What is this?

[Shaps]

Found this on Ebay without a description. The ring has four magnets at 12/3/6/9 o’clock. Thinking it might be a paper clip holder?

 

[MattKing]

Nikon branding is on a lot of things - including eyewear.
So it could be related to something that has nothing to do with photography.

 

[mpirie]

Maybe an "Executive Toy" with a spinning centre kept there by the magnets?

Mike

 

[Kino]

Maybe an "Executive Toy" with a spinning centre kept there by the magnets?

Mike

That was my thought; a "floating" logo or similar...

 

[Molli]

My friend used to run a second hand camera store and I'm fairly certain I saw something like this as part of one of his displays, although it was a Minolta promotion if I'm remembering correctly. I think it was used to display/hold lenses or something, not being in itself the thing on display.

Sorry, that was a derailed thought there!
I think it was a type of stand used to display a lense.

 

[Shaps]

That was my thought; a "floating" logo or similar...

That is what I was thinking when I saw it. I’ll see if I can find something that works with it.

 

[Shaps]

My friend used to run a second hand camera store and I'm fairly certain I saw something like this as part of one of his displays, although it was a Minolta promotion if I'm remembering correctly. I think it was used to display/hold lenses or something, not being in itself the thing on display.

Sorry, that was a derailed thought there!
I think it was a type of stand used to display a lense.

Much too light to hold a lens, maybe a filter?

 

[koraks]

Maybe an "Executive Toy" with a spinning centre kept there by the magnets?

Yeah, I think probably something like that.

a "floating" logo or similar...

Sounds plausible to me.

 

[Shaps]

I’ve been trying different items to see if they will float inside the ring, but no luck so far. Maybe a paper clip a few millimeters shorter than the interior circle might work.

 

[koraks]

Evidently nothing will float in there just like that. At least not a static item; something with active electromagnets would do the trick and could function as a very basic electromotor. Perhaps that was the gimmick to begin with.

 

[250swb]

A frictionless magnetic bearing, you need a short length of steel tube just a bit smaller than the hole and it should spin freely inside the bearing.

 

[Shaps]

A frictionless magnetic bearing, you need a short length of steel tube just a bit smaller than the hole and it should spin freely inside the bearing.

Spin like clock hands? Can you send a link illustrating what you are talking about? Thanks

 

[Don_ih]

A screwdriver magnetizer/demagnetizer? A bad one?

If you find out, let this guy on Reddit know - he has one, too, and doesn't know what it is.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I thought display stand at first, but almost all lens bodies and filter rings are non-magetic material -- aluminum or, if very old, brass. Round shutters (for folders and large format) had a steel body, and Nikon has sold those over time.

Nothing will float or rotate freely inside there, the magnetic field can't hold a static item by repulsion (even if all the inside poles are the same). It had to be intended to hold *something* inside that would be a slide fit into the ring, with the magnets to keep it in place but allow easy removal.

 

[Don_ih]

It had to be intended to hold *something* inside that would be a slide fit into the ring

Easy. The Eye of Sauron.

 

[250swb]

Spin like clock hands? Can you send a link illustrating what you are talking about? Thanks

Clock hands don't really spin, they are regulated by gears. Here is a description of how frictionless magnetic bearings work

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_bearing

If the said item is a magnetic bearing it is a very simple one. If a metal shaft is placed inside the hole the magnets will each try to attract it, and because they are placed opposite each other and are all the same strength they will cancel each other out. They do not 'repulse' the shaft, they each try to attract it, causing the shaft 'levitate' inside the hole. If the shaft is then turned it will not be touching anything so is frictionless. It would however need another bearing to support a shaft at its other end. It could well be some shop display novelty or a simple way to cancel out friction in a moving display.

 

[Don_ih]

It's a pocket size Stargate.

 

[reddesert]

One can't levitate a ferromagnet statically by surrounding it with other ferromagnets. There's no stable equilibrium. Magnetic bearings are not an exception, rather they work because the thing being floated (e.g. an axle) is mechanically constrained outside the bearing. There are some exceptions, but they involve extreme situations, like superconductors, or extraordinarily strong magnetic fields used to float a diamagnetic object (a non-magnet).

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earnshaw's_theorem#In_magnetostatics

"As a practical consequence, this theorem also states that there is no possible static configuration of ferromagnets that can stably levitate an object against gravity, even when the magnetic forces are stronger than the gravitational forces."

I agree that it would be used to hold something that clicks into place, but who knows what. It could even be for promo pieces from Nikon's microscope or optometry business and not photographic.

 

[4season]

My guess is that @Shaps has got it right, and it appears to be properly sized for a paper clip holder. The fact that the item appears generic save for a Nikon decal makes me think maybe it was made to order by one of those companies specializing in branded promotional items like coffee mugs and pens.

 

[Shaps]

Sent a a query to Nikon Professional Service, here is what they said:

Hi Norman!

Thank you for being a valued Nikon customer. This email is in response to an inquiry that you sent with this attached photo asking for clarity on what the item was. The item you were inquiring about is a paper clip holder. It is a much older promo item when paper clips were actually used abundantly. Please respond to this email at any time if assistance is needed. Regards,

Karee B. Nikon Resolution Team

 

[Shaps]

A screwdriver magnetizer/demagnetizer? A bad one?

If you find out, let this guy on Reddit know - he has one, too, and doesn't know what it is.

I don’t do Reddit, can you pass this along :

Hi Norman!

Thank you for being a valued Nikon customer. This email is in response to an inquiry that you sent with this attached photo asking for clarity on what the item was. The item you were inquiring about is a paper clip holder. It is a much older promo item when paper clips were actually used abundantly. Please respond to this email at any time if assistance is needed. Regards,

Karee B. Nikon Resolution Team

 

[koraks]

LOL! So you had it exactly right in your first photo in #9!