with the wings and tail of the blue plane snapped in half with perfect zig zag lines
or perhaps signaling for help
and it is a super useful one
with plenty of wear to the surface of the frame and one small flaw in the glass near top left (detailed) which shows a bit frosty but seems not to present any issues
Rare, Wonderfully Graphic, and Fun 1884 Anderson Whist and Game Counter 19th century valentine with the wings and tailI really love this thing, an unusually elaborate whist and "game" (I am really not sure what specific games) counter, patented by "Anderson" (I have found nothing definitive about) in 1884. (Whist itself is a trick taking game, which I've happily learned takes its name from the 17th c. word whist (or wist), meaning quiet, silent, attentive, and the root of the modern wistful.) I love it as an object, and a mechanical one, with GAME in black caps