Hey folks! I need your help with these two little pieces. I am struggling to identify what they are made for or what they are called. I understand that one is marked GAB which is a Swedish maker. Measurements approx. 5,5 cm (2.2 inches) x 4 cm (1.6 inches). Thank you in advance
So tiny. Can't imagine what their purpose would be. Do see that sellers of similars refer to them as "Victorian book form cases" which is terminology I didn't know. Debora
Yep, it's a mystery to me. I did manage to learn something new in my search. 'Carnet De bal' - but I am not sure if these are...
Don't think it's a dance card. Too small. And too small for a card case, I'd think. "Victorian calling cards were large and could be extremely ornate, with the names usually printed instead of handwritten. Women's cards were squarish and fairly large, usually about 2.5 x 3 inches." Debora
I would think this was a dude's case given the Scandinavian name "Axel" (Axels likely being a possessive form of the name).
I dont see anything inside them to hold something ? Seems like whatever you put in there would slide out when you opened it.
Whatever it carried would have to be quite small, and thin. Based on other descriptions, perhaps stamps, or miniature photos or other memorabilia - https://www.etsy.com/listing/1733164386/vintage-silver-jubilee-king-george-v https://www.rubylane.com/item/21022...lIOuEImz_E2WGs5Du_ll5ktzLPUOLzzQaAocOEALw_wcB
As Debora already said, it's not a calling card case, even the smallest would still be around 3" long, there were small aide memoires or dance cards made, but they were typically intended to hang, along with a pencil, from a chatelaine or finger ring. The small souvenir books like the one 2manybooks linked from Etsy typically had reference to the contents, even if just 'Souvenir', the accordion folded contents just glued in. Those removable pins seem to point to contents that could be replaced, my first thought was perhaps a needle book, it's the right size, but those typically have the layers of fabric stitched in, like Gorham piece linked from Rubylane - would expect a needle case to belong to woman, but 'Axel' might have been a tailor. Honestly don't know what these pieces are, stamp box came to mind as well (but why the pins?) - perhaps they just had folded over paper for notes, held in by the pin... Here is a later (1902) GAB version in silver rather than nysilver, the outside design is the same, but has different clasps and there appears to be two rings in the center that would have held a now missing pin, the engraved name 'Thyra' would be feminine: https://www.tradera.com/en/item/202203/634408792/silver-bokparmar ~Cheryl
Thank you Cheryl for such a detailed response. I am very thankful! Thanks to others as well, this was helpful
Definitely not card cases. Pull the pin and all your cards are on the floor. Whoops!! Also not an Aide-Memoir. They'd have ivory sheets or celluloid sheets inside. Book cover or notepad cover seems to be the most likely possibility.
I have a small, metal "book" that held a tiny rosary. My mother gave it to me when I was 6 or 7. It was similar in size, however, it wasn't flat like this.
