Has anyone seen this before?

[Bain]

I found it in an 80-year-old house this morning. It appears to be a light-bulb socket, however the spiral grooves in the ceramic were reeaally worn. Was this guy the precursor of the night light? I'm fairly certain it's irrelevant, but at one time there was a radiator installed in the same location.

John

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[Brian G]

Weird. Never seen one of those before.

Brian G.

Bizzaro Electrical World [:-alien]

[Bill Kibbel]

I'm surprised to see that in a home that is only 80 years old. That was a typical receptacle, before bladed plugs were developed (and way before NEMA was created). I think that may be why some old timers always called any receptacles "sockets". I don't think they were very common after 1910.

Note the "plug" on this toaster:

[Bain]

Bill, you're amazing. Maybe the original owner had some sort of device that had been handed down and which required that kind of "socket plug."

[Les]

During the electrification of rural Michigan, that socket was common until late thirties. There was an agency that supplied the all the parts and a farmer could get them for free and do the work. They had to have an "electrician" make the connection to the pole.

As recently as 1993 I was a member/customer of an electrical co-op that supplied parts, bulbs and repairs for free to all customers. I ran the transmission line on poles from the grid to my house (1/2mi). Shared a meter with a neighbor down the road. Paid my bill once per year.

[Terence McCann]

Do you actually have that toaster Bill?

[Bill Kibbel]

"Do you actually have that toaster Bill?"

No, it's not mine. Too modern for my liking.

Here's what we use:

[Bill Kibbel]

"Shared a meter with a neighbor down the road. Paid my bill once per year."

Les,

Didn't I see you at Sam Drucker's store talking to Mr. Haney? [:-cowboy]

[Steven Hockstein]

The good thing is that if you use that toaster you can simultaneously use the electric meter as a fan.

[Jesse]

The house I grew up in still had a couple of those receptacles in place. I don't think they were still in service, but I never stuck my fingers in there to make sure. Like in your photo, ours were in the baseboards as well.

[Joshua]

The wires might be in grooves in the baseboard. Ancient wiremold.

Joshua

[Bain]

The one in the photo was still hot. Toast could've been prepared while one watched TV. I told the buyer to have it removed, as the energized button could zap a kid, or whomever else.