foundry molds

This past Sunday I decided to go hunting at one of my favorite places,  the Maumee Antique Store.  I was in search of  Unique Objects of Interest (UOI's for short) It turned out to be a very good hunting day indeed!  Check out these COOL antique wooden foundry molds!!  They're like little modernist works of art.   Best of all they were dirt cheap, I don't think the owner realized how much they were worth.  I did some checking around; I got a very good deal! The biggest one was only $10 and the others ranged between $4 and $6!  The big one is a hat mold used to form and shape hats.  The red and black engine block looking one was probably used as a mold for sand casting.   I'm not sure about the smaller red and black one.   The two narrow ones are a pair, male and female, they nest up against each other;  they look like molds of some sort for an old desk drawer handle.  I love all the markings on them,  it shows they were used.   My favorite, out of all of them, is the small rectangular box mold.  It has such a rich brown patina and an ancient hand carved feel to it.   I threw in some wishbones I had lying around (believe it or not I do have wishbones lying around...hmmm imagine that)  the contrast of the white bones against the rich brown luster of the wood told me they were meant for each other.     It was a very successful hunt, I bagged some great trophies and I even found some cool art books to boot,  what more could I have asked for?!!