Left Foot Ashtray

I promised myself that I would present this without comment, in the spirit of the Weird Object. But I feel like I must say that this is based on an object I bought at an antique store in 1996, a left-foot ashtray made out of wood, with the big toe pointed up, roughly the same dimensions. And since then I found many more hand-carved wooden feet ashtrays with the big toe pointing up, all made by different people from seemingly all over the world. I now have 20 in my collection.

I never figured out what the deal is with these things-- a foot with the big toe sticking up doesn't seem to be an especially meaningful symbol to any culture. As far as I know this is a weird thing that you sell to tourists, and maybe that's all there is to it. But where it originated and what it "means" I do not know.

My version is a VERY limited run, I only made 20. I've decided to price them at what I paid for the first one, which was $18 in 1996. Adjusted for inflation that's $30. They're $30.

After much debate I've decided to present them without stain or varnish-- you may finish these however you like, or leave it unfinished. Similarly, you are free to think about it however you like, or not think about it at all. I do not recommend actually using it as an ashtray.

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