That looks odd
The person who discovered this weird object in their basement was wondering the same things as us: what is it, and why is it shaped like that? We’re offended by the shape of this object. It has two sphered at the bottom and a shaft with a rounded top. But if we knew what the thing was, perhaps we could understand why it was designed that way.
Apparently, this thing is a razor blade sharpener, which is a deceitful name. These things don’t actually sharpen blades but rather realign them to keep them good for a couple more shaves. These were widely used back in the 1930s and 40s.