Discuss Room of Antiques here

[Courk]

Obligatory link to the puzzle.

[PuzzleScot]

Hmm. Interesting...

Can't match more than 2 or 3 to any category, but I'll throw a few ideas out there for starters...

7 wonders of the world
Wedding Anniversary gifts
Parts of a car
Days of the week

I'm hoping this is based on obtuse connections to something well-known, rather than requiring specialist knowledge and/or researching luck (eg, object appearing on world flags; or mascots of US states etc...)

[Zag]

When it started, I had thought that some basic shapes of geometry were represented: cylinder, sphere, cube, plane. But the door stop and the closed doll house are not quite primitive enough shapes to be in a list of only 7.

[3iff]

[donthaveone*]

I thought that it was all things related to a classroom, but I am not sure what the cut glass represents.

[beachbum*]

Let's not forget that this is an ancient ruin, so things like the 7 wonders of the world or association with national flags would seem to be ruled out.

One the other hand, the civilization must have been recent enough to know that the earth was round.

[beachbum*]

Yep, thinking about this again, the "ancient ruins" aspect of this puzzle must be important, and I suspect that the solution to this one amounts to decoding the pieces into a silly joke that is somehow related to "ancient ruins".

Consider that nobody in ancient times were making globes of the earth, or dollhouses, and even if paper did exist, it would not last long enough to still be only a bit yellowed after a minimum of hundreds of years.

Personally, I think that because the premise of the puzzle doesn't make sense when taken literally, that indeed the answer is prolly light-hearted and funny. So the "funny" part of it is _not_ a red herring, I think.

[3iff]

It can't be that ancient if there's a globe of the Earth.

Apparently, the first globe was around 1492, but as much of the earth was still unmapped, we would surely recognise it as an early (incomplete) globe.

[Jack_Ian]

[beachbum*]

Ok, it looks like dollhouses were first made in the 1500's.

I'm still confused about this puzzle, because the puzzle seeme not to make sense. Why does an ancient ruin have not-so-ancient items in it?

Is 1500 considered ancient? I wouldn't think so, but I could be wrong.

[3iff]

Beachbum,

Even though the puzzle apparently makes no sense, there must be a logical and sensible answer, even if it's completely obscure.

I'm thinking that the objects described are how someone might describe them rather than a literal description...the closed doll house seems a perfectly acceptable description of a monopoly house. Closed because it's solid, doll because it's small, house because, well, it's house shaped.

The description we read is meant to be vague enough to confuse us without being untruthul...I hope.

So, the globe of the earth may be to inform us that it (whatever IT is) can happen all over the earth rather than being an actual earth globe...not that it helps me very much!

[Jack_Ian]

Also the excavation could be taking place far into the future, looking back at current items but confused about their original use. Kind of like someone from the future looking at the remnants of a hair-dryer and thinking it was some sort of energy weapon.

[beachbum*]

3iff, Jack,

Yes, it does sound like the descriptions aren't literal, and I like the idea that the excavation is being done in the future. For example, the ancient childen's die could be what we know of a a simple, regular, die.

I'm not sure about the description of the piece of oak. Is it being described as a log, or is it a piece of a log? I'm not sure how to parse the description. Also, what does "fine" mean?

With the piece of glass as well, I'm not sure how to make sense of it. I'm thinking it might be a mirror (because it reflects light). I'm not so sure about it being a prism, because I thought that glass prisms refract light and they don't reflect it. I'm also having problems figuring out what it means to cut something in half at the tip.

The idea of a board game like monopoly sounds interesting because it fits in with the idea of the excavation being done in the future. Perhaps playing board games would be an odd tradition from the point of view of the future. But why would the objects be on display?

Of course, as always, this line of thinking could be going completely down the wrong path!

[Sprocket356]

Anyone research the different types of prisms? I took a look and there are a lot of different kinds of prisms.. wondering if there is one that would have a "tip" (typical prism) and then have the edge sheered off; they go by different names. I am thinking "it" has a name.. not just an unbroken half piece of glass with a tip that reflects light funny...

Not to mention toward the end of the puzzle he said looking back at the objects.... so did he view them through a prism that was chopped in half?

Wonder how that would rotate the objects a doll house ...viewing at a certian angle could look like something other than a doll house.. maybe something with # of sides.

Maybe something with color spectrum ROYGBIV; Yellow paper, Blue planet (earth), Red (oak), Indigo (dye), Orange (wedge), Green (house) ... ?

I dunno I am new here..

[beachbum*]

[Sprocket356]

[beachbum*]

[Sprocket356]

I think prisms or some of them can reflect light.. well they can reflect and refract.. i think. Wiki gives some of the reflection kind...

Reflective prisms
Reflective prisms are used to reflect light, for instance in binoculars and prismatic sighting compasses.

Pentaprism
Porro prism
Porro-Abbe prism
Abbe-Koenig prism
Schmidt-Pechan prism
Dove prism
Dichroic prism
Amici roof prism


These prisms are shaped funny; from what im seeing they rotate the objects...

so while looking at these objects we might need to address color to wedge, house, die, paper (given; yellow), earth, oak,... still dunno.. maybe the glass is violet as in ultraviolet because you can't see it or are using it to desypher this; or maybe they use ultra violet lights in investigations/ancient ruin stuff...
*************************************************************************

-OR- based on your reflective idea..
Maybe we have to look at these items (in words) backwards... as in reflected from a mirror.. maybe something needs to be done with these words as in "cutting" stuff out of them at the "tip" maybe involing syllables or other pronunciational stuff.


I don't get monopoly.

[Sprocket356]

ROYGBIV; Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet

Red - Oak
Orange - Wedge
Yellow - Paper
Green - House
Blue - Earth
Indigo - Die
Violet - Glass/Prism

As for the glass its not a typical prism (refractive) which will refract the spectrum; if it is cut in half i think it will reflect... so you can't see the spectrum. So that Violet as in Ultraviolet .... is not visible. So i think the glass is a reflective prism and all the items are creatively tied to the color spectrum.

That's all I have until someone says nope.

[Duke Gnome]

I think Jack Ian's board games idea is the most likely so far, although it doesn't feel right

If so though, I'd say the most likely candidates are:

1) Draughts 2) Snakes and Ladders 3) Risk 4) Trivial Pursuit 5) Monopoly 6) Cluedo

What the glass is for though I have no idea.

Sprocket's idea is too far out there and needs too much twisting to make it seem reasonable. There is no reason for the die (as in one of a set of dice, NOT dye) to be indigo, no reason for the wedge to be orange, no reason for an oak to be red, no reason for a wooden wedge to be orange, no reason to call a prism violet, and the globe would only be 66% blue.

[Nic*]

Ok going by the last phrase in the paragraph about examining the piece of glass, it says that "you realize it's not broken, it was purposely cut in half at the tip to fit in."

When it says fit in does it mean fit in with the other objects as a group, or fit in as in attach to another object?

Cut at half at the tip could mean a notch is cut into the piece of glass so something can be slotted into it?

[3iff]

Nic,

I was thinking on the same lines...I'd go for 'fit in' to mean "be the same as" rather than "make smaller".

I like both the ideas of boardgame items and colours/rainbow but can't yet make the objects fit either possibility to my satisfaction.

The glass is still the key...perhaps it's not actually glass, just some glass-like material?


Sprocket365,

This is the only way to solve many of these puzzles, throw out ideas that may or may not be on the right track...we usually get there eventually.

[3iff]

The glass..."you notice how the light reflects very strangely from it "

So, it's either a prism, lens, curved or jagged/broken. It also has a tip cut off or has been notched.

I was also thinking of a crystal ball...except those things don't have a tip.

Could it be a glass-like crystal of some material?

[Sprocket356]

Could the glass have something to do with a game involving a boat(s)? Battleship?

In old boats I just learned that they used to light areas below the decks with "deck prisms" they are notched to "fit in" the boards.

http://www.deckprism.net/What%20is%20a%20Deck%20Prism.html

[Sprocket356]

Maybe it's a ouija board lense on the sliding thing (planchette). Dunno never had one.

[beachbum*]

Sprocket, that looks like it refracts light, where we're looking for something that _reflects_ light strangely. So if the puzzle is to be taken literally, the glass would probably either have a reflective coating, or be in front of something very dark. But I agree with others that we're going into to much detail.

Interesting page though!

I agree that the spectrum idea _might_ be too contrived, but just by way of information, it is sometimes six colors (indigo and violet are folded into just violet).

Also, violet could be the flower.

I think we need some other ideas...

And don't forget, unique and even funny.

[beachbum*]

In case this is useful (although I don't see how), what about a glass Christmas tree ornament. They're painted and so they would reflect light, even perhaps strangely depending on the shape.

Except for the globe and the piece of paper, it strikes me as odd that the descriptions of the objects are so indirect, vague, and difficult to interpret. This must be important.

[Sprocket356]

If it reflected light it would act much like a mirror correct?

Could "yourself" be named Violet?

[Sprocket356]

How about a parabolic reflector....

much like in a flashlight..

http://www.dansdata.com/images/ledlights/facets400.jpg

[Sprocket356]

[Quailman]

I thought it was a pretty good try at a solution. What really amused me is that I had no idea what the answer was, and I was going to post Roy g. Biv, but with no explanation. Then you posted it with a legitimate rationale. I agree that the last two (die & prism) are a stretch, though.

[Sprocket356]

I am reverting back to the color solution. I now can explain purple/violet, after having a conversation about glass with a friend of mine at our local watering hole.

Antique glass will turn purple when exposed to sunlight due to a change in the ingredients used to make the glass. Initally lead/flint was used to make clear glass, at some point in time due to lead shortages they replaced lead with manganese. When the manganese infused glass was left out in the sun it would turn shades of purple; you can speed up this process artifically using UV light. You can look up "purple sun glass" or "sca, sun colored amethyst" for more information or click the link.

http://www.life123.com/hobbies/antiques-collectibles/collectibles/american-sun-purple-colored-glass.shtml


If I had to guess what the glass was I would say a CD 244 Glass Insulator or "Pomona"; which only came in purple.


ROYGBIV; Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet

Red - Oak
Orange - Wedge
Yellow - Paper
Green - House
Blue - Earth
Indigo - D(i)ye
Violet - Glass Insulator

[Logain]

The last Potpourri puzzle had a solution that dealt with ROYGBIV...it seems unlikely two back to back puzzles would have the same reference in its answer....just my opinion though

[beachbum*]

Ah, thanks Logain, I didn't know that. Thanks.

Although I have to say it was an interesting internet scavenger hunt for a while there - I learned a lot about prisms

Ok, there rest of you guy and gurls,

I think we need to brainstorm here.

7 wonders of the ancient world? We never really ruled that out yet, but I don't see how it fits yet.
7 continents?
7 days of the week?
7 anything?

I think we touched on all of these, but I none of these topics are especially unique or funny.

Wordplay?
Greek letters?

Or better yet:

*** Everything except the glass piece could be made of wood (especially in "ancient" times). So, we have this odd-man-out piece of glass, and "cutting it in half at the tip", whatever that means, makes it fit in with wood. ***

Anyone with me on this one?

C'mon, we can do this. I'm tired of walking around with a globe in my head

[Zag]

I admire your tenacity, beachbum.

I also looked at the 7 wonders of the modern world, and I can't see any correlation there, either.

[Sprocket356]

I didn't know about the roygbiv as a solution to the other puzzle. Back to the drawing board!

[Sprocket356]

How about comedian names... as in Andrew Dice Clay.. for the Die.

Or comedy movies, shows...

[PuzzleScot]

I think you can pick any topic in the world and find a connection with some of the objects. That means it is easy to bark up the wrong tree for ages (eg ROYGBIV!), or indeed stare up the right tree and discount it erroneously.

So, the connection really needs to be obvious once hit upon, or a hint is required...

[Logain]

PuzzleScot, if it's any help, trust me that I'd have to say the answer is a connection that once found, everyone will agree on it being correct...you won't have to stretch anyone's imagination to convince them that the connection you think might be the answer is the right one.

[PuzzleScot]

Thanks Logain - I'd hoped (and honestly expected) that would be the case