Rosewood?Mahogany? ~1825 writing box w Sheffield plate glass jars & nib flint

This listing was posted on Americanlisted.

Rosewood?Mahogany? ~1825 writing box w Sheffield plate glass jars & nib flint

Location:

Houston, TX

Description:

Found this in my mother's old room where I unpacked it and it has been sitting on a low bookcase shelf for almost 9 years...never opened it, just left it there. Must have been stored in my mother's closet somewhere and I never saw it.Opened it the other day and what a surprise!I call this a writing BOX vs a writing desk, since when opened the top does not have a downwards angle to it.Not sure if this is Rosewood or Mahogany wood but the brass corner fittings, the top carrying handle, and the lock - along with the Sheffield plate pattern on top of the long glass case for pens and nibs - would indicate it is late Regency period, likely Georgian (see photo for pattern on the silver plate).I knew the long silver colored top was plate because the small glass/crystal ink bottle has copper wearing thru on its' top - just where fingers would go to twist it open, so it has been used and used well - and the inside of the top is pitted and tarnished.The round small crystal or glass piece has a lovely star at the bottom. After a quick polish of the long box silver plate top, I can now see the copper starting to show through: it was previously hidden under the tarnish.The accompanying crystal? glass? bottle has a broken lip, but is quite pretty as well as functional for the time, with cut angles enhancing the top under the top, which has a ground glass stopper tongue - the top slides into a ground glass opening for preventive moisture contamination. The ground glass aspect can be seen in the photo with the jar on its' side on the ruler.The glass pieces are hefty in weight.I was reviewing the photos and saw underneath the scratches by the keyhole - DAVID..WORTLEY? and then Sheffield Caddy at the bottom. My Google Fu gives me nada, sadly...This is *NOT* a TEA caddy because of the specific Sheffield plate pieces and built in nib flint sharpener....This box was obviously cleaned and wrapped up carefully prior to storage by someone multiple decades back: when I unwrapped the box contents, the newsprint paper was extremely brittle. My grandparents died in the mid 70's, and this had been in my mother's possession since then - so what, 50 years? - and I had no clue about it or had even seen it to even ask her questions as to which ancestor it belonged to prior to her fast mental decline and death. sigh. How family histories are lost.The inner red velvet gilt-edged pad pulls down to show a leather? writing surface and underneath is an "envelope" that accordions into a file folder in cream...leather, again? The second photo of the red velvet, from the side, is an attempt to show the 'pull tab' used to open that velvet layer, to tug it down to the underside with the textured leather writing area.In the middle of the left side is a velvet cushion with a flint mounted - for sharpening nibs, presumably. Reviewing the other side photos of this removable piece show the angles of the wood are not 90 degrees as the piece was handcrafted.The box itself has some scratches, especially around the lock - which has its' key, and works - I checked - and the inside shelf, which lifts out on half-round handles that pull up and then drop down, has silver? areas of material attached on the bottom of it. The wood on the top is darker in some areas that in others, but still does not give me a clue as to what TYPE of wood it is.For what it is worth, the photos of this chest were taken on a Mahogany table background.There are some wood dividers that to my eye would fit at the back of the shelf - matching the length of silver on the bottom of the shelf ( I know, it looks like Duct tape), but there are other random wood pieces that I have no idea where they might go or fit or even if other pieces might be missing completely from this 200 year old box.wow. 200 hundred years old, give or take a decade. wow. Antique indeed. The bottom has some kind of loose green weave - grasscloth? fabric to protect other furniture when utilized. I am not sure whether or not this box might have been taken and used on a military campaign...simply no idea. possible, I suppose.Values for angled writing DESKS are all over the board: however, while I found Rosewood and Mahogany wood and brass boxes, none of them contained the original writing accoutrements included with this antique box: those campaign/writing desks are priced for the wood craftsmanship alone. I am pricing this for its' uniqueness - having the 2 crystal/glass silver-plated Sheffield tops, the crystal sand bottle used to blot and thereby 'set' the ink, and the flint nib sharpener and the file folder -expanding envelope under the red velvet top.The last two photos in the listings are screenshots, and show the Sheffield plate pattern and then an antiques Co in the UK that has a writing desk similar in look at priced at 995 pounds, which is about $1.25 so about $1244 but with internal pieces like this one has. ***Please note I can only add 24 photos but I have plenty more so email me and I will send them if you are interested in purchasing this piece of history.****I normally provide FREE shipping but am gonna charge $20 to wrap and ship this. I always provide the value of the shipping cost on the tracking label, so I'll refund if the cost is less.I will ship this USPS Priority mail, and email photos of the box being wrapped and at its' final state, ready to be brought to the post office.Please note there is no Make an Offer option on this auction listing since I will not take a 50% less offer, which somehow has become somewhat the norm for folks anymore. **Please note this auction price is SET, so it is NOT going to be reduced in my next listing** if you lust for this, best be taking action or kick yourself afterwards. Not for nothing but in less than 24 hours there are 34 views and 3 watchers for this item**If you are a perennial 'watcher', watching items not sell and then checking them again to see if the price has come down in the next listing - whelp, nope, not on this one. ** The Auction price is a steal and a deal and the Buy it Now price is an EXCELLENT value based on my research and - let me state it again - the ORIGINAL writing inkwell, sand bottle, flint nib sharpener, and long pen holder case still WITH this writing box**I do my research ( obviously!) and this one of a kind writing box with its' innards ( the broken crystal/glass jar notwithstanding) is a steal at the auction price and also a deal at the Buy it Now price....not ONE other writing desk or box I found and reviewed had the original innards with the box, but this one does.eBay's AI description below:This antique writing box is a portable piece from the early to mid-19th century, boasting a regency and/or Georgian style. Made from either rosewood or mahogany (exact material unknown), it measures 5.75 inches in height, 11.75 inches in length, and 8.75 inches in width. The box features brass handles and Sheffield silver plated crystal/glass jars, perfect for storing nibs and flint. The item is in excellent shape and has been well-preserved over the years, with no defects or damages to note. This unique writing box is perfect for collectors of antique furniture and anyone who appreciates the craftsmanship of the past.

Category:

Antiques

Color:

Green

Posted:

May 5 on Americanlisted