GOLDEN ENGINE, Marvelously Evocative Old Handcut Brass Stencil unusual antique basket Approx 16 blank pages at

Approx 16 blank pages at the end

at first I thought this was an old spruce gum box--always something to get excited about

which makes me feel the fortitude of this man

with dark mane showing on one side

GOLDEN ENGINE, Marvelously Evocative Old Handcut Brass Stencil unusual antique basket Approx 16 blank pages atI have to imagine this brass stencil was made to stencil GOLDEN ENGINE across the hood or maybe the sides of a race car many years ago, with the small pointing forward triangle over the N signaling full speed ahead! Perfectly executed in upper case italics, and with quite a patina, too. I found this in the Hudson River Valley with a note from the dealer that it had come from a prominent collection, but they didn't say whose. To my eye just about as