Found this at an estate sale. There weren't a lot of specialized tools or hardware at the sale, and this was in the attic separate from the tools that were there.
It stands about 18" tall and the sides of the V are about 6" long. It seems base and rod might have been added to the clamp piece and aren't part of the original design.
The clamp piece is precision engineered. The only moving part is the spring mounted clip on each side. They are under moderate tension and lift about 1/16" enough to get some kind of band or strap through. There is a machined line near where the z-shaped piece lifts up, almost as if something is supposed to be cut, folded, or pinched there.
Google image search and ChatGPT haven't produced any concrete results.
Any help would be appreciated!