Featured Howell, James & Co Regent Street London Casket Box - Date?

Another box from the donation where I got the 1830 Sarcophagus Tea Caddy. This one is apparently from Howell, James & Co Regent Street London. It is a casket shaped stationary box that bears a brass label that says Howell, James & Co. Regent Street London. It has the original silk lining, and the interior sections seem to be in good condition. One screw is missing from the brass decoration on the edge, but this can be easily repaired, as soon as I locate the right sized screw.

I think the wood was ebonized and the finish has lots of cracks. The brass name plate is worn, and the key is missing. There is a little loss here and there. It is 8 inches long and 6 3/4 inches tall. The question is when was this made? I see dates for various boxes. One more elaborate one has an 1860 date. Antique Ebonised and | Ref. no. 09486 | Regent Antiques

Any help appreciated.

 

Kiko-Beautiful.Can't tell ya much abt the box,but I absolutely can say-if I were you i'd be camping in front of that shop !

 

They get some stunning things to be sure.

 

It's like old English nobility moved from Chelsea to Long Beach.

 

The label has no useful clues, annoyingly. If it said London W, for example, that would help. But going on style, I’d think that 1860 ish is reasonable.

 

Boxes like these usually had very simple locks, so getting a key for it shouldn't be an issue.

 

You could be right. We have a couple of castle looking houses.

 

Perfect. Any thoughts on helping the wood? It's pretty fractionated and I would like to stop the damage from getting worse or is ebonized wood just like that?

 

I didn't even think of that. Let me do some investigation. Thank you.

 

You might go down the Google Hole w/ terms like-'museum techniques antique wood stabilization'+'preservation' etc.

 

Great idea. Thanks

 

My pleasure,might as well preserve & restore it archivally.

 

Hi Kiko,
Also you might try using the search terms document or stationary box. Here is an example and the interior looks similar to yours.
Mikey
https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/d...9th-century-wood-stationery-box/id-f_8785133/

 

Excellent find. Much closer to mine in appearance. Many of the Howell, James & Company pieces talk about coromandel wood being used. This one looks that wood to me. The date is 1880. I am good with that. Thank you. I'll try those search terms.

 

I don’t think they’d have ebonised coromandel, it was prized for its stripes.

 

Ooops. I meant the 1st dibs one, not mine. Sorry I wasn't clear.

 

Ah, gotcha! Yes, agreed.

 

I think you have most of it, stationary box, 1860's-1890's, ebony wood veneer (as far as I can tell), An easy restoration job, 1 right sized Nettlefolds brass screw, a small bit of ebony inlay (no grain matching needed), the brass will need polishing and finish with French polish, the act of French polishing will smooth over the cracked old polish. The key might be harder to find, I restore antique boxes and I have 200 or so keys of age (all box size) and even I can't always find one that fits. It's a good box to learn on as the ebony is very forgiving when inlaying a missing piece and finishing isn't that hard with ebony either.

 

Wow. So exciting!!!!!!!! I have been trying to figure out how to find the screw, and here you are knowing just the right one. And the advice about the French polish. I would have never thought about that. What a treasure trove of information you have and are willing to share. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I see these pieces sad from neglect and I long to restore them to a semblance of their former beauty, but don't know how.
You are right, I can see this is veneer because some of it has been worn away. I very much appreciate you weighing in. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

 

If you were local I would measure the size of screw and have a replacement, give you the ebony to restore it and guide you how and show you how to re-French polish the box. Anyone who restores antiques properly in my book does a worthwhile task to future humanity. If you look on Youtube for the English polisher he shows how easy it is.