Little Brass Squirrel with Nut Pipe Tamper (?) folk art couple produced in the 1940s by

produced in the 1940s by the Halsam Company

but I think they were stored in a basement for some time where there was some moisture as there is a little mildew here and there showing against the black paper inside the slides

with this man in greens

3 15/16" x 4 1/16" x 15/16" deep and in great antique condition

I have stashed them

Little Brass Squirrel with Nut Pipe Tamper (?) folk art couple produced in the 1940s byI've had this squirrel for a while, found at at estate sale at some point, and have always loved it as a little thing, holding a nut in its little hands, and with long flat tale as a handle. I'd think it a pipe tamper, but usually the tamping end would be more extended, so perhaps it was meant to press a wax seal, but was never engraved with a stamp? In any case, a sweet little thing, which stands on its own and can be moved around by the tail. 2 1 2"