A kind gentleman contacted me to inform me that this is indeed a coffee strainer, and not a tea strainer, as I had suspected. This is what he shared: "I have this item which I have had for several years, and they are indeed rare. They are actually a coffee strainer used like a French press. You place it over your cup, add the coffee, then the water and small press, and let it drip into your cup. I have tried to use it to make tea and it doesn't work as well. I have been told that they were mostly used on large ocean liners during the 1920's and 1930's. I don't know if this is true, but it's a nice little coffee press to sit and have a nice cup of coffee."
Buyer to pay for item plus shipping.