Historical information

This tool is a lamp wick trimmer, commonly used in the 19th and early 20th centuries for maintaining oil and kerosene lamps.
In early lighting technology, lamp wicks had to be regularly trimmed to ensure a clean, steady flame and prevent excessive smoke or soot buildup.
The built-in receptacle helped collect trimmed pieces, preventing them from falling back into the lamp and causing issues.
Such tools were widely used in households, workshops, and street lighting maintenance before electric lighting became common.

Physical description

This is a pair of antique wick-trimming scissors, designed for maintaining oil or kerosene lamps. The tool resembles scissors but features a small, curved receptacle on one blade, used to catch the trimmed wick pieces.
The handles are circular and made of forged iron, showing signs of wear and corrosion.
The cutting blades are asymmetrical, with one blade featuring a sharp cutting edge and the other having a small scoop or box-like compartment to collect burnt wick remnants.