I give up!

[oldtools]

3/4" thick steel 2" wide & 6" to 17" long (8 different sizes) all with 5 1/2" handles. Very heavy flat weights of different lengths!!
Sounds like it could be used to press things down, (like BruceS said) or to hold down linoleum when unrolling or gluing.

[fflintstone]

3/4" thick steel 2" wide & 6" to 17" long (8 different sizes) all with 5 1/2" handles. Very heavy flat weights of different lengths!!
Sounds like it could be used to press things down, (like BruceS said) or to hold down linoleum when unrolling or gluing.

^^^^This would be my guess as well^^^

In the olden days of drafting before computers, we would wrestle with long wide sheets of paper or linen and later Mylar. Some of the old-timers would have something similar (like ½ x2 x 36) to keep the sheet from rolling back up while working on or looking at.