Antique Regency Mahogany & Rosewood Brass Inlaid Campaign Writing Slope Box

Here we have an impressive antique Regency (1811-1820) Mahogany & Rosewood Brass inlaid campaign writing slope box with a side drawer and multiple hidden internal compartments and drawers. The exterior of this box has brass bound edges and is brass inlaid with floral detailed symmetric patterns. Engraved into a brass plaque in the centre of the box is the name Edward Colston. To the side is a 3/4 length of the box drawer, with a brass campaign handle, which is unlocked only when the writing slope is opened. Once the box is opened, via a Chubbs patent brass lock, a beautiful red leather writing slope is revealed with a profuse golden symmetrical patterned tooled edging. To the top are two inkwells, both with brass tops, and one inkwell is also stamped ‘Horsleys and Coopers Patent London’ with the royal crest stamp. As well as the inkwells to the top, there are 3 small lidded open compartments with ivory handles and brass inlaid borders. The leather writing slope opens at the bottom, after the brass latches are unclicked, to reveal an open storage area. The top of the leather writing slope opens with a key to reveal a large storage compartment divided into 3 sections. Now this top compartment has a few hidden secrets. The 2 section dividers pop out after pressing a hidden button to the inner side of the compartment, then once a button disguised as a screw at the top is pressed, the wooden panel between the inkwells and storage area pops out to reveal 3 hidden rosewood veneered drawers with ivory handles. These 3 drawers each contain the Churchill commemorative coins we found in there as well! Now the secrets are not all revealed yet, if you take out the far left rosewood veneered drawer fully, at the back of this drawer space is a hidden metal button which springs up part of the wooden floor boards to the storage compartment. This reveals a further smaller hidden storage area, which still has one more secret. With a press of another hidden wooden button to the side of the box it reveals a further two more rosewood veneered drawers with ivory handles. One of these drawers at the bottom has a unique specially cut internal shape for holding gold sovereigns, both sizes for half and full sovereigns. Charles Chubb (1779 – 1845) opened a hardware business in Winchester before moving, with his brother, Jeremiah, to Portsea, in 1804. He opened the company’s London Office at 57 St. Paul’s Churchyard in 1820 and by 1823 had been awarded a special licence by George IV and had become the sole supplier of locks to the General Post Office and to Her Majesty’s Prison Service. In 1851, he designed a special secure display case for the Koh-I-Noor diamond for its appearance at The Great Exhibition, London, 1851. The ivory reference number for this item is: S3QNPPDG.