Charming Old Embroidered Beanbag Boy Number Five driftwood figure It once held 18 tobacco

It once held 18 tobacco plugs--brick-like masses of tobacco

I just love the inventiveness of this piece and find it a truly delight-inducing thing

Made of copper

and if you peer inside you can see its rounded shoulders with the shape of a little cork or plug at top

and surrounded by a decorative pattern of tiny brass nails

Charming Old Embroidered Beanbag Boy Number Five driftwood figure It once held 18 tobaccoThis guy! Constructed as a beanbag with an embroidered "5" on his back, I assume he was made as one of at least four others for a tossing game, perhaps at a carnival, where one tried to land him in a basket or hole and it does look like he's been tossed around a bunch, with a bit of mending reinforcement here and there. I really love his face, with smile turned up to one side, and his flurry of red hair on top and back of his head. But I especially