Q: What is this? I inherited some antiques from my father and I find it absolutely beautiful. Some family members says it belongs in a vehicle.

 

A: They’re right. In the 1950s, this was called a necker’s knob. It fit onto the steering wheel so a driver could drive one-handed and have the other arm free to put around his sweetie or on the seat back in the era when cars had bench, not bucket, seats. The correct name for it is “brodie knob.” Other nicknames for it include wheel spinner, knuckle buster and granny knob.