Antique Primitive Wool Carders Spinning Tool with Painted Basket and Roving Wool Bag Gathering

Have you any wool...yes sir, yes sir, three bags full! Well...not quite three bags but certainly one! This wonderful English nursery rhyme written in 1761 comes to mind with this next Gathering I am presenting. Hand Wool Carders like these were used to separate the fiber from either cotton or wool so it could later be spun on a spinning wheel. The early carders were made from thistles and the later versions had small wire teeth like this one. This piece dates to around the late 1800's to the turn of the century and the wood grain is really spectacular! Naturally darkened from age, with appropriate "nail bleed" in the wood, these carders are a nice example of textiles in the making. There are a couple hairline cracks on the wood surface near the left side and near the handle on one of the carders. The other carder displays a couple hairline cracks near the top left corner and one at the bottom near the handle as well. In image 9, the carder pictured on the right, it appears there was a