When you open the lid, there is a metal tray, with an indent for your pen, and two brown ceramic inkwells (one for blue/black, one for red ink).
Lift out the tray and you can store your writing paper, envelopes and stamps in the box below. I am guessing these were a novelty Christmas item, probably sold full of toffees but with a practical use for Daddy after the toffees were eaten.
I am sure when it was new the outside tin really did look like fine marquetry timbers.
Just another inkwell from our collection,
the fun of collecting inkwells is the diversity of the objects.
Hi Lyndel, I love these tins, how wonderful that they could be used for more than one purpose. I have often seen them without the inkwell inserts, so it must be quite rare to have a complete tin. Aren't the graphics wonderful?? Thanks for sharing, Tam x
ReplyDeleteHow very cool where did you find this?
ReplyDeleteoh Nelly we purchased it from a specialist auction in the UK, where a LOT of our inkwells came from. Over there, there is a huge interest in inkwells. Vic and I have been collecting them seriously since about 1990 - before that we just had a few in our general pottery collection.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great blog and a fascinating collection! Your descriptions and stories are just like the Antiques Roadshow. SO much history in items that have become superfulous to our society, but were important as computers are now.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lyndel for the lovely comment..have you done volunteering before?
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ReplyDeleteI love your post and blog so much!!!.))
I need your help. I spend another survey but this time with another question.
"Where do you prefer to shop? What is your favorite shopping center?"
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