"Fabulous Find -- Vintage Syroco Wood -- Spinning Wheel Bookends"

I discovered this interesting pair of vintage "Spinning Wheel" bookends in a local consignment shop this past weekend.  I couldn't determine the material the set was made of -- the pieces are heavy and have the appearance of carved wood.  They're chipped on the back in a few places and the material looked like a type of pressed wood covered in resin.

Soooo, I hit the books and discovered they are made of a substance called "poured/molded Syrocco" or, more commonly "Syroco."  The material was introduced by "Adolph Hostein, owner of the Syracuse Ornamental Company, and developed in the 1890s."

"The material is  combination of wood compound and casting fluids ... poured into molds. [Another reader described "wood" as "a compression molded mixture of wood powder and thermoset resin with a paint finish applied after fabrication."]  The finished casting appears to be hand carved.  The Syracuse Ornamental Company became Syroco, Inc., in the 1930s."

I do not know the production date for these pieces, but they'll do a fine job propping up a few of the books in my collection.