No 31. At last!!! Elaboration on Treen.

 Good evening and welcome to some good news…  I have a new addition to my leg collection…a good one and something different.

Friday April 8^th Mary and I went to the NEC for one of the regular quality antique fairs they hold there.  

Getting there late morning we checked out all of  the stallholders and saw just two legs which qualified as antiques. We deliberated over our sarnies and a cuppa Tetley and decided that the large and unusual knitting sheath, whilst fitting my collection in principle was really too big to fit in my display box.

Whereas the only other leg at the fair which Mary had spotted first, was a very attractive pocket size glass scent bottle and was a sensible price even before negotiation. It was just 3” tall and this is a photograph, for comparison by the side of my only other perfume bottle.

                                              

                                                                                                       

With a negotiated 20% discount this has become No 162 in my collection.  It is in very good condition, the cap is said to be silver, and the bottle dates from late 19^th century, c 1890.  The stopper is the correct fit and sits securely in the top when lightly twisted in place.

                                      

Unlike my earlier scent bottle, which is heavy and stands upright, this one is more appropriate for a handbag.  

 

 Prior to visiting the NEC, I had decided that for this post I would include a couple of legs made predominantly in Treen.   These two…

 

 

                                          

Before I go any further I must admit that I sought some information from three professionals about  identifying different woods. I have long been frustrated by not knowing what type of wood some Treen items were made of, so I sought help on these two legs, and this has enabled me to write with more authority and confidence!!

 

 

                                                              

This needle case (No 19) is the smaller and the older of the two, and it the first such case I purchased.

I bought it at the NEC in 2011 where it was described as an Early 19^th treen needlecase. Treen is an all-embracing description, but my experts identified it as made of Box, with the cap being Mahogany. I was comfortable that it was the right size to hold needles, so the name was what it was… in my opinion!

                                                                

 

This second case is larger and described as a snuff box. The dealer identified it as from 1920, and with the help of my Treen specialists, identified as mainly Ebony with a cap made of Sycamore.

 

I’ve shown you this picture comparing two legs, the second an ebony cheroot cutter, which I wrote about some time ago, so that you can compare the two. These 2 are the only ebony items I have.

HOWEVER, I am more inclined to think this is not a snuff box, but in fact another needle case,  the shape better lending itself to holding needles. I could not envisage snuff being tipped out from something like a tube. I’ll wait and see if someone can come up with a definite identification. 

 

Nice little trio, I thought, especially the latest addition. Remember NEC is datelined, so they are clearly all antiques.

 

David