R.H. wrote:

http://puzzlephotos.blogspot.com/

I know what #290 is: an insulator. Not sure exactly what
type, ie. where used. Electric fence maybe. The size tho
suggests something heavier, telephone line or power line?
The two metal ends do not connect inside. The ceramic
body exists to hold them, in a fixed distance apart, yet
not connected electrically. The bizarre shape, with
ridges, is so that high voltage corona is somewhat reduced,
air currents over those ridges will tend to stir the air
and break up an ionized air channel. So I'll guess it's
more for a power line. I don't see any mounting -- both
ends are designed to accept a bare wire -- so now I'm
wondering what it would be used on

#291 is a draftsman's eraser shield. You put that over your
drawing and apply your eraser in one of the holes, to erase
just the item you want. (Once upon a time, people made
technical drawings with pencil on paper.)

#292. Something familiar about it but it escapes me.

293. ditto. Artificial metal plant?

294. I've never, ever seen anything like this.

295. That's the blade out of a fancy potato cutter. But
where's the rest of it? How did it attach?

We used to play this game at Christmas time. Everybody had
to buy somebody else a wierd strange gift and the recipient
had to figure out what it was. If they couldn't they might
have to wait a year to find out.

Wood