What is this patented piece? It’s open on one side & has windows on the 3 other sides. On top there is a sliding glass.
Measures 8 cm wide & 3 ½ cm tall.
Hallmarked for Henry Wells from Shrewsbury, Birmingham 1899.
WHAT IS THIS PIECE?
WHAT IS THIS PIECE?
HI ALL
What is this patented piece? It’s open on one side & has windows on the 3 other sides. On top there is a sliding glass.
Measures 8 cm wide & 3 ½ cm tall.
Hallmarked for Henry Wells from Shrewsbury, Birmingham 1899.
What is this patented piece? It’s open on one side & has windows on the 3 other sides. On top there is a sliding glass.
Measures 8 cm wide & 3 ½ cm tall.
Hallmarked for Henry Wells from Shrewsbury, Birmingham 1899.
Re: WHAT IS THIS PIECE?
A match box holder, openings on the sides exposed the strike area on the sides of the box. Unsure why they had the glass cover, maybe to save metal or for ornamental box-covers?
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DianaGaleM
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Re: WHAT IS THIS PIECE?
I would think the glass cover would be so you could tell, at a glance, whether you were running low on matches. Just a guess.
Re: WHAT IS THIS PIECE?
Under the glass there is a sheet of silver so it can't be for that.
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DianaGaleM
- contributor
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:32 pm
- Location: Florida
Re: WHAT IS THIS PIECE?
Oh, now I see. Well, something like that is usually there to allow you to put a label or ID card under the glass. There's a panel like that, made of clear plastic, in my wallet – a hold-over from the days when you could actually expect someone to return something if you lost it.