The postage stamp was first introduced in Britain in 1840 and its use spread rapidly throughout the globe as the postal service become cheaper, more efficient and accessible to a larger proportion of the population. One might have expected this introduction to be accompanied by a demand for containers to store these little pieces of paper in, but the Stamp Box was slow to become popular and decidedly modest in its early forms. For the first forty years their use was restricted to Britain and they were mostly made in wood or brass. This was because in 1840 letters would still have to be taken to a Post Office were a stamp would be affixed by staff. Street collection boxes did not become nation-wide in Britain until the 1870's and later in other countries. The silver Stamp Box really only became popular in the late 1880's and strong demand only lasted until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.
Although their production only spanned a relatively short period of time, silver stamp boxes and cases (for use on the person as well as on the desk) were produced in a staggering variety of forms and qualities and have become a sought after commodity for enthusiastic collectors.
The 1887 Jubilee issue Stamps are so called because the stamps were issued in the year of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. Although this is mere coincidence as they were not intended to celebrate the event. The set of 10 values was released on the 1st January 1887. A 10d and a 4 1/2d value were added later to make a set of twelve.
Superb enamelled reproductions of these colourful stamps are found on some of the best quality English silver Stamp Boxes of the period. For collectors of Stamp Boxes they possibly represent a pinicle of the genre, only perhaps superseded by the occasional extravagant examples produced by the Karl Faberge.
A fine example by George Heath of London, retailed by Thornhill & Co, New Bond Street, forms part of the collection and is illustrated above.
The whole collection can be viewed on the web site in the
Stamp Boxes & Cases category.
Featured Items
Silver Mote Spoons by Specialist Maker - Marmaduke Daintrey
What a great name! Silver Spoonmaker, Marmaduke Daintrey, Son of Duke Daintrey of the parish of St.Giles without Cripplegate in the County of Middlesex cordwainer, apprenticed to Samuel Hutton 5 October 1730 on payment of £5. Free 8 November 1737, First mark entered as a smallworker, 12 October 1737. Address: Noble Street, Goswell Street. Second mark as a largeworker, 20 June 1739. Livery, September 1746. Third mark on moving to The Crown, Old Street, 30 May 1747. Appears as Spoonmaker, Harltley Row, Hampshire, in the Parl' Report list 1773, to which place he must have moved or retired to sometime after the entry of his third mark.
Daintrey was one of the more prolific makers of mid eighteenth century silver Mote Spoons, and three examples by him are
shown here. Two 'Fancy Backs' and one 'Shell Back', all assayed with the London Lion Passant mark of pre 1756.
