diff --git a/include/qpdf/ObjectHandle.hh b/include/qpdf/ObjectHandle.hh
index 821acaf..eb424ab 100644
--- a/include/qpdf/ObjectHandle.hh
+++ b/include/qpdf/ObjectHandle.hh
@@ -105,6 +105,9 @@ namespace qpdf
         void warn(QPDFExc&&) const;
         void warn(std::string const& warning) const;
 
+        inline std::shared_ptr<QPDFObject> const& obj_sp() const;
+        inline QPDFObjectHandle oh() const;
+
       protected:
         BaseHandle() = default;
         BaseHandle(std::shared_ptr<QPDFObject> const& obj) :
diff --git a/include/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.hh b/include/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.hh
index afa3204..29b2494 100644
--- a/include/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.hh
+++ b/include/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.hh
@@ -1321,21 +1321,6 @@ class QPDFObjectHandle: public qpdf::BaseHandle
     {
         return obj;
     }
-    std::shared_ptr<QPDFObject>
-    getObj() const
-    {
-        return obj;
-    }
-    QPDFObject*
-    getObjectPtr()
-    {
-        return obj.get();
-    }
-    QPDFObject* const
-    getObjectPtr() const
-    {
-        return obj.get();
-    }
 
     void writeJSON(int json_version, JSON::Writer& p, bool dereference_indirect = false) const;
 
diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDFFormFieldObjectHelper.cc b/libqpdf/QPDFFormFieldObjectHelper.cc
index 8908cc4..2dd2eea 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDFFormFieldObjectHelper.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDFFormFieldObjectHelper.cc
@@ -765,7 +765,7 @@ QPDFFormFieldObjectHelper::generateTextAppearance(QPDFAnnotationObjectHelper& ao
         return;
     }
 
-    if (AS.getObj().use_count() > 4) {
+    if (AS.obj_sp().use_count() > 3) {
         aoh.warn("unable to generate text appearance from shared appearance stream for update");
         return;
     }
diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.cc b/libqpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.cc
index 9029399..ca53199 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDFObjectHandle.cc
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ BaseHandle::copy(bool shallow) const
         throw std::logic_error("attempted to shallow copy QPDFObjectHandle from destroyed QPDF");
         return {}; // does not return
     case ::ot_reference:
-        return obj->qpdf->getObject(obj->og).getObj();
+        return obj->qpdf->getObject(obj->og).obj_sp();
     }
     return {}; // unreachable
 }
@@ -470,7 +470,7 @@ BaseHandle::write_json(int json_version, JSON::Writer& p) const
                         p.writeNext() << "null";
                     }
                     p.writeNext();
-                    auto item_og = value.getObj()->getObjGen();
+                    auto item_og = value.id_gen();
                     if (item_og.isIndirect()) {
                         p << "\"" << item_og.unparse(' ') << " R\"";
                     } else {
diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDFParser.cc b/libqpdf/QPDFParser.cc
index 52d9a9c..d147e60 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDFParser.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDFParser.cc
@@ -626,8 +626,8 @@ QPDFParser::fixMissingKeys()
 {
     std::set<std::string> names;
     for (auto& obj: frame->olist) {
-        if (obj.getObj()->getTypeCode() == ::ot_name) {
-            names.insert(obj.getObj()->getStringValue());
+        if (obj.raw_type_code() == ::ot_name) {
+            names.insert(obj.obj_sp()->getStringValue());
         }
     }
     int next_fake_key = 1;
diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDF_json.cc b/libqpdf/QPDF_json.cc
index ba3b137..e2417ec 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDF_json.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDF_json.cc
@@ -693,7 +693,7 @@ QPDF::JSONReactor::setObjectDescription(QPDFObjectHandle& oh, JSON const& value)
             QPDFObject::JSON_Descr(j_descr.input, cur_object));
     }
 
-    oh.getObjectPtr()->setDescription(&pdf, descr, value.getStart());
+    oh.obj_sp()->setDescription(&pdf, descr, value.getStart());
 }
 
 QPDFObjectHandle
diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDF_objects.cc b/libqpdf/QPDF_objects.cc
index 94b3e69..fd96a0d 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDF_objects.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDF_objects.cc
@@ -1554,7 +1554,7 @@ Objects::readObjectAtOffset(
             break;
         }
     }
-    m->objects.updateCache(og, oh.getObj(), end_before_space, m->file->tell());
+    m->objects.updateCache(og, oh.obj_sp(), end_before_space, m->file->tell());
 }
 
 QPDFObjectHandle
@@ -1613,7 +1613,7 @@ Objects::readObjectAtOffset(
             break;
         }
     }
-    m->objects.updateCache(og, oh.getObj(), end_before_space, m->file->tell());
+    m->objects.updateCache(og, oh.obj_sp(), end_before_space, m->file->tell());
 
     return oh;
 }
@@ -1805,7 +1805,7 @@ Objects::resolveObjectsInStream(int obj_stream_number)
             entry->second.getObjStreamNumber() == obj_stream_number) {
             is::OffsetBuffer in("", {b_start + obj_offset, obj_size}, obj_offset);
             auto oh = readObjectInStream(in, obj_stream_number, obj_id);
-            updateCache(og, oh.getObj(), end_before_space, end_after_space);
+            updateCache(og, oh.obj_sp(), end_before_space, end_after_space);
         } else {
             QTC::TC("qpdf", "QPDF not caching overridden objstm object");
         }
@@ -1874,7 +1874,7 @@ QPDF::makeIndirectObject(QPDFObjectHandle oh)
     if (!oh) {
         throw std::logic_error("attempted to make an uninitialized QPDFObjectHandle indirect");
     }
-    return m->objects.makeIndirectFromQPDFObject(oh.getObj());
+    return m->objects.makeIndirectFromQPDFObject(oh.obj_sp());
 }
 
 std::shared_ptr<QPDFObject>
@@ -1935,7 +1935,7 @@ QPDF::replaceObject(QPDFObjGen og, QPDFObjectHandle oh)
     if (!oh || (oh.isIndirect() && !(oh.isStream() && oh.getObjGen() == og))) {
         throw std::logic_error("QPDF::replaceObject called with indirect object handle");
     }
-    m->objects.updateCache(og, oh.getObj(), -1, -1, false);
+    m->objects.updateCache(og, oh.obj_sp(), -1, -1, false);
 }
 
 void
diff --git a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle_private.hh b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle_private.hh
index 3e82bca..7cb4890 100644
--- a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle_private.hh
+++ b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle_private.hh
@@ -621,6 +621,18 @@ namespace qpdf
     {
     }
 
+    inline std::shared_ptr<QPDFObject> const&
+    BaseHandle::obj_sp() const
+    {
+        return obj;
+    }
+
+    inline QPDFObjectHandle
+    BaseHandle::oh() const
+    {
+        return {obj};
+    }
+
     inline void
     BaseHandle::assign(qpdf_object_type_e required, BaseHandle const& other)
     {