Posted 10 years ago
Kydur
(103 items)
As a kid in the early 1970s I used to frequent the local town dump and salvaged quite a bit of stuff; this is one such item and it appears to be complete. I've carried it around with me since then, not using it for anything but just thinking it was too neat to throw away. It looks pretty much the same now as the day I found it!
I've found some references to this company and products in an 1883 online archived version of "Sunday Talk" and here's a link to an old advertisement which suggests a date of 1920:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertpool/6009310960/sizes/l
Five of the pieces are interchangeable with the large compass tool, so one could use ink, or pencil lead, or a scribe. I don't quite understand how all the various ink tips could be used although most of them seem to be compasses to create various sizes of circles.
The logo on the inside lid reads: Miller's Drawing Material Warehouse; 186 Trongate, Glasgow.
A cloth tab allows the fabric insert to be pulled up - it's hinged on itself with more purple silk-like material underneath, perhaps a storage area for papers and such. The condition of the fabric under the tab is in mint condition.
The case measures 5.25" x 7.75" x 1-1/8". It looks like there may have been a tag or plaque in the top-center of the lid at one time.
I'm thinking I should clean it up and keep it preserved - it's what the 12-year old me would've expected the adult me to have done by now!
Very nice set I can see why you kept them all these years.
Kydur, You're right. This is too amazing to throw away!! The case and interior could so easily be restored. The condition is still really good for it's age. What a great find!!
Maybe an easy restoration for you Scott, but I still have a lot of learning to do! I like the size of this thing as a starter project compared to some of those big ol' trunks though!
Walksoftly, it was more an accidental keeper. Although unlikely I would've thrown it away it mostly just sat in moving boxes out-of sight-and-out-of-mind for the past 35 years! Now that I'm a "collector" (we won't say the H-word around here!) it'll be nice to fix it up a bit and put it on display.
found this set;
http://www.sellingantiques.co.uk/306478/good-set-of-german-silver-drawing-instruments/
Wow, great sleuthing Walksoftly!
Silver?! I would never have guessed. I wonder why the German reference since the company is in Glasgow, UK... maybe it's just German silver, as in the silver is of German origin? Is also nice to have another reference that dates it.
Now I know what it's supposed to look like when restored, although mine is slightly different with minor variances in the instruments and placement in the case.
Thanks!
You're welcome, & yes German silver which isn't even real silver.
At least you have a better reference to it's original look.
Had to go and do a bit of research on German silver. Disappointing!!
For those that didn't know (like me) German silver is so-named because it has a silver appearance but no actual silver. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. It was discovered (early 19th cent.) by a German industrial chemist, E. A. Geitner.
This is of some curiosity to me since brass is a combination of copper and zinc - with higher quality brass having a higher copper content. So German silver is high quality brass with some nickel thrown into the mix. Amazing how an equal percentage of nickel and zinc changes the colour so much towards silver from the normal zinc content resulting in the brass appearance. I should've been an alchemist!
Oh well, yes at least I have a good reference!
Always something new to learn on CW! :)