This item’s is a self-centering tool. Its primary use was for book stamping and to put printing on the cover of books. Item is in good condition for its age and has wear and patina from age. The manufacturer’s name is on the item: Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Snider & Hoole was a major 19th-century American firm established in 1808. They were primarily known as the most extensive dealers and manufacturers of bookbinders' materials and machinery in the Western United States during that era.