History Mystery #15: A very old segmented tray

We spotted this specimen in a rural historical museum in northern New York. It looks deceptively simple, even familiar … but the most advanced Silicon Valley AIs couldn’t figure it out in our tests! 

Size: The metal tray is just over a foot long, and about 5 inches wide. The age is uncertain, but it’s probably at least 80 years old.

Any guesses? We will feature some of your responses in next week’s newsletter. Note also that if you are thinking of using AI to solve the mystery, the AIs I tested got the answer completely wrong. Their responses will be shared next week, too.

SOLUTION: We have published the surprise solution to history mystery #15.