Man with Cap Small Carved Bust tin spice box They have been used as

They have been used as percussive instruments for thousands of years

and that the American Museum of Natural History in New York was the primary place to get them

Definitely it's got some age--I would think 1940s at the latest

The glass (which I removed to photograph it) measures 5 3/4" x 5 7/8" and the visible picture area from the front is 5 3/8" x 5 1/2"

and at once subtle and attention getting

Man with Cap Small Carved Bust tin spice box They have been used asI can't decide for sure whether that hat on this guy is a hunting cap with the ear flaps up, or an engineers cap? I could easily see him at the helm of a train, periodically sounding the whistle, but could also imagine him out in the woods, with his over sized ears well suited for picking up the sound of birds and rusting animals in the distance! Either way, a sweet, fairly old carving, and nice addition to any carved cast of characters. Just shy of