I think, though the balls are somewhat irregular in size and shape, with the first ball, with no writing