The NoteWorthy crown logo

Very rare Royal Stamp Box

This is a very rare “Royal Stamp Box” made by Royal Worcester in 1902, on the cusp of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

Presumably the box was designed for King Edward, who had just ascended to the throne after Queen Victoria’s death one year earlier. It must have been a highly desirable and modern desk gadget for a new King who would have found himself at a big empty desk with an enormous task to fulfil!

The Royal Worcester porcelain factory was one of the most highly regarded in Britain in the 19th Century. Founded in the mid 18th Century it produced some the finest porcelain masterpieces throughout its long existence, and attracted many top quality artisans. This stamp box is lightly potted in very fine and white porcelain and gilded superbly with 22Kt gilt. The design is delightful: the box is stood on a base guarded by gilt phoenixes and held up by two cherubs, who seem to be working hard to keep it up even though the item is so light. The lid has a beautiful pointed finial and there are masks of old bearded men on both sides. Two growling gilt dragons guard the box from either end. From the point of view of today’s world of email and WhatsApp, this would have been a killer gadget on the desk of a very important person, holding the stamps for their very important correspondence.

The box and its lid are in perfect condition, which is very rare to come about given that this item was made nearly 120 years ago. The box is unmarked, but is mentioned in the Royal Worcester pattern book.

Dimensions 15.5cm (6.2″) high, 15.5cm (6.2″) wide incl. handles and 8cm (3.4″) deep.

Price, excluding VAT and postage and packaging: £4,250.00 GBP

Register your interest

For NoteWorthy news, please subscribe here

Testimonials