So What Are They?
The unusual ridged shape and their considerable weight provide an important clue.
These appear to be vintage pinecone-shaped weights used with mechanical clocks, particularly old cuckoo clocks and other traditional weight-driven clocks.
The weights were designed to hang from chains beneath the clock. Their weight provides the force that drives the clock’s mechanical movement as the weights slowly descend.
The distinctive ribbed or “pinecone” design is also strongly associated with traditional cuckoo-clock weights.
