Originally Posted by quiltmouse
My guess it is, indeed, a bent & unusable sewing machine needle. The owner may have saved it for "buying one like this" purposes. (IMHO) :)
I agree .. this is a machine needle ... but there is no way it would ever be able to be used in a machine.
I might have saved one like this as a reminder to not sew over pins, or make sure the proper foot is on and the needle over function is not still engaged.... as I have made a few needles like that by leaving my single hole 1/4 inch foot on and then tried to sew a zig zag.