Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Numero 5 Guessing Game

           Littlethingsx

At the brocante (flea markets,) one of my favorite things to do (other than just gobble everything up and jump up and down like I have just won the lottery,) is to learn about the French culture and history through objects. Yesterday, I sought after something that would stump me and make me ask the dealer, "What is this?"

Most of the dealers are knowledgeable, and they like to pull my leg. They know I am out for a good story and they never fail to give me one. They also know I have a crush on things that are broken and tattered, not your everyday "Louie," antiques. When they see me coming I’m certain they rub their hands together saying, "Oh goodie here comes that crazy American who loves to buy junk!"

Well to be sure I found many things that stumped me. Antique medical stuff, taxidermy, garden tools and wine paraphernalia. Even though they stumped me, they weren’t things I wanted to cozy up to and put on my blog. I am into romance you know that (?) and well bugs just don’t get it, except little escargots.

I am getting off track, which I often do…and it leads me to the most interesting places…Anyway, here is today’s guessing game challenge:

"What are those things in the photo (up above) used for?"

The first one who answers correctly, and the one with the most original response, will receive a little bug to hug or something sweet.

Photo: The metal pieces are smaller than my little fingernail.

Comments

144 responses to “Numero 5 Guessing Game”

  1. Jeanne

    Are they used for a charm bracelet or a shadow box of a miniature stature?
    Just guessing……..
    Beautiful treasures.

    Reply
  2. shabbyinthecity

    Baked into a gateau for a petite tresor hunt?

    Reply
  3. marita

    wow, at a first look i would say small magnets but then again they didn’t exist back then and the spoon doesn’t fit into this statement. smaller than your little finger nail? eureka…objects for doll houses?!

    Reply
  4. Paris Parfait

    I think it’s a game of some sort – perhaps a French version of Clue – but whatever it is, adorable little charms. As for your words about getting off track and leading to the most interesting places – my sentiments, exactly!

    Reply
  5. Penny

    I don’t know what they are/were used for BUT I can tell you that I sure would use them in my book art — they are beautiful, especially the joined hands!!

    Reply
  6. Francoise

    ce sont des “fèves” – comme on dit en français – pour mettre dans les gâteaux des rois de l’épiphanie ?

    Reply
  7. Shannon

    Are they pie crust weights?
    Are they game board pieces?
    Dollhouse ornaments?

    Reply
  8. My Melange

    Corey…
    Are they game pieces of French Monopoly????

    Reply
  9. Dee

    Were they used in cakes as fortune tellers or something like that?

    Reply
  10. sandig

    They look like the tiny little treasures that used to come in tea…. only certain kinds of tea had “prizes” in them…. as for what they might have been used for – no idea – can’t wait to read the answer.
    Ok – I can’t resist guessing…
    they are for playing bingo….
    they are play things that little girls would slip into their purses on Sunday morning before church… Final guess – decorations for french cakes, pastries, or candies…

    Reply
  11. susan

    first i thought monopoly… then perhaps another board game. but now i think they were trinkets that you might win at a fair for throwing darts at a balloon or perhaps a ball at some pins. whatever they are, they are sweet!

    Reply
  12. Cre8Tiva

    Little bits that are baked into a King cake for Twelfth night celebration (Epiphany). If you get the gold one you are queen, or you have to host the next year’s fete in New Orleans.

    Reply
  13. Anastasia

    arent they sweet
    they must have something to do
    with wee babies – are they baby charms/gifts?

    Reply
  14. rochambeau

    Are they Les Fèves Sont Reine for La Galette Des Rois?
    The little surprises in the cakes?

    Reply
  15. Islandsparrow

    My guess is that they are baked in a cake for a holiday celebration –
    My mom alert is on though and I hope no one ever chokes on one.

    Reply
  16. Mari-Nanci

    Most of them seem romantic, of course. But the spoon? But my woodworker husband says that once upon a time, carvers made ‘love spoons’ for their intended. Could these be metal worker’s love tokens?
    Mari-Nanci

    Reply
  17. eb

    are they little fortune telling prizes that are baked into little cakes each with a special meaning?… chewing very carefully of course…
    lovely lovely lovely
    xox – eb.

    Reply
  18. eb

    no no no – I didn’t peek – just wish that I’d come by earlier…
    xox – eb.

    Reply
  19. Trish

    Could they be used as embellishments on clothing? Like a decoration on an elaborate collar or like jewelry on the breast of a jacket? They are lovely….I would make collage jewelry with them now…

    Reply
  20. eb

    ok – maybe that’s not right – my mind and its gears are awhirring… perhaps a gypsy charm that you tuck into your brassiere for someone special to find? less likely to need the dentist or the Heimlich maneuver…
    hee hee
    xox – eb.

    Reply
  21. Catalina

    des fèves pour les gallettes de rois that you eat on jannuary 🙂

    Reply
  22. angela marie

    I would say that they are baked into little cakes. If you get a cake with one in, it brings you luck. I read it in Victoria. I thought then and still do ‘what if you choked on them.’ that is not luck.

    Reply
  23. Jeannene

    “YOU CRACK ME UP…MAKE ME LAUGH!” Thank you for that…i am glad you had fun at the flea market…and wish i was there so badly with you!! You make it sound so fun.
    LOL

    Reply
  24. Catalina

    They are little peaces from a game: you get 9 from a little bag with 27. You have to build a story and you put them back. The best story wins!
    For example:
    “Once upon a time there was a beautiful little princess living in a big castle with a “lys flower” on the door. She was very sad because she didn’t have any friends. It was her birhtday and she had a wonderful cake without nobody to share with… The little bunny heard her crying and told a bird to help.
    The bird took the blue ribbon from the princess’s hair and gave it to a little boy who was singing on the fields not far from there. The boy was very surprised and decided to follow the bird.
    He arrived to the castle and saw the little princess…she was crying…He opened her heart with the key of a song…The princess smiled and invited the boy to eat the cake. They shaked hands and promess themselves to always be friends while eating the beautiful chocolate cake!

    Reply
  25. patpaulk

    A peaceful rendezvous in the South of France with the key to unlock your heart?

    Reply
  26. Barbara

    I think that they are feves for the three kings cake. I wish that I could get hold of some of these for a friend of mine in Australia who always bakes the galette des rois. I think that this is something really special. There are not enough rituals and traditions any more.
    Thank you for this thought anyway. Barbara

    Reply
  27. Massilianana

    Hello Corey ,
    I’d say these little jewels are fèves for the gâteau des rois (shame they don’t do them as nice nowadays !) , unless they are bibelots that your little escargots collect to decorate their houses (who knows what it’s like in there , they are French snails after all ! )…..

    Reply
  28. Pat

    I’m always way behind! They appear to be charms or favors for cakes. They are very cute!
    Pat
    Back Porch Musings

    Reply
  29. Chantal

    I think they are fèves for one of the things I miss most from France: la galette des rois! Although in my childhood fèves didn’t come as pretty but white and plastic. Still, a lovely tradition all the same!

    Reply
  30. Elizabeth Meredith

    Since there are 9 of them, my guess is that they have something to do with pregnancy.
    OR perhaps they are all symbols of le printemps??

    Reply
  31. martina

    It isn’t fair! Do you allow a time excuse for those of us in U.S. who are 8 hours behind French time? I think they are charms for a special cake so each person gets to find a favor in their slice.

    Reply
  32. Brother Mathew

    Wishing tokens. Wishing tokens like the golden bird there..you put under your pillow at night and wish you dream about flying like a bird. Rabbit: wish you can run fast for the big race or something. Hands shaking: Wish for a big business deal. Key: wish for key to something like happiness or treasure or the ones you lost. Spoon: wishing all spoons were small so you don’t eat as much..maybe Orama would like that wishing token.

    Reply
  33. Lorene

    Well my guess was game pieces from a board game. But now I am not sure that is what they are because you described them as being very small. I don’t know. I am curious about what they really are. Some people have been guessing that they go on cakes. That is an interesting thought.
    Corey, it is only Monday and you are making us think to hard! LOL!!!

    Reply
  34. patty van dorin

    they are brewed with a pot of tea and then as a cup is poured, they reveal your fortune at the bottom of the cup along the lines of reading tea leaves…anyway that is what the gyspy in me would guess.

    Reply
  35. Star

    I think Catalina has my vote so far-probably not true, but very entertaining.
    My guess: Tokens passed down through the families of a secret society of faeries that live among the lavender fields of France (each token representing the faerie family’s area of expertise). Rather than supplying a password, the faerie must produce the token to gain entrance to meetings, where they determine the granting of children’s wishes.

    Reply
  36. pam aries

    Ha Ha ! I liked Massiliana’s guess! Hmmm. If they are that tiny , I can’t think they would be in a cake…someone might swallow them! Yikes! Maybe faeries use them on their Gameboards! ha!

    Reply
  37. Rosemary

    Hi,
    First of all, you find the best stuff!!!
    I think they are some kinde of tokens given a prizes for something.
    Rosemary

    Reply
  38. Di Overton

    Embellishments for a doll’s house?

    Reply
  39. stephanie s

    could they be from the very tasty french treat – ‘craque au jacque’?
    ok ok, if not that, then i am certain it is what catalina said.

    Reply
  40. carol

    I admit it – with no knowledge of French lore or history, I have no idea but certainly enjoyed reading the other comments and my interest has peaked and waiting to hear exactly what they are.

    Reply
  41. Jeannene

    “I have a question to you…Do your (U~tube video’s) have a clue in them?” Or did you post them for clues?
    ______________________________________
    Hi
    I don’t think so…I just like Louis and Marie.

    Reply
  42. Chantal

    These are not fèves?! Then they have to be fairy toys and ornaments 🙂 Really Corey, this ain’t easy! And they are smaller than your little fingernail, you said? Really small and cute so… Obviously not fèves for these would have been all swallowed into oblivion by now, so little they are. Are these wee decorations for a VERY small doll house? Or wee gifts the tooth fairy would leave behind, tucked under the pillow? Really, I haven’t got a clue! Est-ce que je donne ma langue au chat?

    Reply
  43. stephanie s

    ok, then… second try.
    how about little secret messages that only the sender and recipient would understand. they would be included in a love letter and pushed lightly into the wax seal – anchored enough to make the trip, but not so embedded they couldn’t be removed and worn close to the heart in a tiny secret pocket….

    Reply
  44. eb

    ok – tracing the tracks… Marie Antoinette… romance… lingerie… snails get it
    you pick them off something…
    hat embellishments…
    toys… for dolls… doll house embellishments…
    embellishments for the ends of little escargot forks…
    no no no…
    what do the escargots get that the bugs don’t…
    will ponder on my treasure hunt… but for now I must admit that I’m stumped…
    tokens in letters as in snail mail…
    xox – eb.

    Reply
  45. eb

    yes yes yes – does Stephanie have it? love this idea
    mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
    xox – eb.

    Reply
  46. Jeannene

    “OK”..I wild guess of a game. (bored game) they used to play back then. Is it (chess or Monopoly Pieces?)

    Reply
  47. My Melange

    This is pure torture….you are killing us!!!

    Reply
  48. Pat

    Just took another look…Crackerjack prizes?
    Pat
    Back Porch Musings

    Reply
  49. Jeannene

    They used these little pieces to pin on their clothing…Jackets or guarments or somthing?

    Reply
  50. Di Overton

    OK 2nd guess. Charms from a bracelet?

    Reply
  51. Jeannene

    “They were little pieces to toys(on the toy)…given to the children back then? Or also little gifts given when baby’s were born in that “ERA?”

    Reply
  52. my melange

    Are they trinkets from a ribbon pull from a wedding?

    Reply
  53. rochambeau

    Stopping by for guess number ~2. Could they be French millagros? Each possessing special powers for the carrier. For example: You want to get pregnant? You carry the Rabbit. You want to be invited to the party? You carry the Harlequin. You can’t live without your coffee? You carry the Spoon.

    Reply
  54. Kathleen

    They look like the surprises we find in our Christmas crackers. They tumble out with the paper hats and other goodies after the snapper’s been pulled!!

    Reply
  55. Kit

    Are they pieces from an ancient French version of Cluedo?:
    C’etait Monsieur L’Oiseau dans la Bibliotheque avec le clef”

    Reply
  56. ~jolenemarie

    I think the fortune teller used them.
    She would cup them in her hands and shake them up like dice — toss them on the table and tell your fortune according to the position they landed in… 😉

    Reply
  57. shabbyinthecity

    They all came from different places! Just little tokens you have put together from lots of places. Yep thats it. Annnd they mean something to you. Each one represents something…and Corey you’ll have to tell the rest 🙂

    Reply
  58. marita

    while eating my hot aubergine (oven baked dish)i’m staring at these
    ‘smaller than little finger’things; tough, tough! a little bug waits you at home’and something sweet? i’m sure the solution is obvious once made public. well, second time around then; corey, they are small personal attentions, attached to sweet french birth cakes?
    in the meantime my aubergines have gone cold
    ;(

    Reply
  59. ~jolenemarie

    May I have one more guess?
    I think the French used these decades ago – when you went to get your eyes tested for glasses! If you could see the tiny objects and indentify them, your eyes were fine! 🙂
    (Because I am thinking without my bifocals I could not see these items as small as my pinkie fingernail!!!).

    Reply
  60. my melange

    Were they used for hair or corset adornments?

    Reply
  61. Kathleen

    They look like the surprises we find in our Christmas crackers. They tumble out with the paper hats and other goodies after the snapper’s been pulled!!

    Reply
  62. Kristin Wight

    I have 2 guesses!
    1. Used to put on top of chocolate, like a little seal of some kind…
    2. Put inside clear french soap…
    I did like the clue about the wax seal, Maybe it has to do with invitations, adorn paper invites?
    Ok, 3 guesses for me!

    Reply
  63. moki

    has anyone guessed milagros? That’s the spanish word for it.
    (Milagro also refers to an ancient aspect of Hispanic folk culture: small silver or gold votive offerings in the shape of arms, legs, eyes and other body parts; animals, fruits, vegetables, etc. These milagros are often attached to statues of saints or to the walls of certain New Mexican churches–and now are also found as components in necklaces, earrings and other jewelry.)

    Reply
  64. Kristin Wight

    Oh oh oh!
    What about a charm you put inside a locket, to remind you of a special time?

    Reply
  65. gemma

    Old charms like these were sent in mid century Western Union telegrams
    I think.

    Reply
  66. Merisi’s Vienna

    Sort of fortune tellers for New Years Eve, maybe packaged like the British Christmas Crackers?

    Reply
  67. Sally

    Corey! This is a stumper! 🙂
    The only things I could think were charms for a celebration cake or milagros…but now you’ve said they aren’t for a cake and they don’t really seem like milagros.
    So I’m going to guess they are love tokens…to gift a beloved with or a newly married couple???

    Reply
  68. Dawn

    They look to me like wonderful little enclosures that you would drop in an envelope with a card or letter signifying a holiday wish or a loving thought…sound good? xxoo, Dawn

    Reply
  69. CathyC

    They were used in place of door numbers on hotel room doors. That is my guess. Even though they are tiny.

    Reply
  70. Hasmin

    My guess, without being too risque, is that a woman would tuck these in her lingerie, and her lover would try and find it.

    Reply
  71. y

    prize for candies? kids used to buy this candy because each box/package came with different metal objects? 🙂

    Reply
  72. sheila

    Are they perhaps samples, made in miniature and given to potential customers?
    I’m dying to find out..!!!

    Reply
  73. Catalina

    chocolate molds? and the spoon to fill them.
    I love chocolate!

    Reply
  74. Kas

    The #21 on the background paper tells me that these are the prizes found in an Advent Calendar! There would be one for each day of Advent.

    Reply
  75. pam aries

    OKAY..how about this…they are to glue on to your teeth ! Ha ha! So when you smile…you have a little birdie or spoon,etc.! Ha ha!Wait..maybe you glue them onto the back of escargot shells or onto scarab beetles….

    Reply
  76. Massilianana

    Bon , guess numéro deux : if we consider the symbols only , all these little objects speak about bounding (hand , bow), new life and fecondity (key , swallow,fleur de lys, …),harmony (music player), love kept secure (lock with a heart),so I think they all have to do with engagement , marriage , birth…but that’s all I can figure out . Their tiny size puzzles me . Heck ! I think I’ll stick to the snails’interior decorations, it all combines very well : the key , of course to open and close their coquille. The lock with the heart because snails are very sensitive animals and take love seriously .The hands bound together is their …door handle (si ! si !Very common in the South of France , as you know).The swallow and the hare are the snails ‘ idols : them being so slow sometimes dream to be fast creatures .The fleur de lys is because they are old fashionned French snails (told you)and it stands above their head when they sleep.The bow is to adorn their bed linens .The music player is for bed time : snails love to fall asleep while a soft music is playing.And the spoon is for le souper,to eat their spinach potage , everyone knows this ….

    Reply
  77. Sharon

    I don’t normally comment…but I wanted to jump in on this one.
    Are these charms that women used to decorate their elaborate hairdos?

    Reply
  78. PresentPast Collection

    To decorate bon bon boxes or pastry boxes? This is fun!

    Reply
  79. martina

    Perhaps they were affixed to stationery for baptismal, confirmation or marriage anouncements or thank yous?

    Reply
  80. Aurora

    Are they game tokens?

    Reply
  81. Irene

    Joli Jeu.I’d say they are ornaments to a ceremonial cloak.

    Reply
  82. carol

    Were these trinkets given out at a festival such as our Mardi Gras

    Reply
  83. Franca Bollo

    Moki and Sally beat me to milagros and Mathew has already attached meaning to some of the pieces.
    So, with a nod to those who went before me, I offer my answer which is a combination of the two: One holds the charm/milagro/token in their hand and meditates on the action they wish to happen, such as:
    Rabbit: Fertility wish. May you procreate like a bunny.
    Fleur de lys: Plant protection wish. May your garden be protected against les escargots.
    Hands: Good health wish. May you remember to wash your hands often. (Shaking hands is a good way to suffer cootie contamination. Try bowing instead.)
    Key: Lost key wish. May you find your #@!*% keys. Now!
    Bird: Lose weight wish. May you eat like a bird. (NB: birds actually eat quite a lot in proportion to their weight so maybe it should be “May you eat like Nicole Richie” but then Corey would have to go find a new charm.)
    Lute player: Wish for world peace. May you teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.
    Lock(s): Wish for the follicly-challenged. May your locks grow back and fill the bare spot on top of your head.
    Spoon: Wish for the end of an addiction. May you only use to spoon to put things in your mouth, not up your nose.
    Bow: Wish for the sartorially-challenged. May your closet be filled filled with fabulous haute couture!

    Reply
  84. tut-tut

    To decorate a card?

    Reply
  85. cruststation

    Are they trinkets inside Christmas crackers? this is difficult…

    Reply
  86. blackbird

    I was going to say milagros-
    but I see many have beaten me to it!

    Reply
  87. Catherine Mary

    Are these little charms sold at religious shrines to be placed there when making your prayer request?

    Reply
  88. angela marie

    Well milagros sounds pretty good.? It has to be that. Right?

    Reply
  89. angela marie

    Corey! You are torturing us! LOL!
    I was just thinking… this is as close to all of us playing a game together… and not in the same room. Corey~ this is fun! Thank you!

    Reply
  90. marita

    LOL!! this blog is going to explode! the description of franca beats all!! splendid!!
    corey,please the solution!!

    Reply
  91. AnnieElf

    Miniatures of door knockers?

    Reply
  92. angela marie

    French nail charms!!

    Reply
  93. yvonne

    I believe I have your answer. They are called ‘estampes’ and are used as the hooks/closures for the small LIMOGES porcelaine boxes, made here in my beautiful city of Limoges! These small metallic pieces are attached on to the’top’ metal band that fits over the ‘bottom’ metal band holding the boxes firmly shut. They can range in size but they are very small!

    Reply
  94. stephanie s

    oh yvonne! that has to be it…. excellent work.

    Reply
  95. angela marie

    I have some of those boxes1 I think Yvonne has it!

    Reply
  96. eb

    aspects or tokens of the world as in the 21st card of Tarot
    yes… that must be it –
    xox – eb

    Reply
  97. Betty @ She’s Sew Pretty

    Oh, I’m sure that someone has probably answered this already but are those the charms you put in King cake? Thanks for your sweet comments on my blog too!

    Reply
  98. AnnieElf

    fishing line weights made of lead.

    Reply
  99. eb

    ok – one more try…
    they are used to throw at a maiden’s window by an admirer at night – small enough not to break the window – just a little tap but tough enough to withstand the impact… if she doesn’t respond – the next day she can find the love charm – its configuration is an indication of the name of the thrower – (she may… after all have more than one admirer)
    bon nuit
    xox – eb.

    Reply
  100. Shelley Noble

    You swallow them to really beg God and fate for them to hear your desperate prayer? That’s why the have to be so tough, so they can make such a long journey?

    Reply
  101. Dana Smith

    They are French Cracker Jacks prizes!!!!!

    Reply
  102. eb

    to emboss a symbolic pattern on a letter – put it under the paper and roll something like a wooden rolling pin over it to leave the embossed relief…
    except for the spoon…!?!
    xox – eb.

    Reply
  103. michelle b.

    I thought, like a few others, that they were game pieces. But now I know they are charms that were meant to be on the necklaces I am making for my friends that you so kindly helped me with regarding the “keys.”
    Love everything you find!!

    Reply
  104. Trish

    Pie crust weights….how is that for a stab in the dark because I soooo don’t know!

    Reply
  105. susanna

    Hmmmmm…this is tricky one…or maybe it’s so blatantly obvious that I’m completely blind to it??? Hmmmm…Okay, here are my guesses…They are bracelet charms, button covers, button covers for baby or doll clothes, puppy dog collar bling, decorations for petit picture frames, awards for little French Girl Scouts…um…er… gosh darn it, I give up!

    Reply
  106. Patricia

    Are they tablecloth weights used when dining outdoors, or for holding down a covering over food outdoors?

    Reply
  107. Sally

    ay yi yi, this is a toughie and I’m completely flummoxed Corey.
    Their stated smallness and sturdiness throw me!!!
    Being used as a stamp with sealing wax has already been guessed so …
    Little elf paperweights perchance? 😉
    Oh bother, I’m hopelessly lost.

    Reply
  108. Mica Garbarino

    these are for the nails to decorate!!!
    Mica

    Reply
  109. annie

    hey corey…they remind me of mexican milagros…where these littles are offered as thanks to the saints for prayers recieved…not always answered the way we think…but, acknowledged just the same! so my guess is french “milagros”!

    Reply
  110. Mica Garbarino

    they are for your teeth.very pretty isn’t it.
    mica

    Reply
  111. annie

    i should’ve read the other guesses…i see that milagros has been guessed already…tricky!

    Reply
  112. Jeannene

    Used in 19th century medical practice, to aid in digestion. They are swallowed.

    Reply
  113. Robyn

    Are they for putting in the bottom of a pot to keep it from boiling over?

    Reply
  114. wendy

    Charms to put on the bottom of your shoes to leave pretty pictures on the ground when you walk. Much more effective in attracting fairies than an ordinary footprint, n’est pas?
    (Fairies pray be kind enough to forgive my terrible French…)
    Paix,
    Wendy

    Reply
  115. Sandy McTier

    Are they used for imprinting on soaps?Candles? something with wax? I’m completely stumped and so curious! Can’t wait until you share the answer.

    Reply
  116. martina

    They are magnets, perhaps used to weigh down linens/tablecloths when dining outdoors?

    Reply
  117. beachy

    Wow – it doesn’t pay to answer this one late, as I have to read through 117 answers to make certain I don’t duplicate! =) At the risk of sounding morbid, and since I don’t think I’ve seen this answer given, are they something that you add to a casket when someone is buried?

    Reply
  118. Mahala

    The charms are wonderful and they look like quilt charms or something that is sewn onto a pretty scarf, veil or dress to weigh it down. Something to do with sewing onto material to weigh it down.

    Reply
  119. kelly

    Hmm metal. You’ve got my whole family guessing now.
    My son says it’s for catching fish. Or jewelry. Or to put onto your ears.
    My husband said that they were little ornaments or something decorative for a weather vane. He also guessed bits from an old charm bracelet.
    My guess-well, I had a zillion of the other “guesses” just like everyone else. It also reminds me of something from Alice in Wonderland. I dunno! What about something to adorn your home or mailbox with?

    Reply
  120. The Decorated House

    What great ideas!
    They of course would be fantastic for special art projects, or just to have.
    They do look like pieces from limoge boxes. But I would never have known that one.
    Donna

    Reply
  121. Gail Sullivan

    wow, over 100 responses. I don’t know if anyone has guessed this or not. I think they are monopoly pieces.
    xoxo
    Gail

    Reply
  122. Shelley

    Gee Corey 300 responces later lol….. my guess is they are used to seal letters.I guess lol

    Reply
  123. sheila

    This is torture…I have guessed once already, but since I canot see the back of them I will guess again, are they thumb tacks or something similar..???

    Reply
  124. pusa

    uhmm they are fridge magnets, can be just an ornament to your ref or something to put some notes.
    another guess is that they are cabinet holder?

    Reply
  125. Wendy

    Are they used in cooking to determine ‘bad’ snails by changing the brass color to black ?

    Reply
  126. Claudia

    Oh, Corey, I didn’t have the time to read all of the other answers… and you poor girl will have to.
    My guesses: At first I thought the pieces were for fortune telling, you know, when you heat lead or tin, it melts, and when you pour this into water, it takes on crazy forms. In Germany (but I don’t know about other countries), it is done on New Year’s Eve, to interpret the form of the solidified metal as a hint of forboding for the next year. And the metal comes in forms already, like, a four-leaf clover (at least today, but maybe they were more elaborate way back when).
    But I guess YOUR pieces are to small for that?
    Second guess: When the things are smaller than your fingernail, they might belong in a dollhouse.
    And just another one (but I guess this was already said): Little charms that are sewn into clothing as a good luck charm?
    Most certainly they were made by fairies, right?
    That’s really a hard one, Corey!

    Reply
  127. Teresa Sheeley

    Okay Corey, now I am going to be thinking about this all night! I wish my french grandpa was still alive to tell me what they are, but I am going to guess..
    prizes in a cracker jack box! Do the french even have cracker jacks? Lol!

    Reply
  128. Dawn

    Are they little metal game pieces from vintage french games?

    Reply
  129. B.M.A

    I think that they are for some sort of french game. Not board game pieces like everyone else said, but I think that you start out with one of those and you trade with another person on a holiday or something. Kind of like a white elephant gift only with little charms. I am clueless.

    Reply
  130. tlchang

    They look kind of like the charms they are sometimes in our New Year’s poppers (which look kind of like tiny, huge-barreled, guns which you pull the trigger and out flies confetti and charms…)

    Reply
  131. Jihan

    they are little trinket weights for a locket- to keep it from swinging around? or to represent the person you love-their hobby? are they to drop in a carbonated beverage to see how well they sink? is the champagne flat? are they a good luck charm to put in your children’s shoes. To ground them and remind them of their goals/life/destiny? I’m at a lost. Every sane response has been left. I have only seriously abstract ones left… Iron suppliment? children swallow because it’s so darn cute, and parents think that their child will get some needed iron? Of course it comes out eventually, but then they can clean and use it again.

    Reply
  132. Jihan

    ….or perhaps you put them in a lavender sachet? a little surprise once you are ready to refil?

    Reply
  133. eb

    will you?
    dear Corey
    share with us
    the story
    will you?
    give us the clue
    the clear
    and the true
    to solve,
    dissolve
    and ultimately
    resolve
    this delightful,
    insightful –
    this plum
    of a conundrum
    perhaps?
    xox – eb.

    Reply
  134. Laurie

    Hi Corey,
    I can only guess that these might be toys from a punch board? I have some small ones from my husbands grandmother although they don’t look like these. You always come up with such wonderful discoveries. Laurie

    Reply
  135. Danielle

    corey dear…are they PUSHPINS??

    Reply
  136. Marie-Michelle

    Perhaps it is something to attache to carte postals?

    Reply
  137. Marie-Noëlle

    I haven’t got the clue, Corey…
    Still, I shall try and see what I can guess through what we’ve got here…
    Has the mat got anything to do with the figurines?
    Why n° 21?
    You say the figurines have to be hard… I wonder why… maybe they are thrown …
    … and according to the place/ or number they reach or fall on, you get points…
    … OR you get told about your future…

    Reply
  138. Merisi’s Vienna

    So you went to bed, chuckling into your French vintage pillow? *chuckle*
    I am giggling here, thinking about the fun you have with us clueless birds. 🙂

    Reply
  139. Catherine

    Ok you have me intrigued Corey – I’m guessing they are put inside of puddings – like my Grandmother put pennies (or something like that in the Christmas pudding as a treat) but being metal and so delicate looking I think they are to be put inside an ice cream puddding that is only made and eaten for a very speical French celebration. Can’t wait to see what they are really used for – I love the things you find at the markets – just wish we had some of those markets where I live.

    Reply
  140. Delila Jemaiel

    This is a hard pickle indeed….
    These would be wonderful add ons for little girl playes,though they are quite small.
    Delila
    p.s. Corey could you give your address again to me? I lost it and a wee faery wants to fly to you…

    Reply
  141. Anastasia

    do you add to New Years cake – who ever gets it in their slice
    has luck for the year?

    Reply
  142. meredith

    These little charms are from a fortune teller’s hand. She throws them on a table and from the way they land she can tell my futre will be happy 🙂

    Reply
  143. Maddy

    I think they are small children’s worry charms that they take to bed and give their daily worries to before they fall asleep.

    Reply
  144. Shelley Noble

    Corey, Where can I find the answer? Frustration level: 6. xoox.

    Reply

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