my grandparents found this very strange antique in an old abondaned dresser they found in south dakota when they were cleaning up at a flood sight. i have absouluty no idea what it is and i cannot post a pic of it so i will describe it.

i beleive it is made of pure silver. its shaped like a staff and at the end of the staff are different sized beads made of silver and one beige coulored bead with the roman numerals IX IX IX which is 999. it has swirling leaf like designs all over the staff. it is about the size of a spoon and the bottom of the staff feels similar to a spoon handle. and at the very bottom of the handle is a tiny carving of a bulls face. you can tell the bulls face was carved by hand.

my mom thinks it is some sort of catholic christining tool but she is not sure.