Antique writing slope locksmiths

Just as an example, this is my 1860s writing-case by Toulmin & Gale of London.

T&G were one of the more recognised manufacturers of boxes and cases. They were operational from 1735 until 1876, when the firm went bankrupt.

 

Many thanks @Shangas for your thoughtful reply. "What the market will bear" certainly seems applicable. I too was thinking of the slopes as the Victorian version of today's laptops, which is perhaps why I am drawn to them (I'm a career IT consultant).

Their position in today's world seems not unlike that of parlor organs (something else I'm drawn to) - the complete rage here in the US at the latter half of the 19th century, now you literally cannot give them away, no matter the condition. Some were and still are gorgeous ornate carved beasts. I had a heart-breaking dialog just last week with someone who gave up trying to sell a stunning fully restored beauty, that ultimately met its end under a sledgehammer at the local rage room.

 

OH! That hurts.

 

Writing boxes DO sell (at the peak of my collecting I had about a dozen of them or more) and I sold all of them apart from one or two really nice ones (including that big black beast up there!! ^^^)

...but if you expect decent prices, then they gotta be functional pieces. Nobody's gonna pay top-dollar, or even half-dollar, for something that can't be used, they're expensive enough already, so if somebody gotta spend MORE MONEY to fix it, they ain't gonna bother.

 

I have a couple. Not as elaborate. I just wonder if it was made for a VIP - elected official perhaps or, since it seems to be Irish, a royal. Personally, I've never seen one with a lock like that and Jon has opened a lot of boxes and chests.