Market Find - WWI Christmas Box

Jayhawk · 12-22-2009, 08:57 AM

Back in March I was visiting London and went to the Portobello road market. Sitting on a table I found this metal box that looked interesting to me so I purchased it for relatively little money (I think it was at or less than £10).

I did some research on it to see what it even was and found that it was similar to the Princess Mary boxes that were distributed to the British forces. However there are some major differences that as far as I was able to tell were unique to my box. First, it appears to be plated silver (which makes sense since it is somewhat heavy). It also has a 1914 in the center instead of the Princess Mary portrait. There is no Imperium Brittanicum stamp on the top, and the MM monogram is missing. Finally it has a lift off top, not a hinged lid like the ones I found online.

After getting nowhere on my own, I finally contacted the Imperial War Museum and sent them the pictures. The pictures were shown to the Curator of the Department of Exhibits and Firearms, who said that it looked similar to some boxes that were privately made during the War, and therefore unofficial boxes that are not represented in the museum collection.

I was wondering if anyone else had seen any boxes like this and could provide a little more insight into the possible history of the item.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 12-22-2009, 11:35 AM

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Thanks for showing your box. I would agree with the IWM, a private purchase commemorative item. I have seen one of these before.

Cheers, Ade.

**colt45** · 12-22-2009, 01:18 PM

welhnachten,,, christmas mabye made in the USA?

Jayhawk · 12-22-2009, 11:37 PM

by Adrian Stevenson

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Thanks for showing your box. I would agree with the IWM, a private purchase commemorative item. I have seen one of these before.

Cheers, Ade.

Hello, and thank you for the welcome!

Would these private boxes have been made during the war? Or were most of them made after the war? It certainly looks old, but it doesn't look close to 100 years old. Then again I don't know much about silver plating and how it ages.

**hog** · 01-02-2010, 06:30 PM

Did'nt these boxes have chocolate in, and sent to troops on the front as a gift from the queen/king.

**Adrian Stevenson** · 01-02-2010, 08:27 PM

Hi, please see the WW1 forum for a thread I did about the Princess Mary's gift tin. There is some good info there.

The tin shown in this thread I doubt was made in WW1.

Cheers, Ade.

**HJ-Collector** · 01-02-2010, 09:09 PM

hi can we please see the bottom and inside the lid

OKW · 01-02-2010, 09:16 PM

There was one of these sold on fleabay recently, seems they are probably of recent manufacture. The actual Princess Mary tins and their contents have been heavily reproduced.