It is not unusual to see something and not realize what it is. This is especially true when you are dealing with a piece of history that may not have been seen for a long time.

That was the case with this unique item and many people had a difficult time identifying it. The Internet was eventually able to solve the mystery, it is a vintage price marker ink stamp.

These items got their start in the early 20th century as businesses were looking for a way to speed up the pricing process. They were a relatively simple device but required ink pads and manual adjustments.

The design of the price marker stamps underwent a transformation about the middle of the 1900s. This included advanced engineering and changes in the material so that they were more reliable and durable.

The basic idea behind the price marker ink stamp was to mark the price on products. You could apply a price tag quickly and uniformly across many items so that you could take inventory and get more accurate pricing.

These were versatile tools and they still may have a use today for some people. For the most part, however, they have been lost to history but we are happy to revive them for this article.