I recently learned--it probably should have occurred to me before!--that whimsies were often carved from old broom and tool handles, and I'd bet that was the case with this one. It is unlike any other I've seen, with a long cage at one end (with the "ball" more rectangular than spherical), then a series of chain links, then another cage-type form with a plug as the "ball" such that one can actually extend it by pulling or contact it by pushing, and then a plug-shaped piece as the terminus. Pretty fun!

All carved from one piece of wood, with a nice weight to it (just like a broom handle) and definitely a good amount of age. I do think the home where it must have lived for many years must have been  inhabited by smokers, as it has absorbed a bit of that. (I've spritzed it in vinegar, wiped it down, and have stored it in a sealed contained with baking soda, so think I've mitigated it well, but if you are very sensitive, I wanted to alert you.) Approx. 21" long fully extended.