Well, this might push the bounds of what qualifies as a tool, but it is still a tool, technically. :P I was poking around an antique shop a few weeks ago, and I saw this big, beautiful copper vessel. It looked pretty old to me, but the price tag on it was $8, so I had to buy it regardless.
Initially, I was told this was a coal scuttle... but, I just really can't see that being the case... It is an absolutely terrible design for scooping or pouring coal... plus, it's copper, I would expect it to dent and scratch to the moon and back, even with the relative softness of coal. There's an eBay listing for a very similar vessel, which is also marked as a coal scuttle... but again, it's all curves... how is this useful for that? I've also been informed that it's probably not as old as I think (Which, is actually a pretty rare thing for me, I usually have a good eye for what's old and what's not) and that it was likely made in the 1970's or 80s o.o (which, I guess would explain why it appears useless for its intended role, if it was made to be purely ornamental)
I have heard ONE alternate suggestion, that I think makes more sense, and that is that it was a vessel used for filling a bathtub back in the days before running water was common. The shape and form would suit this better to my eye, and the material of its construction would make more sense to me. I would say it probably doesn't have enough volume to make it an extremely practical filler, as I would guess its capacity at somewhere between 1 and two gallons... but, that IS a convenient carrying weight...
I bought it with the intention of reselling it, but if it's modern rubbish, I can make spoons and ladles out of all that copper :P So either way, it was worth buying. But now I'm curious.... Thoughts? Opinions? Facts? :P
