# What is this object? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 30, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886 "2015-06-30T18:26:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/1 "2015-06-30T18:26:19Z")
[![](http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/48608559291655bb2a.jpg) ](http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/48608559291655bb2a.jpg) From a thread here: [http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295095](http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295095) ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/2 "2015-06-30T18:31:29Z")
If what we see is what we get, i.e. it’s just a wheel and a pointer as shown, I’d guess a specialised randomiser. The number combinations are odd though. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/3 "2015-06-30T18:33:48Z")
> [@naita](#): > > If what we see is what we get, i.e. it’s just a wheel and a pointer as shown, I’d guess a specialised randomiser. The number combinations are odd though. Looks like it’s randomizing orderings of 3 or 5 items. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/4 "2015-06-30T18:47:41Z")
It has all possible orderings of 3 objects, but there are 120 orderings of 5 objects and it obviously doesn’t account for all of them. Maybe the subset of those that it shows is a clue. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/5 "2015-06-30T18:57:37Z")
> [@naita](#): > > If what we see is what we get, i.e. it’s just a wheel and a pointer as shown, I’d guess a specialised randomiser. The number combinations are odd though. Wheel of Fortune, from an early season of the show, circa 4000 B.C. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/6 "2015-06-30T18:59:14Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > …there are 120 orderings of 5 objects and it obviously doesn’t account for all of them. Maybe the subset of those that it shows is a clue. The house only pays off on those not shown? 🙂 Given the evident age of this item, what possible use could it have had? I see no way for its divisions to be sensed or used within a machine (e.g., old slot machine or game of chance), so the purpose must be for a human to read the numbers. But why? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/7 "2015-06-30T19:07:14Z")
There are twelve divisions, as well as twelve holes. Could it be some sort of tool used by clock or watchmakers, some sort of astronomical tool, or some sort of navigational tool? ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/8 "2015-06-30T19:41:23Z")
It looks like an embossing / labeling wheel to me. It could be used to stamp serial number on parts or steel plates. It could be part of a multi-wheel stamper where different wheels could be aligned to produce different strings of numbers. The redundancy could be there to reduce the rotation needed to change numbers or to keep using the wheel even when some numbers wore off. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/9 "2015-06-30T19:53:17Z")
Here’s the distribution of the 3 digit combinations (all possible combinations are used, but not the same number of each). 321 x 2 213 x 3 231 x 2 312 x 1 123 x 2 132 x 2 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/10 "2015-06-30T20:00:55Z")
Have you not seen _Wheel of Fortune - Bronze Age_? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/11 "2015-06-30T20:08:40Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Have you not seen _Wheel of Fortune - Bronze Age_? Oh, yeah! Didn’t that air back around, um, post five? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/12 "2015-06-30T20:10:12Z")
Here’s a list of the 5 digit combinations used, along with the 3 digits each is paired with. None of the 5 digit numbers are repeated. Also, the first 2 digits don’t repeat. 34125 - 321 25143 - 213 41325 - 231 51342 - 312 15324 - 123 45312 - 213 53214 - 132 34521 - 321 43251 - 132 24315 - 123 21534 - 231 13524 - 213 ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/13 "2015-06-30T20:27:54Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Also, the first 2 digits don’t repeat. Actually, looks like there are two five-digit combos that begin with “34xxx”. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/14 "2015-06-30T20:36:43Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Actually, looks like there are two five-digit combos that begin with “34xxx”. You’re right. I missed that. :o And, interestingly, they’re both paired with 321. ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/15 "2015-06-30T20:40:01Z")
It looks like a version of a horse betting wheel or as stated above wheel of fortune. Here is a similar, larger version. [http://www.3ringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/antiquewheel.jpg](http://www.3ringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/antiquewheel.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/16 "2015-06-30T20:48:38Z")
> [@rat\_avatar](#): > > It looks like a version of a horse betting wheel or as stated above wheel of fortune. > > Here is a similar, larger version. > > [http://www.3ringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/antiquewheel.jpg](http://www.3ringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/antiquewheel.jpg) I don’t think so. On your wheel it’s all one and two digit numbers from 1 to 60 and there’s only one circle of digits rather than two. The object I linked to has two rows of digits and seems overly complex for the purpose of gambling. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/17 "2015-06-30T20:50:48Z")
> [@rat\_avatar](#): > > It looks like a version of a horse betting wheel or as stated above wheel of fortune.[URL=“[http://www.3ringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/antiquewheel.jpg](http://www.3ringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/antiquewheel.jpg)”] Wheels of fortune tend to have one unique number per ‘slot’. This one uses a completely different scheme. If it had any kind of cams or keys unique to each position, I’d say part of a slot machine or other mechanical game of chance. But it’s just a wheel with numbers on it, what I’d say is the final readout or position-setting/checking dial of another type of machine. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/18 "2015-06-30T21:01:41Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Wheels of fortune tend to have one unique number per ‘slot’. This one uses a completely different scheme. > > If it had any kind of cams or keys unique to each position, I’d say part of a slot machine or other mechanical game of chance. But it’s just a wheel with numbers on it, what I’d say is the final readout or position-setting/checking dial of another type of machine. There doesn’t appear to be any obvious way for it to interface with other equipment. It seems to be on a standalone stand. Over at [internationalskeptics.com](http://internationalskeptics.com) the OP says that he may be getting more shots (sides, back, etc.) from the possessor of this thing this evening so those may tell us more. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/19 "2015-06-30T21:51:37Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > It has all possible orderings of 3 objects, but there are 120 orderings of 5 objects and it obviously doesn’t account for all of them. Maybe the subset of those that it shows is a clue. Well it shows 12 orderings of five, if picked cleverly you could then use the pointer not only as a selector of the section, but of starting point and read 34521 as 52134 if the pointer is on the five, that ups it to 60 orderings, add some rule for picking direction, and I suppose it could show all 120, but I’m not going through the trouble of checking that hypothesis. And it’s odd that one of the orderings for three numbers is repeated three times while another is just given once. ETA: Never mind. I just looked at the list briefly and found overlaps using this scheme, so there’s no way to make it cover all 120 orderings. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886/20 "2015-06-30T22:02:47Z")
Those wheel of fortune things I’ve seen at carnivals were typically painted wood. This thing looks like cast iron. What are they doing with it that they went to so much trouble to make it? Also, I’m curious about the holes. All the same size and evenly spaced between number sets. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-object/723886.md?page=2)